For Baldur's Gate 3 fans who have been putting off their very first Honour Mode run, or for those who haven't tried one or want to give it another shot with a fresh, fun new build, there are plenty of incredible builds that make Honour Mode a breeze. Coming up with personalized builds can be a lot of fun, but it's also possible to turn to the community and find some of the best possible ideas there. Those who are particularly experienced with Baldur's Gate 3 or Dungeons & Dragons can go a long way with the game's systems, shaping characters that are both powerful and fun to play.

Although leaning into a singular strength leads to some powerful Baldur's Gate 3 characters, versatility is often even better. One build in particular that serves as a great example of this is the College of Swords Bard, which is the perfect option for a party face that can handle it all. With a unique balance of high-damage martial abilities and the added control skills that casters typically benefit from, a good Swords Bard can make the game much more enjoyable for players who want to finally try their first Honour Mode run

Why Swords Bard Build Is Perfect For Honour Mode

The College Of Swords Bard Subclass Gives Players The Best Of Both Worlds

A particularly great Swords Bard build comes courtesy of Reddit Prestigious_Juice341, who codified the build as the "Control Martial." The Control Martial build is perfect for Honour Mode because it offers players full bard spell progression while retaining martial viability. Because of how the Swords Bard subclass utilizes control spells, players will have the ability to paralyze powerful foes such as Orin or Raphael and deal insane amounts of damage throughout their entire Honour run.

Additionally, the Swords Bard subclass gives players the Bardic Inspiration class action (and later on, Improved Bardic Inspiration), offering a much-needed boost that will get players past the beginning hump of their Honour run. They also gain the Song of Rest, essentially giving the party an extra short rest for the early to mid-game while they are still obtaining some of their best-in-slot items. The Swords Bard also has early access to medium armor, two-weapon fighting (useful for dual-wielding hand crossbows in the early game), and crucially, extra attacks, which will feel like an unfair advantage by the endgame

The Titanstring Bow is a strong contender for the best-in-slot bow, but it will likely require players to use quite a few Elixirs of Cloud Giant Strength, so The Dead Shot bow can be used just as effectively in this build as long as players have some Elixir of Bloodlust on hand, which allows an extra action after killing an enemy.

While the Swords Bard subclass is the primary choice for this build, at Level 8, players will dip one level into both the Fighter and Wizard classes in order to bolster their Swords Bard abilities. Multiclassing into Fighter allows players to boost their Concentration Saving Throws in the late game, provides Longbow proficiency, and the Archery fighting style, which is great alongside the Sharpshooter feat. The dip into Wizard allows players to memorize spells from scrolls and gain access to certain spells such as Haste and summons spells, that are not dependent on DC in order to be effective.

Key Features Of The Swords Bard Build In BG3

Slashing Flourish & The Helmet Of Arcane Acuity Are Essential

One highlight of the Control Martial Swords Bard is the Slashing Flourish action, which allows players to spend their Bardic Inspiration points on an additional attack. This action works with ranged attacks, so players will be able to stack Arcane Acuity and deal large amounts of damage multiple times in the same turn. Utilizing Arrows of Many Targets will stack Arcane Acuity as well, and will allow for even further damage with a wider area of effect (AOE). Arcane Acuity is a unique condition that provides players with a powerful damage and spell save DC bonus.

Once players obtain the Gloves of Dexterity, they have the option to respec and allocate their points into Constitution and/or Wisdom, though this isn't essential for the build to be effective.

Because of how the build utilizes Arcane Acuity, two key items players will need are the found early in Act Two in the basement of the Mason's Guild, and players will see the build start to really come together once equipped. The ring will take some cunning when dealing with the Djinni in Act Three, but allows players to cast their control spells as a bonus action, letting them attack and cast a control spell in the same turn.

Strategies To Use With The Swords Bard

The Control Martial Utilizes Arcane Acuity And Spells Like Hold Person

The write-up by u/Prestigious_Juice341 points out some important strategies to use in the early game vs. the late game. Before players acquire the above two core items, it's important to dual wield two Hand Crossbows, purchased from Dammon in the grove. Using the Oil of Accuracy before a fight will negate the -5 penalty from the Sharpshooter feat, and Bardic Inspiration points should be reserved for Slashing Flourishes. Players should "prioritize a Heat Metal or Hold Person," reserving crossbow attacks for the Bonus Action. They should also grab the Glyph of Warding once they reach level 5.

At Level 8, players will respec into Wizard and Fighter, but will also want to equip the Titanstring Bow from Act One. Once they have acquired the two core items, they will want to "spend actions on shooting [the] bow, and spend bonus actions on control spells." Maintaining an 8–10 Arcane Acuity stack will make attacks virtually unmissable and add a ton of damage per round. For multiple targets in encounters such as the House of Grief, upcasting Hold Person will incapacitate up to six enemies, or casting Confusion will cause targets to start attacking each other.

The Glyph of Warding is excellent for AOE damage in the mid-game, and offers various versions including a sleep variant, as well as Lightning and Cold that have high efficacy on wet targets.

Finally, for tough opponents like Orin or Raphael, casting Hold Monster will essentially cancel out devastating legendary abilities. And while features such as this are overwhelmingly great for an Honour Mode run, the build does have some drawbacks, particularly in encounters with undead. This is why it's useful to balance the party with a character that is very effective against undead, especially while exploring the Shadowfell. Ultimately though, the advantages of this build far outweigh the downsides, and Baldur's Gate 3 fans will want to read u/Prestigious_Juice341's full write-up for a comprehensive breakdown of the Swords Bard "Control Martial" build.

Sources: Prestigious_Juice341, ethan/YouTube