Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Armour for Bard Class

Discover the best Bard Armour in Baldur’s Gate 3, equipping your class with the top eight early and end-game choices.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has various powerful armour types. When choosing armour for your Bard, it is important to consider your character’s playstyle and the types of enemies you will be facing. The Bard class and subclasses offer a variety of ways to play. The Bard excels at support, healing, spell casting, and even melee martial damage dealing. Your primary class feature is Bardic Inspiration, buffing allies with an increase in their ability check, saving throw, and attack roll bonus, or whichever they use first.

The Bard Class also has different subclass-based armour proficiencies in Baldur’s Gate 3:

The College of Lore: wears light armour and is your typical spell caster.
The College of Swords: uses their Bardic Inspiration for weapon attacks and uses medium armour.
The College of Valour: subclass is the most versatile, getting light and medium armour proficiency and shield.

Regardless of your chosen subclass, this guide and ranking explain and list the best armour in BG3 for the Bard, and how you can utilize them.

Table of Contents

Best Armour for Bard Class in Baldur’s Gate 3

Helldusk Armour is the best armour for Bards in Baldur’s Gate 3 because it requires no heavy armour proficiency, provides the highest Armour Class, and gives you fire resistance. Helldusk Armour also allows you to cast Fly once per long rest, which is an incredibly useful mobility tool. Without the need for heavy armour proficiency, while obtaining all the durability, Helldusk Armour is the Best for the Bard class in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Best Armour for Bard Class in BG3:

Best Bard Weapons

8 Scale Mail +1

Scale Mail +1 features in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Armour Class (AC): 15
Type: Medium Armour
Requirements: Medium Armour Proficiency
Rarity: Uncommon
Location: Traders depending on level in Act 1.

The first armour on our list can be worn by the College of Swords, or College of Valour Bard starting at level 3, and that’s medium armour Scale Mail +1. After completing the tutorial and exploring, you will quickly reach level 3 and discover various traders in Act 1, specifically Dammon and Arron. They will sell various armour sets and Scale Mail +1 can appear at random, or you can rest to force a restock of gear.

Scale Mail +1 gives 15 Armour Class (AC) which determines the likelihood of getting hit. This armour also reduces slashing damage by 1 and is a great game early pickup. Most players recruit Lae’zel and take her Githyanki Half Plate. This is a great strategy early on, assuming you don’t use her in your party or have other medium armour users. Pick Scale Mail +1 up very early in the game for a boost to AC and your survivability.

7 Cap of Curing

Cap of Curing features in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Armour Class (AC): None
Type: Helmet
Requirements: None
Rarity: Uncommon
Location: Druid Grove chest near Alfira X: 289 Y: 488 in Act 1.

The Cap of Curing is an uncommon hat that heals those inspired by the wearer’s Bardic Inspiration. This is a great pickup for College of Lore, and College of Valour builds focusing on supporting allies. Bardic Inspiration is a powerful buff that can be used outside of combat and lasts until a long rest. However, in combat, you may need to switch your target due to enemy pressure, and that’s where Cap of Curing comes in.

The Soothing Song passive heals the target for 1d6 health while applying Bardic Inspiration. Casting Bardic Inspiration in combat only requires a bonus action so you can combine this with an action-based healing like Cure Wounds. This will heal the target inspire them and help with Saving Throws if they use it first. Make sure to stop by the Druid Grove in Act 1 and unlock the chest for a powerful early-game hat.

6 Wondrous Gloves

Wondrous Gloves in features in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Armour Class (AC): None
Type: Gloves
Requirements: None
Rarity: Rare
Location: Dropped by Mimic chest in Grymforge X: -691 Y: 374 Act 1.

Further in Act 1, you will enter the Underdark and eventually the Grymforge. You will encounter some mimic chest, essentially a trap that looks like three treasure chests in one area. One of these mimic chests drops a powerful set of gloves called Wondrous Gloves. Wondrous Gloves has a special perk that increases your Armour Class by 1 and gains additional Bardic Inspiration.

Combine the Wondrous Gloves with the Scale Mail +1 and a shield on a College of Valour Bard for 17 AC without any spells. This can make you very sturdy as a support build early on, rivalling the Cleric class. The extra Bard Inspiration can be useful as well, especially if you swap Bardic Inspiration mid-fight with allies who need a bonus to attack rolls or saving throws.

5 Blazer of Benevolence

Blazer of Benevolence features in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Armour Class (AC): 11
Type: Light Armour
Requirements: Light Armour Proficiency
Rarity: Uncommon
Location: Rescue Volo from the Goblin Camp in Act 1.

While exploring the Goblin camp in Act 1, you will encounter an NPC named Volo who can be freed. If you do so, you will be rewarded with this light armour Blazer of Benevolence. This armour comes with a unique perk Remedial Rhymes, which when you inspire an ally using Bardic Inspiration, you gain 4 Temporary Hit Points.

Temporary Hit Points can only be obtained by one source but add to your overall health. Most likely you will be using Bardic Inspiration post-long rest to give someone an immediate benefit in combat on turn one. This will boost your overall health by 4, and if you reapply Bardic Inspiration in combat, another 4 health. This isn’t the most powerful bonus in the game, but it’s a great set that benefits you for casting Bardic Inspiration and actively reapplying it in combat.

4 Boots of Brilliance

Boots of Brilliance features in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Armour Class (AC): None
Type: Boots
Requirements: None
Rarity: Rare
Location: Heavy Chest in Gauntlet of Shar X: -632 Y: -723 Act 2.

Boots of Brilliance is an Act 2 item that restores Bardic Inspiration charges. Depending on your subclass, you will be using the Bardic Inspiration resource frequently especially if you are playing a support build. The Restore Bardic Inspiration perk gives you once per Long Rest you can use your Action to play your instrument and restore one of your Bardic Inspiration charges.

On Tactician difficulty, where resources needed to rest are doubled this is a valuable tool to keep you from constantly resting. The best part about Restore Bardic Inspiration is you don’t have to keep the boots equipped the entire time. You can rest a bardic charge, then swap to something that provides better combat bonuses like the Disintegrating Night Walkers Boots. Consider this a must-have item in Act Two in a heavy chest during the Gauntlet of Shar quest.

3 Elegant Studded Leather

Elegant Studded Leather features in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Armour Class (AC): 14
Type: Light Armour
Requirements: Light Armour Proficiency
Rarity: Very Rare
Location: The Lower City High Security Vault Return Rakath’s Gold Quest Act 3.

The Elegant Studded Leather light armour is a must-have Act 3 item set for spellcasting subclasses like College of Lore. This item set gives 14 AC + your dexterity modifier, +2 bonus to initiative rolls, an advantage on stealth, and a free Shield spell per short rest. The strength of this light armour set is the free Shield spell per short rest.

Shield is a level 1 Abjuration spell, which when hit by an enemy, you can use a reaction to cast and increase your AC by 5. Reactions are resources that are typically counters to enemies’ attacks and will not take away an action or bonus action. You simply get hit, and react for a massive boost to your AC. This will give you high survivability when you need it as a light armour user. You can short rest and replenish the spell, so you always have a defensive reaction-based spell when you need it most.

2 Adamantine Scale Mail

BG3 Adamantine Scale Mail Baldur's Gate 3

Adamantine Scale Mail features in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Armour Class (AC): 16
Type: Medium Armour
Requirements: Medium Armour Proficiency
Rarity: Very Rare
Location: Adamantine Forge Act 1 with Scale Mail Mould and Minthral Ore.

Next, we have a high-powered medium armour set Adamantine Scale Mail. This can be obtained in Act 1 Adamantine Forge, using Scale Mail Mould and Minthral Ore. There are only two sources of Minthral Ore, so you must be careful in the items you create, but this is a great pickup for a College of Swords and College of Valour build that has medium armour proficiency.

Adamantine Scale Mail comes with 16 AC and three useful passives. Magical Plate reduces damage by 1, while critical strike immunity prevents you from being critically hit. Lastly, Adamantine Backlash, sends melee attackers reeling for two turns. Reeling is a status effect that gives -1 penalty to attack rolls every turn it’s active. Simply put, the Adamantine Scale Mail is the best for survivability early in the game and can take you well into Act 3. Armour of Agility and Yuan-ti Scale Mail or also good alternatives for Acts 2 and 3 armour.

1 Helldusk Armour

Helldusk Armour features in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Armour Class (AC): 21
Type: Heavy Armour
Requirements: None
Rarity: Legendary
Location: House of Hope Escape the Deal quest in Act 3.

Helldusk Armour is the best armour for the Bard Class in Baldur’s Gate 3. It has a unique perk that allows you to be proficient with this armour while wearing it, not requiring heavy armour proficiency. With 21 Armour Class, this is one of the highest AC armours in the game, providing massive protection. Helldusk also provides fire resistance and punishes attackers with burning when you succeed in a saving throw against them.

Helldusk Armour also allows you to cast a Fly spell once per long rest. This is an incredible mobility tool, allowing you to traverse rough terrain or move over cliffs and ledges. The Bard class isn’t innately mobile, and this will solve your problem when you need it most. While this armour comes very late in the game, it can turn your Bard class into a behemoth with incredible survivability and that’s why we rank it number one in BG3.

Bard Armour Proficiency in Baldur’s Gate 3

The Bard has many armour choices thanks to its three subclasses: College of Lore, College of Swords, and College of Valour. Below is a chart of available armour proficiencies for the Bard, depending on your subclass:

College of Lore	College of Swords	College of Valour
Light Armour	Light Armour	Light Armour
	Medium Armour	Medium Armour
		Shield

Bard has a variety of playstyles depending on your subclass selection. College of Lore Bards are typical spellcasters who wear light armour. They focus on using their magic to support their allies and debuff their enemies. College of Swords Bards are a more martial subclass of Bards. They wear medium armour and can use their Bardic Inspiration for weapon attacks. This makes them a good hybrid of spellcaster and fighter. College of Valour Bards are the most versatile subclass of Bards. They can wear light or medium armour and use a shield. They also have several features that make them good in both combat and non-combat situations.

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Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Armour for Bard Class