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#840936 12/01/23 11:03 AM
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What would be ideal party if MC is druid? Best druid subclass?
What would be ideal party if MC is bard? Best bard subclass?

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i'm sorry but would you mind at least telling us what you mean by "best"?


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more advantageous for current early access content. More powerful in killing the enemies legitimate way.

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the Lore Bard is about passing every talk test. you want 12 in every stat... its about being good at everything
the other bard is about combat i.e, a sword, a shield

if you have 15 charisma then your best option is spell damage and buffing the Cleric or the Fighter is 2nd best

as a Druid you decide if you want to cast spells or go into animal form... the bitch with animal form is the concentration needs. it always fails when need it
a Druid that carries a shield \ heals or a bow is the best way to play


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Party wise for a druid, and assuming you’re sticking with Larian’s companions, it’s going to depend on whether you’re intending to play a moon druid or a land druid (you’ll get to pick at level 2). It’ll be possible to complete a playthrough with any party, but some will make it easier than others. As per my recent long thread about playing a moon druid, I had Astarion, Gale and Wyll which is probably the worst party. If I was to play again, I’d probably swap Wyll for Shadowheart, as my moon druid can fight on the front line but her animal form would benefit from the buffs (eg Bless) a cleric could offer, and because my druid was mainly in beast form in combat she wasn't in a position to provide healing for other party members. You could also swap Shadowheart for Astarion, as she can take over his thieving duties reasonably well and Wyll can do reasonable damage with his Eldritch Blast, particularly if he's given a charisma boost at level 4 so as to not miss as much. If I was going land druid, I’d probably swap Wyll for Lae’zel to give me more front line capability for when I want to hang back and cast spells, though a land druid should be able to hold their own on the front line too so it's not essential. There are no right or wrong answers here and pretty much any combination has its strengths … and weaknesses.

Subclass, I really enjoyed the moon druid but there’s no doubt that there are issues with some of the spell implementations and the animal forms you get that make it a harder class to play. Land druid would probably be an easier option to start with though I’ve not played it myself.

As a bard with the right skills and spells (and potions), you don’t need either a rogue or a cleric in your party so you have a lot of flexibility. You’ll probably want some support on the front line even if you’re going to be a more swashbuckling fighter type bard (College of Valour) which given current options probably means Lae’zel, though Shadowheart can be reasonably tanky if equipped right and even Astarion can help share the pain in melee as long as he’s not the only one up front.

Subclass, it just depends on what kind of bard you want to be. College of Lore is probably your more traditional bard, though be wary that it grants some additional skill proficiencies when you pick it that aren’t swappable so if going this route you’ll want to Google them and make sure you don’t pick the same ones at level 1 and waste them (unless Larian have fixed this).

Generally I’d say don’t sweat it, play around, and see what suits you. You can pop back to camp to swap your party almost any time in early access, so there’s no need to commit. And because it’s early access and you can’t finish the game until August anyway, if you enjoy it at all there’ll be plenty of time to try out the different subclasses too smile.


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I don't know about bard, but technically (I've heard here) land druid (grass) with its haste and invinsibility is the most consistent. You can pick the warlock feat at level 4 and cast 4 eldritch blast/turn.

If you pick druid to then go warlock, you can also get away with a high charisma, low wisdom build I suppose. Thanks to thornwip and the AC on cantrip use boosting ring, land druid can also do melee.

A moon druid is strong playing tank in a caster party. Unfortunately, moon druids are bugged and not fully functional at the moment. Do not play that class If you're not a masochist. If you are a masochist, embrace the flaming sphere because you either need to give up on moonbeam or wildshape.

Flameblade is theoretically also an extremely powerful tool with that helmet giving an extra bonus action for fire damage spells. It's up to 36 damage a turn just from two bonus actions. Flameblade receives no damage penalty for being in your offhand, making it the best offhand weapon in patch 9. Flameblade also isn't boosted by strenght or dex.

Unfortunately (yet again), it's bugged and you lose concentration all the time. You can only summon it twice per long rest at level 4. That's two fights at best. Keep in mind Flame Blade also means no moonbeam. It's one or the other.

Being a Druid currently means either being an inferior Paladin (flameblade) or an inferior Tank (moon druid). Land druids can combine their powers to create unholy builds. Keep in mind even the mentioned 4x eldritch blast build means just being an inferior 4x fireball sorcerer.

There is nothing a druid can add to your party a different class can't do better. Consequently, you'll be playing the class for flavour and need a 3 man party that covers all skills. I'd suggest a battlemaster and then really just what works best with Lae'Zel and your particular Druid. If it's a Tank, you don't need shadowheart, If it's melee, you might want Astarion's ranged sneak attack, etc. You'll feel the gap.

When moon druid still worked, it was very fun to play a caster party in patch 8. With the recent damage loss and Druid wildshape down = Druid down, your druid will heal themselves or die. I'd pick a second custom Tav to go paladin so you're not dependent on Lae'Zel. Paladins can actually heal without using spell slots. Druids, infuriantingly, will waste their precious 2 Level 2 spell slots to get their hp back and be stuck with no damage options until long rest. Unless you want to hate that playthrough, get that back up Paladin. It's just better... In every single way. Especially the tiefling with a Smite as a bonus action and mass healing the party as a reaction (oath of the ancients).

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I love playing bards. I usually go with lore bard and have Shadowheart and Gale always in my Party. The last Slot I change for story and utility reasons.


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