If you’ve been hanging around the Emerald Grove or lurking in the Shadow-Cursed Lands lately, you probably noticed things feel a little different since Patch 8 dropped. Larian finally gave us the college of glamour, and honestly, it’s not what most people expected. Everyone’s used to the College of Swords—where you basically turn into a blender with a lute—or the College of Lore, which is basically "Wizard Lite." But Glamour? It’s a whole different vibe. It’s about looking so good that enemies literally cannot bring themselves to hit you.
It's flashy. It’s weird. It’s very fey.
What’s the actual deal with the college of glamour?
Basically, you’re a bard who spent too much time in the Feywild. While other bards are busy studying dusty books or practicing sword forms, you were probably flirting with a Satyr or learning how to weave starlight into your clothes. In Baldur's Gate 3, this translates to a kit that focuses heavily on "Mantle" abilities.
You aren't just giving a pep talk. You’re transforming.
When you pick this subclass at level 3, you get Mantle of Inspiration. This is your bread and butter. You spend a Bardic Inspiration charge and a bonus action to give your friends temporary hit points. But here’s the kicker: in BG3, if an enemy hits someone protected by your mantle with a melee attack, they have to make a save or become Charmed.
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It’s hilarious to watch. A massive Ogre swings a club at Karlach, sees your sparkly aura, and suddenly decides he’d rather be your best friend than finish the job.
Why everyone is talking about Mantle of Majesty
If level 3 is the setup, level 6 is the punchline. This is where you get Mantle of Majesty. This ability is sort of broken if you use it right, but it’s easy to mess up if you’re just clicking buttons without thinking.
Once per long rest, you can enter a state where you cast Command as a bonus action every single turn without spending a spell slot.
Wait.
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Read that again. Bonus. Action. Command.
Usually, Command takes a full action. But a Glamour Bard can just stand there, looking majestic, and tell an enemy to "Grovel" or "Drop" their legendary weapon while still using their main action to cast Hypnotic Pattern or Fireball (if you grabbed it via Magical Secrets). If the target is already Charmed—which happens naturally if they tried to hit your "Manty" friends earlier—they automatically fail the saving throw. No roll. Just "sit down, shut up."
Is it actually better than Lore or Swords?
Honestly? It depends on how much you like being a puppet master.
If you want to solo the game and do 300 damage a turn, stick to Swords Bard. It's still the king of raw power. If you want to be the ultimate skill-monkey, Lore is probably still your best bet because Cutting Words is arguably the best reaction in the game.
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But the college of glamour fills a niche that was missing: the aggressive support.
- Lore Bards react to things going wrong.
- Swords Bards just kill everything so nothing can go wrong.
- Glamour Bards dictate exactly how the fight is going to happen before it even starts.
The main struggle you'll run into—and I’ve seen this a lot in Act 2—is that a lot of things are immune to being Charmed. Shadows? Don't care how cute you are. Undead? They aren't exactly looking at your outfit. This makes the Glamour Bard feel a bit lackluster in the Gauntlet of Shar compared to the Goblin Camp where you can basically play the enemies like a fiddle.
Tips for making a Glamour Bard work
Don't just build this like a generic caster. You need to lean into the "come and get me" playstyle.
- Pair with a "Tank": Give your Mantle of Inspiration to Karlach or Lae'zel. They want to be in the front. When they get hit, the enemy gets Charmed. Then you use your bonus action Command to make that enemy walk away or drop their sword.
- Charisma is everything: Since so much of your kit relies on spell save DCs, you need your Charisma at 20 as fast as possible. Grab the Birthright hat in Act 3 if you can.
- Feats matter: Actor is surprisingly good here because it bumps your Charisma and makes you a god at dialogue. War Caster is also a must because if you lose concentration on your big crowd control spells, the whole "glamour" thing falls apart pretty quickly.
The verdict on the fey-touched performer
Is the college of glamour the new "meta" for Honor Mode? Probably not. It's a bit too reliant on enemies failing saves and being susceptible to the Charmed condition. However, it is easily the most "Bard-y" Bard. It feels like you’re actually playing a magical superstar rather than just a fighter who happens to carry a flute.
If you’re tired of the same old builds and want to see what happens when you turn a battlefield into a literal stage, give it a shot. Just remember to bring a backup plan for when you run into a bunch of mindless constructs that don't appreciate your aesthetic.
To get the most out of this, try multiclassing with two levels of Life Domain Cleric if you want to be an unkillable healer, or stick to pure Bard to reach level 10 and grab those high-level Magical Secrets like Spirit Guardians or Counterspell.