Best Swashbuckler Rogue Class Build
Baldur’s Gate 3 just added the Swashbuckler subclasses for Rogues in its recent Patch 8 update. Swashbuckler has long been my favorite Rogue subclass in Dungeons & Dragons, so I’m excited that I finally get to play it in Baldur’s Gate 3. Although it has been slightly nerfed from its tabletop version, I do still think it’s worth building a Swashbuckler thanks to some new tricks the game adds.
Swashbuckler is just one of the 12 new subclasses from Patch 8, and it’s easy to get a little overwhelmed looking at all the new options. If you’re curious about how to build a Swashbuckler, or just want to know how they work before paying Withers to respec, I can give you a quick rundown of their appeal and how they work. Even if you aren’t running this as your main class, it could still be an interesting build for Astarion to have while you force him to pick all the locks for you.
Swashbuckler Rogue In BG3 Explained
Swashbucklers Are Mobile Rogues Who Are Good At Dueling
You can take the Swashbuckler subclass once you hit level three as a Rogue, and when you do you immediately get two new abilities: Fancy Footwork and Rakish Audacity. Fancy Footwork is designed to make you a bit more mobile on the battlefield, giving you a free Disengage when you hit an enemy with a melee attack. This frees up your bonus action for an off-hand attack, making Swashbucklers good dual-wielders. Rakish Audacity gives you an Initiative bonus, and switches up how your Sneak Attack works. All Swashbuckler abilities in Baldur’s Gate 3 can be seen below:
|
Swashbuckler Ability |
Effect |
|
Fancy Footwork |
If you make a melee attack against a target, they can’t make Opportunity Attacks against you that turn. |
|
Rakish Audacity |
You gain a +2 bonus to initiative rolls. This scales up to +4 as you level up. |
|
Rakish Sneak Attack (Melee) |
Deal extra damage to an enemy you have Advantage against. You don’t need Advantage to use this attack if no other combatants are within two meters of your target, or if no other combatants are within five meters, and you have an ally within that range. |
|
Rakish Sneak Attack (Ranged) |
Deal extra damage to an enemy you have Advantage against. You don’t need Advantage to use this attack if no other combatants are within two meters of your target, or if no other combatants are within five meters, and you have an ally within that range. |
|
Dirty Trick: Flick o’ the Wrist |
As a bonus action, you can attempt to Disarm an enemy. Gain Advantage on your next attack. |
|
Dirty Trick: Sand Toss |
As a bonus action, you can attempt to Blind an enemy. Gain Advantage on your next attack. |
|
Dirty Trick: Viscous Mockery |
Cast the Viscous Mockery catrip as a bonus action. You gain Advantage on your next attack. |
|
Panache |
Roll a Persuasion check contested by your target’s Insight. Enemies who fail gain Disadvantage on attacks against creatures other than you and cannot take Opportunity Attacks against enemies other than you. Non-hostile creatures who fail are Charmed. |
A Swashbuckler’s role is essentially to fight enemies one-on-one, using their Dirty Tricks and Sneak Attack damage to quickly take out individual enemies. You can also help isolate them from the rest of your party by using your free Disengage to back up and force an enemy to chase you, and Panache will give that enemy incentive to attack you as opposed to your party members. Rogues may seem like glass canons, but high Dexterity and your Uncanny Dodge can help keep you alive.
Best Build For Swashbuckler Rogue In Baldur’s Gate 3
Swashbucklers Want High Charisma To Benefit Their New Skills
For the purposes of this build, I will mainly be focusing on a strict Swashbuckler build, not a multiclass build. That said, some of this could work for multiclassing. For example, a high Charisma score would work if you’re a Bard dipping into Rogue for a few levels. My starting and ending Ability Scores can be seen below:
|
Ability |
Starting Score |
End Score |
|
Strength |
8 |
8 |
|
Dexterity |
17 |
20 |
|
Constitution |
10 |
8 |
|
Intelligence |
8 |
17 (Warped Headband of Intellect) |
|
Wisdom |
14 |
14 |
|
Charisma |
16 |
20 |
Dexterity is your most important ability as a Rogue, as it’s used for doing damage, Stealth, and your Thieves’ tools. For a Swashbuckler, Charisma is your second most important skill as it’s used as your Spell Save DC for your Dirty Tricks, and helps with your Persuasion check for Panache. I also give myself Persuasion Proficiency and Expertise, meaning, at level 11, your Reliable Talent will make your lowest possible Persuasion roll a 23 if your Charisma to 20. I also take the Actor feat for the Charisma boost and the extra Expertise that makes you overall very skilled at conversations.
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As far as weapons go, I run two shortswords since I won’t always need a bonus action to disengage. Earlier on, the Shortsword of First Blood is good, since your Initiative bonus makes it likley you’ll be one of the first to go. Later on, Crimson Mishief works really well with a Swashbuckler, since your Dirty Tricks give you Advantage on attacks, which grants you a damage bonus from this magic item. I also typically equip the Warped Headband of Intellect, so I can use Intelligence as a dump stat while building, but still get a good score.
As for other gear, I try to take items that keep me mobile and make me harder to hit. For example, I use a Cloak of Protection for the extra AC, and Spaceshunt Boots, so I can Dimension Door out of a tight spot. I only started using this build yesterday, since the patch is so new, so I encourage any Baldur’s Gate 3 experts to comment with suggestions if you have any advice as you try the build for yourself.
- Released
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August 3, 2023
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
-
Larian Studios
- Engine
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Divinity 4.0
- Multiplayer
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Local Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
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Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t support crossplay
