Bard is one of the most whimsical champions in League of Legends. His whole lore and kit feels like it was taken off the pages of numerous fairy tales. In this guide, we’ll show you everything you need to know to get you started playing the Wandering Caretaker.

Bard has one of the highest skill caps in the entire game. His abilities are very easy to mess up and can be detrimental to your team’s success. Despite this, his kit has very high playmaking potential and can easily turn the tides of the game in your team’s favor. He has good crowd control, a semi-spammable heal, good poke, and excellent roaming capabilities. If you invest your time in learning Bard, you’ll be rewarded with one of the most powerful supports in the game.

Abilities

Bard’s kit is rather unique. It’s hard to categorize what exactly he brings to the table which is part of the reason why he’s so fun to play.

Passive – Traveler’s Call

Meeps: Bard attracts lesser spirits that assist with his basic attacks. These meeps gain new effects as Bard collects chimes.

Ancient Chimes: Ancient chimes randomly appear for Bard to collect. These grant 20 EXP (+1 per minute), (+12% his missing), and 24% bonus out-of-combat Movement Speed, plus 14% for each chime beyond the first (stacking up to 5 times) for 7 seconds. Chimes remain for 10 minutes.

Q – Cosmic Binding

Bard fires an energy bolt, dealing magic damage to one or two enemies. The first target will be slowed by 60%. If the bolt hits another enemy or a wall, any enemies hit are stunned instead.

W – Caretaker’s Shrine

Bard raises a health shrine that immediately restores health, but increases as it gathers power for 10 seconds. The shrine’s effect also grants 30% decaying Movement Speed for 1.5 seconds. Bard can have up to 3 shrines active at once, which remain until visited by an ally or crushed by an enemy.

E – Magical Journey

Bard opens a one-way corridor through nearby terrain. Both allies and enemies can use the corridor by right-clicking on any part of it while near its entrance, with allies traveling 30% faster than enemies. The corridor disappears after 10 seconds.

R – Tempered Fate

Bard sends magical energy arcing to a target location. On impact, all champions, minions, monsters, and turrets in the target area are put in stasis, becoming invincible, untargetable, and unable to act for 2.5 seconds. Epic monsters are also put into stasis, despite normally being immune to disables.

Runes and Item Builds

When playing as Bard, you have to build items that make him a bit tankier than your average support. This is because he is best used when roaming and making plays around the map.

Starting Items

Bard starts the game with a typical poke support setup with Spellthief’s Edge and a Health Potion. This will help you play a bit more aggressive in the early game so that you can secure a lead for your Bot Lane partner.

Mythic Items

For your Mythic Item, you have two choices: Locket of the Iron Solari or Shurelya’s Battlesong. Locket of the Iron Solari gives you and your team a shield while Shurelya’s Battlesong gives you and your team a movement speed buff. Both are pretty great options and give off similar stats. What you choose should mostly boil down to your preference or what your team currently needs. 

Full Build

When playing as Bard, your focus early on is to grab Boots of Swiftness as your first item. This will allow you to roam as soon as you can secure lane priority. Next, go for your desired Mythic item. Then go for Dead Man’s Plate to make you more durable and add a little oomph to your basic attacks when you roam. After, go for Redemption so that you can give your teammates a heal around the map. Then at this point, go for Frozen Heart to solve your mana shortage problems. Finally, top off your build with Knight’s Vow to increase an ally’s survivability.

Runes

For your runes, go with the Resolve tree and take Guardian as your keystone. This will greatly increase an ally’s survivability whenever you cast spells on them. Next, take Font of Life for the bonus heal whenever you impair the movements of an enemy champion, Bone Plating to help you be tankier, and Unflinching to help you stick to your targets. For secondaries, take Zombie Ward and Relentless Hunter from the Domination tree. For rune shards, take Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and Armor. 

Useful Tips

1. It’s important to collect chimes to improve your meep’s attacks, but don’t neglect your lane partner!
2. Bard is countered by Senna, Xerath, Brand, Swain, and Lux. If you’re matched up against these champions, try to play it safe instead of being aggressive.
3. For your summoner spells, take Flash and Ignite to give you more utility and to help you secure early leads. If you want to play it safe, you can swap out Ignite for Exhaust.

So there you have it! That’s all you need to know about playing Bard in League of Legends. Be sure to check back with us again for more awesome guides on your favorite games. Have fun and we’ll see you on the Rift!