Ashes of Creation Bard Best in Slot and Stat Priority

At level 20, you gain access to the best-in-slot gear. Obtaining these items will be a lengthy process. You can start by obtaining some decent level 20 gear through drops, but true min-maxing comes from crafting the highest quality versions, Heroic and Legendary quality. This requires a significant amount of time and teamwork from different types of crafters, as well as access to all the necessary crafting stations in the towns. To begin, focus on acquiring the basic versions of level 20 gear through drops or purchases in the marketplace. As you gather more resources, you can gradually craft better versions.

Important note: The higher the quality of a piece of gear or weapon, the more stats it will provide. Additionally, reaching certain quality thresholds can unlock extra stats. The gear listed below represents some of the best options you can acquire at level 20.

Please note: If you have the gold, it's highly recommended to use Apprentice Enchanting Scroll to enchant your level 20 gear. This will significantly enhance your stats. Keep in mind, the cost to upgrade an item increases with each enchantment. However, jewelry is always relatively inexpensive to enchant, making it a great investment.

Item Name	Location	Level Requirement
Steel Spellsword	Crafting or Mob Drop (Most humanoids)	Level 20
Proctor's Focus	Crafting or Mob Drop (From inside Tower of Carphin)	Level 20
Wand of Briarhome	Tumok the Wretched	Level 20
Skullcap of the Three Moons	Crafting and/or dropped from named mob Undertaker Zon (near Highwaymen Hill)	Level 10
Cloak of Ill Omens	Crafting and/or dropped from named mob "Corvus" (near Gravepeak)	Level 20
Bloom Warden Garb	Crafting or Mob Drop (Citadel of the Steel Bloom)	Level 20
Bloom Warden Pants	Crafting or Mob Drop (Citadel of the Steel Bloom)	Level 20
Cognoscente Gloves	Crafting or Mob Drop (From inside Tower of Carphin)	Level 20
Cognoscente Belt	Crafting or Mob Drop (From inside Tower of Carphin)	Level 20
Bloom Warden Bracers	Crafting or Mob Drop (Citadel of the Steel Bloom)	Level 20
Sweeper's Dusty Shoes	Crafting and/or dropped from named mob "Eternal Sweeper" (Tower of Carphin)	Level 20
Goblin's Bone Dangles	Crafting and/or dropped from named mob "Slaznug" (Daragal Estates)	Level 10
Iridescent Iris	Crafting or Mob Drop "G'Lympes"(Tower of Carphin)	Level 20
Harrowed Stars Necklace	Crafting or Mob Drop (Tower of Carphin)	Level 20
Ring of the Corvid Lord	Crafting and/or dropped from named mob "The Corvid Lord" (Gravepeak)	Level 20
Ring of the Corvid Lord	Crafting and/or dropped from named mob "The Corvid Lord" (Gravepeak)	Level 20

The items listed above are some of the best gear options for Bards in the late game, but it’s not necessary to match each item exactly. The key focus should be maximizing your Intelligence stat, followed by Wisdom. When it comes to weapons, almost everything is viable depending on whether you’re focusing on PvP or PvE. In the current state of Ashes of Creation, we recommend not prioritizing defensive stats for Bard, as they won’t provide much value.

After level 25, the real grind begins. Acquiring your best-in-slot items will be challenging but highly rewarding. Once you have them, enchanting becomes limitless ,that is, of course, if you have the gold to afford it. If you're aiming to truly maximize your power, you'll need plenty of gold for enchanting. For tips on how to earn and use that gold, as well as strategies for PvP and PvE, be sure to check out the in-depth guides for level 25 content.