If you’ve spent any time running around Enshrouded’s open world with a group, you’ve probably seen a bard in action, buffing allies, dealing passive area damage, and turning even the hardest boss fights into a casual stroll. A lot of new players assume the class is locked behind endgame content, but the truth is you can unlock it far earlier than you might expect. This guide breaks down exactly how to get the bard enshrouded, no fancy endgame gear or max-level character required. You don’t even need to have completed half the main story to start the process.
Prerequisites You Need to Get the Bard Enshrouded
Before you start chasing the bard unlock, there are a few basic requirements you need to tick off first. None of these are overly grindy, and most players will hit them naturally within their first 10 hours of play. First, you need to have unlocked the Revelwood region by completing the first three main story quests and upgrading your Flame Altar to level 2. You’ll also need 100 resin, 50 copper bars, and 1 torn song sheet that drops exclusively from shrouded bandits in northern Revelwood.
You don’t need to beat any major story bosses to start this quest, which is a common misconception I see pop up in player forums every week. The torn song sheet has a 12% drop rate from any bandit in the northern part of Revelwood, so you can farm it while you’re gathering other materials if you don’t get it on your first run. If you’re playing solo, bring at least two healing potions and a tier 2 weapon to clear the bandit camps quickly without dying repeatedly. If you’re playing co-op, only one party member needs the song sheet to start the quest, but all players who participate will unlock the bard class once it’s complete, so it’s a great activity to do with a group early on.
Step-by-Step Quest Walkthrough to Unlock the Bard
Once you have all the prerequisites, head to the abandoned tavern on the eastern edge of Revelwood, marked by a small lute icon on your map once you pick up the torn song sheet. When you walk in, you’ll trigger a short cutscene with the ghost of the tavern’s former bard, who will ask you to recover three of his lost instruments from shrouded infested areas around the map. The locations for each instrument are fixed, so you don’t have to waste time searching random spots:
- Lost Lute: Found in the small crypt under the ruined church in southern Revelwood, guarded by three level 12 shrouded mages. You can sneak past the mages if you have a high enough stealth stat, or fight them head-on if you’re well-equipped.
- Broken Drum: Located in the back of a looted caravan on the road between Revelwood and the Kindlewastes, guarded by a pack of level 10 shrouded wolves. The drum is in a locked chest that you can open with a simple copper lockpick, no rare keys needed.
- Worn Lyre: Stashed in the attic of the abandoned farmhouse in northern Revelwood, with no enemies guarding it. You just need to climb up the broken wooden ladder on the side of the house to reach it.
Once you collect all three instruments, head back to the abandoned tavern and hand them over to the ghost bard. If you’re rushing to get the bard enshrouded, you can skip clearing all the extra enemies in the crypt and just grab the lute and run, as long as you’re fast enough to avoid the mages’ attacks. He’ll play a short song that clears the shroud from the tavern, and you’ll get a prompt to unlock the bard class as a playable option for all your existing and future characters. You can switch between the bard and your other unlocked classes at any time at any Flame Altar, so you don’t have to start a new character to test it out.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Unlocking the Bard
A lot of players waste hours trying to get the bard because they miss small details that slow down the process. First, don’t bother farming the torn song sheet from bandits in the starting area, they don’t drop it at all, no matter how many you kill. If you’re trying to get the bard enshrouded as fast as possible, focus only on gathering the required materials and skip all other side content while you do the quest. Only bandits in the Revelwood region have the drop, so wait until you unlock that area before you start trying to unlock the bard.
Another common mistake is trying to complete the instrument quest before you upgrade your Flame Altar to level 2, because the shrouded areas where two of the instruments are located have a higher shroud corruption level that will kill you in seconds if your Flame Altar is too low. You also don’t need to pay any gold or complete any side quests for NPCs to unlock this class, so ignore any guides that tell you you need to grind reputation with the Revelwood villagers, that hasn’t been a requirement since the first major content patch. If you’re playing co-op, make sure all party members are in the tavern when you hand over the instruments, otherwise players who are off exploring other areas won’t get the unlock prompt, and they’ll have to redo the entire quest on their own to get the class.
What to Do First After You Unlock the Bard Class
Once you unlock the bard, you might be overwhelmed by the number of unique skills and buffs it has, so start small before you jump into high-level content. First, spend your first three skill points on the group health buff and the passive damage aura, those two skills will make you a huge asset to any co-op group, even if you’re still learning how to play the class. If you’re playing solo, put your first skill points into the personal damage buff and the crowd control song that stuns shrouded enemies for three seconds, that will make it much easier to clear groups of enemies without taking too much damage.
The bard’s starting weapon, the magical lute, deals damage based on your intelligence stat, so prioritize upgrading intelligence first if you want to deal consistent damage instead of just focusing on support skills. You can also craft special sheet music for the bard at any workbench once you have paper and ink, which unlocks even more unique buffs that can boost everything from your group’s mining speed to your resistance to shroud corruption. You don’t have to stick to a pure support build either, there are plenty of viable solo bard builds that focus on damage output while still keeping useful buffs for when you team up with friends. I’ve run a solo damage-focused bard for 40 hours of playtime, and it’s easily one of the most fun builds I’ve tried in the game so far.
Unlocking the bard is one of the best upgrades you can get early in your Enshrouded playthrough, whether you play solo or with a group. The class is versatile, fun to play, and makes even the hardest parts of the game feel far more manageable. As long as you follow the steps we laid out and avoid the common mistakes we mentioned, you’ll know exactly how to get the bard enshrouded in just a couple of hours of playtime, no endless grinding required. Once you have it unlocked, take some time to experiment with different builds to find what works best for your playstyle, you might be surprised by just how powerful the class can be.