Bladesingers are the martial wizards, combining spells and fighting in a profound way. This allows the wizard to wade into the melee alongside his sword-wielding companions.
But the wizard is still a lightly-armored, vulnerable target, even with the additional protection Bladesong offers.
My question is this:
What tactics make for an effective Bladesinger?
One would assume that the longsword & rapier (perhaps scimitar) would be the ideal weapons.
Feats are a curious selection of options..."Mobile" adds the extra movement that Bladesong already provides, with the added benefit of getting the wizard in-and-out without provoking reaction attacks from opponents. "War Caster" seems a solid choice as well.
And what spells to select for such a subclass? Perhaps something to bolster melee and defense? Do any take precedent over others?
Would first applying a concentration spell, then activating Bladesong be a wise opening move before diving into the fray?
Feel free to share such advice below, or tactics you've felt have worked well.
Dual wielding and Warcaster are great. For Spells, you want at least one melee attack cantrip (booming/GF blade). For spells, Shield, Absorb Elements, False Life, Mirror Image and Misty step are ideal for starting off. If you don't have decent light armor, Mage armor is also your friend. I also like haste and slow depending on the enemies present and blink and blur can be useful as well. I haven't moved past 4th level spells so I don't have any suggestions past that point but the spells I listed will be your go to spells in most cases.
False life gives you 1d4 + 4 + 5(x-1) temporary hitpoints where x is the level of the spell slot used. It helps to counteract the low hp wizards have and last 8 hrs iirc.
I like Blink and Mirror image more because they aren't concentration but blur is really good unless you can get your hands on a cloak of displacement.
Blur is stupidly good for bladesinger's until you get haste once you get haste it's out classed by the beauty and versatility that haste provides.
For most bladesinger's I'd recommend dipping fighter for the first level to pick up con save and dual weild (or protection depending on your role) tho with artificer it's really tempting to pick that for a 2-3 level dip to get con save, infusions, +1 to weapons and armor, your weapon and armor into foci, cure wounds and sanctuary if you go 3 you get either a turret or homonculus.
The synergy of artificer and wizard is really strong.
But now back to the bladesinger I found myself disappointed by mirror image as a singer as most of the images were taken out by swings that would have missed anyways and it doesn't help at all against spells that target your nads ( non AC defenses ).
I really recommend false life as healers in this edition don't heal really until you drop and dropping kills singers as they lose most of their built up buffs and become a squishy wizard in melee. Think of it as a blade tax much like mage armor is a caster tax. But if you go 3 artificer don't bother with it as temp HP don't stack.
Shield and absorb elements are your bread and butter spells and are so essential that at levels 6-8 it's often a good use of second level slots if you run out of first level ones.
Once you get haste you should cast it, use your main action to dodge, your haste attack to attack and bonus to attack. When you need to cast use the haste action to disengage move out cast then move back in to melee expect to be casting shield when you get back in as you are way easier to hit without Dodge. If you took warcaster (you should) then when your not casting shield you can use booming blade to really punish mobs.
For fights where you're unlikely to be hit anyways (or where you have some temp HP or trust in heals) replace the Dodge with BB/GFB or casting a spell that targets nads (as attack spells roll with disadvantage in melee).
All in all tho playing a singer is really fun as it's like walking a tight rope as one well placed hit that causes a concentration loss can drop the previously almost unhitable engine of distruction to the ground bleeding out.
You could multi class, and take say Eldritch Knight, and if you take Defense Style it will give you +1 to AC, with a decent Dex say +3, and by wearing studded leather armour, you can have a base AC of 16 before starting the song of the blade singer, and depending on your Int Modifier you can end up with an AC of 19-20, you can stack with Shield it gives you an AC of 24-25. Tough will give you additional HP, plus if you dip to say at least level 2 as fighter you get an additional 1d10+2 in HP after a short rest.
I use Shadow Blade, which you can also use as a thrown weapon to help keep your distance. Invest in items that raise your Con since it's hard to split all your ability points between that, Dex, and Int. My opening move is to bladesing and throw out something blasty, then next turn shadow blade and take on whoever looks strongest. Add in Elven Accuracy, and I'm rolling three strikes per attack if we're in dim light or darkness or anytime I have advantage.
I'm sure I'm having a somewhat abnormal experience playing a bladesinger, but I still absolutely love it. After about the first third of the Rise of Tiamat, my DM let me switch characters. I love the utility of wizards, had always loved the concept of bladsingers through the editions of the game, etc., so I made one.
Having made one at 10th level, it's apparent I missed all the fun levels with them. Which isn't to say I'm not having fun; I am. They're awesome. But it's more about how deadly combat is at these levels.
So, to your point, tactically I've ended up playing him more or less like any wizard, it's just he has a lot more defensive options. I start up the bladesong in most encounters, cast utility and AOE damage from a distance, keep Absorb Elements and Shield handy, and I generally do well. All of those abilities mean I don't have to sweat it if someone makes it into melee with me, and I can conserve a little on the spell slots if I want to take a few swipes with my rapier, but that's a vastly inefficient use of my turn strategically speaking (much better to divide up the foes with Wall of Force or gain position and deal a bunch o damage with Steel Wind Strike). A racial feat got me a Misty Step for really sticky situations.
Despite all of that, wizards are just squishy. So I still got dropped a bunch. (Not much you can do if the adult green dragon breathes on you and you fail your save--except fall unconscious, gasping for air). We are making liberal use of Warding Bond now and life is good :). Anyway, my two cents.
I'm 7 wiz/ 1 rogue atm with my bladesinger and I'm still routinely spending time in melee. I only rarely use ranged spells. My only ranged spell atm is fireball which I hardly ever prepare and chromatic orb which I don't have the material component for because the town blew up when I left it with a vendor to be incorporated into an item. I usually get 4 attacks per turn and only rarely take dmg. I can usually save and use absorb elements for what I can't.
Steel Wind strike is, I think your best spell for damage as any sort of GISH. I lament my Hexblade's inability to have this spell and I may just beg my DM to allow me to take it.
Think of a combo of upcasting hold person on X targets then next round SWS on all of those who failed the save for a truck ton of damage, probably would turn the tide of any battle with large forces on the other side. IF you multi-classed into a class with smites, like a Paladin you would be able to smite every strike of SWS (each attack of SWS is a separate Attack Roll), yeah, you'd blow up a bunch of spell slots but you'd probably just end the fight solo since any held target gets advantage and if it hits it crits... beast mode.
Each attack of SWS = 6d10 plus a 1st lvl Smite 2d8, an average damage of that is going to be 70, and that should be doubled on the theoretically held targets for 140 damage on a held target.
You're only going to get to do this once maybe twice a day (arcane recovery at 9th level will get you a 5th level spell back) when you have access to SWS. But it is one of those "hold on guys... I've got this" moments.
I'm going Bladesinger for my next character and I am considering a 1 to 3 level dip into Monk. A 1 level dip would get allow me to use Dex for attack and damage rolls (I'd be using a short sword) and unarmored defense would push my AC up just a little bit more (as long as it stacked with the Bladesinger AC bonus. Not entirely sure of that). If I go higher I would go to Monk 3 to get Open Hand for the Flurry of Blows control options.
I think this could be cool but I don't know. I'd happily take any suggestions regarding a Monk/Wizard multiclass
Shortswords are finesse weapons so you don't need to multiclass into Monk to use your Dex for your weapon att/dmg bonuses. I would say that it looks like Unarmored Def would stack with bladesong. However, diminishing returns for ArmorClass isn't going to add up to the loss of higher-level spell slots depending on how far you are going up. Going Monk also provides more bonus action options which would be good, since you'd be able to choose between say a Misty Step or a Patient Defense bonus action to keep you alive.
I would more than likely not go Open-Hand and take Kensai which I think is better flavor for the Bladesinger, giving you agile parry as well as all the regular Monk stuff. You're most likely not going to use any of the Range Attack things from Kensai but I like the flavor of that one.
The issue becomes core stats. Monks need 3 stats, Bladesingers need 2 or 3. If you roll really well for stats then golden. Poor stat rolling will really hurt this multiclass option.
My stats are good (18 Int, 16 Dex, 14 Wis) so I'm not worried on that front. Looking at Kensai, it is a really strong option, giving me something I didn't have but wanted; like Whip as a monk weapon (and yeah I know it's not optimal) and some non magical range options (you never know when it might come in handy). I still like Open Hand for the movement control, knock downs and stuff but Kensai is a really strong contender..I'm not too worried about loosing the top 3 levels of Wizard 'cause I don't even know if the campaign will ever get that far.
I had forgotten about Kensai so thank you for reminding me.
I have a question about spell and ability synergies.
Does the attack provided by the spells Booming Blade and Green Fire Blade count as attack actions for the purposes of abilities that are triggered by attack actions? As an example; the Monk's Flurry of Blows can be activated as a bonus action if you made an attack action. Could I activate it off of the attack provided by Booming Blade?
I would say you would be able to make a Flurry of Blows as a bonus action after GF Blade or Booming blade as those cantrips require you to make a 'melee attack' as part of casting the spell.
Unless you get the wisdom to 16 you won't be better off with unarmored defense. T
The Monk bonus attack clearly requires the attack action, and GF Blade and BB are cast a spell action (You also can't attack with your off hand or use more than one attack when you use GFB and BB as has been pointed out before).
Just read the class feature description: if it needs an ATTACK ACTION, then booming blade won’t trigger it because it is a cast-a-spell action that grants you a melee attack.
Monks bonus actions won’t work with booming blade.
Rarely discussed is that Haste is terrible for a bladesinger when you loose concentration. No movement or actions until end of your next turn.
Upcast shadow blade (much greater dps potential and often advantage) or greater invisibility (ultimate advantage attack and defense, immunity to opportunity attacks) are strong alternatives.
Everyone has already mentioned some great things about this Wizard background. I have been playing an elven bladesinger in a “Curse of Strahd” game for the last two years and also have some insights.
First off, I highly recommend TreantMonk’s guide to 5th edition Bladesingers. Ultimately I didn’t follow his recommendations, but he still has a lot of great insights. I personally decided not to make things too complicated with Min/Maxing various multiclassing options and I went super traditional (elven Wizard using a single weapon).
“What tactics make for an effective Bladesinger?”
I have played a Bladesinger as intended. A flexible, front-line fighter, that can tank just as good as your front line fighters. But also has full access to the Wizard’s spell list. I don’t recommend wasting precious levels in other classes to give yourself a slight boost at the expense of spell progression.
”One would assume that the longsword & rapier (perhaps scimitar) would be the ideal weapons.”
I do not recommend wasting time with the long sword. Rapier if you can. Scimitar or short sword if you must. Do not waste time dual wielding. As has been mentioned above, if you dual wield you can NOT use your Bladesinger cantrips.
“Feats are a curious selection of options..."Mobile" adds the extra movement that Bladesong already provides, with the added benefit of getting the wizard in-and-out without provoking reaction attacks from opponents. "War Caster" seems a solid choice as well.”
I picked Mobile for my 4th level feat. I wished I would have bumped INT, warcaster, or resilient (CON). I find that not provoking the attack of opportunity is wasted if you cast the Bladesinger cantrips. Which I use unless I have Shadow Blade in use. Mobility is not a bad idea when you are higher level and have a magic weapon (where swinging it twice is much more effective than BB or GFB). Additional movement is not bad, but overall I feel like Mobility is wasted on my character. Again, casting BB or GFB provokes an attack of opportunity, regardless of the Mobility feat.
“And what spells to select for such a subclass? Perhaps something to bolster melee and defense? Do any take precedent over others?”
Everyone has already mentioned a bunch of useful options. I highly agree with the criticism of the Mirror Image spell. While true, it is awesome that it does not require concentration. I have found that usually it is wasted, as spells that would come nowhere close to hitting you (studded leather, DEX, bladesong, shield spell), will burn all of your images before it obsorbs one that would have hit you. I have never used this spell, and I’d had intercepted a potential hit.
“Would first applying a concentration spell, then activating Bladesong be a wise opening move before diving into the fray?”
This depends on the battle and requires you being flexible. Many/most battles only last 3 or so turns. Sometimes you will spend a sec boosting yourself. Sometimes you won’t go frontline, but buff your allies like a traditional Wizard. Sometimes you’ll go straight for damaging the enemy. You will find out soon what works and what does not work.
“Feel free to share such advice below, or tactics you've felt have worked well.”
Don’t skimp on your CON score. The Shield and Absorb Elements spell is SO important. Consider going straight Wizard and not multiclassing or dual wielding. Don’t forget to have your familiar help you get advantage when fighting with the “help action”.
I've got a 3rd level blade singer right now. My go to is either blur as my concentration spell combined with BB/GFB. Or the more offensive less defensive option is to combine flaming sphere with booming blade.
Use action to cast booming blade and then bonus action to run the flaming sphere into them for 2d6 damage. Then on their turn they either move away from the flaming sphere and take the BB damage or don't move and take the flaming sphere damage.
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Greetings, all.
Bladesingers are the martial wizards, combining spells and fighting in a profound way. This allows the wizard to wade into the melee alongside his sword-wielding companions.
But the wizard is still a lightly-armored, vulnerable target, even with the additional protection Bladesong offers.
My question is this:
What tactics make for an effective Bladesinger?
One would assume that the longsword & rapier (perhaps scimitar) would be the ideal weapons.
Feats are a curious selection of options..."Mobile" adds the extra movement that Bladesong already provides, with the added benefit of getting the wizard in-and-out without provoking reaction attacks from opponents. "War Caster" seems a solid choice as well.
And what spells to select for such a subclass? Perhaps something to bolster melee and defense? Do any take precedent over others?
Would first applying a concentration spell, then activating Bladesong be a wise opening move before diving into the fray?
Feel free to share such advice below, or tactics you've felt have worked well.
Dual wielding and Warcaster are great. For Spells, you want at least one melee attack cantrip (booming/GF blade). For spells, Shield, Absorb Elements, False Life, Mirror Image and Misty step are ideal for starting off. If you don't have decent light armor, Mage armor is also your friend. I also like haste and slow depending on the enemies present and blink and blur can be useful as well. I haven't moved past 4th level spells so I don't have any suggestions past that point but the spells I listed will be your go to spells in most cases.
Ah, so Dual Wielding is a good way to go...that's actually perfect, as I enjoy dual scimitars when I'm able to.
Shield & Absorb Elements seem like permanent spells...taking the brunt of damage depending on the attack.
Blink, Blur & Mirror Image seem like the perfect spells for a Bladesinger...making you intentionally hard to hit.
Curiously, I don't know "False Life"...so that gives me a new spell to look into.
False life gives you 1d4 + 4 + 5(x-1) temporary hitpoints where x is the level of the spell slot used. It helps to counteract the low hp wizards have and last 8 hrs iirc.
I like Blink and Mirror image more because they aren't concentration but blur is really good unless you can get your hands on a cloak of displacement.
Blur is stupidly good for bladesinger's until you get haste once you get haste it's out classed by the beauty and versatility that haste provides.
For most bladesinger's I'd recommend dipping fighter for the first level to pick up con save and dual weild (or protection depending on your role) tho with artificer it's really tempting to pick that for a 2-3 level dip to get con save, infusions, +1 to weapons and armor, your weapon and armor into foci, cure wounds and sanctuary if you go 3 you get either a turret or homonculus.
The synergy of artificer and wizard is really strong.
But now back to the bladesinger I found myself disappointed by mirror image as a singer as most of the images were taken out by swings that would have missed anyways and it doesn't help at all against spells that target your nads ( non AC defenses ).
I really recommend false life as healers in this edition don't heal really until you drop and dropping kills singers as they lose most of their built up buffs and become a squishy wizard in melee. Think of it as a blade tax much like mage armor is a caster tax. But if you go 3 artificer don't bother with it as temp HP don't stack.
Shield and absorb elements are your bread and butter spells and are so essential that at levels 6-8 it's often a good use of second level slots if you run out of first level ones.
Once you get haste you should cast it, use your main action to dodge, your haste attack to attack and bonus to attack. When you need to cast use the haste action to disengage move out cast then move back in to melee expect to be casting shield when you get back in as you are way easier to hit without Dodge. If you took warcaster (you should) then when your not casting shield you can use booming blade to really punish mobs.
For fights where you're unlikely to be hit anyways (or where you have some temp HP or trust in heals) replace the Dodge with BB/GFB or casting a spell that targets nads (as attack spells roll with disadvantage in melee).
All in all tho playing a singer is really fun as it's like walking a tight rope as one well placed hit that causes a concentration loss can drop the previously almost unhitable engine of distruction to the ground bleeding out.
You could multi class, and take say Eldritch Knight, and if you take Defense Style it will give you +1 to AC, with a decent Dex say +3, and by wearing studded leather armour, you can have a base AC of 16 before starting the song of the blade singer, and depending on your Int Modifier you can end up with an AC of 19-20, you can stack with Shield it gives you an AC of 24-25. Tough will give you additional HP, plus if you dip to say at least level 2 as fighter you get an additional 1d10+2 in HP after a short rest.
I use Shadow Blade, which you can also use as a thrown weapon to help keep your distance. Invest in items that raise your Con since it's hard to split all your ability points between that, Dex, and Int. My opening move is to bladesing and throw out something blasty, then next turn shadow blade and take on whoever looks strongest. Add in Elven Accuracy, and I'm rolling three strikes per attack if we're in dim light or darkness or anytime I have advantage.
I'm sure I'm having a somewhat abnormal experience playing a bladesinger, but I still absolutely love it. After about the first third of the Rise of Tiamat, my DM let me switch characters. I love the utility of wizards, had always loved the concept of bladsingers through the editions of the game, etc., so I made one.
Having made one at 10th level, it's apparent I missed all the fun levels with them. Which isn't to say I'm not having fun; I am. They're awesome. But it's more about how deadly combat is at these levels.
So, to your point, tactically I've ended up playing him more or less like any wizard, it's just he has a lot more defensive options. I start up the bladesong in most encounters, cast utility and AOE damage from a distance, keep Absorb Elements and Shield handy, and I generally do well. All of those abilities mean I don't have to sweat it if someone makes it into melee with me, and I can conserve a little on the spell slots if I want to take a few swipes with my rapier, but that's a vastly inefficient use of my turn strategically speaking (much better to divide up the foes with Wall of Force or gain position and deal a bunch o damage with Steel Wind Strike). A racial feat got me a Misty Step for really sticky situations.
Despite all of that, wizards are just squishy. So I still got dropped a bunch. (Not much you can do if the adult green dragon breathes on you and you fail your save--except fall unconscious, gasping for air). We are making liberal use of Warding Bond now and life is good :). Anyway, my two cents.
I'm 7 wiz/ 1 rogue atm with my bladesinger and I'm still routinely spending time in melee. I only rarely use ranged spells. My only ranged spell atm is fireball which I hardly ever prepare and chromatic orb which I don't have the material component for because the town blew up when I left it with a vendor to be incorporated into an item. I usually get 4 attacks per turn and only rarely take dmg. I can usually save and use absorb elements for what I can't.
Steel Wind strike is, I think your best spell for damage as any sort of GISH. I lament my Hexblade's inability to have this spell and I may just beg my DM to allow me to take it.
Think of a combo of upcasting hold person on X targets then next round SWS on all of those who failed the save for a truck ton of damage, probably would turn the tide of any battle with large forces on the other side. IF you multi-classed into a class with smites, like a Paladin you would be able to smite every strike of SWS (each attack of SWS is a separate Attack Roll), yeah, you'd blow up a bunch of spell slots but you'd probably just end the fight solo since any held target gets advantage and if it hits it crits... beast mode.
Each attack of SWS = 6d10 plus a 1st lvl Smite 2d8, an average damage of that is going to be 70, and that should be doubled on the theoretically held targets for 140 damage on a held target.
You're only going to get to do this once maybe twice a day (arcane recovery at 9th level will get you a 5th level spell back) when you have access to SWS. But it is one of those "hold on guys... I've got this" moments.
I'm going Bladesinger for my next character and I am considering a 1 to 3 level dip into Monk. A 1 level dip would get allow me to use Dex for attack and damage rolls (I'd be using a short sword) and unarmored defense would push my AC up just a little bit more (as long as it stacked with the Bladesinger AC bonus. Not entirely sure of that). If I go higher I would go to Monk 3 to get Open Hand for the Flurry of Blows control options.
I think this could be cool but I don't know. I'd happily take any suggestions regarding a Monk/Wizard multiclass
Shortswords are finesse weapons so you don't need to multiclass into Monk to use your Dex for your weapon att/dmg bonuses. I would say that it looks like Unarmored Def would stack with bladesong. However, diminishing returns for ArmorClass isn't going to add up to the loss of higher-level spell slots depending on how far you are going up. Going Monk also provides more bonus action options which would be good, since you'd be able to choose between say a Misty Step or a Patient Defense bonus action to keep you alive.
I would more than likely not go Open-Hand and take Kensai which I think is better flavor for the Bladesinger, giving you agile parry as well as all the regular Monk stuff. You're most likely not going to use any of the Range Attack things from Kensai but I like the flavor of that one.
The issue becomes core stats. Monks need 3 stats, Bladesingers need 2 or 3. If you roll really well for stats then golden. Poor stat rolling will really hurt this multiclass option.
My stats are good (18 Int, 16 Dex, 14 Wis) so I'm not worried on that front. Looking at Kensai, it is a really strong option, giving me something I didn't have but wanted; like Whip as a monk weapon (and yeah I know it's not optimal) and some non magical range options (you never know when it might come in handy). I still like Open Hand for the movement control, knock downs and stuff but Kensai is a really strong contender..I'm not too worried about loosing the top 3 levels of Wizard 'cause I don't even know if the campaign will ever get that far.
I had forgotten about Kensai so thank you for reminding me.
I have a question about spell and ability synergies.
Does the attack provided by the spells Booming Blade and Green Fire Blade count as attack actions for the purposes of abilities that are triggered by attack actions? As an example; the Monk's Flurry of Blows can be activated as a bonus action if you made an attack action. Could I activate it off of the attack provided by Booming Blade?
I would say you would be able to make a Flurry of Blows as a bonus action after GF Blade or Booming blade as those cantrips require you to make a 'melee attack' as part of casting the spell.
Unless you get the wisdom to 16 you won't be better off with unarmored defense. T
The Monk bonus attack clearly requires the attack action, and GF Blade and BB are cast a spell action (You also can't attack with your off hand or use more than one attack when you use GFB and BB as has been pointed out before).
Just read the class feature description: if it needs an ATTACK ACTION, then booming blade won’t trigger it because it is a cast-a-spell action that grants you a melee attack.
Monks bonus actions won’t work with booming blade.
Off-hand attack won’t work with booming blade.
Rarely discussed is that Haste is terrible for a bladesinger when you loose concentration. No movement or actions until end of your next turn.
Upcast shadow blade (much greater dps potential and often advantage) or greater invisibility (ultimate advantage attack and defense, immunity to opportunity attacks) are strong alternatives.
Everyone has already mentioned some great things about this Wizard background. I have been playing an elven bladesinger in a “Curse of Strahd” game for the last two years and also have some insights.
First off, I highly recommend TreantMonk’s guide to 5th edition Bladesingers. Ultimately I didn’t follow his recommendations, but he still has a lot of great insights. I personally decided not to make things too complicated with Min/Maxing various multiclassing options and I went super traditional (elven Wizard using a single weapon).
“What tactics make for an effective Bladesinger?”
I have played a Bladesinger as intended. A flexible, front-line fighter, that can tank just as good as your front line fighters. But also has full access to the Wizard’s spell list. I don’t recommend wasting precious levels in other classes to give yourself a slight boost at the expense of spell progression.
”One would assume that the longsword & rapier (perhaps scimitar) would be the ideal weapons.”
I do not recommend wasting time with the long sword. Rapier if you can. Scimitar or short sword if you must. Do not waste time dual wielding. As has been mentioned above, if you dual wield you can NOT use your Bladesinger cantrips.
“Feats are a curious selection of options..."Mobile" adds the extra movement that Bladesong already provides, with the added benefit of getting the wizard in-and-out without provoking reaction attacks from opponents. "War Caster" seems a solid choice as well.”
I picked Mobile for my 4th level feat. I wished I would have bumped INT, warcaster, or resilient (CON). I find that not provoking the attack of opportunity is wasted if you cast the Bladesinger cantrips. Which I use unless I have Shadow Blade in use. Mobility is not a bad idea when you are higher level and have a magic weapon (where swinging it twice is much more effective than BB or GFB). Additional movement is not bad, but overall I feel like Mobility is wasted on my character. Again, casting BB or GFB provokes an attack of opportunity, regardless of the Mobility feat.
“And what spells to select for such a subclass? Perhaps something to bolster melee and defense? Do any take precedent over others?”
Everyone has already mentioned a bunch of useful options. I highly agree with the criticism of the Mirror Image spell. While true, it is awesome that it does not require concentration. I have found that usually it is wasted, as spells that would come nowhere close to hitting you (studded leather, DEX, bladesong, shield spell), will burn all of your images before it obsorbs one that would have hit you. I have never used this spell, and I’d had intercepted a potential hit.
“Would first applying a concentration spell, then activating Bladesong be a wise opening move before diving into the fray?”
This depends on the battle and requires you being flexible. Many/most battles only last 3 or so turns. Sometimes you will spend a sec boosting yourself. Sometimes you won’t go frontline, but buff your allies like a traditional Wizard. Sometimes you’ll go straight for damaging the enemy. You will find out soon what works and what does not work.
“Feel free to share such advice below, or tactics you've felt have worked well.”
Don’t skimp on your CON score. The Shield and Absorb Elements spell is SO important. Consider going straight Wizard and not multiclassing or dual wielding. Don’t forget to have your familiar help you get advantage when fighting with the “help action”.
I've got a 3rd level blade singer right now. My go to is either blur as my concentration spell combined with BB/GFB. Or the more offensive less defensive option is to combine flaming sphere with booming blade.
Use action to cast booming blade and then bonus action to run the flaming sphere into them for 2d6 damage. Then on their turn they either move away from the flaming sphere and take the BB damage or don't move and take the flaming sphere damage.