New Player - Bard Discrimination?

[Swoop]

Hey guys,

I've been creeping the forums a bit for a while now and have finally decided to take a dive into the EverQuest I loved years ago. I'm rather sold on being a Bard since it was my primary alt back in the day and I really enjoyed it. My only hangup with starting a Bard up is knowing whether or not the discrimination against Bards in groups still exists as I remember it.

When I played forever ago on Quellious (I'm fairly sure that was the server I played on - it's been ages) Bards were regularly ignored or flat out removed from group activity. I ended up always having to solo my Bard, which ultimately made it horrendously boring from a social perspective.

Does this hold true here, or can a Bard expect to see enough group activity to keep a social player happy?

Thanks!

[Laugher]

Hello and welcome!

Discrimination against bards doesnt happen until the zone of OT vs. 1 bard. Its ok though they fixed low hp kiting so you probably won't see as much bard grief as there was say last year here :)

They're a great utility class; I'd certainly take one in my group, I think you have the right approach going for grouping as a bard just remember mass kiting might cause a stir but as long as you aren't using the whole zone or running your trains over groups in said zone you should be ok.

[Swoop]

Thanks for the quick reply, Laugher!

I was never to keen on kiting in general, to be honest. Pulling, on the other hand, was a big favorite on Bard when I actually managed to get a group. Something about constantly being on the move, struggling to keep songs on everyone, and running for dear life hoping that the tank is ready to snag the pull really did it for me.

Guess I'll finish getting my rig set up and get on making that Bard this weekend.

Appreciate the info! If anyone else has any general feedback regarding being a primarily grouped Bard, I'd love to see it. Saw some great feedback in Grouping Bard Tips (http://www.project1999.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150716) over on the Melee subsection, but I'm also interested in non-mechanical experiences, like how frequently other Bards find themselves resorting to solo kiting or zones that they've found to be relatively Bard unfriendly for one reason or another.

[Frug]

Thanks for the quick reply, Laugher!

I was never to keen on kiting in general, to be honest. Pulling, on the other hand, was a big favorite on Bard when I actually managed to get a group. Something about constantly being on the move, struggling to keep songs on everyone, and running for dear life hoping that the tank is ready to snag the pull really did it for me.

You'll be fine - your reputation will keep you grouped.

[cor3nth]

Hello and welcome!

Discrimination against bards doesnt happen until the zone of OT vs. 1 bard. Its ok though they fixed low hp kiting so you probably won't see as much bard grief as there was say last year here :)

They're a great utility class; I'd certainly take one in my group, I think you have the right approach going for grouping as a bard just remember mass kiting might cause a stir but as long as you aren't using the whole zone or running your trains over groups in said zone you should be ok.

I've had casters refuse to bind me in OT to protect the zone from another bard AoE kiting there.

On the other hand, exp groups seem to welcome me as a bard...never an issue so far.