How is a Bards single target DPS compared to a Rangers?

[Loadsamoney]

I know Bards lack Double Attack, so that's, what, a net loss of roughly 40% melee DPS compared to a Ranger? And they don't get Kick either.

Do songs even come close to making up for their melee defecit, or do they lag behind Rangers no matter what?

[deezy]

I know very little about bards, but their melee dps is much lower than all other melee, including pally and SK. If i understand correctly, they're more likely to get higher DPS as a spell caster. But this is way out of my area of expertise and I might be completely wrong.

[Zipity]

You can do in the neighborhood of 45DPS just twisting your dots on a single target. Mind you this is mana free damage, it’s quite powerful lvl 46-54 but no where near as powerful as pbaoe dotting x25.

[Crede]

Inb4 troxx comes in with his bard doing 72 dps on a single target. While this may be true, you’re probably not often doing this Since you’re missing out on playing beneficial songs for others. Ranger dps has been posted in the bard vs ranger thread here, it will be more sustainable/better than this which it should be anyway.

[Legidias]

Depends. If you charm a mob and dot something, you will do more dmg than a ranger. Outside of that, no.

Double attack is just one facet. You have less ATK overall and have lower skill caps on weapons.

[Troxx]

As Crede snidely pointed out, you can stack up to 74dps in dots but nobody in their right mind ever would. It takes the use of 2 aoe dots which causes problems. More importantly you have to stack your song lineup specifically for it which means you can’t properly be a bard. High level mobs and raids nothing lands and you’re likely to wipe your group trying.

I’ve done it precisely zero times in a group. I have done it as a thought experiment and rarely when soloing and feeling lazy.

Bards are not a dps class. Rangers are. With epic and ToV weapon and 41% haste a bard might put up low 40s dps on low ac trash mobs. Functionally on any content that matters rangers will double/triple/quadruple or more a bards dps.

[enjchanter]

Bards weren't meant for dps.
Can confirm even melee'ing level 25 mobs is pretty disappointing and my bard has epic + swiftblade.

[Legidias]

To be fair, you also named your bard after the most worthlessly famous bard to have existed.

[Sacer]

Melee wise it's pretty bad, a paladin will outdps a bard, that should tell you enough.

With spells you can do better but even then it's not great at all, and that will generate a ton of aggro.

I think charm would be the highest dps you can achieve on a bard, but even then it's wonky and break all the time, none of your song affect the pet.
Charming is a good way to solo efficiently on a bard but in a group seting you're probably more useful pulling/mezzing and playing buff songs.

[jolanar]

Depends a little on the circumstances.

A level 45 bard with self haste and a couple dots can probably do similar dps to a level 45 ranger with no spell haste in a solo dps contest. Once you are in the 51+ space, and skill caps become an issue, and the ranger gets access to epic + spell haste it's pretty much no competition at all after that.

But bards will still have higher dps swarm kiting than a ranger will ever have. So technically they are still higher dps. ;)

[enjchanter]

To be fair, you also named your bard after the most worthlessly famous bard to have existed.

I am feeling personally attacked

[Legidias]

Ervaj is the bard equivalent of Al`kabor to wizards.