Bard Playstyle Questions

[Jipp]

Hi all,

Obligatory Green Server question thread. I want to roll a bard on Green but I've never really played one past level 10. I primarily wanna play in groups and when I solo I don't want to kite because I find it boring.

My question is are Bards best as tanks in groups? Should they use melee weapons or should they use instruments?

Thanks for you advice!

[darkreap]

It depends on what you want to do or what the group needs. Bards are decent damage with melee weapons until later levels. Likely you will be doing slows, haste, mana regen and CC in most groups. In a pinch you might tank but I haven't needed to do that much while leveling.

[Tecmos Deception]

Bards in group are a support class. They can tank but it's not a first choice for basically any group.

Cc, charm, mana song, regen, resists, haste, slow, etc.

They're top notch pullers if you know how to use lulls, mezzes, snares, and movement properly.

This is more stuff than a bard can do at once though. So one of the tricks with a bard is realizing what exactly your group needs and filling in those niches. DPS is likely the last thing you'll ever be expected to do, though a pro can actually do a fair amount with charms and bonused chants.

[Vexenu]

The most useful thing you bring to a group as a Bard is CC and health/mana regen songs. Good Bards end up doing a lot more than just that, but if you can just focus on doing those two things well you will be an asset to the people you're grouping with. And you'll start to pick up more tricks along the way. For example, a Bard can very quickly deal with a pull of four mobs by charming the first mob and having it attack the second, mezzing the third and having the group attack the fourth. It's very fun to watch a good Bard at work.

[NegaStoat]

By all means you should be fighting with weapons as a bard in a group until the early 30's or so, when most bards transition over to using instruments solely with their twisted songs. Honestly though, there's no hard limit on this or wrong way to do it. Do what works for you.

I'd highly advise trying to get a dragoon dirk, silvery war axe, or polished granite tomahawk as choices for your dual wield in the 20's. Banded armor is just fine until the Temple of Ro armor quests open up.

When you are fighting solo, monsters of course direct all their attacks on you which includes Bashes that knock you out of your songs quickly. Because of this, I'd highly advise grouping as much as you can towards your 30's where it becomes much less of a problem. Unlike the other hybrids, bards that constantly twist songs and are active in groups gain a quick positive reputation and are desired even with their 40% penalty.

[Troxx]

http://wiki.project1999.com/Hymn_of_Restoration

From level 6 on this song along with a vendor lute will contribute more to a group than arguably anything else, especially in classic when everyone has shit gear. As soon as you can train strings this will have a base regen of 2 per tick (4 with lute) and gains 1hp per tick (2 with lute) every 5 levels.

6: 4hp per tick
11: 6hp per tick
16: 8hp per tick
21: 10hp per tick
26: 12hp per tick
31: 14 hp per tick
36: 16 hp per tick
40: 18hp per tick
45: 20hp per tick
50: 22hp per tick

That’s a lot of healing with a 1pp vendor lute.

In the classic era where everyone has crap gear, casters have low mana pools, and downtime will be a thing ... a bard prioritizing using an instrument is a powerful force multiplier that will keep the stress/heat off your healers.

http://wiki.project1999.com/Niv%27s_Melody_of_Preservation

At 47 bards get this (also strings) which stacks with hymn.

47 with stack: 32hp/tick
50 with stack: 36hp/tick

By the time you have a weapon worth using, you’ll be high enough level that your dps will suck. If you’re willing to instrument swap then by all means do it like a boss and be a boss. If you’re unwilling to swap, you’d be best off with your weapons in your bags 99% of the time in a group situation unless nobody is taking damage or your healer is bored and full mana (highly unlikely without twink gear and high level buffs).

[Madbad]

i like bards

[Swish]

Side note: Remember bards are a hybrid class, so you're adding +40% XP penalty <3

"ToO mAnY hYbRiDs~1!" is going to be heard again, used to be said a lot.

[Tecmos Deception]

http://wiki.project1999.com/Hymn_of_Restoration

From level 6 on this song along with a vendor lute will contribute more to a group than arguably anything else, especially in classic when everyone has shit gear. As soon as you can train strings this will have a base regen of 2 per tick (4 with lute) and gains 1hp per tick (2 with lute) every 5 levels.

6: 4hp per tick
11: 6hp per tick
16: 8hp per tick
21: 10hp per tick
26: 12hp per tick
31: 14 hp per tick
36: 16 hp per tick
40: 18hp per tick
45: 20hp per tick
50: 22hp per tick

That’s a lot of healing with a 1pp vendor lute.

In the classic era where everyone has crap gear, casters have low mana pools, and downtime will be a thing ... a bard prioritizing using an instrument is a powerful force multiplier that will keep the stress/heat off your healers.

http://wiki.project1999.com/Niv%27s_Melody_of_Preservation

At 47 bards get this (also strings) which stacks with hymn.

47 with stack: 32hp/tick
50 with stack: 36hp/tick

By the time you have a weapon worth using, you’ll be high enough level that your dps will suck. If you’re willing to instrument swap then by all means do it like a boss and be a boss. If you’re unwilling to swap, you’d be best off with your weapons in your bags 99% of the time in a group situation unless nobody is taking damage or your healer is bored and full mana (highly unlikely without twink gear and high level buffs).

Fire up heal song, pulse mana song 5 times, resing heal song, repeat. Goodbye, downtime.

[Wallicker]

I mean at lvl 31 w/ a Mistmoore lute, I can give everyone in the group a fungi, 10% haste, preslow all mobs by about 20%(that also keeps mobs from fleeing), and a stackable damage shield... sprinkle in some charm dps, and never let a healer mob get a spell off. Can also pull and aggro kite with snare/slow(more control than fear kiting however fearing at 25% when mobs aren’t fleeing allows you to move to next pull) all while twisting haste.This way no one even takes damage! Bards are fucking such an OP utility class when played right.

[Legidias]

Alternatively, make sure to keep up your melee / defense skills cause they will help a lot later on.

[Tecmos Deception]

I mean at lvl 31 w/ a Mistmoore lute, I can give everyone in the group a fungi, 10% haste, preslow all mobs by about 20%(that also keeps mobs from fleeing), and a stackable damage shield... sprinkle in some charm dps, and never let a healer mob get a spell off. Can also pull and aggro kite with snare/slow(more control than fear kiting however fearing at 25% when mobs aren’t fleeing allows you to move to next pull) all while twisting haste.This way no one even takes damage! Bards are fucking such an OP utility class when played right.

Don't get me wrong. Bards are great. But they're not OP.

Nearly everything you do being limited to 3-4 tick duration really balances out being so versatile and having a few things that are incredible (stacking regen, stacking mana regen, stacking resists, run speed).

[Wanderfalke]

Bards are difficult to play at Endgame, but makes alot of fun!

I had allways a group, got alot of invites to endgame raids from different guilds and so on.
My guild had the Name Nightwatcher, maybe someone remember to the guild or my Bard (Wanderfalke...).

As a said, hard work - so many different ways to support your group.

In groups
Learn to pull and then cc and support songs.

On raids
Same Learn to pull and support the raid

And now i have to learn to play my lovley class again, so many years later...

[Saddil]

Is there any stacking between Hymn or Niv's and the Cantana line?

[Legidias]

Nivs stacks with either. You can only have hymn or cantana up

[astuce999]

This sucks. Too many good answers. Nothing to add.

Damn you, well informed bards! I can't show off any knowledge with you guys around.

cheers,

Astuce

[Troxx]

Is there any stacking between Hymn or Niv's and the Cantana line?

Yep they stack for insane heal potential.

Hymn of restoration caps at 13 base heal per tick at 60
Nivs starts at 6 and increases to 9
55 cantana caps at 12hp/tick at 60

60 with cantana and nivs has 21 base heal stacking per tick. With a 2.4 lute that works out to 50hp/tick ... a bit more than 3 fungi’s to the whole group (or 1/6 torpor per tick to all).

The mana component of cantana does not increase with lute.

Good bards are capable of either their clerics to sleep of freeing them up to pretend they’re wizards.

[Jipp]

Thanks for all the advice guys! I'm level 2 right now on Green and loving it.