Bard (player) skill-cap?
 

Hey guys, newer player here and still kind of kicking around who my main should be and was considering picking up bard. I generally stick with classes that force you to play well, classes that allow good players to stand out(not due to some epeen thing, I just get bored playing simpler classes). I've read in a few places that bard is one of the tougher classes to play and I was wondering if somebody could elaborate on why. Is it just because they have to press a button every 4 seconds or so? If so that just seems tedious more than anything. Or is it because it's actually challenging on a tactical, intellectual level on top of pressing those buttons every 4 seconds?

Some other classes I've been considering are Ench and Shaman, thanks for any input.

A good bard does a lot of things in a group and is always on their toes. Bards pull, CC, twist songs for haste, mana regen, and dps. a bad bard twists songs.

Bard has the highest skill-cap in EQ. /thread

Yep.

OP:

If you are learning to twist, say so in group. That way people will understand why you aren't doing anything else. Practice makes prefect.

I've only mained enchanter and bard so far in EQ, but I think both of those classes do have a higher skill cap than other classes. It's mostly because there are so many things they can do. I think the responsibility of crowd control also requires a lot of focus, awareness, and RL dexterity.

There are tons of songs in the bard songbook and only a couple of them do the same thing, so at level 60 I still use a high percentage of the songs. Plus, rather than sitting most of the time and casting a spell every now and again, bards sing a new song every 3 seconds while actively fighting. Also, you have four different instruments to switch in, as well as various weapons to employ (dps weapons vs tash orb vs skean for pvp). And on top of all that, you still have to position yourself, target various mobs or players, and communicate via text or Teamspeak, like other players. Suffice it to say, my fingers rarely stop moving.

Also, you start to learn how to pull each zone/camp, one by one. This was one of the things that intimidated me about bard, since I had never done much pulling before and I knew I'd be called on to do it; but it really isn't that bad. Just make sure you understand how aggro, lulls, and line of sight work, and experiment as you level up.

There are so many options in the bard toolbox that I'm still learning new things after playing a bard for eight months. Though I'm also learning about PvP for the first time, and also farming plat and gear and so on, so maybe you will master it faster.

If I may offer one piece of advice: group instead of AE kiting for exp. I only AE kited a couple levels here and there. It's a fun challenge, but I knew I had to group to get better at the class.

There's a wide gulf between a "good" bard and a passably mediocre bard.

Terri-Bad Bard: 1 song wonder

Bad Bard: 2-3 songs and not much else, more or less afks between pulls instead of maximizing group mana regen.

Mediocre bard knows how to keep 4 songs up (5 if 50+ and has BoH click) the majority of the time. If under 55 pulses mana songs frequently in downtime (1 click per 3 sec), after 55 does cantana + 3-4 pulses to maximize regen.

All ranges between good and fantastic from that point on is more of a continuum ... and is the sum total of their working knowledge of their songbook (inside and out including stacking), having constant situational awareness, being able to juggle mezzes and/or charms, constantly shifts approach to fit the groups needs, can pull capably, swaps in instruments, etc.

Being a mediocre bard isn't SUPER difficult, but it's busy. Being a good to stellar bard is in a league of its own.

It's the hardest class to master (and busiest to boot).

A bard has a lot of keyboard activity when played well, which separates them from almost every other class in the game. The only one that may come close is a shaman that's very actively cannibalizing. To boot there is a lot of thought that goes into maximizing a bard's usage in a group. Is your tank dex capped for procs? Is cleric in need of mana song or is C2 enough to keep stable? Are your melee strength capped? Can they get by with ATK songs? Are you pulling and if you are can you put up heal over time and mana song on group when you bring mobs into camp? Are there any situation bonuses to pulling on a bard versus any other class? Example a bard is arguably the best puller in HS because of temporary charm and ability to blow multiple HTs on charms every pull, or their 2min DA song to clear an entire room of HTs. Bards require a mastery that no other class can even dream of, but most of it is situational awareness and knowing when to play what song.

yeah right - thats the theory

don't tell me that you do (and expect) it for hours every day

Most groups don't expect the top end. If I'm seeing a haste song and some HP regen/Cantana I'm happy, whatever else they want to add that's cool ;)

I actually do most of the time when I play my bard. There are much better bards out there than me, but you can always expect 4-5 songs up at any point unless I'm pulling or juggling CC. Between kills unless I need an afk, you're getting 12 mana a tick on top of mana pulses ... Or up to 45hp/tick regen as needed with string modded nivs + cantana on top of slightly fewer mana pulses.

Anything less and I'm not pulling my weight. It's not like groups want a bard for their dps ...

As for what I expect from others ... I anticipate mediocre from anyone I randomly group regardless of their class. Most of the time this leaves me pleasantly happy when people exceed my expectations, and only seldomly am I let down when someone fails to live up to mediocre.