Deciding my offhand.

[zanderklocke]

Originally Posted by astuce999 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

>>The issue here isn't DPS, it's reality. What is the third dot that does as much as the frost/fire chants?

Lvl 59 Denon’s Bereavement

>>How are you chanting for that much while also meleeing (that's selo's damage on those chants, after all).

Clicking in instruments in the fraction of a second that it takes for the dot to land, than clicking back my weapons.

>>Charming doesn't really ADD 30-50 dps I wouldn't think, since you are sacrificing something else in order to do the charm.

I use a 5 song twist +BoH click, so since with the 3 dots that gives me 2 more songs, one being mana song and since don’t need to snare until end of fight charming recast works fine.

>>And how does the rest of your group feel about you doing this stuff instead of the usual bard stuff?

At first they’re usually apprehensive, but after a while I get some very positive feedback. Then at the end, they all talk about making bard twinks or never being able to play a bard like that, you know, the usual stuff.

>>Or are you really that fucking amazing that you can twist a few chants while somehow also meleeing and charming without requiring total attention from the healer to keep you up and/or costing the rest of the group DPS because stuff is chasing you all over the place?

Usually the necro healer keeps me up fine, or the mob is slowed, or I have my “tank gear” on including shield et. Al, or stuff is feared so we are chasing it and no one needs heals. Ask around about me (or other top bards) [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]


sorry for the replies like that I am doing this at work so can't stay logged in haha.

Astuce Subterfuge

You use a shield when tanking as a bard...what?

I would want to kill myself if I was focused on swapping in a drum for weapons every time a DoT song landed while I was also maintaining other bard beneficial songs.

Here's my typical twist, and I always feel busy:
Cantana, Villa's Chorus haste (unless there's another haster, then verse of victory or chant of battle, depending on whether warrior is proccing enough and needs more dex), psalm of warmth for damage shield and to avoid ice comets in sebilis, and add in largo a absonant binding (assuming no slower/snarer). Add in Breath of Harmony click, and dang I'm getting busy.

If someone else is slowing, snaring, I guess I could be charming and landing DoT instead, but charm is more of a means of more crowd control for me when too many mobs are in camp.

I think biggest thing bards bring typically is our crowd control, haste, pulling, and slow/snare abilities in a group. I mean obviously we vary our play styles based on what is needed, but I just feel like DoT's have diminishing returns usually when other beneficial buffs can be provided to the group.

But holy shit man, you are a beast to be doing everything you describe yourself doing in a group. However, that's the cool thing about bards. There's tons of ways to play them, as well as many ways to gear them.