Can a Bard do okay in 1v1 melee combat?

[zanderklocke]

Interesting enough, the best damage I can typically do is from my DS.

I was duoing NG, and mobs died a lot faster when I did not slow/snare them.

Use epic + psalm for DS, clickie from singing steel bracer or blazing vambraces, and then swapping in sky horn for mcvaxius song. DS ends up being in mid 50s for each hit. While meleeing, this ends up being pretty decent dps.

[brecon]

In response to your second comment - Bard is a ton of fun to play, and there is a gentle learning curve since Bards only get one song per level most of the time. You will have a lot of time to experiment with the songs, and practice with them, as you progress. I'm still learning new tricks, sometimes from watching others, sometimes from experimenting.

Being said, Bard is (in my opinion) the most challenging class to play. This is because the very best Bards can do ridiculous things, by making the most of their songs and the environment. The only thing that Bards really can't solo are unfearable / super high MR mobs. For everything else, there's a way. It might take forever, but it can be taken down.

The best way to learn is by getting in XP groups, since you will be called upon to serve any role that the group is missing. You'll have to learn to pull - a really crucial skill for a solo bard in dungeons. You will have to learn how to CC, which is quite challenging at first, but eventually tab-targeting and timing will become natural. You'll learn to charm for added DPS, and you'll learn that an effective tactic is to charm casters over melee - let them drain their mana on the mob you're killing! You'll learn which buffs and debuffs other classes provide, specifically slows, haste, MR buffs and debuffs, DSs. You'll learn how to deal with casters more effectively, by chain mezzing, fearing, or buffing MR, depending on the situation. And, when everything is going wrong, you'll learn how to kite aggro away in order to limit the size of the encounter.

Not everything you need to solo you'll learn in an xp group - but it's really the best way to experiment with a safety net, so to speak. And through your mid-high 30s, rest assured, you'll mostly be using melee weapons.

[stakha]

quick question as far as ds stacking. will our song ds stack with the ss bracer? will it stack with druid ds?