What next for midlevel bard?

[Tann]

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

What stats are you guys prioritizing on a grouping/non-kiting Bard these days? Are the returns from CHA/DEX worthwhile? Or are you better off going for more survivability with AC/HP/STA?

My bard is only mid 40's here so can't speak for "these days" kinda experience but back in the day on live I always focused on CHA for pulling, charming (those 3 ticks are precious), and a misguided belief that it helped reduce mez resists.

[Vivitron]

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

Anyway, I can probably let City of Mist carry me to 50, but where should I go after that?

Did you find anything particularly fun 50-55? I'm slowly leveling a second bard and am unsure what I'm going to do in this range.

[Snaggles]

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

Did you find anything particularly fun 50-55? I'm slowly leveling a second bard and am unsure what I'm going to do in this range.

Cobalt Scar charming would be fun if you can avoid the high levels (Azuredrake and Yolcarn?). Wakening Lands or giants in GD, south of the fort there are a ton of high levels to charm. I charmed Expedition Dwarves 57/8-60 and had a lot of fun. XP was pretty solid.

For swarmers I don’t know. Likely DL and BW to 60, or TD raptors.

[busted]

53+ Western wastes can be kind of fun if you are charming rhinos / mammoths and suiciding them into ice burrowers. You gotta get positioning right to avoid the 500dd frontal AOE cone blast but you get the hang of it. I level here in between scout rolls. A side bonus of killing these is you can spawn stronghorn and tantor. You gotta be non kos to dragons or you gonna get smashed by something

Velks is also fun if there are no swarms going on. Charm killing + melee solo is great fun 54+. You need fungi to make it viable. Snare + fear at lower than 25% to save on downtime.

[Goregasmic]

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

Cobalt Scar charming would be fun if you can avoid the high levels (Azuredrake and Yolcarn?).

Crazy exp 45-50 then at 52 a bunch of them are greens. I left after 51. Also a very good idea to be at least dubious with COV for general safety.

[plzrelax]

My bard is only 45 but I was playing my enchanter in HS the other day when I got a crit lull resist while breaking in to north. I was standing in the area where the first 4 mobs spawn lulling the mobs on the other side of the drop down, as you do. I managed to camp out safely when because the mob pathed through the entire wing, fell through the trap and pathed back up through the basement. Must have been a train of 30 mobs.

I had a vision of taking advantage of this as a bard in order to do a huge pull and kite it around the wing. Someday I’ll try it. Not exactly a mid level strategy but cool to think about

[Vivitron]

These are some fun ideas, thanks. I always forget about those giants, and that ice burrower technique hadn't occurred to me.

I did 46 and 47 fear kiting bloodgills and then 48-50 charm solo / duo at CoM arena. Both were solid (although that's coming from the perspective of a twinked bard.) Alas no bloodgill marauder while I was there.

I did some HS solo on my first bard. I like to pull with a charmed mob to bleed the harm touches, and there can be casters to deal with, so I think I'd find that crit pull a little too spicy.

[Crede]

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

Did you find anything particularly fun 50-55? I'm slowly leveling a second bard and am unsure what I'm going to do in this range.

Bard solo falls off hard 50+. Your new charm costs mana and only lasts for 3 ticks instead of 4. Also your melee dps can no longer really keep up with mob hp. I’d probably just try to swarm, maybe td raptors?

[bcbrown]

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

Did you find anything particularly fun 50-55? I'm slowly leveling a second bard and am unsure what I'm going to do in this range.

Not especially. I've put the bard on the back burner for the time being. I'm halfway through 54 and almost all my xp in that range has been in KC. I had a good time duoing with a pally just outside the entrance, and now that I have aoe snare I've been learning how to cc a big pull by kiting them around camp until they're all rooted/mezzed. I've been meaning to check out Burning Woods, either charming giants or swarming hornets. My gear still isn't great (no fungi), so that limits my options a bit.

I did a little Cobalt Scar 49-51, either dot-kiting or charming. The problem with charming is making sure you avoid getting an add, especially any of the cobalt drakes with their aoe dd/dispel. But if you can pull two wyverns down to the othmir it'd be pretty good. I root rotted on my druid up until 53, when it finally completely greened out. Getting non-KOS with dragons is definitely recommended.

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

I had a vision of taking advantage of this as a bard in order to do a huge pull and kite it around the wing. Someday I’ll try it. Not exactly a mid level strategy but cool to think about

It's not quite the same but check out https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1155754690 to see a bard soloing in HS.

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

Bard solo falls off hard 50+. Your new charm costs mana and only lasts for 3 ticks instead of 4. Also your melee dps can no longer really keep up with mob hp. I’d probably just try to swarm, maybe td raptors?

I agree bard solo falls off, but charming still seems viable. I never ran into a problem with the mana cost while charming. By the time my mana gets low I'm ready for a break anyway. The one huge annoyance is how long it takes mana to regen after getting a rez.

[Goregasmic]

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

I did a little Cobalt Scar 49-51, either dot-kiting or charming. The problem with charming is making sure you avoid getting an add, especially any of the cobalt drakes with their aoe dd/dispel. But if you can pull two wyverns down to the othmir it'd be pretty good. I root rotted on my druid up until 53, when it finally completely greened out. Getting non-KOS with dragons is definitely recommended.

There's a big rock on the main ridge close to skyshrine which is safe from pathers, they wander like 50-75yards from the rock and turn away. I always pulled to that area but they come in pairs so you might have to lull one first.

If you charm from the tower and pull to land, you have to go down the staircase waiting for your charmed mob or it will fall on the rocks below and aggro a bunch of bulthars, which is bad news.

The beach is safe but if you cast any offensive AE you have to make sure to stay out of othmir range. They're sowed and hasted which means a very quick death.