Question regarding bard instruments

[GodOfYawns]

Hi. I'm new to P1999. I played Vanguard for a few months as well as EQ1 on the Ps2 years back. I loved the Bard on Vanguard, which was quite similar to the bard in EQ, only you could macro so that when you sang a song you'd whip out an instrument, and then equip your main hand again. You would only have to put the secondary back in its spot, which was pretty easy. I understand you can macro your songs here so it's only one press of a hotkey. I made a low level bard already and I liked that aspect. My question to experienced bards is, just how important is it to switch instruments (it seems very, considering the modifier), and how hectic is it. I want to play a bard, not some awful, never ending inventory mini-game, which is what it sounds like when I read up on it. Thanks.

[GodOfYawns]

Ah. Nevermind. I think I found my answer from a reply by Calibix on another thread:

Once you get to 50+, and really the whole way up, in group your going to be dual wielding 90% of the time. The main things your going to be asked to do won't overly be affected by swapping instruments in. Snare and haste can't be modded until you get an epic. Mana song isn't affected by instruments outside of the hp on cantana. Lull, Mez, Charm, and Fear all irrelevant outside of MAYBE the lowered MR on mez. So that really only leaves dots, which are filler in groups if at all, and primarily a solo thing where your trying to maximize your limited damage potential. The only spell I routinely swap for is Angstlitch's Assonance because pulling with a 71% slow is sweet. Other than that, its lute during down times, and drum for travel.

[Mirana]

In order to truly min/max it would require a "never ending inventory mini game."

However, it is possible to hotkey inventory/weapon slots so if, for example, you need to switch between percussion and strings for a high end encounter it is not too difficult to do. To be clear, you can add the inventory/weapon slot to your hotbar, and manually mouse click to swap instruments in and out.

In exp groups, just sing and enjoy your class and don't worry about getting that extra 5hp regen.

[Swish]

If you look for Duxa UI then you'll have your 8 main slots visible along with your primary/secondary weapon slots...maybe 5 backpacks, a lute, a drum and a horn is the way to go?

My first main on live was a bard, but I didn't get him past 35 (too many song aggro deaths, I caved in :D)

[Poosammich]

Ya watch for any AOE dmg songs.... Be sure they're off before running into town. Thats already eatin my whiddle Bard a few times since my return!

[Peacocky]

Just what Mirana said and it is no different on Pre Kunark and the same with Kunark. It was Velious when they introduce /Melody macro and some time later with Bandolier for lazy wannabe bard's who can't sing. :)

[Daldaen]

Melody was a LoY/LDoN addition. Never will be here.

[Peacocky]

It was there in Velious era patch note, "The patch-added Melody command allows bards to twist songs automatically, making the class much more accessible than it originally was for newbies, boxers, and people who are used to playing other classes."

So glad it will not be in p99.

[Savok]

I don't think Melody hit until GoD expansion.

------------------------------
December 15, 2004
------------------------------
- /melody ability implemented for bards - To use /melody, type /melody
. The numbers are the same numbers you would use for the /cast command.
The melody will repeat the songs in the specified order until a note is
missed due to an interruption.

You can use the UI in my link (selfless plug) if you want a UI that is easy to switch instruments with.

As one bard to another instruments will always give you a better return on your songs than weapons - to the point that in a group you would be more effective doing that than straight fighting (unless your super twinked). The only exception to this are haste and mana songs that are not moddified by instruments.

[Peacocky]

/Melody was release long before epic 1.5 (LoY) and Epic 2.0 (OoW one expansion after GoD). It was first known as /Song. There was an add on third party Macro for bard in Kunark.

[Savok]

The /melody command definitely was released at the end of 2004. You could use macros for /cast and /stopsong but it wasn't the same as setting up a 3, 4, 5, 10, 20 song list that repeated on itself.

[Peacocky]

I was there, I know and seen it all since September 7th 1999. Sony did not like third parties interfering EQ and so they add it as well as hired the UI third party programmer. There was a /Song command before changing to /Melody.

Fact.

[Savok]

I have been around since April 21 1999, there never was a command called /song it was /cast:

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/history/patches-2005-1.html

------------------------------
January 26, 2005
------------------------------
- /stopsong, /cast, and anything starting a song other than /melody now
clears the /melody buffer as intended.

And as I posted earlier the /melody command was added to Everquest in December 2004. I can't count 3rd party programs as I never used one.

[falkun]

There are a few songs which require instruments, but mostly you'll dual wield in groups. The bard epic is also an instrument, allowing you to sing anything while dual wielding. Some examples I can think of are enduring breath song while under water, Levi song while fighting over lava, or occlusion of sound, the velious debuff song.

[myriverse]

There was /stopsong, not /song.

[Peacocky]

I have been around since April 21 1999, there never was a command called /song it was /cast:

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/history/patches-2005-1.html

------------------------------
January 26, 2005
------------------------------
- /stopsong, /cast, and anything starting a song other than /melody now
clears the /melody buffer as intended.

And as I posted earlier the /melody command was added to Everquest in December 2004. I can't count 3rd party programs as I never used one.

Har har har, that was 2005 change log with Epic 2.0.

Try again.

[Savok]

I already posted when /melody was introduced:

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/history/patches-2004-2.html

------------------------------
December 15, 2004
------------------------------
- /melody ability implemented for bards - To use /melody, type /melody. The numbers are the same numbers you would use for the /cast command. The melody will repeat the songs in the specified order until a note is missed due to an interruption.

Feel free to link to an official post with the /song command because I can't use the command on P99 or on Live, and its not shown as a command here (http://www.jaburt.com/eq/general.htm) either.