Help with starting a bard

[necrosaurio]

Hi everybody. After seeing all the posts about AE kiting, I've decided to make myself a bard and would like some advice.

I've played Live EQ for a year, since 2010, so Project 1999 is a completely new game for me.

Having played a vah-shir bard (Gatobardo) in on Live, I decided to start a half-elf bard. In my infinite lack of classic knowledge. I have quite a few question:

-What's the best starting city?
-Does deity matter?

I am completely un-twinked (my "main" at the moment is a level 3 iksar necro), so,
- what's the best way to equip myself for kiting?
- and for grouping?
- Where can you get instruments? I know that in Live you go to Freeport to buy some basic ones but how does it work here? Any recommendations?

How does bard pulling work in classic EQ? Is it "just" lull pulling or are there other tricks to it?

I've read this forum and it looks like str/sta are the stats to improve. Anything else?

Thanks a lot!

[Messianic]

Diety: Agnostic (you get illusion masks, and deity choice restricts your faction flexibility)
Starting City: Qeynos (Gnoll Teeth in BB and Bandit sashes in WK = Winning)

Get full banded, 55ac 5hp rings, a hand drum and some other cheap vendor instruments, and you can start kiting as early as 5/6, although it doesn't get seriously effective until low teens, and particularly at 18.

The reason is chords of dissonance has a relatively small range, whereas your level 18 pbaoe dot has a fairly large one.

[Dr4z3r]

-What's the best starting city?
-Does deity matter?

I am completely un-twinked (my "main" at the moment is a level 3 iksar necro), so,
- what's the best way to equip myself for kiting?
- and for grouping?
- Where can you get instruments? I know that in Live you go to Freeport to buy some basic ones but how does it work here? Any recommendations?

How does bard pulling work in classic EQ? Is it "just" lull pulling or are there other tricks to it?

I've read this forum and it looks like str/sta are the stats to improve. Anything else?

Thanks a lot!

-Kelethin, if you're starting from scratch. Lots of other people doing the same thing, lots of fun!
-Agnostic is the safest choice; all deity really does in classic is make certain factions more or less likely to kill you on sight. Unfortunately, it's heavily skewed toward more things killing you for having any deity, rather than being agnostic. That said, following Veeshan is pretty unique and, if you're careful, can have interesting consequences in Kunark raiding.

- The only equipment you need for kiting is a vendor lute and a vendor drum. Work on buying a suit of banded to help with the occasional hit you'll take.
- For grouping, banded is all you'll need until the late 20's to survive pulling, and whatever weapon(s) you can get with the best ratio are the other things you'll need. A Polished Granite Tomahawk will be good for carrying you through at least until you can Dual-Wield
- Any Bard guild will have all the instruments you need. At higher levels (35+) you may notice enough of a difference to upgrade to the lute & drums that drop in Mistmoore (priority to drums).
- Until higher levels (50+), you'll just use lull, mezz, snare, and (when outdoors) Selo's.

There's an awful lot to be said about your starting stats. 12 years on and there's still no clear answer as to what stats a bard should be using, but rest assured that any combination of STR/STA/DEX/CHA is fine, even if it's not perfect.

[Doktoor]

You'll also need a horn for Denon's once you get to that level, but gear doesnt matter much either way because if you get hit, you die if you're kiting enough mobs.

You do want to get 5 ac 55 HP rings as your first purchases and a MM drum.

Next you'll want to buy decent weapons because a) you dont want to kite all the way to 60 or you'll have no skills and b) AE kiting gets old and you'll want to take a break and get a group here and there.

[Slave]

100% Agnostic

any combination of STA/DEX/CHA is fine

Fixed!

[Doktoor]

Yeah, you really wanna go agnostic because it allows you to get a DE mask and then bank in Neriak, OT, etc.

[Ennoia]

Does Veeshan faction affect Velious dragon faction? I only worshipped Inny on live.

[Doktoor]

Does Veeshan faction affect Velious dragon faction? I only worshipped Inny on live.

Dont know for sure, but I remember reading about someone whining on live that worshiping veeshan all those years ended up gaining them nothing.

Also, I had a Mithaniel Marr worshiping char on live; he and both his planes were KoS.

[neverquest]

100% Agnostic



Fixed!

[Nytewind TP]

and yes the Gnoll Teeth Quest in BB/Qeynos gives some nice exp indeed.

[PurelyElf]

Don't listen to these fefs about agnostic, it's so boring!

I was tunare bard on live, and I could make it into Neriak just fine (while avoiding some areas). It doesn't matter so much, be something fun.

[madcowmisha]

Going from the advice in this thread, I myself, made an agnostic half elf bard and started in qeynos. While only level 2 and gaining, Ive been collecting stacks of bone chips, then running into Qeynos Hills and selling them!? I think I'm on the right track!

As far as getting a full set of banded, what does a set go for on this server? And where would u recommend picking up a good wep??

Please and thanks!!!

Vhalten

[Gwence]

Im a veeshan bard and with DE mask illusion I can bank or hang out in neriak, oggok, grobb etc.. I am kos, however, at the OT fort.. but that doesn't stop me from banking there.

I'm interested in knowing what consequences there are in kunark raiding for a veeshan worshipping bard. I haven't noticed any. Also I forgot to con any of the kunark dragons before I killed them to see if I was kos, so maybe that's it? /shrug. I know killing in mistmoore many ages ago gave me alot of RoS faction hits.

[Tewaz]

I am a bristlebane bard and I have had no trouble in OT, haven't tried all the others though.

[Fourthmeal]

There is probably a good bard kiting guide somewhere on the forums if you saerch for it

[acid_reflux]

Diety: Agnostic (you get illusion masks, and deity choice restricts your faction flexibility)
Starting City: Qeynos (Gnoll Teeth in BB and Bandit sashes in WK = Winning):rolleyes:

Get full banded, 55ac 5hp rings, a hand drum and some other cheap vendor instruments, and you can start kiting as early as 5/6, although it doesn't get seriously effective until low teens, and particularly at 18.

The reason is chords of dissonance has a relatively small range, whereas your level 18 pbaoe dot has a fairly large one.

Crap! I just made a half elf bard that is agnostic. But I started him in Freeport. Should I trash and go quenyos? I've only gotten to level 4.

[Dr4z3r]

Crap! I just made a half elf bard that is agnostic. But I started him in Freeport. Should I trash and go quenyos? I've only gotten to level 4.

Just boat to Faydwer and hit up GFay and Crushbone. Once you get outside the newbie zone, the Qeynos area is all boring solo-ers and hyper-competitive twinks.

[Jerin]

madcowmisha,
A full suit of banded armor is 90ac, most smiths charge
1pp per ac.

[Bubbles]

Crap! I just made a half elf bard that is agnostic. But I started him in Freeport. Should I trash and go quenyos? I've only gotten to level 4.

FP area has bored level 50+ buffing classes idling in the tunnel, which is just as good if not better than starting in Qeynos. Plus progression is a bit easier, since west commons and oasis and such will get you into your high teens easily, never that far away from a your bind spot.

You'll do fine there.. once you hit 18, start heading to EK to start your AoE training glory days on gorge hounds and the like..

[Dentalplan]

Does Veeshan faction affect Velious dragon faction? I only worshipped Inny on live.

I was under the impression that Veeshan-worshipping bards started at dubious faction in Skyshrine, while every other race/class/deity combo begins kos there. Could be wrong about that though.

[acid_reflux]

FP area has bored level 50+ buffing classes idling in the tunnel, which is just as good if not better than starting in Qeynos. Plus progression is a bit easier, since west commons and oasis and such will get you into your high teens easily, never that far away from a your bind spot.

You'll do fine there.. once you hit 18, start heading to EK to start your AoE training glory days on gorge hounds and the like..

Ok cool. So far im naked except for a few cloth pieces I found off skeletons. Should I just ale/tank a bunch of skeletons to get a couple more levels. Or what? I found myself running around the commons tunnel area, looking for something to kill. Not many critters around there.