Bards
 

I'm just wondering how desirable they are for grouping? They've always been a class I've been drawn to because of how much they can do.

I used to play a level 60+ Enchanter back in the day, but think I'd want to switch it up and be a class that wears armor (lambent!).. however I don't want to have a hard time grouping later on.

Also, do they have an XP penalty bc they're technically a hybrid or no?

Yes, they have exp penalty. Sometimes, if you're a hybrid it is hard to get in the door but if you are a good player, your value transcends any exp penalty in a group that knows what the hell they are doing and people will remember that.

I am not a high level so I cant verify but i would think a good Bard (one who twists 3 songs and uses instruments properly) should be able to find groups fairly well since they bring so much to groups. There are a lot of bad Bards out there who level purely by kiting so you might need to prove yourself first

I am quite curious about bards as well (thinking of making my alt a bard as I have never played one.) My question is more about the religion I choose. If I were to choose agnostic would I be missing out on religion specific quests offering gear or considerable xp?

Bards are great. They do have a 40% EXP penalty that will affect your group (this doesn't mean the group will take 140% as much time to level, though; you can read up on EXP mechanics on the wiki if you don't know how they work). Sometimes people are not keen to group with hybrids because of EXP penalties. On the other hand, people love grouping with Iksar monks despite their high EXP penalties, because monks are great DPS and good pullers. Bards are an extremely useful class and many people recognize this and will be happy to group with them.

i think people are only weary of the bard who looks like they leveled to 50 swarm kiting.

never been turned away cuz of my exp penalty, and get group invites all the time.

I imagine bards would be welcome to any group as they mitigate downtime with being able to increase mana regen and can give the group haste. Right?

yeah the mana regen part begins at Level 32 :)

Just wanted to note that CC (i.e. mezzing adds), slows, and pulling (i.e. lulling stuff and pulling singles or small groups when possible) are at least as useful as mana regen and haste. Bards bring a lot to a group and part of playing a bard is being aware of what you are capable of and adjusting your play to fit what the group doesn't already have.

I think the major problem with this is that almost all groups do (or should) have an enchanter on staff, which will mean the bard's CC, slow, and group haste abilities are completely redundant. While the mana regen is nice, a group is usually better served from an EXP standpoint by picking up another dps. I reckon this is just my opinion though as an enchanter.