Continue shaman or play bard?

[Viyro]

Play what you find fun. Give the bard a real chance (20+). If you find one more fun then the other play it.

I'd suggest googling some footage and / or look up some vods on twitch of a person playing a bard and see if its something you'd enjoy. Its a much more active game style then Shaman if that's your question. (Pulling, cc, instrument swapping etc)

[Baler]

Shaman level rather slowly in classic. Come kunark is when they pick up speed.

note that bard has a -40% exp penalty till 2001 jan patch.

[Swish]

You'll die a lot on the bard if you choose to play one, song aggro is going to get you killed... but turn off songs on incoming and you can mitigate that somewhat <3

[turbosilk]

Bards are higher value end game and an active class if you are an active player.

[korzax]

Hand breaking monotony is in store for those that wish to play a bard.

[Lordess]

I played a bard up to 40 on Blue and I always just felt like a sub par enchanter; rerolled an enchanter and didn’t regret it one bit. Bards are good pullers, but it’s not like you’re ever going to get fade AA and monks have FD so I’d say bard pulling is niche at best. Shaman can solo and will always be a welcome addition to groups with their ability to haste and slow (the latter being almost necessary in Kunark+ when mobs start to hit really damn hard). Personally I’d go Shaman. Easier to level, no annoying song twisting (carpal tunnel anyone?), and great buffs/debuffs that are at least on par with bard songs, if not better (bard slow caps out at 35% and shaman is 70%).

Edit: Also I remember when I got mana song a lot of groups would want me to just stand next to the casters the whole time since the range is abysmal. Very exciting gameplay. On raids I remember seeing bards grouped with 5 clerics and then just standing their playing mana song the whole time. I think if you want to play bard you have to be very passionate about the class or it’s going to be very boring for you.

[Swish]

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

no annoying song twisting (carpal tunnel anyone?)

It is annoying with the twisting, but part of the charm <3

[galahad1st]

I played a bard to mid 50s on blue. I definitely got tired of the constant song twisting in raiding situations. I rerolled enchanter and liked it much more than bard since the CC aspect of bard was what I really liked.

Being able to kill 25 mobs at once was pretty cool. Definitely ruined my expectations for what good exp is. I got almost a whole level on one pull at ~30 in Overthere in about 20-25 minutes.

Currently level 16 shaman and it's slow and painful. Missing a lot of the shaman kit until 24 with regen and cannibalize. Then 34 is when shaman really pops off with companion spirit and a host of other useful spells.

[Tecmos Deception]

Originally Posted by galahad1st [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I played a bard to mid 50s on blue. I definitely got tired of the constant song twisting in raiding situations. I rerolled enchanter and liked it much more than bard since the CC aspect of bard was what I really liked.

Being able to kill 25 mobs at once was pretty cool. Definitely ruined my expectations for what good exp is. I got almost a whole level on one pull at ~30 in Overthere in about 20-25 minutes.

Currently level 16 shaman and it's slow and painful. Missing a lot of the shaman kit until 24 with regen and cannibalize. Then 34 is when shaman really pops off with companion spirit and a host of other useful spells.

You poor, new bards who had to deal with low-hp aggro changes and 25-mob aoe caps. You have no idea what fast bard aoe is! [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Sham is definitely a grind up into the 20s. Sham races have shitty wisdom so you're always like one resist away while soloing from having to run to the zoneline or die. In groups few of your buffs make much of a difference at low levels, you aren't being mana efficient unless you heal with inner fire up until 19+, your awesomest ability at high levels (slow) is awful until the 20s and still not great at that point, etc. But shamans get by and only get stronger as 24 and 34 come. Eventually they're basically uber when solo, duo, trio, or in groups, and while their role in raids isn't flashy, their buffs are phenomenal (melee with love you) and heals and malo and root CC and slows don't hurt either.

I played a bard on blue as well and the comments here are pretty accurate imo. You're powerful and versatile, but not fully understood by most people and so sometimes shunned from groups while they continue to look for an enchanter or shaman or a dedicated tank or dps. Twisting can either annoy the hell out of you or become second nature depending on the person I think. Most people don't expect you to tryhard 4-song twists or to pulse CCC instead of just leaving it autorepeating. You're a great puller, which makes your life even busier. Your resist songs are absolutely essential in raids.

[galahad1st]

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

You poor, new bards who had to deal with low-hp aggro changes and 25-mob aoe caps. You have no idea what fast bard aoe is! [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Sham is definitely a grind up into the 20s. Sham races have shitty wisdom so you're always like one resist away while soloing from having to run to the zoneline or die. In groups few of your buffs make much of a difference at low levels, you aren't being mana efficient unless you heal with inner fire up until 19+, your awesomest ability at high levels (slow) is awful until the 20s and still not great at that point, etc. But shamans get by and only get stronger as 24 and 34 come. Eventually they're basically uber when solo, duo, trio, or in groups, and while their role in raids isn't flashy, their buffs are phenomenal (melee with love you) and heals and malo and root CC and slows don't hurt either.

I played a bard on blue as well and the comments here are pretty accurate imo. You're powerful and versatile, but not fully understood by most people and so sometimes shunned from groups while they continue to look for an enchanter or shaman or a dedicated tank or dps. Twisting can either annoy the hell out of you or become second nature depending on the person I think. Most people don't expect you to tryhard 4-song twists or to pulse CCC instead of just leaving it autorepeating. You're a great puller, which makes your life even busier. Your resist songs are absolutely essential in raids.

I agree with your assessment of bards and (from what I've seen so far) shamans.

Also, senpai noticed me! Your enchanter videos were the reason I re-rolled an ENC and played until 54. I learned so much from you. I would really appreciate some videos of your green journey. I loved the relaxed, calming commentary style so much!