A Bard's Tale - Page 4

t0lkien · #31 07-02-2013, 05:57 PM

The biggest issue with being a Bard is that when something goes wrong and the group wipes, you're left mentally going through your scores of songs and abilities, attempting to configure a combination you could have McGyvered up in a split second that would have saved the day. If I had 100pp for every time I took one for the team mezzing highly resistant mobs that inevitably reduced me to paste, giving everyone else time to zone, I'd have a BoH by now...

P.S. I'm a pretty ordinary puller personally, but here's an interesting legacy post from Thott that gives some insight: http://www.afterlifeguild.org/Thott/bard_pulling.php

Sarius · #32 07-02-2013, 05:59 PM

You probably haven't grouped with a good bard because most bards pre 50's are too busy swarm kiting. A good bard can easily make a group survive an unsurvivable situation, especially because they are a little more durable than a clothie enchanter

Flamewraith · #33 07-02-2013, 06:16 PM

Back on live igrouped with a few bards and my socks were never blown off. A few years ago I tried fippy and most of the bards on Fippy were egotistical dickheads (Tsun Zhu anyone?) and they were sub par in groups. Here on p99 I never really grouped with a bard (not surprising since I've only been grouped for about 11 of my 53 levels) but about a year ago my group died far at the bottom of Dalnir. The guy responsible for our wipe hopped on his lvl 55 planar geared bard t try and get our bodies back. As it turned out, he had never actually grouped or naturally leveled the bard, he had only ever swarm kited. His melee and defense skills were so low, and he was so inexperienced at playing a bard, that he wound up wiping us to four level 25 mobs after a 10 minute fight.

t0lkien · #34 07-02-2013, 06:24 PM

Yeah, I think p99 is a different world when it comes to Bards because of the kiting thing. I'm still leveling, but I spend a bunch of levels kiting then grouping to get my skills up. Also, grouping is much more fun really, albeit much slower XP.

p99 is for fun, it's not srs bzns. I don't see the point in rushing to top end. I'm here for the journey, which so far has been very enjoyable.

Sarius · #35 07-02-2013, 06:29 PM

People play the game as they will, but the swarming thing has got to stop. Even with the impending exp nerf, bards will still be able to PL. I think that institute the change that will not allow more than 4 mobs to keep agro on a single target at one time and force some of these bards to be a little more social.

Flamewraith · #36 07-02-2013, 06:53 PM

Quote:

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

People play the game as they will, but the swarming thing has got to stop. Even with the impending exp nerf, bards will still be able to PL. I think that institute the change that will not allow more than 4 mobs to keep agro on a single target at one time and force some of these bards to be a little more social.

Honestly, from reading posts by most of these infamous bards, I don't really think I want to group with any of them. Most of them sound like self entitled jerks. As for swarming, it is semi annoying, but there are tons of other zones to go to.

webrunner5 · #37 07-02-2013, 07:44 PM

I have been playing on here a long time and I can count on one hand all the really GREAT Bards I have grouped with. I am a mainly a healer class so I know what a good one does and doesn't do. But man a really good bard is a thing to behold.

So I know they are hard as hell to play without Melody. I am not worth a crap on one. Yeah I think kiting on here has ruined a lot of Bards.

zanderklocke · #38 07-02-2013, 07:55 PM

I honestly don't know how bards can have the attention span to AE kite solo up to 50. Sure, it's fun when you see a ton of experience on one pull, but the novelty wears off after awhile. Without the AE snare you get at level 54, AE kiting can be pretty darn hard, don't forget lag spike deaths either heh...I'm not sure I could even AE kite anymore without the level 54 AE snare since I really haven't done any AE kiting to level up since like last September or October? Furthermore, my internet connection and iMac bootcamped version of windows likes to lag a fair amount sometimes.

Grouping 50-60 in dungeons was way more fun than any other thing I had done level 50 or below (except maybe Orc 1 in East Commons because that is my favorite camp in the game). You really learn how to play your class when you get into a dungeon situation, and you get to interact with real people. I sucked at first (I wasn't even really sure what CC was when I went to City of Mist for the first time), but I think I can hold my own pretty well now. There is always a chance that a critical resist may screw up a pull and things get dicey, but overall, due to my experience in dungeons 50-60, I know much more about the bard class and what it can do, should do, and most importantly, shouldn't do. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I'm sorry you've had a bad experience grouping with other bards Flamewraith; maybe we could group up in Seb or something and have some fun...I'm only 4% into 60.

t0lkien · #39 07-02-2013, 08:08 PM

I'm with you Zander. I love grouping. A good group is what EQ is all about, and it's really fun to play a Bard in that situation. I like being able to kite, it's a good skill to learn. But it's boring and pointless on its own. I'm working hard to get up to the level of the really good dungeons (Seb, KC etc.) because that's where the real fun is.

Stinkum · #40 07-02-2013, 08:10 PM

Flamewraith successfully hijacked the fuck out of this thread.