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  #41  
Old 07-08-2020, 08:51 PM
Saisu Saisu is offline
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Bizarre thread, seems like it could have been reworded “I am determined to melee on a bard and will not listen to answers”. That’s fine, but I’m not exactly sure what you’re expecting from this conversation thread? I’ll echo others, is it possible? Yes (with the understanding it is slow). Will you enjoy it? Who knows.

From my experience as a bard who started fresh on blue with no gear or coin, and went 1-58: I expected melee to be more prominent than it actually was. As you go up in levels, mobs just start trashing you (unless as stated by others, you are very twinked with fungi, high AC, etc). It quickly becomes apparent that it’s a slow and painful method, and in my opinion, a tragic underuse of the bard toolkit.

It’s like asking “can I be a melee Necromancer? I’ll snare and fear the mob, and then hit them with my staff!”. Well, yes I guess you physically could, but of course it’s a lackluster way to play a Necromancer. Go have a ball with it, but I don’t think I’d endorse it!

The joy of a bard is it is the only class in the game with instruments, a crazy big toolbox fit for any situation, and fun combinations and twists of songs. I found the class really clicked for me when I treated myself more as a caster and less like a melee. Use your speed to your advantage, and being able to “cast” while moving. Charm creatures, break camps, pull at the speed of light, lock down a bad pull with CC, or load up a mob with DoTs. All from a safe and cozy distance.

I’m telling you this because it sounds like you haven’t started or played a bard before - and I’d like to highlight the awesome things bards have going for them. I’d say plate is more fashion than function for me! At least until Saisu gets in some much stronger armor. So go into this knowing you *could* play melee combat, but you’ll almost always have better, more interesting options instead.
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  #42  
Old 07-08-2020, 10:02 PM
Loadsamoney Loadsamoney is offline
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I'm kind of set in my ways because the Bard is classified as a Melee class, and wears plate and dual wields. To me, that screams melee, face tank, and big DPS, not a pseudocaster with crappy DPS and mitigation disguised behind plate. I played a Combat Bard in EQOA, and that's exactly how they were, big time melee DPS with nice group support via songs, and okay HP. If something is classified as a Melee class, to me, that means it's meant to beat on things.

Would Bard DPS be anything noteworthy if they had Double Attack and Kick in their toolkit?
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  #43  
Old 07-08-2020, 10:21 PM
Naethyn Naethyn is offline
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You’re going to be disappointed.
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  #44  
Old 07-08-2020, 10:23 PM
Wallicker Wallicker is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Loadsamoney [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
I'm kind of set in my ways because the Bard is classified as a Melee class, and wears plate and dual wields. To me, that screams melee, face tank, and big DPS, not a pseudocaster with crappy DPS and mitigation disguised behind plate. I played a Combat Bard in EQOA, and that's exactly how they were, big time melee DPS with nice group support via songs, and okay HP. If something is classified as a Melee class, to me, that means it's meant to beat on things.

Would Bard DPS be anything noteworthy if they had Double Attack and Kick in their toolkit?
It would still be less than every other melee, once you get epic AND stack dots with 100% self haste while meleeing then you can do good DPS but not anything crazy
  #45  
Old 07-08-2020, 10:24 PM
Ligma Ligma is offline
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Even after bards get double attack through AA in PoP their melee dps is pathetic. Hell, even after they get all the instrument mods that allow you to bag epic for crazy ratio weapons, it's pretty bad.
  #46  
Old 07-08-2020, 10:41 PM
Saisu Saisu is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Loadsamoney [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
I'm kind of set in my ways because the Bard is classified as a Melee class, and wears plate and dual wields. To me, that screams melee, face tank, and big DPS, not a pseudocaster with crappy DPS and mitigation disguised behind plate.
I don’t think the game or manuals ever classified bards as “melee”, I think Bards got shoehorned into the P99 forums here due to lack of any proper grouping (jack of all trades, master of none).

The single defining ability of the bard class is songs. It’s the only class that can “cast spells” while moving. The class has a dizzying list of abilities: levitate, breathing under water, fast movement, snare, haste, resistances, charm, lull, mesmerize, fear, pbAoE, DoTs, faction modifiers, HP Regen, Mana Regen, damage shield, etc etc etc.

Pretty much all buffs are meant to apply to a group, meaning by playing a stringed instrument you essentially give 6 people each a Fungi Tunic’s worth of regen, at the cost of no mana. The bard is an amplifier for a group, making everyone perform better. The bard is also a Swiss Army knife, able to fill in all sorts of roles as the demand arises.

Bards trade the power of raw-melee for the ability to be flexible and to potentially augment an entire group with generous buffs.

I can’t find the original classic EQ manual, but here’s what the creators have to say about bards in the Trilogy manual:

“The Bard has the unusual ability to play magical songs, whose supernatural effects last as long as the Bard continues to sing. He has some passing knowledge of the Warrior ways (self-defense), but his main focus is always on his art.”
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  #47  
Old 07-08-2020, 10:48 PM
enjchanter enjchanter is offline
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Originally Posted by Naethyn [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
You’re going to be disappointed.
i was disappointed
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  #48  
Old 07-08-2020, 10:58 PM
gladeous gladeous is offline
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Why would you mele when you can bring down an enemy faster with target dots and or charm at a safe distance resulting in much less down time.
  #49  
Old 07-09-2020, 12:14 AM
Adron Adron is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gladeous [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
Why would you mele when you can bring down an enemy faster with target dots and or charm at a safe distance resulting in much less down time.
On blue, the 10/18 and 14/24 weapon choices make it faster to melee down something that dot dot dot. I tested with two 10/18's, 34% haste, vs a walrus skin drum. not really that close. recover time is higher, but if you're doing a static spawn spot or two, thats not relevant, only how fast you down it and get the timer going.
So yes, on green, triple dot is faster, so you would. Not on blue with a 2.3 mod drum, at any rate. Reminder: bard dots do 2/3 dmg if target is moving, like anybody else's.
  #50  
Old 07-09-2020, 01:09 AM
Snaggles Snaggles is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Loadsamoney [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
I'm kind of set in my ways...
We hadn’t noticed.
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