Playing bard in group

[kcrandle78]

Hello, I am currently level 20 bard. I prefer to play in groups than swarm kiting..so, when in groups I tend to keep my instruments out and swap them as I twist to keep buffs going. I rarely melee attack because I feel like keeping the songs going at their strongest is most important.

Am I playing this properly? Or should I make sure I am auto attacking while keeping songs going even though they are less potent?

[Zipity]

Instruments are the way to go 100%

[Jauna]

The only time you should use instruments is when sitting back singing the songs that require instruments or during downtime.

Next time you see a bard sitting back not meleeing its just some burnout who fetishized the idea of bards because they seen them on raids doing that thinking "oh god this job is so easy i can do it" and end up giving all bards a bad name. Its this or they are slow to switch melee and instruments either because of age or lack of a proper UI that they can change on the fly

believe me that extra 10 str the 2-3 others in the group get from using a drum wont be greater than you sitting back with a flute in your ass.

The level 20 mana song is a huge range, learn to take advantage of that.

[Talon]

That may be true at lower levels, especially if you got yourself decked out with some decent weapons. But as you get higher level, bard melee dps becomes noticeably pitiful compared to other classes. Our roles at this point are almost always puller, CC, or some combination of the two. Sometimes tank I guess. I’m pretty sure a bard will be most effective just sticking with the instruments here.

Though I have never seen any hard numbers on this. What would make a group perform better: using instruments to provide more haste, slows, regen, strength, AC, etc per song or pulling out the weapons to tickle the mob while providing the same songs, just less effectively? Hard to say without trying to do some sort of simulation. Lord knows I’m not going put that amount of effort in.

[FatherSioux]

I just came here to say that bard in a group is the pinnacle of EQ fun, anyone who disagrees doesn't know.

[Ripqozko]

Just kite to 60, join AM, play manasong and get free loot.

[Jauna]

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

That may be true at lower levels, especially if you got yourself decked out with some decent weapons. But as you get higher level, bard melee dps becomes noticeably pitiful compared to other classes. Our roles at this point are almost always puller, CC, or some combination of the two. Sometimes tank I guess. I’m pretty sure a bard will be most effective just sticking with the instruments here.

Though I have never seen any hard numbers on this. What would make a group perform better: using instruments to provide more haste, slows, regen, strength, AC, etc per song or pulling out the weapons to tickle the mob while providing the same songs, just less effectively? Hard to say without trying to do some sort of simulation. Lord knows I’m not going put that amount of effort in.

There is no much wrong in this post I believe you made it just to piss me off.
Welp lets start off slow.
"More Haste" is crap as as an instrument will not make anthem, berserk and so on give more haste. Later on there is a 5% haste song that requires brass instruments but most people barely notice 5% haste from gear, they wont notice the lack of it from your song
"Regen" while more regen sounds neat most fights end pretty quick and the extra 100hp wont make or break any fight. It is neato as fuck to see a lute hymn user DURING DOWNTIME ONLY but no
Strength is not as big as people make it out to be and no melee dps worth their shit wont ever put starting stats into str. str comes naturally from gear and easily maxed out. You adding more strength to a few people who would benefit from it will not make or break a fight
And to clarity: strength only effects your ability to get a max damage hit, it however DOES NOT effect your chance to land a hit
More AC is debateable but you dont see many clerics these days going out of their way to spend mana on it, do ya?
If you want to be the most useful person in the world make an Enchanter and get comfortable with charming. Same mana regen as a bard, EXTREMELY more damaging when charming, much stronger hastes and way earlier and AoE CC at the snap of a finger. Meanwhile bard AoE CC stops being useful around level 30 by game mechanic

If you want a low energy team player, make a rogue. 3 buttons
Macro1:
/assist tank
/pause 1
/attack on

Macro 2:
/attack off
/pause 1
/doab # (whichever one is hide)
/pause 1
/attack on

And Backstab. No macro needed.

And for the OP ganna say it again, get your ass up there and hit stuff and sing.

[Jauna]

Look, Saturday nights is when I normally get drunk and watch Toonami and tonight is no exception and it really really pisses me off when I see someone playing a class and not living up to its full potential.

I hate seeing bards just sing mana song in non-raid/downtime situations
I hate seeing bards who are one hit wonders.
I hate seeing bards who refuse to pull or tank when the group needs them to be either

Since P99 is mostly people in their 30s reliving what they thought they remember there are many "first timers" who remember what they thought they remembered and bring back what they thought they thought.

Warriors sub level 50 with proc weapons piss me off
Bards who refuse to accept they are a jack of all and a master of what is currently needed in a 6man group situation
Monks who stay in camp to fight and not chain pull when needed (also applicable to rangers and bards)
Enchanters/Necros/Druids who do not charm

Since this is a bard thread, you really need hp/ac/stam gear in that order to literally be that Jack of All hero that a group needs. Why?

For mezzing and charming your CHA does not matter much. Your level + Mobs MR > Your fucking Charisma. Once a Mez lands IT WILL ALWAYS BE FULL DURATION (4 ticks) NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS. And your singing/instrument skill > DEX at all fucking times will determine if your song does not miss a note.
I do not know how to explain these further without GM intervention and since they did not want to chime in in the past 9 years since this server was a thing, you really need to take my word that CHA/DEX is not anywhere as nearly as important as these Old Wives Tales posters make them out to be.

You are a tank
You are a puller
You are a downtime reducer
You are a mezzer
You are whatever the group NEEDS you to be and you need to adapt to what they want.

If you refuse or cannot accept this fact, make something else.
Warriors/Knights tank better than you
Monks (and kinda rangers) pull better than you
A cleric/chanter combo is better than you
A chanter is better than you

Stop thinking that end game raiding (mana battery) is your leveling up duty
Stop thinking that only knight/wars are tanks, believe me when your level 20 aoe slow is one of the biggest agro generators is a thing
Stop thinking that your Lull song is useless
Stop thinking y

i lost my train of thought, be a hero that most groups need or move on to another class.

[Wallicker]

Lol but let’s be real, after level 34 put away your weapons until you get your epic. Very very very few situations where the extra regen/mana , Runeage, etc. isn’t more beneficial then a SK pets worth of Dps... you can easily tank,pull,Metz, Cc, charm without weapons and your group will be better for it. Shaman or necro in your group that cantina is like double clarity for those guys and until 55 you can’t cantana with weapon equipped by then if you aren’t twisting shield of song for your tank well I can’t help you

[Wallicker]

Also single target snare at lvl 23 is significantly more aggro than pbaoe slow...