Bard spec advice .... again

[Chameleon]

Wow, I don't think ive had as much fun in daoc as i have with my bard alt for the last 21 levels!! I'd like to take this character quite a few levels further and am thinking about a level 50 spec that would suit me.
I know the 'bard spec' thread has been done before, but none seemed to help with my spec.
I looked at a character builder and came up with these:

43 Nurture (speed 5)
9 Regrow (cure poison and desease)
47 Music (best ae mez)
14 Blades (with +items maybe enough)

or maybe take regrow to 7 and blades to 15?
Someone said 43/6/47/15 was do-able, but unless im missing something, this cant be done with the available points.

I think best ae mez and speed 5 are vital for a bard, so my other spec would simply be to forget wep spec completely and go for the classic:

43 Nurture
16 Regrow
47 Music

I don't plan on hitting anything unless I really have to, but having only been into bg1 I already have had several occasions where I really could have used a little more than 1 in blades to hit an enemy I can't get away from. Even with 14 in blades, will it be a complete waste of time me trying to hit something, even if I'm left with no other choice? And if wep spec is worth doing, it looks to me like 18 is the figure to go for, as you get a reasonable 'any time' attack, but that would mean lowering something else and i dont know what
Any advice from those wise in the way of the bard would be appreciated

 

[Whandall]

*cough* better get your shade up to 50 first *cough*

 

[SingerOfSoul]

dam u cookie cutters

i went 43nurt 20regrowth 12blunt 44music
i respecced 43nurt 9regrowth 21blades 44music

dont see the point in going all the way to 47 music just for an ae mezz i dont need to use

 

[old.Nol]

www.bardsofcamelot.com is a great reference for up and coming or respeccing bards. Depending on your focus, there are any number of specs that you could follow.

 

[Chameleon]

Originally posted by Whandall
*cough* better get your shade up to 50 first *cough*

Ah mate i dunno how you did it! I keep telling the fins list holder that I take Whan's place, but they dont listen No, seriously though (at the risk of turning this into anther moaning ns thread ), all estimates ive had for a spot on the fins list have been in the region of 12 hours!! Mostly blue con groups in innis who think they dont need a warden and bears are a good source of xp I'm at a loss at what to try next! A ding takes about 6 weeks at the moment ........ just as well my bard is fun

Thanks for the tips guys.

 

[Chameleon]

Originally posted by SingerOfSoul
dont see the point in going all the way to 47 music just for an ae mezz i dont need to use

I thought it doubled the radius compared to the other one, or something like that?

 

[kameh]

You sound so much like me lol.

Hrodrek was made to help me solo my nightshade (diff accounts). now he's my main because I cant take soloing/paired after level 41, I'd go even more mad. The bards a great laugh and usually gets groups so much easier than the NS.

Having said that I personally dont think I can play a NS as well as I can a bard anymore

sneaking about... sheesh lets just fly on in there and see what's about..

/release

doh!

 

[Brennik]

Psst: staffs gonna be equippable by bards in 1.55, giving you a free 25 spec weapon choice...

 

[Spudgie]

Don't listen to soul hes a crap bard anyway

 

[old.Biffsmash]

I respecced from 47 music to 37. And to be honest, only diference to me is that my DD does less damage. The mezzes seem to stick the same for me.

The biggest AE insta mezz is 300 area as opposed to 150, but I only ever use insta to stop a runner, or to keep a few peeps advancing on me, from hitting me another 20 times.

My spec now is: 43 nurture, 16 regrowth(200-280 base heal usually), 29 blades, and 37 music.

imo if you really want more music, I would reduce regrowth and blades, rely more on regrowth than blades, and get your 47 music

 

[Cloak_]

Originally posted by Ch@meleon

43 Nurture (speed 5)
9 Regrow (cure poison and desease)
47 Music (best ae mez)
14 Blades (with +items maybe enough)

Thats my spec and loving it - the last AE mezz is 300 radius and the 37 is only 150, so imo its worth it.

 

[SingerOfSoul]

the best ae mezz is at 43 in music the best Insta is at 47 and tbh i hardly ever use it

 

[kameh]

I see my bard as pure support so speed 5 and good mez are vital. I would like to have a lot more healing power than the normal 16 reg template allows for though, my healing in rvr seems to save people so often and if I could get each heal a bit more powerful I genuinely think I could save even more

Unlike some bards I dont see the need for weapons, but then again I did play a middie healer and they cant spec them at all lol

I think my template for Hrodrek could be (if I ever get to 50):

music: 43
nurture: 43
regrowth: 25

or

music:37
nurture:43
regrowth: 33 (very nice heals but at the expense of the best AOE mez)

 

[Lessurl]

End end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end.... nuff said.

Not speccin weps at all on my bard cept for the spare points at end. 47/43/16 music/nurt/reg is the spec i'm goin for and i think it is the way to go. (cookie cutter or not). The value a bard can give to grp by playin end song is far greater than the puny damage he can do by mucking in himself. End = uncatchable mages (main is a mage and i know how much more i survive when a bard plays end than when he doesn't) and unending slams. Only time you'd get your weps out is solo... and tbh i aint gonna solo my bard much. Except for the few times i'm pissed then i just content myself with mezzin and runnin away.

 

[old.Pempula]

What I would really like to see would be a more unique bard, a bard that has extremely high regrowth (47?) for the best grp heal. Uses a lot of mana, but with the right combination RAs for fast mana regen (MCL, serenity, etc.) and a large mana pool, etc. (Aug Acuity, mastery of healing, wild healing), that bard would really RULE as a healer in any group. Would still be possible for that bard to get nurture to 33 (for end4, speed4) and music to 28 (single target insta and 51s aoe mezz) with some points left.

Any given group may very well want to have another bard for speed 5 (and aoe insta), as it is considered so essential(?), but still, would be a great support character and I hope someone goes for it (e.g. someone with a lvl50 bard alt?). I know that any bard in any group always appreciates having a 2nd bard in the group (as do most others in any group, too) as it increases the chances for unmezzing, mezzing and the life expectancy for any bard (and group...) in general. Also, I would suggest that in a group with 2 bards (that play it right) aoe insta is not as essential as in a group with only one bard.

 

[Kobold]

Hmm I think it would be better to switch out this "healing bard" with a high specced druid. Cause druid reg line is more powerful than bard one, but cool idea though.

If I would go for a lvl 50 bard spec I would go: music 47, nurt 43, reg 16 and rest in blunt/blade. Buuuuuut I'm definatly not leveling another bard hehe

 

[kameh]

thing to remember is that most bards love the speed song and giving it up would be heart breaking

 

[Danya]

Originally posted by kameh
Having said that I personally dont think I can play a NS as well as I can a bard anymore

sneaking about... sheesh lets just fly on in there and see what's about..

Roll a minstrel, then you can do both.
Definitely agree on having speed though. After playing a class with speed 5, you really don't want to go back to anything slower.

 

[old.Pempula]

Originally posted by old.Eternal[EW]
Hmm I think it would be better to switch out this "healing bard" with a high specced druid. Cause druid reg line is more powerful than bard one, but cool idea though.

If I would go for a lvl 50 bard spec I would go: music 47, nurt 43, reg 16 and rest in blunt/blade. Buuuuuut I'm definatly not leveling another bard hehe

The thing is exactly that the bard grp heal is MORE effective than the druid group heal (a druid is still needed though, buffs, resists, insta heals are nothing to look down upon...).

Bard has 1.5x amount of skill points per level as opposed to a druid, who only has 1xskill points, who would have to forget about insta root (and basically all of nature spec line), possibly compromising also on some of the buffs to get the best grp heal (which heals a bit less than the bards grp heal anyway...).

A normal 'speed/mezz bard', a regrowth bard, a nurture regrowth druid and a warden and the rest of the group can be composed of any classes that deal out dmg (2 casters, 2 tanks wouldn't be too bad, or even 2 rangers, 2 NSs... whatever, as with that 'support' group noone should really die, if the group plays well).

 

[old.NorME]

agree pempula

As a warden I heal in RvR, and i hit a mezzer if needed. but i run with bubble up and heal all the time.

I would recomend the speed/mezz bard

 

[Kobold]

Yeh could be usefull, but still swithing it out with insta ae mez, the best cast ae mez and speed5/end5/mana4....no thanks