Help a Beginner Bard

[Arctorus]

Having had the game for several months now I have tried most classes in each realm but something I have never played is a bard, and now I feel is the time to start one.
The trouble is how do you play them, what do I spec in. I have been in groups with bards before but being the stereotypical tank that I am I never noticed their assitance, because obviously I could of soloed all those purple con monsters without healing and stuns

When speccing do you split the points between different skills, or focus on one or two lines?

 

[SoulFly Amarok]

43 nurture
47 music
rest regrowth.

 

[old.Greggor]

For Best insta Mezz(Best DD, AE mezz and AE insta mezz. Not good heals)

43 Nurture
16 Regrowth
47 Music
5 Weapon

Good alrounder (Best DD and AE mezz and first AE insta mezz. Spec healer just better than base line. Also have a Weapon spec)


43 Nurture
16 Regrowth
44 Music
12 Weapon

Healing bard (Second best DD and Ae mezz and first AE insta mezz. Spec heal alot better than base line as good as druid medium heals)

43 Nurture
33 Regrowth
37 Music
5 Weapon

All have 43 nurture for Speed 5.

For PvE as u lvl max Nurture rest into Regrowth.

 

[Uncle Sick(tm)]

You forgot the Battle Bard(tm) kthx

 

[keoine]

I quite like the following guide especially as it's got a nice spec progression for a group-focused bard, so you get the most from your spec at certain level milestones.

Depending upon how you wanted music to fit into your final template, it's worth bearing in mind that you may not want to put regrowth quite as high as outlined in the guide [think you sacrifice the final aoe castable mez, the final dd shout, and the final aoe mez shout if you take regrowth to 33].

By dropping the regrowth down to 20 you'd be able to pick up the castable aoe mez and dd shout, with enough points to grab a taunt and detaunt in weapons style.

As Greggor says most bards work around nurture being 43, for speed 5, and then build their template around that.

 

[Glacier]

Originally posted by old.Greggor
Good alrounder (Best DD and AE mezz and first AE insta mezz. Spec healer just better than base line. Also have a Weapon spec)


43 Nurture
16 Regrowth
44 Music
12 Weapon

That one is my spec, but its:

43 Nurture
20regrowth (not 16)
44music
12weapon


[Edit : gifv respec ]

 

[Jonaldo]

Originally posted by Uncle Sick(tm)
You forgot the Battle Bard(tm) kthx

glad you reminded us Sicko

yep remember, the battlebard spec doesn't work at all, speak to Awark about this who now is respeccing out of this for something a bit mor useful

 

[Uncle Sick(tm)]

It actually did work... if you fancy cookie cutter groups and specs, though, go ahead and roll the standard specs for ghetto heals.

Just like Wardens speccing regrowth. Huzzah.

 

[SingerOfSoul]

DONT DO IT!!!!!
Bards are needed second only as speed bots and cannon fodder... a tank on the bard is a tank not on the druid eh

 

[old.ivan]

At level 24 my BG Battlebard tm could take out LW champs sometimes managed Minstrels in BG1 , so viable or not at 50, at 24 it was an ok ish template. Despite that , in BG i only got to use my Blade styles on 10 or so occasions, inho Bards have better things to do than fight upfront.

Lulling and Mezzing is routine for bard, on occasions even healing.

Im going for 43 Nurture 47 Music 16 Regrowth 5 Blades/Blunt
a few starting BG milestones:
at 19 :
13 Nurture 7 Regrowth [or take it up to 9 and then respec at lvl 20] 16 Music

at 24 :
23 Nurture 7 Regrowth 16 Music

etc.

Perhaps its a cookie cutter template i dont really know or care, this is how i designed it for My style of gameplay. Play around with Catacombs Char Creator to see what the templates may look like always helps.

 

[Uncle Sick(tm)]

There... and who propagated the Battle Bard(tm) first? Huh? Ha?
*sits in a quiet corner and waits for teh pwaise*

 

[-chancer-]

when i level mine up

50 slash
43 nurture

 

[old.ivan]

you are better off with a warden then with such spec ... Can you say Dragon Raid for Respec Stone ? Good luck

 

[Uncle Sick(tm)]

Originally posted by old.ivan
you are better off with a warden then with such spec ... Can you say Dragon Raid for Respec Stone ? Good luck

*sarcasm* Don't forget to mention that the only viable spec for a Warden is Nurture/Regrowth. Speccing in weapons is such a waste etc. etc. *sarcasm*

 

[-chancer-]

and what would be wrong with going 50 in weapon skill for a bard?

 

[Uncle Sick(tm)]

Originally posted by -chancer-
and what would be wrong with going 50 in weapon skill for a bard?

Nothing. He will hit just as hard as a Warden with 50 weapon spec.

You just have to argue with the cookie cutter spec fraction time and again...

 

[-chancer-]

after seeing bard's on excal they seem pretty damn nifty plus the mach 5 speed and end regen will certainly take me anywhere

 

[old.ivan]

Yes but my point is why make a freak out of a bard when you acan make a hero/champ and get a bard partner for RvR .. if you are such devoted soloer

 

[Luuna]

47 Music is a waste of points in my opinion. With spellcrafter and crazy resists your instant mezz only lasts a few seconds longer.

 

[old.ivan]

As far as i know the second insta has larger coverage area , the first is 150 second is 350 .... thats the main reason im going 47 actually

 

[old.Toirdhealbhach]

Yes, the most important benefit of the last instamezz is undoubtedly it's radius of 300 units (and the recent change of lower resist rate due to higher music spec, according to some sources).

BTW, did you ever take your battlebard past level 20, Uncle Sick? Would be interested in hearing a non-conformist's viewpoint on higher level RvR (even with a "healing" spec, a bard can reliably solo pretty much anything one-on-one, so additional points in weapon spec feel like waste at times). Still have my respec unused.

 

[-chancer-]

Originally posted by old.ivan
Yes but my point is why make a freak out of a bard when you acan make a hero/champ and get a bard partner for RvR .. if you are such devoted soloer

im not such a devoted soloer i almost hate soloing its just that on excal / midgard there's no groups as ive only just started on hib (2nd day today) i have no idea what to expect yet



Aluna 15 Enchanter

 

[Uncle Sick(tm)]

Originally posted by old.Toirdhealbhach
Yes, the most important benefit of the last instamezz is undoubtedly it's radius of 300 units (and the recent change of lower resist rate due to higher music spec, according to some sources).

BTW, did you ever take your battlebard past level 20, Uncle Sick? Would be interested in hearing a non-conformist's viewpoint on higher level RvR (even with a "healing" spec, a bard can reliably solo pretty much anything one-on-one, so additional points in weapon spec feel like waste at times). Still have my respec unused.

I levelled my Battle Bard to 24 - 18+5 in blades, which gives a nice anytime style, 18 in music for a nice mez, nurture up to speedsong II.

Levelling was a blast - barely any downtime whilst solo-ing due to endsong and heals + buffs. Speedsong was also handy to change camp spots (camp bonus).

Grouping went well, too - no one complained about my heals, more than once my shouts (on a lovely short timer) and my blade saved a caster's life. Don't group at Parth farm, though.
"wtf dude u cant cure diseeise!!1?2"

RvR - well, Thidranki
Speedsong - teh win.
18 in mez gives you a fine ae mez.

Melee - well, I never intended to fight main tanks or even hybrid tanks (though I beat a Thane to pulp)... rather a mez-hit-and-run tactic. It worked in Thidranki and I am positive that it would work in regular RvR, too - especially with the insta mez.

Mez, rush in with the rest, kill quickly - heal up and leg it again.

One might argue that the bard should stand back and heal - I would like to argue that a hybrid fighter with a bastard sword and a nasty 10 sec DD can help ending the fights quicker.
Getting PA'ed by the Infil/Shadowzerg whilst standing back, passing out poor heals will take away a rezzer, speed and mez. Vital in RvR, innit?

I remember having an argument with a Blademaster over "what a Bard's role is supposed to be"
Who defines the role? The player.

I ungrouped - together with an open minded Spearo. A minute later death spam announced the demise of the cookie cutter group.

So we started running around between MPK and MB (that was during a Hib keep take and Albs didn't quite do their Lemmingzerg then...)

Mez small group - get nice positionals in - heal up - move.
Worked.

Got jumped by 2 Shadowblades. Spearo gets his nearly down but croaks it. I solo mine and kill the blue fiend. There.
I turn and kill the other SB. Rez my friend. Off we go again.

I remember seeing an Infil PA a caster - jumps off the right side of MB - I veer to the left, target with f8, stick, DD, stealth is on recast timer - I kill the Infil.

Battle Bard spec works. And most of all. It is fun... well, if you like juggling with six qb's (this was with the old qb, though).

I can't access the charbuilder on Catacombs at work here but at 50 (with my spec), BB(tm) will have the 2nd best speedsong, 1st insta mez and with rr4(or)5 plus items 50 in weaponspec.
Oh... and enough points left over to get cure disease/poison.

 

[old.ivan]

What Uncle said

 

[Uncle Sick(tm)]

Originally posted by old.ivan
What Uncle said

...

 

[lofff]

long live batlebards!!!

imo

 

[Uncle Sick(tm)]

Buenas tardes, retardes.

imo ffs kk^^