Hello! Brexa the bard here, perhaps I can quell the minds of a few minstrels by stating a few things and telling a little story. By the woods I was trekking, under a bridge with waters smacking, some hilarity found me whistling a tune. A glint in my eye leads me awry to what pranks and tricks I fell- I bent over for a wallet thick, and who will I thank? When you see me singing all the way to the bank- it was of ploy, for who to enjoy? A king of thieves, the sneaky god of mischief-and me to employ. See the billfold was rich, it was all a stitch- however- a body manifested itself from gold... Standing cold, looking old, does he tell me the same story he's told? "To me you see?" I say to thee, jumping up then back- startled and scared. "To you I do, it appears that I've lost a tune, and I was wondering if you could help me soon?" Bristlebane was having trouble playing a song, but which of all the notes were wrong? I told him he'd have to pay me to sing along, instead he went and asked, "what should I change that sounds so bad?" So, I rolled out a list on an endless scroll and skipped to the end to satisfy the troll, Bristlebane looked at me and thundered in my ear "A witch and stone, my dear, if you b%#@ and moan- I'll disappear" he cursed. "Now, tell me, what is it I want to hear?" The god went on with fiery eyes with heat he looked at me as I my gut sank then I felt like dead meat. Then I cleared my throat and started the jarr~ "This part's too short, this part's too long, this part doesn't match, are you even sure its a song? You're using a horn, to play a lute part, the second theme needs a bit more heart! The light and the dark doesn't match the new and the old, there is no style, or beat, it can't be sold, one is to question you as to your art, have you been practicing or did you drift apart? The intro needs a start, gusto that does not diminish, the chorus needs a chorus then the ending needs a finish" Bristlebane looked at me with one closed eye & showed me a riddle to pry. "Have you heard it before? Want to hear some more? Should I perhaps show you the score?" I scratched my chin, with patience wearing thin, wondering where does talent end and begin, I pointed out then tried to shout, but, Bristlebane stood there with a pout. "But, but, but, I've been playing it note for note, how it was written on the page, after my minions been smote, you dropped this song up on the stage. Maybe it was last visit, maybe it was long ago, one of my own pages handed me this scroll~" To my surprise it was one of my sonatas, originally a concerto, a tune with extra fermata. I scribbled it down as a younger bard, but thought it too silly, too fast and too hard. Now I revisit it and play the tune over in my head, it takes my mind back years ago before days of dread, to find me running up on thee with speed in my heels, to catch the dastardly rascal and all he steals. To an instant I remember the parts, completely, utterly, then Bristlebane starts- "Can you hum it once? It's been so long, since I've heard a sound echoing in my hall, all of my jesters are a clumsy bunch, the actors and lost singer souls, they chorale in choir but much too droll. I need something fancy, something high art, something popular, something all my bixie friends would call smart." Wrapped in his plea was a shred of desperation, then to him I was angry with clarification. "Don't flatter me! I'm not a fool, that kind of music you just do not learn in school. Kingdoms you have, but no keener poet? Did they ever write on their own or have they always stole it? Bards? At least the ones who are bright, we practice all day and all night- what you are, and what you teach, hear me roar- to you, I preach; to write this kind of piece, for what madness will a mortal release, I can say it survives on feelings, feelings deep. Being unstrong, unsure where to head, but, knowing you'll get there sooner than said. I can't say this relates to you, being around for many-of-age? And what do you do? Wait for me to approach your stage? And for free? What a rage! I don't have my finest mandolin, my panpipes are gone, I'm sorry I did not bring my favorite trumpet along- did I also forget to mention? In the hush of the verse, the softest of congas can't make it worse? So, what would you give to hear the song right? Before I really get angry and take you down in a fight." "Your boldness is brash! What a refreshing boast! Hey fellas, can you hear this? We can forget Selo's ghost! There is only one thing I can promise you, and believe me true, it will completely, totally, absolutely, well, it will surely have to do!" Bristlebane snorted much happily, I don't think I've seen such an essence of glee, then he picked his nose and pointed at me. "Oh, but, can I hear it whistled, before our next show? That way I can guess how it will go?" All the while, with me standing there, did not play into his charm or snare. "Bring me a better horn, drum and fife, bring me the best lute I've seen in my life- craft me instruments better than my voice, making us play them with no choice. How I do have the skill to arrange those things- with your club that dances and sings." So I shrugged and wet my lips. Letting out a few noisy blips. Bristlebane left after I whistled a stanza, it spurred up his spirit then he went off on a bonanza! "Now nobody can catch me! But this was my joke! I promised you my word!" then he ceased after he spoke. Was it a cloud? A dream of confetti? No, I knew he left as he was always ready. I looked around, then had a blink, while nature around me was helping me think. *Spells* *Bard nukes AKA Insult spellline needs a character space between the user's name in the cast message and the spell. I.E. BrexaShrieks an Insult vs Brexa shrieks an insult. **Spellcasting effects from the bard actually impacting aspects for the bard. I.E. Auras with higher ranks adding additional damage to magic strikes. (and damage songs) ***The Bard nukes are underwhelmingly powerful, even after the raise in level cap and critical damage AA's. Example: at level 100 the chance to score overcrits and twincasts seemed to be much higher. The level 97 nuke is also very much useless with all 3 ranks considered, also exists on the same timer as the level 100, as the level 102 song is with the level 95 one. The fix is a matter of opinion- The range of damage on each nuke should be increased considerably. Rank 3 level 100 spell needs a higher cap by far. Before the level 102 spell was introduced, between the level 100 and level 95 nukes- yielded about a 20% increase in overall damage. It would be prudent to review and consider each class solo before testing nukes with buffs on or songs playing.**OVERHASTE** Will the songs in the new expansion give a wider cap to haste. Closing in is the inevitable "we don't need bards" for over-haste attitude, providing the highest possible haste gives more desire to the class. *AA* *Flurry of notes- Flurry of notes does not do exactly what the description states, instead it is a lesser version of what a bard thinks it is. Each swing produces a proc from weapon, the proc could be a swarm pet from an older zone, these swarm pets do not flood the enemy as many times as a hit, which makes this ability stifled. I.E. There should be more pets from procs. **Selo's Kick - Still kicking low. The average amount of damage from this ability is disenchanted, cancan dancers kick high and so does Axl Rose. *Equipment* Raid values for items. Whatever possessed the lazy generation of expansion makers to duplicate items as usable by all classes forgot to put stats on the items that say "recommended for bard" at the bottom. They require more Hitpoints, spell damage, mana points, Heroic Dex, Heroic int, and heroic Charisma. The "Constitution" stat is taking a toll on all of these items that say recommended for bard. The tradition is perpetuated by the newest expansion which makes me sad to see. Any item that recommends a beastlord class to wear has identical medium stats but higher constitution. (ATTACK - SPELL DAMAGE - MANA)Unique drops that are drastically not similar in a small adjustment of stats. All items that have a tag that states "recommended for X class" needs to be removed. The favoritism of items destroys inner relations within the harmony of a community. The values of stats on items is thought out before any class is catered to. I.E. Choosing items you like the stats over, not because it says your class name at the bottom of its description. Causes confusion and poorly constructed characters that pretty much just don't know any better. With a consensus that this is 'how the cookie crumbles'. Instead of making unique items for bards we get the short straw, and actually, I really wish we got an item we could click named "Short Straw" that rounds out each and every stat to a higher constitution, I would keep it next to my instruments that I never use. ***INSTRUMENTS*** Make just one an expansion for at least 1 bard so they won't have to write a smear on the forums! Drums that actually enhance the run speed of percussion songs when equipped, even at max level the drums should have a modification that is visible. Equipment mods that enhance spell focus songs, mostly, as I'm trying to attach the meaning "Bring the need to use instruments back" because our focus on raid gear is exactly the same as the previous ones. Many bard players are asking me if it will ever be worth it to keep an instrument equipped. Here is where I let you guess what I tell them. I tell them yes, with sarcasm. You can use an instrument, but, I won't so that I can look/perform better of course. I had an old idea about some mechanic involving staying still while you played songs w/ an instrument which makes the modification higher. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ************BUFFS************ Bards getting their first long duration single target buff, it is, of course, run speed. After acquiring the series of runspeed AA's and the selo's sonata ability, should a max level bard be able to train another series of new AA's that cast a single target run speed song-at high costs to have max speed and duration. It does not remove itself after attacking or casting spells and is the fastest run speed modification in the game. With at least 20 minutes to run. Again, making the bard a more desirable class, giving them more unique abilities, unique items & getting them out of generic modes.
I would rather like the Bard to be swapped over to an endurance class and take away the mana pool all together. Bards are ranked with Rangers and Beastlords, yet our DPS cannot compare to any other class. We use our mana, but yet, NO mana regen helps us outside of resting state. Honestly, right now, the bard is probably the worst off class in EQ. I think they need a major overhaul.
I forgot to mention the botting of bards with the /melody skill. You get a lot of sub-par bards that tarnish what the bard is and does. It would not upset me if instead they left us with no change and we have to hoard all "like tank" items in a bag next to another "Like Wizard" items next to "like rogue" items. Having the mana bar getting eliminated would kind of suck IMO. The endurance is under utilized I admit. Where is there a list of stuff that still works on bard's mana pool? -Alliance potions -Type 1 Chorus Regen -Type 2 Pulse Regen -Regen Aura
Those regens only work while out of combat, in a resting state. Any actual form of mana regen doesn't work on a bard like it does for other players. example: If you are on a raid..die...get rezzed...and start playing your chorus. You are put back in to combat and you can kiss your mana goodbye. You won't see it unless you fade and sit in a corner and not get hit. Making the class endurance based, I feel would make the class feel more "right" to me. I would also like to see the return of endurance regen from spells and songs. Not the meek 18 endurance regen we have now on our songs, but why not 50 or 100. Or, why not add endurance regen on HoT spells? I was told once that endurance based classes don't want to be dependent on others for endurance regen. What they are forgetting though is that those classes are probably the ones that keep them alive in the first place. I just feel that right now, the bard class is left behind while everyone else is getting moved forward. It is a unique class and I love playing my bard, but something needs to get changed.
Does it matter what color bard mana is (blue or yellow)? Soe will still make sure that you get your "mana" back at the same rate as before. Thats part of how they balance bards
Everyone thinks their class is terribly underpowered. But by balanced, I meant how sony chooses to limit bards
People pop up with this idea every couple of years. As has been the response every year, if bard regen increased, so would song mana cost. Not to mention we'd have to open ourselves to mana-draining abilities as well. I personally prefer the balance the way it is. Sure, there are times on raids after a rez that I hate it. But overall, I think we're better off this way.
Love the encoutner with BB. There is no real reason to get rid of the mana bar. Like everyone said, it would be limited the same way just in a different form. Besides the ooc regen timer isnt bad. Even in a raid zone you should still be full mana within 10 minuets. I'm not saying bards can't blow through their mana. But it sure would take some work. Especially with a 90k+ mana pool. The trade off for bard crappy mana regen is that bards dont have to worry about mana mechanics. If I wanted to be a mage I would play a mage. I was hoping that they would continue to release new instruments with each hardcore heritage revamp. Like they did with the lute and drum from revamp mistmoore. A lute with song of sustenance as a instant click would be so awesome. It would be like us helping feeding norrath's constant hunger lol.
You didn't even read what I posted. I said to take away the bard's mana bar. Make them an endurance based class. We already have endurance draining abilities with our discs. We wouldn't even need to worry about mana draining. Right now there is no proper balance.
There are multiple reasons to get rid of the mana bar. 1: getting rid of the mana bar will remove an obsolete part of the bard that is not used except for mainly two lines of songs, the insults and the crescendos. 2: we would only have to worry about an endurance bar 3: It would probably emphasize more about endurance enhancements for other classes as well. Making endurance regen a more viable thing. Right now, there is no real endurance regen option like there is for mana. If we already don't have to worry about the mana mechanics as is, then why even have a mana pool? You're whole mage comment makes no sense here. I would love it if they upped the instruments as well, but I believe that the Bard class would benefit more from having no mana to worry about than what we have now. It is broken and it needs to be changed. I love playing my bard, but as it stands now, the possibility for them could be more.
okay ill bite. 1. The bard mana bar is not obsolete. And there are more things that consume mana than just insults and crescendos (fading memories and the non-aura version of OH come to mind). 2. The only reason to have either a mana bar or an endurance bar is to force limitations upon the players. You wont change these limitations by just making one limiting bar. 3. I'm sure if SOE wanted melee classes to have better endurance regen it wouldn't come from a single class. Yes my mage comment was relevant. What I meant was if I wanted to worry about mana usage I would play a pure caster class. And if I wanted to worry about endurance useage I would play a pure melee class. Instead the only thing I worry about as a bard is timing (as it should be). I don't understand how there would be a greater benefit with instruments with or without a mana bar. Here's the thing about what you are suggesting. Could it work? Probably. Would it be better? Probably not. All you would get are the same results you currently see. Because the limiting factor for bards isnt mana or endurance. It is and has always been the 3 second casting time. Because no matter what as a bard I can never cast that insult nuke faster then 3 seconds. On the list of how to make the bard class better. Converting everything into the endurance bar is just a waste of dev time. If you want to feel passionate about a bard change. Then start trying to get our casting times reduced.
There is nothing to "bite" on. I am simply stating the facts. 1: I looked up ALL of the bard songs. They ONLY songs that use mana are: Charm, Mez, Crescendo, Insult / DD song, and the line that decreases the cast time of beneficial spells. Fading Memories takes 900 mana and all could easily be converted to endurance. 2: If it doesn't change anything, then why are you arguing against it? Making the bard an endurance class I feel would benefit us more, because it lets us focus more solely to certain specs of the class. All of our song types: singing, percussion, wind, strings, and brass, come from us using an instrument (endurance) and not from magic. 3: I understand that, but right now, the bard is the ONLY class that I know of that can regen other's endurance. Our chorus line increases the regen, albeit a small amount, but non-the-less we do. I think they should change other spells to increase endurance regen as well. HoT's, Direct heals that have a recourse effect, to just name a few. This would not make other classes dependent on support classes, but if people die in a group or on a raid and their self endurance regen is down, they have an optional way to regen it without having to hold the party/raid up. If you don't worry about mana, then why have a mana bar? You are constantly contradicting yourself. You say you don't care about mana, yet you are so against making a bard an endurance class and wanting to keep a mana bar. I want to take the very very few songs that we have, change them to endurance based usage, and negate the mana bar all together. Could what I suggest work? Absolutely. Could what I suggest work better? Hell yes. Making us an endurance based class will reduce the timing factor as you want. Endurance based line of song/abilities have a cast time of instant with a cool down. ie: Boastful Bellow, Thousand Blades, Reflexive Retort. These are all instant cast with cool downs and they are AA/Discs. I don't think its a waste of a Dev's time to fix a class to make them more viable.
If that's all you read, then you fail to realize the conceptional thought that bards can be more than what they are. You can't even grasp the simplest notion that this class needs a change, and you are just another humdrum player that probably doesn't even play a bard anymore and are just trollin.
Kaesi the Maestro here, Adding all available aspects of the game in tight combos would be sufficient, abilities using both endurance and mana is poking some fun at the idea that the mana bar is useless. Here is where I disagree about completely removing the mana pool. Chain fading in coordination with other commands like highsun and AoE mez make for a fun crowd control exercise, if there is a balance from fatigue from fighting then a loss of mana from mezzing- the difference between singing and swinging a sword- which has the lore and importance of what and where the magic comes from in the bard. The fundaments are aimed at altruism but, not being a burden yourself by providing an assisted damage for allies versus doing 90k damage in 3 seconds cast, where at least 1 other groupmate will get benefits from the songs giving you combat effects - Find all available strengths and make them stronger, say, a group has a lack of damage you provide all the extra damage from what you know makes you stronger, add mods to other classes which get an amplified power to a point where all of the buffs you can use are exhausted, placed in buff windows- where enemies can hover around 20% is a good opportunity to add damage with a "lucky" nuke- top damage needs a higher cap and higher twincast rate >;(
Thank you for your response, but let me ask you this: Right now, as a bard, your mana pool and endurance are pretty much the exact same. The ONLY time you expend endurance is when you use a disc or you die. So why even keep a mana bar when only 5 songs use it out of the entirety of songs that we have? The ability of being able to sing and swing a sword isn't really considered magical, just the ability of the class. Changing the songs/abilities that we have to endurance based, would work the same way. You still would have to manage the endurance bar, but that's ALL you would have to worry about. It chips away at un-needed utilities and makes us more "streamline". I understand the fundamentals of bards being aimed at assisting allies, but out of the other support classes that do so, we are the lowest of all the melee classes. Being able to find all the available strengths or weaknesses of a group and making them stronger is great, but other classes can do that as well, ie. shamans/druids/rangers/beastlords.
