Using a Bard/Necro pairing. Only level 38 so skills and tactics I know are going to change from what I am doing currently. That is, using a merc tank/pet and Bard to get the attention of a mob then slowly applying dots. Later on I can't imagine the bard being able to stand in there and take hits. Is the game going to evolve to the bard twisting a melody while /following the Necro as he kites?
I personally would not use a bard with a necro (bards really do not compliment them well in my opinion). Their dot song at lower levels apply to them but falls off. I would run a Druid or Shammie with a necro (shammie can heal pet/slow and dot, druid can heal/nuke/snare).
I would have to disagree with the above poster. Lvl 101 song Aria of Maetaenus amplifies all spell damage including dots by 43%, I have a grand ol time with the extra group utility the bard adds. Necros have TONS of tools to make their pets more durable including runes, slows, heals, wards etc... My bard adds run speed, increased dot/DD damage, pet dps (haste songs etc), FIERCE EYE, and when I decide to break down and do the epic 2.0, the bard epic 2.0 click is fantastic for all casters. Shaman can also synergize quite well with a necro. Just my preference to run the bard.. I just rolled a mini wizbot too so when hes up to level I will have the necro main dot the heck outta the mobs and drop a couple bombs at the end/middle of fights with wizzy.. both casters being amplified by bard.
Oh and in response to the OP's second question, yes at the end game group content my bard is essential a buff bot who I leave on melody and do random ADPS clicks when they are available. In that much I think the bards add a lot of versatility/performance to your group with little if any input.
Even more mana regen (insta cast clicky lutes, and aura), and best of all, selos? Sure, it'd be like the necro soloing but with some /really/ good focus items that just happen to be following you around singing songs.
Thanks for the info. I should start changing things up now to have the Necro being the main account and puller. Pet + Merc aggro..have bard on /follow and stand close enough to fight to have songs help pet and merc. (although the Bard charm and mez are starting to last longer at this level). I have had zero luck with root rotting. The root always breaks.
The low level dots have initial damage that works like nuking to give the mob another shot at resisting (breaking) root. High level dots don't have that. Also at high level you won't use a regular root - you'll use Pestilent Paralysis AA, which roots on Disease resist. Since the Scent of Terris AA also available at high level debuffs Disease "for free" in every fight, root breaks become super rare. Except against SK-class mobs, but there's nothing to do about that.
I forgot about that on my low level DoTs. So PP isn't until level 85 it looks like? I will do some research to see when the DoTs don't have initial damage. Thanks
My argument is that there are other classes that I feel would pair better with a necro (IE druid/shammie) at the higher levels. Makes pet tanking easier. With a bard you have to use a cleric merc, the bard cannot engage (is a song bot). With a shammie/druid, they can ALSO dps. Now if you are playing with other players, then yes I prefer the Bard.
The assistive dps that a bard provides far out weighs the melee dmg a bard is capable of. With a Druid / shammy combo there is far more input needed than a bard. Also the adps the bard gives the necro would probably be a higher number than the few added dds/nukes from the two priest classes you mentioned. A solo necromancer can pet tank VERY well with just a merc by his side. We have a ton of pet survivability spells and abilities. Speaking from experience. Bard is a much better choice to box with a necro.
In a two-box situation, I agree with you, another necro, a mage or a wizard would be better, albeit a lot more work. However, that wasn't the way you phrased your original statement, and in a full-group scenario a necro is probably the class the benefits most from bard support out of any other in the game. Bards never get their full power with less than 6 in a group, no matter what the pairings - that's just how pure support classes are balanced. That isn't an issue with how the two classes 'complement' though.
Yes, you (the necro) need the Pet Affinity AA for the pet to get songs, but your merc should be fine.
Slowhand, while what you said about songs not catching on lower level pets is true, the pet is not a significant source of DPS for necro's which is different from mages/bstlords perspective. For example, my pet parses out at 5k DPS over the long haul when supported by bard songs whereas he will parse 3k DPS by himself. While this may seem like a large DPS increase, a necro has potential at endgame to bust out HUGE dps numbers on their own (I won't highlight exact numbers so as to break the first rule of necro club) but the pet DPS is a minimal fraction of what your spells can do. Bards support necros best out of any caster. Period.
I don't know about progression, but necro/bard is one of the (if not the) strongest end game duos eventually. Edit: I'm referring to group game duoing.
