Quite a few of our songs are pretty useless, especially when grouped with well geared and well AA'd characters.
So, 1 bard playing 1 dot is more overall damage than dropping that dot and playing every song they were "Denying" their group of. So what matters, the other group member's personal dps, since you said the bard should sacrifice theirs, or the overall raid/group dps?
You need to evaluate what is most needed for the group. If the group doesnt need any more ac then its useless to play an ac song. Also, you should know that insults help everyone's dps - if you have the synergy aa's.
If it is all about damage then why play a bard? Ranger, rogue, wizard pick one but maybe it would suit your game play better if all you can say is 'but what about the damage'.
What is it you're advocating for? what is it you think bards should be doing? some amount of the time, bards are called upon to help the group kill faster. A lot of the time, actually, since EQ's game play has a lot to do with defeating enemies. Do you think bards should choose better songs to do that, or worse songs to do that? Bard players think bards should choose the best songs available to do that.
To bard is mod the output of others and self. Picking what ideal stat or output to mod is greatest question in theory. But with mudflation and modern live game being focus towards dps, The simple answer is more is better generally. Now, what a bard does is often indirect to the bard himself. End result being an add on to others both PC and pets. Some songs mod pre crit, often its a simple post crit non % add damage bonus that is not keeping with the modern mob hps. Tov DOT AA focus lines, 500% pre crit baseline mod to the bards dots, has gain favor, 4 dots 8 ticks if remeber correctly, with aria mod can push bard personal dps greater before. Yet said bard can still, make a choice in support play to his or her teammates. And burns, pre load ADPS stuff and once active mix to dot/insult package. Others, hit keys and focus towards themselves, bards are indirect and their impact is behind the curtain, yet still a huge impact to others. No life without bards, we are the amp to that guitar solo, you need that amp if wanta play loud.
Just about every twist that mentions 4 dots plus 2 insults it’s kinda understood and that aria AND war arch are being sung, so yeah all the group benefits a group would need(that will make any difference) and personal dps songs. What’s the gripe again other than your own misunderstanding?
I suppose I am showing rust for not logging for months, but i had understood or thought incorrect Aria was mod pre crit damage and was catch all. I will go back and reread. I think biggest issues modern bards, and say raid bard to this point, is little difference in raid gear to top group gear. Due lower class caps, all that attack, ac, mana regen you name is overcap fluff. Maybe I am once again wrong on that pov. Now I want question, what other silly things I have taken for solid info over the years. U ME yah yeah yeah
Additional speaking, Aria of Pli Xin Liako, level 116 w/e rank 1: Increase Spell Damage by 47% (v124, Before DoT Crit, After Nuke Crit) 2: Increase Melee Haste by 25% (v119) 3: Limit Effect: Current HP 4: Limit Max Level: 120 (lose 5% per level) 5: Limit Type: Detrimental 6: Limit Target: Exclude Caster AE 7: Limit Target: Exclude Caster PB 8: Limit Target: Exclude Target AE 9: Limit Type: Exclude Combat Skills 10: Increase Chance to Triple Attack by 40% 11: Increase Chance to Flurry by 6% 12: Increase Pet Chance to Flurry by 35% Increases the damage of your companions' spells by up to 47%. This bonus will decay on spells over level 120. Increases your companions' attack speed by 25%, increases their chance for triple attacks by 40%, increases their chance to flurry by 6%, and adds 35% to the chances for their pets to flurry. Is claim still that bard dots are not affected by this song?
Testing in game, i DIDNT see a change in damage, I did see a few changes in stats page, but no damage mod to bard dots. Odd, I was wrong, I 100% thought it was mod the bard itself. As claims im ingulf in power of aria. Oh well no biggie, im 99% with someone that will benefit from it. Yet another bard mod to others that doesnt work for the bard himself. I stand corrected.
Wish we could get some two spell autocast like some casters have. I'd like to see war march/chorus autocast a latest expansion version of jonthan's. Same for amplification (maybe autocast with aria), both songs increase our personal melee dps a bit but nowhere near good enough to get in /mel over another nuke or dot imo.
You have an outdated view of the bards abilities. Bards can improve a groups performance in lot of different ways. If you have a weak tank, a bard will help him to survive. If you have a weak priest, a bard will boost the heals if needed. If tank and priest are doing well, but the puller tends to bring too much mobs, bard will lock down the adds. If those fields are covered, a bard will improve the groups dps. This can be done in different ways. A todays bard abilities do not consist of playing 4 songs repeatedly. A bard can be creative and create i.e. a 12 song melody, which incorporates all boosts the other dps-toons need plus multiple insults to boost the groups dps via Synergie plus his own 4 dots to maximize the overall dps of the group. Its all about how the bard is able to „read“ the support most needed by the group and combine this with his own possibillities to help to get the mob down. Whatever the group needs, a bard has the tools at hand.
