Does anyone main solo a bard or do people just box them? I play a SK main but seem to be so overpopulated, debating about playing a bard core. I do have a monk alt as well, but again - what's the demand when there seems to be plenty around.
Main bards that can pull, actively use their cooldowns, adjust positioning etc. are always better than a /melody box. Once you get to TSS+ content bards become excellent dps in their own right, and the difference between a competent main and a lazy box skyrockets even more.
Bards are a solid choice, can solo, are welcome in any group that has a clue. It's easier to START a group as a tank as long as you can snag a healer, not so much as bard, but most any existing group already has to have a tank and heal or there's no group, bards are a welcome replacement in a rolling group. Aslo you can leverage lockpicking with a couple tanks on your friendlist for the win.
I play a bard main on Aradune. When well-geared, they are certainly viable for soloing. I don't think anyone would argue they're the most powerful solo class, but we can solo named/rare mobs in current content, excluding the hardest of zones. The times I've looked for a group, I never had trouble either finding one or starting one. A Bard + "any class" makes a practical duo unless you're picky about where you go. If you're planning to 2-box, I'd say "main" whichever you find more fun. For me, that's Bards.
If you were to run a survey of how many boxed bards vs main bards on a TLP, it won't surprise you that the majority are boxed, but as others have said, main bards exist and you can't really replace a main bard with a box.
Personally I feel the main reason people box bards so much is because they have really cool buffs but do not feel particularly cool to play a lot of the time at the end game. Its not till TSS where you start to get flashy responsive abilities that give you that sweet dopamine release.
I would bet that upwards of 60+% of bards are buff boxes. But the gap between a mained bard & boxed is huge with a caveat. If you know how to use their pull, charm, & mez skills, you'll be game changer. Night & day difference. BUT, it ONLY matters in groups. Main bards & box bards both suck to play on early raids. You're only there for 1 reason: to melody bot for 2-4 hours. "What about when bards get fade? They can pull as good as monks in raids. " No. Not when fade costs 12% of your mana each time & monk feign death is free. I still melody botted for raids. Only one time I consistently pulled on a raid & it was Plane of Earth Rathe Council in PoP because of curse cure & mez. Outside of that, I much preferred group play because I got to actually play.
Actually plan on boxing a paladin with a bard main on Yeli because of the problem Joules highlighted. The #1 reason I struggled to make groups was finding a tank. It was hardest to find tanks, CC, & pullers in my experience. Bard +tank covers all 3. I also hope that playing an off tank will give me more to do on raids than just melody bot.
It be so true. At times as a bard main in groups it was like me and 5 other faceless NPC that I spoon fed xp to
If you are playing on the new TLP's bards have almost nothing just yet, until TSS or so they are box boys. You can lull pull but that won't do much a monk/SK can't do better until you get fading memories. Currently, on Vaniki I have a gazughi ring and I've been charm kiting a little bit here and there but they don't do much but afk bard box and mezz in a group. I would love to see the denon's desperate dirge line get a drastic mana reduction with the limitation on the # of targets hit nowadays. 5 targets, 150-200 mana rather than 800?
I think you are forgetting that everyone at lvl 40 feels weak compared to level 75. Bards on Vaniki are one of the stronger classes. With OoC regen being added a lot of their mana problems can be mitigated as well. Also you have to be really careful buffing Dirge due to how hard it scales later in the game.