I started a bard on the Mangler TLP. I've never played one past level 10 so I'm pretty lost. Are there any resources available that help me figure out some standard melody configurations for different grouping and soloing situations for like levels 20-50? Even something that helps me figure out what stacks and what doesn't? Maybe some tips on soloing in the "post swarm kiting" world of bards? I seem to be able to find info for raiding but getting info for the grouping and sub 50 game seems to be difficult.
Honestly bards are not a very diverse class until level 50+. In nearly all group situation you will be singing: 1) haste 2) hp regen 3) mana regen (don’t use the level 34 hp+ mana, its worse than singing the 2 separately and there isn’t a good enough song to sing instead to justify) 4) DS You should almost always be fighting with a lute in your hand to help with the HP regen. The damage you do from dual wield just isn’t worth it. Beyond that, you should mez/charm for CC as appropriate, and get to know all the zones yo are fighting in. you will 100% of the time be expected to chain lull pull single or doubles to the group depending on how strong the group is.
If I'm looking at the song list correctly, I won't have a mana regen song available until level 32. Besides hp regen and haste, what makes sense to put in the melody for grouping before I get a DS or mana regen?
Hymm, selos, anthem, chant of battle. At 23 you can drop chant of battle for slow depending on group and at 25 drop either for DS
Do anthem and chant stack? I had them both in my melody yesterday but didn't seem to be getting any buff icon from Chant of Battle.
Sorry its been a long time since I’ve been this level, if they don’t stack, play your level 2 AE dot song instead of chant. It’s stringed and you can use a sword and a stringed instrument in your offhand from level 1 even before you get dual wield. And you will use the lute for healing anyways. At low level people mass kill anyways so would be good to twist an AE dot in there.
Anthem overwrites Chant of Battle. I think you can't equip an instrument for a song until level 5 when a bard gets instrument skills. From level 1 to 4 you get a warning not to equip an instrument and sing all songs. Until level 5, just wield a shield (or lantern) in your off-hand.
I disagree. Most all of a bard's diversity, many classes really, is in the first 50 song levels, a few more twists to 60. After the Original game design diversity, all classes became treadmill boil plate upgrades, in their core abilities, every 5 levels from 65 onward.
I disagree with your disagreement. While bards get a lot of tools that are great in 1 off situations like fear, charm, snare, etc. Their /melody, which is what the OP asked about, is incredibly dull until 50+.
Heh. Well at low levels a bard can only maintain 4 songs (as you show) and all the diversity is there as it will be at higher levels (which you list). I'll use categories and fill in at say level 25: 1. ADPS/Stats (Anthem de Arms) 2. ADPS/Stats (Psalm of Warmth) 3. HP Regen (Hymm of Restoration) 4. Mana Regen (Cassindra's Chant of Clarity) At higher levels, a melody can focus more songs on one thing (e.g. ADPS) and more SPA contributing to that thing for sure. However, after Aria, the falloff of bard song performance for the 3rd, 4th, ... Nth song is lamented on these boards often. So in some sense bards never get to expand beyond singing 2 or 3 really potent songs. Maybe we can agree melody is always dull and actively playing a bard is where the fun is at?
Nothing on melody creation, but here's an overview of the first 30 songs to give you an idea of what you're working with: https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq/index.php?threads/bard-advice.245331/#post-3603105
I thought you could twist as many songs as will fit before the first song expires (18 seconds). There is a limit to songs based on level?
There's no "hard' limit, other than the duration you mentioned. The typical wisdom was 4 songs to avoid any issues, 5 if you have excellent latency.
There's no real limit, but there are AA's that will extend song time and reduce casting time, and you will need certain levels to get those AA's. I have all AA's capped and I can twist 8 songs reliably. Most bards will be stuck at 4 for a long time.
At low levels you can do 5 songs by alternating two, only one of which will be active at a time. /melody 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 5 for example. Everything Buri said. Eventually you get some songs that last longer, weave appropriately
