Can we get a thread: Grats your bard is 105 here's what to do and use? So far got my bard to 100 I think I can actually start using a med or lull on current mobs at 101.
What a guide! Since I know Sirene is still around, I have a question in regards to aura vs aria as it pertains to swarms. I always assumed no songs would work on swarms, especially not something like a +haste song (correct?). But according to your guide, auras do work on swarms, giving them overhaste and extra flurry chance and all that. Would it be worth it to sacrifice a bit on the stats of aria, to use an aura instead, and keep bard up next to swarms if there are usually 2 swarms attacking each mob? Mage swarms are hitting for 7kish (quads, flurries, or whatever to call it), pretty decent dps with em21, and usually there's 2-3 on the mob before it dies. Do you think it is worth it to sacrifice the stats of aria to give them overhaste? Is there any way for bard to give them regular haste? I haven't tried using an aoe slow song w/ bard since forever. These lines still utilized or just not worth it anymore? Kinda hard to tab to bard to sing individual slow spells when boxing
Correct, only auras work on swarm pets. The overhaste aura is worth using if you don't need the mana regen aura. I would still play the overhaste song additionally as it partially stacks with the aura. Not that I know of. I only use AE slow to hold aggro when PLing newbies, I've never used it for regular grouping. I wouldn't worry about slow if you're boxing and it annoys you - it's not going to make a huge difference. When I box, I pull with the bard and slow on incoming, start a regular melody, and tab over. It's annoying to get used to, but really it just takes practice. You'll just have to decide how badly you need slow (likely depends on what you're doing).
Yes very nice post. A few notes: On cures: We have some of the best single target counter cures in the game. It's something that started with LoY and I'm thrilled they recognized and continued it rather than gutting the ability. Remember, if you only want to hit poison/disease, curse, OR corruption you need to use older songs: Aria of Innocence - Curse Aria of Asceticism - Poison/Disease (We can't do those separately.) Firiona's Blessed Clarinet - Corruption (I forgot we had a corruption only cure until this post and had to look it up.) On blocking stun: Several of our old breastplates are worth keeping around. I don't know how they work for dps, but they are stun blocks (three different timers): Farseeker's Plate Chestguard of Harmony (Anguish, Omens of War) Whisper-Wrought Plate Breastplate (The Serpent Spine - Bard Group BP - I slack and didn't get it yet) Singing Energeiac Plate Breastplate (Solteris, The Buried Sea) (Locks out modern BPs but useful when pulling mobs with dangerous stuns.) Those stun blocks are outrageously useful in the TBM version of the Plane of Fear, since they protect you when pulling Gorgons. Also, killing the Crystalline Tyranont to unlock the rank 3 fear block song is worth it for modern Plane of Fear too. Two bards with rank three can protect a group of clerics to make sure they never get feared for the Dracoliche fight. Rank three is a full minute reduction in reuse. The song does not last a minute by the way, but it's long enough if you time it correctly with the AEs. On "Pulse of ____": Not only does its mana/hp/end regen stack with "Chorus of ____," but it also doubles as as a heal focus. This line was a replacement of the group only versions of the chorus line. On corpse tracking: Lyssa's Locating Lyric is a level four song still useful to this day. If you target someone, it finds their nearest corpse. If you target no one, it finds the nearest corpse. If you target no one and there are no corpses in the zone, it outright tells you no corpses exist. That is very useful on raids prior to opening the chest so you can verify everyone has been rezzed if an encounter has gone a tad messy. Also of note, I'm fairly certain this song forces a re-sync so if the now all-too-common "corpse is not where your client says it is so you can't find it to drag" problem happens this song can fix that! I'm not 100% sure on that last bit since I first realized it a couple days ago! On the don't open the chest first thing: This song will rip a corpse out of hiding, so you can't just /hidecorpse a chest and expect to find bodies. This effectively makes people who leave corpses laying around as well as opening a chest before rezzing people up a form of blind for this ability, only circumvented by running away from the offending corpse/chest from different angles to search. Guado brought up Song of Sustenance but it's something many people forget exists, it's about a one minute duration song that negates the need for food/drink. ...I didn't know about Dance of the Dragorn, and if that's still correct I'll have to use it in my tank group setup.
Note with cures: the cure clicky from Maestro of Rancor's horn Marrow's Song is not multiplied by anything. Still convenient for minor effects, but not powerful like the regular song. Fear blocking is also a feature of the berserker Dichotomic ability. Like bards, their thing is 1 min cooldown, so it takes a pair to block for a group; can mix & match competent players of those two classes, though. Track corpse is available to any/everyone with Necrotic Divining Device, probably why it didn't make the cut in a rundown of bard powers.
I'm going to have to get one of those for all our clerics if it really is the solution to the stupid out of sync bug. Actually with a three second cast time I may get one for my bard too out of sheer laziness of having to change memorized songs. I think it was worth mentioning though. A lot of people don't even look at lower level abilities. Thanks on the berserker comment. That is very useful information.
