If all other classes prefer weapons familiar to the player’s eye (swords, axes, staves, daggers, etc.), then the bard’s weapon is the harp. And this seemingly peaceful instrument is a truly formidable weapon in the hands of a true virtuoso of deadly music (I can imagine what Hendrix would have done here).
In fact, according to the principle of the game, the bard is a support class, dressed in “rag” armor (and, therefore, not particularly protected), healing and buffing allies. Well, this musician forces opponents to literally dance to his … harp. For a full-fledged game, it would also be nice to understand notes and staff, since this class has a unique system of notes and melodies, although, in general, this is not necessary.
So, for those who want to play this unusual class as efficiently as possible, this guide to the Dark Age bard has been written. So, we started …
“Notes – on the music stand”
Let’s start with the fun part, namely the above-mentioned note system.
By combining notes, the bard receives short-term, but very powerful buffs. The generation of notes occurs when using spells of certain elements. Each note sounds for about 30 seconds and can be changed if the sequence is incorrect. If the combination of notes matches any melody, the buff is activated. Therefore, the bard must think over his actions so that at one time or another he will receive the necessary strengthening of his skills.
As an example of such a melody, I will cite the very first one obtained at the fifth level. It is called “Wave” and consists of notes CCD (do-do-re). That is, to activate it, you need to play the “chords of the wind” twice and finish with one “chord of water”, in other words, use these abilities as usual spells. As a result of this, the aforementioned “Wave” is activated and the player receives a short-term increase in the damage done. Voila!
Now let’s move on to the bard builds.
Dark Age bard build
Branch “Light”
First, we will consider the branch of development of the bard “Light”.
The main task of this build is healing, since it does not shine with high damage, and it also has practically no controls / anti-controls. But, on the other hand, this build heals so that you will download.
In dungeon PVE, the bard of Light will be a welcome addition to any team, especially if there is a priest there. As the main heal, this bard is not strong, since he does not have particularly effective point heals, but his mass heals are at the level .. Therefore, while the priest maintains the life of the main tank, the bard will take care of the rest of the group. The only problem is the need for mana flasks. The main skill for healing the team – “Sonata of Life”, has one drawback – it requires a lot of mana.
In PvP, in general, the story is the same. Directly in the battle, this class will not fight much, but hiding behind the backs of its comrades will become a real thorn in … the tail of the enemy team. Himself, too, will not be easy to kill due to a very effective samohil – “Aria of Light”.
Among the melodies, the bard of Light primarily uses arias:
- Majesty(DDE) – increases group protection.
- Healing(DEE) – restores HP of the entire group within a certain period of time.
- Atonement(EE-E + Pause) – instantly restores the HP of the group, removes all negative effects and increases the maximum number of HP by 10 seconds.
Branch “Water”
This build is a very effective DD schnick with a decent set of controls. They are very comfortable to play in any situation. In solo PvE, he is well protected by his shield and the ability to slow down opponents, high damage provides him with the Trio skill that increases the chance of crit. In group PvE, it is excellent fire … or rather, water support for the team and, again, control (by the way, the Water bard can also burn the enemy’s mana. Cool, right?). Well, in PvP, he just comes off to the fullest. All of the above makes him a very formidable opponent for other players, both in duels and wall to wall.
The water bard of melodies prefers Notes:
- Wave(CCD) – increases the bard’s attack.
- Blizzard(CDD) – slows down opponents.
- Song of Water(DD-D + Pause) – during the action increases the bard’s attack for each D chord.
Branch “Wind”
And finally, “Wind”.
Damage, damage, more damage! This is the motto of the bard of the Wind. This branch does not shine with powerful healings, effective controls or good defense, so it takes its toll with huge damage and buffs that increase the same damage for the entire group. Actually, this makes him very effective in any massive skirmishes, both in PvE and PvP.
Melodies of the Wind Bard are plays:
- Courage(CCE) – increases group attack.
- Dreams(CEE) – increases the group’s evasion.
- Wind(CC-C + Pause) – increases party speed by 170%.
“The loudest cry is silence …”
Sheet music, pieces or arias?
It is impossible not to mention the unique ability of the bard – “Pause”. You have already seen that it is needed to activate some of the bard’s tunes. What is it?
After using “Pause” the bard cannot play notes for some time, instantly recharges all his elemental abilities and reduces the delay of attacking elemental abilities by one second. Plus, it increases resistance to the same elements, depending on the notes typed.
In addition, depending on the chosen branch, this ability has an additional feature.
Wind – the recharge time of the skill has been reduced, the damage of the skills of the Wind element is increased.
Water – increases the freeze time, chance and critical damage from water skills.
Light – reduces the recharge time of Light’s skills and, when the bard receives damage, begins to restore his HP.
“The concert is over!”
So, let’s summarize. Among the advantages of the bard: versatility of the class, flexibility of improvement, an interesting system of melodies.
Among the minuses: the lack of attacking AOE skills and healing solitary ones, short-term buffs, you need to cover other classes.
Overall, an interesting class, irreplaceable in team play. This concludes the bard guide. Have a nice game!
