Hey Pava :) Good to see your on the list. May I comment ? And spend
some time on Hot Key management a favorite of mine.
> 1) What is a good strategy to use while dual weilding?
Keep Jaxon's Jig of Vigor on your spell list. If you stamina falls
below a third in a long fight you will need to play it to remain
effective. The faster you kill the less damage you take.
> 2) I'm currently equipped with a PGT (dmg 6 del 24, berserker str proc wt 6)
At level 28 I am still using my PGT and love it. It is not unusual for
me to look up and see most of my team at half health in a heated fight
and I am still hardly nicked, even sometimes when playing lullaby if the
PGT is Procing (casting invulnerability ) well. Keeping Dex above 100
and having good stamina helps. I am experimenting with Thullian Claws I
just got and my old standby the Dragoon Dirk, switching them out in both
primary and secondary slots with the PGT.... but that is another
discussion.
> 3) And what are some good hot keys to have set up as I'm just learning the skill?
> Pava, Bard of measure 16 Silent Dragons Cazic Thule
Ok, Hot Key management. First off we have 6 banks or "pages" of hot
keys to setup. Each page has 6 "slots" in pairs of 2 you should map to
your key pad so that reading right to left 1 and 2 are the top, 3 and 4
are the second pair and so on.
Bank One : This is the primary and I want it to be the one I use to
quickly switch weapons and instruments.
Slot 1: drag your Primary melee slot here, the one with your
lead weapon.
Slot 2: drag an Secondary melee slot here. This is where you
will be putting your instrument.
Slot 3: drag an empty inventory slot here where you will dump
a weapon (faster than bagging it. I
will explain later). I use the bottom right slot #6 as
it is the last to fill in looting.
Slot 4: drag the inventory slot where you will keep your
Shralok Pack :) or large bag (back packs are
too heavy to use) with all your instruments and weapons inside.
Slot 5: drag your "sit/stand" button here.
Slot 6: I drag my "assist" social button here so I can easily
modify it during down time to add in
the name of the designated Tank ( /assist Killer ) and
switch targets in combat if I am in the middle of
weapon changes.
The beauty of this set up is it's speed. To go from weapons to
instruments click on the bag. Notice it opens just above and off to the
right of the hot key bank. Very convenient. Click on Melee weapon in
slot 1 picking it up. Move it over the instrument you want and click.
They switch. With your lute or what ever on your pointer now moving down
to the left click on Melee slot 2 switching it into that slot. Now STILL
MOVING IN The same direction you can dump the secondary weapon into the
empty inventory slot 3. Why not put it back in the bag ? because
minimize your chance of dropping it by staying over the Hot Key bank,
the slot is closer than the bag and you don't have to change directions
to get there. I can change from weapons to instruments in literally 2
seconds and the reverse motion to get weapons back is just as fast.
Bank Two : No question. This is where you will drag the spells you want
to play in combat.
Use slots 1, 2 and 3 for your main songs you are "twisting",
Anthem, Largos, Shield.. whatever.
Slot 4, corresponding to keypad 4 is the next easiest key to
get to and that is where I put my
Chain song. Brusco's Bellow and (heaven forbid) Run song are
other good options here.
Slot 5 is where I myself put heal. For me is is easy to go
from a 1,2,3 pattern to a 1,5,3 pattern.
Slot 6- The ever required ASSIST key goes here.
Odd stuff like lullaby, that I am going to have to just keep
punching, I access from the regular on screen bank.
Bank Three : Your "Get out of Town" Bank. Could be bank 6 but put it
where you can get to it fast and since I have a
mouse in one hand its a lot faster to click an arrow than find and punch
2 keys
simultaneously to get to another bank.
Slot 1 /corpse ...may you never need it. But having it on
this key makes it very convenient for continual
punching while running past that Hill Giant with your body bouncing
along behind :)
Slot 2 Run song
Slot 3 Heal song
Slot 4 Sense heading
Slot 5 /Loc
Slot 6 Forage
Bank Four : This is my "Fun" bank with animation's like "Shiver",
"laugh", "dance" and I also have my guild button here
that reads "/who all Rising" so I can see who is where for grouping.
Bank Five : Your choice. You might set this up for doing your DD/AEO
songs and instrument swap out keys as in bank. I'd put
Denon's, Chords of Dissonence and Bellows on 1,2 and 3 with the melee
and inventory slots
in 5 and 6 for easy swapping.
Bank Six : No question for a level 28 Bard. Your Charm Bank needs to be
close to your battle banks.
This is easy. Charm song in slot 1 followed by Pet command
keys /Pet guard me and /Pet Kill
Slot 4 holds my Heal song. /Pet guard here and /Pet back off
are slots 5 and 6. I am still experimenting with
this. Input welcome.
Hope this helps and I know that some others will have schemes that
they like better but I have tested this one and why reinvent the wheel
when you don't have to.
Moonflower Bllue
House of the Rising Phoenix
Cazic-Thule