I'm 30th as I'm pretty sure I stated many times, just not in my recent
replies perhaps. I am grouped with a ranger 90% of the time as they and a
monk are our guild's only tanks. (our warrior recently quit EQ sadly)

Attack speedup songs are pointless as the 'chanter Alacrity's all the tanks
and that's better than any speedups I have.

Chains is useless unless I want to break the ranger's snares. Or the other
ranger's, or the druid's, or the other druid's.

It all comes down to the same problem really. A bard is an awesome way to
make up for the lack of having a particular type of caster in your group
whatever that missing type might be. If you have all the major types
covered though, we look like lousy psuedo-tanks with some interesting
secondary abilities.

It goes back to my previous bard complaint from way back, being a third rate
everything does not necessarily balance out with being best at something.
If there was a better balance between casters and melee classes in EQ we
would instantly become more useful as any given group would be more likely
to be missing some type they needed.

When was the last time you entered a zone to see shouts of "Bard wanted for
group"?
I'd answer never. Every time I play I see "Cleric needed for group", or
"Enchanter needed for group", or "2 Tanks needed for group". I may not get
refused by groups but the first question is always "Do you have manasong?"
(I play Anon) The response is always "Oh. Darn". If Lullaby worked even
marginally I'd start ansewring those "enchanter wanted" shouts and see if
they were really "Clarity wanted".

Kit