At 01:31 PM 10/11/00 -0600, you wrote:
> >heh, the bard's flexibility only increases up to about level 52. once you
>start
> >fighting
> >52+ mobs, you lose the ability to crowd control with charm. so you made it
>all the
> >way to 31 and make sweeping generalizations about the flexibility and
>effectiveness
> >of a bard?
>
>Yeah I made it all the way to 31. Too bad I have a life. My fleibility is
>nowhere what it was at level 18 even.
really? you mean you never use ae slow, or chains, or damage shields, or
fear, or charm? these songs allow you to crowd control, reduce attackers
speed, cause extra damage, fear/kite outdoors, etc. and this is LESS flexibility
than at 18????
> >Seriously though. I played a bard because of the tactical flexibility.
> >There was actually a choice of which songs to use in which circumstances
>and
> >at what times. When was it better to Lullaby, when to Chords? When was it
> >better to Anthem, and when Psalm? Those days have gone by as each and
>every
>
> >and you really have all those choices still at level 31. as far as i know,
>chords,
> >anthem, and psalm, as well as hymn, charm, fear, etc all work just fine.
>i've
> >never had the problems with pixie that other bards complain about. i was a
> >mezzing machine in solb on beetles and ldc's at level 50ish.
>Well you must have a different client than everyone else then. I would take
>my experiences plus Kaearia's (John Kim) data over your supposed never
>having problems in a heartbeat. Psalm is never useful enough to be the song
>of choice. fear is suicide, a run away tactic at best in a group. Anthem
>is useless if there's an enchanter in the group, and since they are so
>necessary there nearly always is, especially with 3 in my group of
>guildmates/friends.
i've also seen other bards post hard data showing that they didn't have as
many problems either. psalm never useful enough? well you just posted
that you normally group with enchanters and snarers, so what's wrong with
twisting hymn, psalm, chant of battle? maybe hymn, psalm, fufil's for the
MR debuff and minor damage. the whole point of being a bard is to fill in the
gaps in a 6 person group. if you're always grouped with enchanter, cleric, AND
snarer, then of course you won't have as much you have to do. most of us
aren't that lucky, even at the higher levels. fear might be suicide in dungeons,
but what about fear kiting in overthere or lake of ill omen? or dreadlands out
by karnors? at higher levels you can fear kite in burning woods and skyfire.
and yes, i mean in a group, not solo.
> >tactical option is deleted or made unusable. I never Chain unless alone
> >snare is now far better and only level 1! I never Lullaby unless it's to
>
> >you never chain unless alone? maybe you just don't understand the
>flexibility
> >of a bard then.
>that's a good one. that your best debating technique? I do understand the
>flexibility and 12 seconds of inferior snaring is nowhere near as good as a
>first level druid or ninth level ranger spell, SNARE. Not even close. It
>doesn't stack with Largo's and Largo's doesn't break Snare like it does. I
>cannot remember the last time I was in a group without a ranger or a druid.
hmm, my last 3 groups in sebilis didn't have a ranger or druid. in one of them
i was actually the main snarer. we never had one get away, even with some
resists. and before you point out kaearia's numbers on that, i was the one who
found an error with his numbers and the revised numbers were nowhere near
as bad as the first ones he posted.
> >help some newbie, and even then it's pretty pathetic. I've given up trying
> >to Pixie anything, better to just charm it and be 'protected' when the
>spell
> >goes off. Verant has successfully taken 90% of the things I loved about
> >bards and killed them. All because of some 'balance' issue that never
>
> >90%? heh, nice exaggeration. i suppose if the ONLY things you liked about
> >a bard was snaring and crowd control this might be true. i personally like
>a lot
> >more things about my bard. just as a side note, what is your cha and do
>you
> >use a wind instrument when using pixie?
>Generally I don't use a wind instrument since it makes zero difference on
>the resist rate, as tested extensively by myself and John Kim. My charisma
>can be 153 or 119 depending on gear. I liked doing more than just laying
>DoT's with instruments and playing Hymn.
>
> >existed. If bards were so powerful, how come we've always been among the
> >rarest classes in a game that's all about power???
>
> >because our power is nicely masked. you have to be a good player and
>understand
> >a lot about our songs and the way the game works and other classes before
>you can
> >be that superpowerful bard. most people either don't stick with it long
>enough or
> >don't have enough knowledge to really master the bard class.
>
>More of that good debating technique? I disagree with you so obviously I am
>incompetent? Our power is not nicely masked. We can reduce downtime. We
>can make other classes more fun for them to play. Of course the fact that
>we can do most of this without ever doing anything but standing in a corner
>the casters can run to when they need our song must be the mastery part you
>mentioned. <sarcasm intended>
again with only the mana song. if you so staunchly believe this, then there really
is no point to continuing this discussion.
> Kit
>
> > Kitasi, lvl 31 tailor, retired bard
>