On Sun, 20 Jun 1999 jhenders@... wrote:

>
> The bard is a grouping character so, IMO, it's
> really important you both learn to play in groups as early as possible
> and start building up a circle of friends who appreciate what a bard can
> do as early as you can. It pays off in the long run, believe me.

I cannot emphasize this enough. Lately (L21), I've found the
problem of me being the mob magnet has mostly gone away. It
still happens in trains, but when we're fighting one mob, just
about any tank is able to keep it off me if I'm doing Anthem,
Bellow, Bellow, or Anthem, Heal, Bellow. I was in Cazic with
a rogue (22) and paladin (20 with SBH) and I actually had to
throw in Binding every now and then to get the mobs to attack
me to better distribute the damage between us. I use a Dirk
and Barbed Whip btw, probably the two best damage ratio
weapons around my level, so it's not like my weapons suck.

I've watched people my level fight solo in many zones, and
bards just are not capable of holding out against the same
mobs the others are. Paladins, rangers, shadowknights, mages,
druids, can just plain cream mobs that would send me running
before I've gotten them down much below half life. Sure if
lots of people are beating on a mob so that it'll die before
you do, you *might* be able to get the kill with Warsong,
Bellow, Bellow. But we just don't have the hp/defense to stay
the long haul when soloing. The strength of our class when
soloing is the short downtimes. I sometimes exploit this when
soloing by fighting a mob to below half (with me down to under
two bubbles), running and healing back to full, then stopping
to finish off the mob.

So the bard is flexible enough that (I've found up to L21)
you'll always be able to solo one way or another, but you will
do much much much better when grouped. And the group will
love you because you endow them with your short downtime
advantage.

--
John H. Kim
kim@...