At 12:40 PM 1/26/01 -0800,
Mike.Roach@... wrote:
>Don't forget that in the case of the level 50 haste song verses of victory
>there are other benefits in addition to the haste (which is 30%, al least
>according to eqsongs.com).
I agree, there are other benefits than just haste with any of our songs
that have haste.
>I have started chaining more also since the
>patch went in that kept our slows and chains from breaking Snare.
I chain from the outset as well unless I know that there's someone slowing
down the mobs attack. Also, sometimes the extra taunt at the beginning of
the fight lets me absorb a bit of damage from the main tanks.
>Not sticking up for bad players or doubting anyone's most likely valid
>observations, but after playing for 5 hours online I tend to run out of
>steam and stop focusing as intently on twisting. I may start the night
>trying to wind in 4 tunes but by the time I'm done its usually only 1 or 2.
>
>I've rarely solo'd since level 5 or 6, apart from the occasional experiment
>on a low blue or green, I'm just not all that good at soloing and don't
>really care for the tactics bards need to employ to be successful at it.
>
>-Faras
>51 Minstrel
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kimes, Dean W. [mailto:dean_kimes@...]
>Sent: Friday, January 26, 2001 2:34 PM
>To: 'eqbards@yahoogroups.com'
>Subject: RE: [eqbards] Soloing bards
>
>
>Actually I start Chaining at the beginning of fights too since it also slows
>attacks by 30% or so ;-) I also sing Warsong if I'm pretending to be a
>tank even when Alacrity'd for the extra strength. I have seen a lot of the
>other behaviors you are describing though when playing my non-bard
>characters with other bards.
>
> Kit
Well put!
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Amy Pratt [mailto:pratts001@...]
>Sent: Friday, January 26, 2001 1:25 PM
>To: eqbards@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [eqbards] Soloing bards
>
>
>Since I'm not the soloing type with any of my characters, I had no idea so
>many bards soloed into the 40s or higher. I knew that druids and necros
>often did it, obviously.
>
>This certainly explains a lot, though. Sooner or later, most of those
>soloers get a taste for toys that lures them into dungeons, where they
>proceed to be completely useless members of a group, wasting a slot and
>often getting the group killed through sheer lack of ability to play their
>class in a group setting.
>
>Having grown up as a bard, I didn't get to see these bards in action. I
>mean, how often do you see two bards in a dungeon group? However, now that
>I'm playing an enchanter, I get to see lots of bards. And what I see often
>disturbs me. They sing haste, even though it doesn't stack with my haste.
>They sing dots in an attempt to do as much damage as possible (soloing
>attitude, I'm guessing). They start chaining the mob at the beginning of
>the combat. They practice instill doubt during combat. They pull out
>instruments at innapropriate times. They cry like children when you ask
>them to play mana. Ask them to keep 2 targets mezzed and they look at you
>funny. In short, the bards I'm grouping with seem so clueless about their
>class that they're actually detrimental to the group.
>
>Are these the bards who grew up kiting, charm-kiting or duoing? When I
>played a bard, I saw how a bard who wasn't interested in outdamaging the
>warriors could uplift a group and make them able to do great things. The
>bards I group with now can't even understand why aggroing a mob is a bad
>thing, and don't put those actions together with the cleric shouting OOM and
>the resulting evac/run for the zone/death.
>
>It's kind of a sad thing to see, really. And I'm sure I'm harder on the
>bard class than on others I see not being played very well, because I grew
>up as one. But it really is painful and disheartening that when I see two
>or three people shouting for a group, and one of them is a bard... Out of
>hard-learned experience, I'll take one of the other two people over the
>bard. If I know the bard, and know that s/he is a good one, I'll add him or
>her to the group. But if all 3 are strangers, the bard almost never wins.
>Sucks if I pass up a great bard who would have made the night fly by with
>tons of xp and fun, but the odds are against it. Chances are the bard is
>one of the above examples instead, and won't be very helpful in the group.
>
>Kaelrei - retired 50 bard (Sacred Fyre - Fennin Ro)
It is sooooo hard when I'm playing other classes when I'm grouped with a
bard, but I bite try to bit my tongue (sometimes unsuccessfully) as I think
it's inappropriate to tell people how to play their class. But since my
other character is 28, I run into a lot of bards who have not studied much.
I'm always happy to offer tips, but most newbie bards would rather beg for
equipment from me.
I'm sure you run into your share of other "bad" players in every class. But
a bad bard or enchanter brings far less to the group than a bad warrior (at
least he can press his autoattack key). Be careful of holding other people
to "our" high standards. Imagine if you are one of those bards who didn't
get to stand on the shoulders of all those bards before us who tested all
combinations of songs and develop all these strategies that we use. :-) I'm
sure we'd come up with a bunch on our own, but you have the assistance of
others with fine tuning those ideas and who have shared experiences.
I've been finding pickup groups in Nagafen's Lair and have grouped with
other bards occasionally. One night we had 3 bards in the group (Hi
Musiker!). Was a hoot. I haven't run into a "bad" bard in a long time at my
level (45).
---Windleaf