Greetings and Welcome to the EQ Bards Mailing List, a mailing list
dedicated to all for and about the Bard in EverQuest.
This list will be posted semi-regularly, and updated as often as is needed.
05/23/2001 - Updated the weapon list. Added info on Sainy's Claw. If you
have any other instruments or weapons that should be added, please send the
details to the list (with spoiler space, please)
05/23/2001 - Added some FAQs on general list information, updated some FAQs
(Clarity, item swapping).
If you have any suggestions, corrections, or frequently asked questions,
please let me know.
First, some basic rules:
(Common sense stuff, really)
1) Stay on Topic (as much as possible). While we do often stray off the
path of Bard-related stuff, lets try and keep the material "of-interest" to
our readers. Ex: Discussions of DoT nerfing are acceptable, because Bards
have DoTs. Discussions of Rogue Poison recipes are not. Discussions of
Quests and items are okay, as long as you make an attempt not to spoil
someone else's fun. Use [Spoiler] in the heading, or put spoiler space
(several blank lines) to let people know in advance. If you MUST post
something off-topic, please make it brief and put [OT] in the
header. Deliberate spam will NOT be tolerated, and any person doing so
will be immediately reviewed for warning, removal or banning. On a related
note, if you notice that your topic is straying from the original thread,
please change the subject header.
Example: RE: Mistmoore Battle Drums becomes: re: Fighting undead as a
Bard (was RE: Mistmoore Battle Drums) For those of you receiving the digest
version, if you can make an attempt to change the subject field to
something appropriate, that would help those of us not digesting our mail
better pass it ;)
2) No Flaming. Not all of us share the same opinion as you do, but please
be considerate of one another. Take a moment to read through, and then make
sure someone hasn't already responded before posting hastily. We're all
human, and no one likes to be called names. If you simply MUST insult,
badger or degrade someone, DO IT PRIVATELY.
3) There is no Rule Number 3.
4) Watch for "KABONG!"s. KABONG! is an old list-term for a thread that is
being forcibly killed. This sometimes happens when a thread has degenerated
sufficiently off-topic to no longer be valid for this list, or when the
subject matter has become too inflammatory to be discussed.Kabongs
generally only occur in extreme situations.
5) No Attached Files! If you wish to share with us your latest picture,
some nifty article or the Happy99 worm, please simply include a link within
your email to an appropriate place online. If you have no access to such,
email the file to me, (except viruses ;) and I will post it for you, and
follow up to the list with the URL. Small infractions will probably be
overlooked, but let's try to be considerate of our European readers who
have to pay by the minute to download their mail.
6) Be Considerate of Others! Please keep "me, too!" posts to a minimum, and
try not to quote more of the message than necessary (although you should
always make sure that the message you are sending is properly referenced,
so that people reading the messages out of order are not completely lost.
And try not to abbreviate too much, or use strange "slang" or
incomprehensible euphemisms. Plain, clear speech is much more effective,
and will cause fewer "WTF?!" messages... Also, use spoiler
headings and/or spoiler spaces when presenting Quest hints or weapon details.
7) Remember that, according to Verant's new policy, anything you say can
(and apparently will) be held against you. Our email list is private as far
as posting privileges, but the archives are open for public viewing. So
please, if you have an active EQ account, don't send anything to this list
that's likely to get you banned.
Okay, enough rules. Now for some Frequently Asked Questions!
* * NEW * * Q: How do I unsubscribe?
A: All list controls are accessed by going to the Yahoogroups webpage
(
http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/eqbards/). If you are unable to do that,
send an email to
eqbards-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
* * NEW * * Q: Are there any archives?
A: Yes - (
http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/eqbards/messages/)
Q: I keep seeing all these abbreviations: "DoT", "DD", "PGT", "MM", "GZ" -
What do they all mean?!
A: Well, the best way to learn is to check out the EverQuest Glossary at
http://amtgard.pinkpig.com/everquest/eqglossary.htm (shameless plug).
Briefly, those four terms mean "Damage over Time" (refers to spells/effects
that do damage every few seconds for a while, instead of all at once),
"Direct Damage" (refers to spells/effects that do all their damage at
once), "Polished Granite Tomahawk" a nice weapon, "MM" is Mistmoore, a
mid-to-high level zone near Lesser Faydark, and GZ is Geoffrey Zatkin, the
Verant Designer in charge of spell balance (and thus a frequently consulted
individual when it comes to our songs....)
Q: What is "twisting" (or "weaving," "stacking," or "harmonizing"), and how
do I do it?
A: "Twisting" is the most common name (although much deprecated by those in
favour of more "period" terms) for singing multiple songs at once - or at
least making it seem that way. The short explanation is to stop one song
and immediately start another one, repeat as necessary. Since most song
effects have a duration of about 6 seconds, you have time to weave as many
as three (and I've even heard tell of four!) songs at once before the first
wears off, gaining the effects from all of them at once. The long
explanation, complete with illustrations, can be found
here:
http://users.erols.com/gww6e/eq/HOWTO-twist-bard-songs.html
(thanks Tork@Nameless).
Q: What song do I get at <foo> level? What does this song do?
A: Well, again, shameless plug time: The EverQuest Bard's Guild
(
http://amtgard.pinkpig.com/everquest/eqbard.htm) has a list of spellsongs,
however, most people seem to prefer detailed statistics, so let me refer
you to
http://eqsongs.com/ (The Bardic Song Analysis page), compiled by
Rokenn Swiftsong (This site no longer appears to be active, however, I am
attempting to contact the author for permission to mirror it). Also, the
Soerbaird is a wonderful site:
http://www.sok.org/soerbaird/, and the
Concert Hall seems to have a good collection of Bards posting on the
message boards:
http://www.attcanada.net/~reaper/, and the EQ Diva website
is a great new resource:
http://www.eqdiva.com/
(Anyone want to suggest any other sites?)
Q: What do instruments do?
A: Some songs have associated instruments. Playing this instrument will
generally enhance the song by as much as 50%, but this is also related to
your relative skill with the instrument. Also, instrument skill is
partially responsible for failure rate of related songs. To avoid missing
notes, even when singing, keep your instrument skills maxed out.
Q: Are there any magical or "Unique" instruments for Bards?
A: Yes, there are several known "special" instruments in the world.
Arranged by Strings, Percussion, Brass, Wind, in apparent order of value.
Lisera Lute (Unknown) Stringed instrument, used in quests. Not known if it
has any bonuses.
The Lute of the Gypsy Princess (also found on Mynthi Davissi in Mistmoore)
which has about a 5% improvement on stringed songs (only really noticeable
after 47th level).
The Gypsy Lute (different from the Lute of the Gypsy Princess, in that it
is for a specific quest), which has about a 5% improvement on stringed
songs (only really noticeable after 47th level), and +5% Magic Resistance.
It's found in the same area as the Lute of the Gypsy Princess (above), but
on the generic Gypsy Musicians.
Lyendlln's Lute (Found in the Siren's Grotto on an unknown mob) Stringed
instrument that adds +10 AC, +25 HP, and enhances stringed songs by about 20%.
Kelin's Seven Stringed Lute (Found in the Plane of Hate on Maestro of
Rancor) which adds +9 DEX, +15 CHAR, +9 AGI. It also seems to add about 20%
to stringed songs. Also called the "Maestro's Lute."
Lyran's Mystical Lute (Found in Veeshan's Peak on Silverwing) Stringed
instrument that adds +10 STR, +10 DEX, +10 INT, +15 CHA. It is unknown what
bonus, if any, it gives to Stringed songs.
Lute of the Howler (Found in Velketor's Labyrinth on Khelkar Icepaw)
Stringed instrument that can be held in the primary, while a weapon is
wielded in the off-hand. Appears to give about a 15% increase to stringed
songs. Has Effect: Illusion Werewolf (+100 attack, +30 STR, +40% Haste)
Drums of the Beast (Found in Siren's Grotto on a Shimmering Spirit)
Percussion instrument which appears to have a permanent Enduring Breath
effect while held. It is unknown what bonus these drums give to percussion
songs (although it's rumoured to be VERY high). It can only be held in the
primary slot.
Mahlin's Mystical Bongo's (Given by Baenar Swiftsong in South Karana)
Percussion instrument - gives no statistic enhancements, but does appear to
give an 8% improvement for drummed songs. This is part of the Bard Epic
Quest, resulting in the Singing Short Sword.
The Mistmoore Battle Drum (found on Mynthi Davissi in Mistmoore) Percussion
instrument - which increases the effects of most drummed songs by about 15%.
Walrus Skin Drum (Found in Siren's Grotto on unknown mob) Percussion
instrument, which increases the effects of most drummed songs by about 23%.
Sharkskin Drums (Found in Kedge Keep on Coralyn Kelpmaiden) Percussion
instrument - which appear to increase effects of drummed songs by about 25%.
Nostrolo's Tambourine (Earned via Quest in Firiona Vie) Percussion
instrument - which gives +5 INT, as well as adding 20% to drummed songs.
And, hey - it's NO DROP! (This is a good thing)
Selo's Drums of the March (Found on Nagafen in Nagafen's Lair) Percussion
instrument - which increases the effects of most drummed songs by 35%.
Alluring Horn (Found on Quag Maelstrom in the Ocean of Tears) Brass
instrument - it appears to negatively impact songs. Don't use it! It's part
of the Bard Epic Quest, resulting in the Singing Short Sword.
Conch Shell Horn (Found in Velious, in the Siren's Grotto and Cobalt Scar
on Sirens) Brass instrument, appears to give about a 5% bonus to brass songs.
Immaculate Shell Horn (Found in Velious, in the Siren's Grotto and Cobalt
Scar on unknown mobs) Brass instrument which adds +15 CHA, but has a
penalty of -8 STR. It appears to have about a 15% bonus to Brass songs.
Denon's Horn of Dissonnance (Obtained through a Plane of Air quest - Bard
Test of Brass) Brass instrument, which adds +5 STR, +5 INT, +10 CHA, +50
HP. It does not appear to give any increase to Brass songs, however, unlike
most instruments, you can wield a weapon while holding this one.
McVaxius' Horn of War (Found on Lady Vox in Permafrost) Brass instrument,
which adds +9 INT, +9 DEX, +15 CHA and increases Brass song effects by 15%.
Lianna's Flute (From Regis the Reverent, used in a Cleric quest) Wind
instrument - no known special effects.
Lyssa's Darkwood Piccolo (Found on Cazic Thule) is a wind instrument. Not
sure if it has any added effect.
The Unicorn Horn (found on Equestrielle in Lesser Faydark), acts as a
Greater Lightstone while held, as well as a wind instrument. It also has 5
charges of Purge. It may have up to a 10% bonus on wind songs.
Faun Flute - (From Fauns and Faun Stewards in the Wakening Lands) Wind
Instrument that gives +6 CHA, but no other known bonuses.
Aglimente's Flute of Flight (Formerly obtained through a Plane of Air
quest) Wind Instrument that gives +4 STR and +2 INT, but it is unknown if
it adds any to wind instruments.
Flute of the Sacred Glade (Found on Prince Thirneg on the Plane of Growth)
Wind instrument that adds +4 WIS, +8 CHA and +10 vs Disease. It does not
appear to add any bonus to wind songs.
Minotaur Horns (Found on Minotaurs in Steamfont and the Gorge of King
Xorbb) *wind instruments* (not Brass) which appear to add about 15% to wind
songs. They are also easily found, and lighter than flutes.
Brahhm's Horn (Found in the Gorge of King Xorbb on a named Minotaur) Wind
Instrument - which is exactly like a minotaur horn, and adds 15% to wind songs.
Scorpion Pincer (Found on scorpions in the Field of Bone), which adds 15%
to wind songs, and has the appearance of a Minotaur Horn.
Broken Minotaur's Horn (from the Minotaur Lord in Steamfont) is a wind
instrument like regular minotaur horns, however, it is heavier and adds +10
to SV. vs Poison, and it's No Drop!
Ervaj's Flute of Flight (Obtained through a Plane of Air Quest - Bard Test
of Pitch) Wind instrument which adds +8 STR, +10 STA, +5 INT, +10 CHA, and
enhances wind songs by 60%.
* * * Note: The Lizard Scout Fifes (Found on Lizard Scouts in the Feerrot)
and the Froglok Escort Fifes (found on Froglok Couriers in the Swamp of No
Hope) are quest items, and not playable instruments.
There are new instruments still being discovered, so if you find any
information, or have a correction to this list, PLEASE let me know!
Q: What's the difference between a Lute and a Mandolin?
A: Weight and cost. Mandolins are lighter, but a little more expensive.
Q: What's with all these instrument parts I keep seeing? (Unfinished horn,
lute strings, mouthpiece, raw bamboo, etc.)
A: Nobody knows. Rumour has it, there was to have been another tradeskill:
"Instrument making", but nothing has ever been confirmed. In the meantime,
don't accidentally buy an unfinished horn, because believe me, they just
don't play the same.
Q: What ever happened to the Practice Lute and Small Brass Trumpet that
were supposed to be mid-level bard instruments?
A: These items were never added to the game, and they apologized for saying
that it was.
(Gordon Wrinn, October 10, 2000 on General Discussion Board)
Q: Are there any good quests for a Bard?
A: Yes, there are many "good" quests for Bards, although much better ones
are found by completing other class-specific quests. Allakhazam's Quest
Spoiler Database is probably the single-most complete compendium of quests
there is -
http://eqdb.allakhazam.com/quest_search.html
Q: Where IS Fabian???
A: He's in East Freeport in the Grub and Grogg Tavern by the docks. But
trust me - it's just not worth it.
Q: When I get Dual Wield, will I be able to play an instrument while
swinging a sword?
A: Unfortunately, no. While instruments are off-hand only items, they are
also considered two-handed. Besides, it's ever-so-much more fun to bash
monsters with your lute, dontcha think? (Sylly! WEP!)
Q: What's the best weapon/armour/equipment for <foo> level? Where should I
hunt at this level?
A: Okay - time to ask the list ;)
Q: Are there any magical or "Unique" weapons especially for Bards?
A: Yes, while Bards can take advantage of many different weapons, there are
several known Bard-specific weapons in the world:
Whistling Dagger (In the Mines of Nurga off of unknown mob) Piercing 6/25.
+1 AC.
Blade of Fiery Lamentations (In Kaesora off of Strathbone Runelord)
Piercing 5/18. Procs Fingers of Fire (AE 28 damage)
Sainy's Claw (In the City of Mist off of some Golem) Piercing 6/19. +10 AC,
+3 INT.
Sainy's Singing Dagger (In Temple of Droga from unknown mob) Piercing 7/22.
Procs Symphonic Harmony (Lowers mobs "Hate" to the Bard.)
Sionachie's Partisan (In Karnor's Castle from the Caller of Sathir)
Piercing 9/19. +2 INT, +6 CHA, +5 MR.
Breath of Harmony (In Old Sebilis from the Blood of Chottal) 1H-Slash
(Primary only) 10/18, Effect: Niv's Melody of Preservation.
Harmonic Dagger (In Karnor's Castle off Drolvarg Warlord) Piercing 10/21.
Procs Tishan's Clash (55 damage, 4 second stun)
Harmonic Spear (Bard's Test of Harmony in the Plane of Air) Piercing
(Primary only) 10/21. +5 STR, +5 DEX, +5 CHA. Procs Chant of Battle - bugged.
Symphonic Saber (In Chardok off of multiple creatures?) 1H-Slash 11/23. +5
INT, +10 CHA. Procs Symphonic Harmony (Lowers mobs "Hate" to the Bard.)
Melodious Truncheon (In Charasis off of Bile Sentinel) 1H-Blunt 11/23.
Procs(?) Melodious Befuddlement (Stun effect). Appears as a Lute.
Evensong (In the Plane of Hate off of the Maestro of Rancor) 1H-Blunt 11/25.
Six Note Blade (In the Plane of Hate off of the Maestro of Rancor) 1H-Slash
11/25.
Singing Short Sword (Epic Quest reward) 1H-Slash 16/26 +15 STR, +10 DEX, +5
STA, +20 CHA, +100 HP, +10 to all SV. Procs Dance of the Blade (55% haste
+str +atk)
Q: What kinds of armour should I look for, specifically made for Bards, and
what does it look like?
A: There are seven sets of Bard-specific armour. All use the plate-armour
graphic set. The number in parentheses after the armour is the suggested
level for acquiring (although with good guild help or twinking, earlier is
possible).
Lambent Armour (20+), which is available through a series of quests in the
Temple of Solusek Ro is a deep, rich blue.
Imbrued Armour (46+), which comes from the Plane of Hate, is a strong gold.
Singing Steel(40+), found on various high-powered mobs in Old Sebilis and
Karnor's Castle in Kunark, is a sea-foam green. Singing Steel pieces also
have right-clickable effects associated with most of the pieces.
In Velious, you can quest for two of the remaining four:
Resonant (50+), another deep blue armour, which is quested for in Thurgadin;
Troubador (55+), which is quested for in Kael Drakkal, and originally came
in a teal guardian armour look, however, in a recent patch it was retinted
to a more burgundy shade.
Melodic (50+), which is found in the Plane of Growth, uses the guardian
armour look, and comes in shades of grey or silver.
High Sun / Twilight armour(55+) (they changed the name from High Sun to
Twilight) is dropped in Skyshrine. It used to use a yellow guardian armour
look, but when they changed it to Twilight armour, they changed the tint to
dark grey.
Q: What are "Hotkeys" and how do I create them?
A: You'll notice that in the lower left side of the screen you have 6 (or
more) empty boxes with the number "1" and two arrows above it. This is the
"hotkey" box. Initially, hotkeys default to the numbers 1-6 on your
keyboard, but you can reconfigure that through the options settings. Songs,
spells, the spellbook, socials, and inventory boxes can all be made
"hotkeys". To create a "hotkey", LEFT click on the box/spell/icon you want
and HOLD it down. After a second, the box will magically "lift up" and
attach itself to your pointer. Simply "drop" the new box onto the
appropriate hotkey slot, and blammo! Instant hotkey. Now, whenever you
press the associated hotkey button, you will activate the song/spell or
action in that slot. Inventory boxes do NOT "activate", putting them in
your hotkey bank is simply to avoid having to open your inventory to swap
items in combat.
Q: Why would I want to swap items in combat?!
A: Well, not just in combat, but by placing inventory slots (General
inventory slots, or worn/wielded slots will work. Bag slots will NOT) into
your hotkey bank, you can grab (for example) your sword and swap it with an
instrument in order to heal faster, run faster or whatever. PRACTICE THIS
MANEUVER!!! You *WILL* drop your weapon or instrument at least once, and
more likely several times, so practice practice practice! And if you *do*
accidentally drop something, don't panic, just back up, grab the item and
run like crazy. It also helps to set your drop item confirmation to "ON" -
so that you don't accidentally drop something valuable.
Q: Why can't Bards do <foo> as well as <other really buff class>?
A: Well, simply put, we're the "Jack of all Trades, Master of None." This
means that, while we can do so many different things (sneak, dual wield,
pick locks, safe fall, etc. etc.) we're not meant to be masters in any of
them, so you may notice certain skill caps (such as 40 for Forage and 75
for Sneak, etc.) that mean that you will never be incredibly good at these
skills. Be thankful that you get them at all.
Q: Is it true that The Jig of Vigor song increases mana regeneration speed
for your party members?
A: No. Here - let me emphasize that: NO!!!!! What the Jig does is increase
the rate of Stamina Regeneration every six seconds and hence the display of
the Stamina, Health, and Mana bars to show this increase. Without the song
playing the bars are refreshed every eight seconds. The ultimate effect of
this is that the mana bar "moves" every six seconds instead of every eight
seconds so it APPEARS to be moving FASTER. In actuality - it is moving 75%
of the distance it would move if it waited the other two seconds. So bottom
line, it LOOKS like it is regenerating faster but it does not. If you don't
otherwise have a need to regenerate stamina, you are wasting a memorized
song slot.
Or you can just use GZ's short answer: "Urban Myth - Jig only gives fatigue
back."
(Geoffrey Zatkin, Archmage of Norrath [And Verant Game-designer], November
18, 1999, in a letter to Rokenn Swiftsong)
Q: Why is there no Icon for the Bard Mana Song (Cassindra's Chorus of Clarity)?
A: "There are different types of Bard Songs. Most Bard Songs leave an icon
on your character because the song has a duration - usually 5 to 15
seconds. Each time the Bard sings the song she renews the duration - this
means that a Bard who continues to sing the song can potentially keep the
song effect going indefinitely.
Some Bard songs do not have durations - you receive the effect when the
Bard sings it, but will not get another "dose" until she sings it again.
Cassindra's Chorus of Clarity (the mana song) is one of these songs - it
does not have an actual duration, so you don't get an icon on your screen."
(Geoffrey Zatkin, December 2, 1999, in "Arch Mage Answers"
http://everquest.station.sony.com/everquest_h_archmage.html )
Additionally, Absor confirmed that Kendrick (one of the programmers) said this:
"Chorus of Clarity is not actually a buff. To equate it to a hitpoint
spell, it's similar to, say Healing, whereas Soothing is more like
Regeneration. CoC gives the recipients a direct shot of mana every time the
bard song pulses, unlike Soothing, which is basically a mana regen spell,
increasing the rate at which you regain mana.See the difference?" (Absor
for Kendrick on the EQ Developer's Corner forum board - April 9, 2001)
Q: Does Shauri's Sonourous Clouding work against undead? Why does it work
sometimes and not others?
A: Shauri's Sonourous Clouding has been posited to work differently from
other invisibility effects in that it is level-based. It appears to work
against anything - but only if that thing is of a certain level or below.
This is still being hashed out, but the best solution is to con everything
you see while "clouded." If it cons indifferent, you're invisible to it.
Otherwise, RUN!
Q. Why can I never gain any experience in 2-handed slash or 2-handed blunt?
A. Although Bards have these skills, and even though they appear on the
trainer, you can never train 2-handed skills as a Bard. This is apparently
just something left over from Beta.
Q. What are the most important stats as a Bard?
A. Well, because no matter what I answer, someone will disagree with me, I
will say this: No matter what your starting stats, odds are, you will
eventually be able to balance any deficiencies out with magic items and
jewelry.
Q. What's the command for <foo>ing?
A. Well, I don't know how to foo (not sure that I want to) but there is a
nearly complete list of commands at (shameless plug one last time)
http://amtgard.pinkpig.com/everquest/eqcommands.htm
Okay, well, this FAQ is pretty long as it is - and I've run out of
questions. If anyone has any suggestions for the next version, please feel
free to send them my way.
Talies the Wanderer
Assistant Moderator
(FAQ Last updated 05/08/2001) - except for the note about EQSongs which I
just made today...