[GUIDE] Bard's Explained. (updated on 21/09/2008)

[-.-]

found a new way to use mana switch lol

I used it on random people to get exp, but if you use it on perrson you pvp, you dont have to worry about mp or switching back to you to use cycle

[mario123]

i do not understand how mana switch works. it says absorption 50%dmg and heals my mp. i know it only lasts 20 secs and it heals my mana but does the effect still last ( 50% dmg absorption) for the full 20 secs?

[-.-]

mana switch works by you buff someone with it, each time they do damage you get that much mp back (well there is cap on how much each hit can give on mp, skill will say limit)

so use it in pvp/party and each time someone hits you get mp back so you dont need to cycle self so much
you can put it on everyone too, all in party and any extras running near you and you can spam cycle/wind/attacks and not worry for 20 seconds (even cycle cant keep up well if you are spamming cycles/winds or for me anyways)

[creatow]

You made one of the greatest guides, Guardia! Thank you for your efforts
It made me want to make a battle bard, so now i'm asking: if i made a pure battle bard, will it be easy to play even if it has no subs?
I try to solo as least as possible, but at low level there is not much choice; i think playing in a party i shouldn't have to worry, or yes?

[Alfred]

You made one of the greatest guides, Guardia! Thank you for your efforts
It made me want to make a battle bard, so now i'm asking: if i made a pure battle bard, will it be easy to play even if it has no subs?
I try to solo as least as possible, but at low level there is not much choice; i think playing in a party i shouldn't have to worry, or yes?

You are fine playing as only bard. The grind is rather safe when you solo, but a bit slower then if you also take wizard or warlock skills. You'll notice that you (almost) never have to buy pots and that saves alot on gold if you are new on a server. In a party you always stay as the bard if that is your role. Your defensive and offensive (when you are two bards) buffs and mana regeneration skill are essential to an effective euro party.

[creatow]

thanks for your reply, i am currently playing it so i see what's your point; a nice bonus is that 2-gapping all the way i get all the sp needed for 80, from there on we will see, but i doubt i will even reach that...

[Guardia]

U will get to 90 or even 100 when it open in venus. If you really like to play bard, try it on venus. We play it to the fullest. From low lvl to cap.

[creatow]

Hey, Guardia himself, what honour!
thanks but i have serious problems logging into venus, it's always full in my playtime (i live in GMT +1)
if not, i would have liked to try out bard playing with many legits

[-.-]

hm low lvl to cap?
except low lvl starts at 4x now...
rarely find any pts under sungs unless it is a guild one or plvl on venus

[Guardia]

hm low lvl to cap?
except low lvl starts at 4x now...
rarely find any pts under sungs unless it is a guild one or plvl on venus

It's not my intention to bring venus into everything. But in this case, yes. Low lvl in venus starts at lvl 10. Bards will have their mana cycle at that lvl and start doing their job.

[mario123]

i have a question about tambours. when i get hit too much it goes away, but when i try to recast it, it never works.... I have to run away from the party range, leave combat mode and take off all other buffs to recast the tambours. This is really annoying.......

can you post Tip and tricks about how tambours work and how to recast it quickly

[-.-]

take off weapon and put it back on

or if someone else is using another tambour/hit march, right click cancel it, let it rebuff you then you can use yours again

[marijnz0r]

Very nice guide
Guardia, what do you think of upgrading it to Legend 4 when it comes out? Would love to see that.

[Guardia]

I'll update it someday. Dont worry.

[Yerukane]

Hey , this guide is REALLY REALLY good . thing is that i just got to euro after a WHILE of not playing the game at all .. i made a bard cleric with the guide you made and i love it so far .
the thing is .. that the 90 cap is already up and soon the 100 cap is coming .. everybody excited and everything and so am i lol .. but if i'll reach there pretty fast , i'd stuck in the 60's only cause ur skill list is not done .. and could you pls tell us if we should like add up couple skill lvls into the non-necessery skills or just to skip them ..
and could you pls tell me the benefits of being a bard cleric?
one last thing .. when i solo or just fight inside the party .. how does it goes on low lvls ?since you got one nuke and the boom [aoe] .. im still low so idk much about it ..
as a cleric im pretty much sure which skills im taking for party lvling and pvp , at 40+ it should be easy for me to solo , and even more at the 60's .

iight peace man , best guide evaa!!

[Alfred]

one last thing .. when i solo or just fight inside the party .. how does it goes on low lvls ?since you got one nuke and the boom [aoe] .. im still low so idk much about it ..

In a party and untill you get mana orbit (lvl 90 lol), you will mostly be occupied with making sure everyone have mana and that your party buffs are up.

Soloing as a bard in the lower levels works fairly well, but stick to mobs at or below your level (unless you are blessed with a sox harp). Combine your attacks with a normal "auto attack" (the double click attack button you can find when pressing A). I remember making my first million easy the first time I tried out a bard becasue of all the gold I saved from not having to buy any pots. You have speed and noise to keep you from getting hit and mana cycle to keep your mana pool full.

Hope that answered some of your questions.

[Yerukane]

Lol ye it's pretty smart but bards can't take a giant or a party monster unless they use zerk + all the def skills and shiit xD .

[Alfred]

Lol no, but you are a support build and belong in a party. Just have to compromise a bit when going solo.

[Yerukane]

ye , no parties or giants >.> . bad xD ! what can actually takes a giant/party easily ? [not chi]
and guardia , update the freaking fcking GUIDE T_T!

[pr0klobster]

ye , no parties or giants >.> . bad xD ! what can actually takes a giant/party easily ? [not chi]

A cleric/bard can do it, although I wouldn't call it super easy. Bless, RD on, switch to bard, put up guard tambour, tank away. If it's not going well switch back to cleric and put the mag/phys def buffs on, then RD, and tank away. It just takes a lot longer to kill it.

Also depends on what you're fighting. It's a lot easier to kill a magical mob, giant or party, than a physical one.

[ykz]

I'm a level 78 bard/cleric and i can kill a lvl 78 giant pretty easy..
with recovery division + mana tambour, but on the other hand i have a lvl 76 sos +5 harp

[zyspt]

with some normal gear, what lvl monster must the bard kill to level since it cannot take on mob same level as it is and giants. need a better way for my bard to survive, find it dying too fast. and also bard damage not that impressive, dmg is within 5k-6k at level 74.

[Guardia]

zy, u're doing it wrong. Bard is a party build. Dont concentrate on how big the dmg u made but how fast u can attack. I personally dont solo my bard coz i know it is best used in party.

[Yerukane]

Guardia when you gonna update that guide T_T?

[pr0klobster]

with some normal gear, what lvl monster must the bard kill to level since it cannot take on mob same level as it is and giants. need a better way for my bard to survive, find it dying too fast. and also bard damage not that impressive, dmg is within 5k-6k at level 74.

Don't solo that much with a pure bard. I have a level 66 bard main with very minor cleric sub and it's really difficult to solo. You're better off in a party doing mana cycle, tambours, dances, and discord wave on wizards when required.

[Guardia]

Guardia when you gonna update that guide T_T?

100 cap is coming. Better wait for it. lol..

[Brago]

Question: Well why shouldn't I be a 2h/bard and what skills should I get if I become 1

[Yerukane]

I reccomand going on a 2h/cleric . since it got such an amazing hp amount , you could refresh your hp with cycle and division . im bard cleric , and i love it :> .
i'll make a 2h/cleric next , but i'd never take bard .. why a 2h would need mp xD?

ohh and guardia , why do you alwase say the way the bard use his skills faster is better then having it stronger? i mean .. like you're sayin that faster is better then harder?

[Bobby]

I reccomand going on a 2h/cleric . since it got such an amazing hp amount , you could refresh your hp with cycle and division . im bard cleric , and i love it :> .
i'll make a 2h/cleric next , but i'd never take bard .. why a 2h would need mp xD?

ohh and guardia , why do you alwase say the way the bard use his skills faster is better then having it stronger? i mean .. like you're sayin that faster is better then harder?

i think wat he means is that bard does very good damage over time. Bard nukes won't own but they do solid damage, and very quickly which means they are very good damage support in group pvp. I don't have a high lvl bard but i'd assume its a lot easier to do damage support now cos of mana orbit.

[Shin'kensei]

Great guide, the intro pic is awesome.