BARDS, are they really Bards?Follow

Ok so I have been looking at all the classes and I have always liked the aspect of a Bard, but in EQ2 do bards even play instuments? I have yet to see a picture or found an instrument in an Item search, so someone please explane do they use them, do they change the output of the song it self?

Which is very unfortunate. There are recipies for Woodworkers to make 3 types of intruments. But those crafted items cannot be equipped, cannot be placed in a room, and have no qualities or abilities (+AGI, etc).

I would like to see an instrument be equipable for a Bard and provide stat boosts. Imbue with rares and they provide spell-like abilities.

Maybe if we all submit feedback through the in-game system, SOE will revise those recipies to make them viable and useful for Bards.

Yes the instruments just appears if you have one or not. They are just part of the song animation, and just for show, they are not in your inventory.


I do agree though, they need to add instuments for bards. They can increase our stats and songs. They can get rid of our bow attack, or change it to a ranged song, and even have it cost a material component to use for fairness.

The instument would not be wielded, but most likely placed in one of the Charm slots. Other classes get class-specific items to put there, Bards should get the same.

Bards in EQ1 were the masters of kiting - no longer in EQ2. Once you engage combat, your movement slows to a quick walk. The mob will easily catch you.

EQ1 Bards could also run like lightning - again, not so here. You have run speed buffs, but not the god-like speed in EQ1.

You can run while casting most spells, and many (if not all) buffs last until cancelled. Bards have some of the best party buffs around, and you don't need to keep casting them (I forget the EQ1 term - weaving?).

The spell casting is a wonder to watch, as musical notes and a cresendo of harmony fills the air. Like all spells you have a casting time, power cost, duration, range, etc.

Some spells take Concentration to maintain, and you have 5 concentration slots to manage. Some buffs take 0, some take 1, some take 2, some take all 5. I usually run around with 4 concentration slots filled with party buffs.

You manage your buffs based on what your party is doing. Run and power regen buff is up between fights, combat buffs come up right before a battle. Use damage spells during combat (they do not take a concentration slot).

One big benefit in EQ2 is that you can have as many hotbars up as you want. Unlike the 8 (?) buttons in EQ1 when you had to carfully choose what spells to have available, now it is limited only by the real estate on your screen.

I typically have 4 hotbars (12 buttons each) up, plus 3 chat windows, party window, exp bar, clock, quest window, and buff window.

A basic horse will cost you nearly 2pp, and in this game, that's a lot! There are many tiers of horses - the faster and more fancy they are the more expensive they are.

For about 5 gold (depending on server), you can get a SoW totem that has 5 charges, each charge lasts 30 minutes. I've seen them "re-charge" but haven't done scientific tests to see how that happens. I think if you zone while NOT in SoW mode, it will recharge...I could be wrong.

Some quick math...
1p = 100g
1g = 100s
1s = 100c

2p = 200g / 5g totem = 40 totems with 5 charges each = 200 30-minute charges.

I never bought a horse, even when I had the money. I kept 3-5 SoW totems in my bags and used them when I needed. Once I got high enough level, I did the carpet quest from Desert of Flames expansion, and now ride a flying carpet with a 40% speed increase.

That's comparable to some of the best, and most expensive horses.

To finally answer your question, basic horses will be faster than normal running, and as fast as a SoW. Or course, better and more expensive horses will be faster than everything. But that money is better spent on gear and spell upgrades.

Wielded instruments would be similiar to wands, except the instruments would be 2-handed. Each class of instrument would have different effects.

The Bard could choose between wielding weapons for physical damage, or using an instrument to become more like a spell caster.

Even though SOE removed the instrument requirement to allow Bards to be more versitiale, I'd like to see it returned to add even more versitility.

In the meantime, we must live with "auto-play".