Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Bard Role Versatility Discussion - Sacrificing Support for Damage
Verus
Member, Alpha Two
I would encourage the design concept that the bard not necessarily being incapable of nearly matching the DPS of other classes, but instead having some flexibility in deciding which balance of support and DPS they prefer. Rather than by default throttling the Bard to have significantly less damage output than, for example, a mage, it would fall largely to the selection of skills and the sub-class.
A bard that chooses damage abilities over support abilities should, in this ideal, achieve reasonable similarity in damage output to other damage classes. The key difference would lie in that versatility, wherein the bard could have instead chosen support abilities over damage output when options are presented. Additionally, in recognition of that versatility, it would be unreasonable to propose that the damage-oriented bard be equally matched with pure DPS classes, as the consequence of the flexibility.
Aspects of this design are already in the game, such as Quick Wit, where the bard can choose to heal themselves or an ally which in turn prevents them from using their primary damage ability. This is much appreciated flexibility. In future versions, perhaps a self-boosting melody could be considered, preventing the bard from using a melody in support of allies but in reward of that sacrifice they achieve higher personal damage output.
What is the perspective of others here in how capable a bard should be in damage output and to which degree should they be able to sacrifice support for damage, and vice versa?
A bard that chooses damage abilities over support abilities should, in this ideal, achieve reasonable similarity in damage output to other damage classes. The key difference would lie in that versatility, wherein the bard could have instead chosen support abilities over damage output when options are presented. Additionally, in recognition of that versatility, it would be unreasonable to propose that the damage-oriented bard be equally matched with pure DPS classes, as the consequence of the flexibility.
Aspects of this design are already in the game, such as Quick Wit, where the bard can choose to heal themselves or an ally which in turn prevents them from using their primary damage ability. This is much appreciated flexibility. In future versions, perhaps a self-boosting melody could be considered, preventing the bard from using a melody in support of allies but in reward of that sacrifice they achieve higher personal damage output.
What is the perspective of others here in how capable a bard should be in damage output and to which degree should they be able to sacrifice support for damage, and vice versa?
2
Comments
Blown past falling sands…
For a bard to have truly equal DPS while also having flexibility and utility, that would simply by unfair and overpowered. People will pick bards, like they currently do, exactly for the utility. A group that has greater mana sustain and off-heals will be able to progress faster with more safety and fewer needs to stop for rations. Among other benefits.
What I advocate is the flexibility of a bard being able to choose more utility or more DPS, at expense of the other, keeping it balanced.
A bard running menacing melody and Conflict brings more overall damage to the table than a single dps would though. (15% damage boost to all party members and and additional 10% physical for conflict). I've been told that tanks get up to the damage numbers dps notmally enjoy when I do that, and the dps scales even higher.
At the end of the day, bard works best in a team.
That said, our red theme (don't recall the name) gives us 5% dps per stack. If you are running red themes instead of yellow or blue themes you will be more dps than bards who are running blue or yellow themes (blue is for mana, yellow is for healing). Which is important to note that we can give ourselves +30% damage +25% crit (from the magic crit red story) on top of what our base abilities do.
Menacing's proc is also 70% magic power damage (on top of what the weapon attack is doing)
DPS bards are very much a thing, and is what I run. It works best if there's another bard in the party focusing on the mana though (I run crescendo instead of counterpoint - so twisting between pensive and menacing isn't ideal)
There is though. Menacing Melody with Crescendo and Chaos. You give yourself +30% damage and +15% crit chance (it's unclear if each stack of Tragedy is additive or multiplicative, but lets assume additive as worst case scenario).
You'll want Fierce Wit for the fire damage, and single-target Anthem of Alacrity for yourself.
I usually just whack them with my scepter and tomatoes when I run this solo, but you can also throw in Dark Lullaby, Chilling Lament, Discordance as you like. Dissonance is nice-to-have since you get free discordant notes when you use a Serenade (Lovely Serenade) with Menacing Melody.
Everything else you take from then on is sustain and support (shielding dance/lovely serenade, for example)
I'm not sure I understand why people think bards lack a dps option. Does it reach the dps of a fighter, mage or ranger? No. But those classes also can't self-heal. We far out-dps any current cleric or tank build though.