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Alpha Two testing is currently taking place five days each week. More information about Phase II and Phase III testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
[BARD] dps
Tamalou
Member, Alpha Two
Hello, I'm interested in the Bard and I had a few questions.
Can the Bard be played as a true DPS in both PvE and PvP?
When I say "true DPS," I mean choosing skills and gear specifically to maximize damage — is that a viable option compared to other classes that are defined as pure DPS (like Mage, Fighter, etc.)?
Can the Bard be played as a true DPS in both PvE and PvP?
When I say "true DPS," I mean choosing skills and gear specifically to maximize damage — is that a viable option compared to other classes that are defined as pure DPS (like Mage, Fighter, etc.)?
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Comments
tbh I'm not liking the skills that much, as fun as they are everything is just a rotation. I don't play bard but I know they have a lot of good skills for PvP, I doubt you can equip them to do any sustained dps over time (mostly falls on skills) but at the end of the day you have a bag of tricks and everyone else playing that archetype has the same bag
what they have is very underwhelming it's mostly stacking damage and learning your kit.
So you have a set of abilities, this would be your "Kit" once you hit 25 you have the same abilities as every other bard, Bard only has a couple skills that do damage so compared to a real DPS class you won't be able to build Bard into an actual DPS because you're limited on your skill set.
Stats won't change much of the dynamics of your play style because all you're doing is raising and lowering stats, there's no customization when it comes to abilities meaning all bards will do around the same DPS when comparing it to an actual DPS class.
Ty
Okay, really misleading...
But the short version is still correct, Bard does not currently 'build DPS' and for now doesn't have too many 'personal DPS vs group support' tradeoffs. (originally had more but some were tweaked/removed).
We don't know the intent very well anymore, but the Archetype is nowhere near 'finished' and the Classes that will come from it even less so. But the foundation did allow for this in the usual sense, before, and then it got dialed back.
Maybe some of their DPS-flavor will come back in later Phases, maybe it won't.
I see how it could be be miss leading, for clarification I just wish archetypes would have more identity to them before hitting the shift into becoming an actual class/job at 25+. I'm down for whatever way they want to do it, we just don't know if they are and if they are, how it will be done.
maybe something like a more flushed out weapon skill system that gives access to actual abilities, for example give the greatsword 4 skills that would be similar to some fighter skills, wouldn't be worth it to the fighter to get maybe one of these that fits their build but something like a bard can spec into all 4 to combine with whatever faction/race bonus plus some skilltree and gear optimization you'll be able to build your dps bard.
Another case where 'this isn't really the forum for that'.
Combat/play/classes wise, this is just asking for TL, and I'm sure if Intrepid thought it was a good idea for their combat design to be closer to that, they'd have changed it years ago, so yeah, you're just another person stuck in the limbo between Ashes of Creation and Throne and Liberty.
And, back at OP, Ashes will probably get there, they have a great Archetype designer putting in stacks of work, but the current form will take a while to evolve to that.
I've never even touched TL I just want a game that actually requires a brain to play
Yeah that's kinda my point actually. Anyways sorry, I got carried away. All I meant/want is for OP to understand that even if we ask for Intrepid to do some of the things you said, it's less likely because they basically 'just don't want to' (as far as we know).
There may be Bard DPS, there may even be Greatsword Bard DPS for those who think that makes sense, but using weapons as a distinction-point for skills isn't in the concepts, so most people's definition of 'fleshed out weapon skill system' isn't likely.
This would make combat feel a lot more interesting, to me. There are large periods where you're just Auto-Attacking, sitting still and watching the character do stuff for you, rather than playing it yourself. And that feels weird.
From what’s been shared so far by Intrepid, the Bard is primarily a support archetype, focused on buffs, debuffs, and utility, not pure DPS. That said, you will likely be able to customize your Bard to lean more offensively, especially through augments, gear, and your secondary archetype.
For example:
A Bard/Fighter or Bard/Rogue combo might allow you to build more aggressively for damage.
Your gear choices (crit, attack speed, weapon type) can push you further toward DPS viability.
But even then, it’s unlikely that Bard will ever match the burst or sustained damage of dedicated DPS archetypes like Mage or Fighter.
So yes, you can build toward DPS Bard, especially for fun or niche PvP roles, but if your goal is to top DPS charts consistently, it may not be the most optimal pick.
Still, the flexibility is one of the coolest parts of Ashes, so it’ll be exciting to see how far creative players can push the Bard in that direction.
Blown past falling sands…