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Question - Bard or Enchanter and why? (1 Viewer)

jngilmer999

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May 31, 2020
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Hi I have been playing EQ on and off since release. I never got a character past level 70. I've just recently started boxing and I'm having issues choosing between the Bard or Enchanter or just going with both of them in the group. My current group is all lvl 75 on FV and consists of SK, (Bard or Enchanter), Shaman, Cleric, Zerker, and Wizard. Who would you guys go with and why?
 
Bard would probably be stronger support with that lineup. With the combination of Shaman/SK/Bard epic clicks your tank should be nearly unkillable . Maybe someone with an enchanter has other ideas but a bard keeping their highest aria/Fierce Eye/epic up is amazing and that's not counting decent crowd control.

I think enchanter does have stronger crowd control but since I don't run an enchanter I can only speculate
 
Well your first problem is you got a SK in there. Switch him out for a WAR and you’re in business.
:)

I started out with an enchanter for ultimate crowd control, but am now leveling a bard as we speak for greater dps/synergy with my (now) melee heavy group. You’ll have a lot of survivability with 2 healers so why not go bard?

honestly you should be fine with either one
 
Hi I have been playing EQ on and off since release. I never got a character past level 70. I've just recently started boxing and I'm having issues choosing between the Bard or Enchanter or just going with both of them in the group. My current group is all lvl 75 on FV and consists of SK, (Bard or Enchanter), Shaman, Cleric, Zerker, and Wizard. Who would you guys go with and why?

Bard all day long. Every group needs a bard, and with a sk, shaman and zerker already in your group, you’ve got the makings of a kickass melee group.

Btw, bard handles CC just fine for the most part, though there are a few spots during levelling where your Mez, maybe be too low until you reach the next level bracket.
 
Both work well, I’ve done all the content up to tov ( starting that this week ) with sk, clr, bard, bst and 2 zerkers.. and I’ve got another group with war, clr, chant, 3 wiz who have also done most content and encountered any problems, it all depends on group makeup for maximum effectiveness,, bard for melee and chanter for caster.. buuut you could use either and still work out good.
 
With my play style, I like enchanters for bleeding edge content where I know mezzing is going to be necessary because my tank can't necessarily handle a shitload of adds. Hunting in velks basement early in the expansion, for example, was super dangerous with trains galore. Without a chanter to clean that up, you were a dead-man walking because a train 100% WOULD eventually come your way.

Now? My tank is very well geared and can handle multiples anywhere, even in Kael, so I benched the enchanter and have been running 100% with my bard. I did swap the bard out a few times for the GD mission because of the one turd who spits out all the wolves, but now I just say YOLO and do it with the bard (and it works just fine).
 
... and consists of SK, (Bard or Enchanter), Shaman, Cleric, Zerker, and Wizard. Who would you guys go with and why?


Your grp is a bit of a mismatch as it stands as far as DPS so you could technically go either way.

SK, Shaman, Cleric, and Wizard can all do damage with spells. Which means that mana reiteration, twincast, dots which leech mana, mana regen, and crowd control would be useful for the group.

The shaman compliments the berzerker/Sk with some DPS perks and can already slow meaning the enchanters longer duration no hassle slow compared to the bard isn't an issue. Which means you could pick a bard without concerns in relation to slow.

You have both a shaman and a cleric and I'm assuming the cleric is the primary healer, which means the shaman would be focused more on patch healing and DPS with some debuffing mixxed in. Which means the shaman stands to benefit from the enchanter.


So I suppose the better question here would be what are some advantages of a bard vs an enchanter. What does a bard bring that the enchanter doesn't, and what does the enchanter bring that the bard doesn't.

Enchanter - Long duration buffs, requiring long durations between recasts. Can have two aura's up at once. Provides Mana Regen buffs, longer duration charms, longer duration mezzes, targeted AOE mez, PBAE mez, mez nukes, mez debuffs, chaotic mezzes (gives twincast), their synergy is geared towards casters, not melee. Won't be proccupied as long managing a crowd. Enchanters overall are heavily geared towards supporting caster groups, but can also be useful in melee groups, but fail to shine as brightly as a bard.

Bard - Very versatile able to take on many roles. As a higher level bard you'll have access to mezzes, slows, charms, debuffs, buffs, OVERHASTE, and your aura's provide improvements to accuracy, crit chance, triple attack, double attack, spell damage, etc. They have Selos, which is amazing for getting around. Especially since with a guild hall almost every location you could want to go is only a couple zones off from a port location. Fade - Unlike most classes bards have the ability to drop aggro several times in a much shorter duration. Bards get double invis with AA's. It's the only class I know that has a double invis built into their abilities (IVU and INVIS). Bard crowd control tends to be cumbersome in that they can often find themselves not providing any buffs to the group while they mez ads, leaving only their aura to buff the group. Their buffs don't last very long. Charm/Mez has a short duration attached to it, limited to single target, or PBAE. Bards themselves are oddball class in that no other class works like a bard. This makes playing one, or automating one a unique thing and I don't think anyone really has a perfect way to automate a bard.


With the current group I'd probably say bard, because the bard can boost the wizard, shaman, zerker, and SK. With that said, an Enchanter is also a viable option and can lock down mobs faster and more efficiently. In the end, it's about having fun.
 
Update: If you're going to do a bard, make sure you get him/her a songblade for the longer duration clicky haste buff. It'll be less of an issue if you have a shaman and shaman haste, but if you're ever just stuck with the bard, the 30 min clicky haste for your group is helpful.
 
Your grp is a bit of a mismatch as it stands as far as DPS so you could technically go either way.

SK, Shaman, Cleric, and Wizard can all do damage with spells. Which means that mana reiteration, twincast, dots which leech mana, mana regen, and crowd control would be useful for the group.

The shaman compliments the berzerker/Sk with some DPS perks and can already slow meaning the enchanters longer duration no hassle slow compared to the bard isn't an issue. Which means you could pick a bard without concerns in relation to slow.

You have both a shaman and a cleric and I'm assuming the cleric is the primary healer, which means the shaman would be focused more on patch healing and DPS with some debuffing mixxed in. Which means the shaman stands to benefit from the enchanter.


So I suppose the better question here would be what are some advantages of a bard vs an enchanter. What does a bard bring that the enchanter doesn't, and what does the enchanter bring that the bard doesn't.

Enchanter - Long duration buffs, requiring long durations between recasts. Can have two aura's up at once. Provides Mana Regen buffs, longer duration charms, longer duration mezzes, targeted AOE mez, PBAE mez, mez nukes, mez debuffs, chaotic mezzes (gives twincast), their synergy is geared towards casters, not melee. Won't be proccupied as long managing a crowd. Enchanters overall are heavily geared towards supporting caster groups, but can also be useful in melee groups, but fail to shine as brightly as a bard.

Bard - Very versatile able to take on many roles. As a higher level bard you'll have access to mezzes, slows, charms, debuffs, buffs, OVERHASTE, and your aura's provide improvements to accuracy, crit chance, triple attack, double attack, spell damage, etc. They have Selos, which is amazing for getting around. Especially since with a guild hall almost every location you could want to go is only a couple zones off from a port location. Fade - Unlike most classes bards have the ability to drop aggro several times in a much shorter duration. Bards get double invis with AA's. It's the only class I know that has a double invis built into their abilities (IVU and INVIS). Bard crowd control tends to be cumbersome in that they can often find themselves not providing any buffs to the group while they mez ads, leaving only their aura to buff the group. Their buffs don't last very long. Charm/Mez has a short duration attached to it, limited to single target, or PBAE. Bards themselves are oddball class in that no other class works like a bard. This makes playing one, or automating one a unique thing and I don't think anyone really has a perfect way to automate a bard.


With the current group I'd probably say bard, because the bard can boost the wizard, shaman, zerker, and SK. With that said, an Enchanter is also a viable option and can lock down mobs faster and more efficiently. In the end, it's about having fun.

Excellent reply and great information. Thank you so much.
 
Okay my two cents worth here as I was a main bard before using mq.. btw now pally..bard and chanter I used both till recently switched out the bard for sk as a back up tank
 
most any grp combo can work within reason
some are more efficient than others, some require less effort, mixing melee and casters isnt optimal imo
chanters are good IF you desperately need cc or have a caster grp
bards are awesome in either but ideal in melee (I favor melee grps)
IF you raid current content, and have a MT spot go warrior, if you want to feel godly (TOV and possible next expansion), go paly, if you are doing mid range grp content take an sk
Ideal melee grp Tank, Shm, Bard, Bst, (2)DPS (opinions vary immensley on which is best) and people can refer to parses of raid mobs they fought....................
in grp content no one cares about your burns, your timed discs etc, you have 12ish sec to get your dps in, and not whine about mana or endurance
 
Embrace the power of "AND"!

I use both because those are the characters I had to work with. I let the 'chanter handle most of the CC and let the bard enhance mitigation and damage. But I have to be honest, I enjoy running in EZ Mode. Having both makes all content including Velks maze very EZ.
 
Embrace the power of "AND"!

I use both because those are the characters I had to work with. I let the 'chanter handle most of the CC and let the bard enhance mitigation and damage. But I have to be honest, I enjoy running in EZ Mode. Having both makes all content including Velks maze very EZ.
Have to agree.. they say run melle or caster I run perfect mix i belive 10secs mobs in tov. Gd velks etc. Chanter handling cc then doing his nuke dots bard doing group buffs with nukes and bellows mix in bsty shaman tho in mage.. u know have ton tons of pets for your many line of nukes making mage 1 dps in melee focus group.. bsty second and omg paladin 3rd with sustain of 200kdps.
 
Hi I have been playing EQ on and off since release. I never got a character past level 70. I've just recently started boxing and I'm having issues choosing between the Bard or Enchanter or just going with both of them in the group. My current group is all lvl 75 on FV and consists of SK, (Bard or Enchanter), Shaman, Cleric, Zerker, and Wizard. Who would you guys go with and why?
I would go with a bard. So much utility for your melee and your mana users.
 
I, personally, went with the bard route with a newly created team. So far, I've been really pleased with using IHCMercs with the bard. My team is only in the mid-50s right now, but I've had some hairy pulls that the bard has zero issue with getting it all under control quick, and still being able to dps.
 
I haven't had a good macro for bard in yrs, currently I use a basic assist and medley plugin and hope for the best
cc is not his forte, its a pleasant surprise, but he is good at maintaining songs and not wasting time
 
With my play style, I like enchanters for bleeding edge content where I know mezzing is going to be necessary because my tank can't necessarily handle a shitload of adds. Hunting in velks basement early in the expansion, for example, was super dangerous with trains galore. Without a chanter to clean that up, you were a dead-man walking because a train 100% WOULD eventually come your way.

Now? My tank is very well geared and can handle multiples anywhere, even in Kael, so I benched the enchanter and have been running 100% with my bard. I did swap the bard out a few times for the GD mission because of the one turd who spits out all the wolves, but now I just say YOLO and do it with the bard (and it works just fine).
Oh god the basement is AWFUL, I just completed hunter achivements there the other day and its not uncommon to pull 5-6 extras from seemingly no where lol, thank god for Dragon Glyph!
 
Question - Bard or Enchanter and why?

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