Skill build for a Bard

[ngjoko]

So, this is my first time playing a bard. Considering i play only on low rates, i really don't know what skills to put in. I can reset, but i'd avoid it at all cost.

So, i've learnt:
- Adapt to Situation(1)
- Music Lesson(10)
- Dissonance(3)
- Musical Strike(5)
- A Poem of Bragi(10)

I need advise for the next skills, since i'll definately join in WoE once i found a guild to join, but i still need to grind first. I'd want to be able to support a lot and hurt a lot at the same time.
So what combination should i use?
1. Encore(1), Frost Joker(5), Assassin Cross of Sunset(10), The Apple of Idun(4).
2. Encore(1), Frost Joker(5), The Apple of Idun(10), Assassin Cross of Sunset(4).
3. The Apple of Idun(10), Assassin Cross of Sunset(10).

Note that i still don't have a guild yet, so i don't know if i should prioritise ASPD or Max HP. I don't raise my LUK, so i don't think i need to learn A Wistle, besides, i figured we'll be facing Mages and Archers at most, Flee won't help much right?
So advise me, experienced players out there what's the best skill build for WoE.

[DarkDevine]

First, be sure in one thing.
As a bard participating in WoE you are a pure FS char, nothing else.
You don't attack, you stick with the wizards and bragi them or with the takers and ACOS them.

I played bard very often, I wouldn't say I know much about it, but at least I did some WoEs with it.

As for your skills,
Music Lesson 10
Adapt to Situation 1
Dissonance 3
Poem of Bragi 10
Assassin Cross of Sunset 10
Frost Joke 5

the rest is quite optional, I would prefer putting 9 on Apple of Idun for high-vit paladins as well as high-vit LKs.

You always need a party to train, but you will SURELY always find one, go to a wizard and tell him/her you have Bragi on lv. 10 and the party invite will follow not even a second later.

As for your stats, if you go pure FS (recommended) I prefer high int so that you don't need a professor or much items for SP in WoE (The songs can be quite SP sucking), pretty high vit to at least take some hits as well as some str for being able to carry many healing stuff and stat food.
If you want to DS some players in WoE (NOT recommended), use dex/agi.

[ngjoko]

So Frost Joker is still good in WoE even if the enemies might have Marina? I'm just concerned since after reading a lot, my conclusion is this skill will freeze the allies more often than the the enemies. I don't want to end up "WHAT ARE YOU DOING FREEZING YOUR GUILD MEMBERS IN THE EMPERIUM ROOM!?" from the leader.

[Relics]

Frost joker is quite godsend in WoE. Your team, if precasting should always have bragi'd HP's ready to recover frozens, and your team should also tag unfrozen/ed around more often.

Also gonna agree with DarkDevine on Apple of Idun, it has more practical use than Assassin Cross of Sunset in a multitude of situations.

[Astraliche]

putting the clown out of the party during woe won't freeze his guildmates

I read that somewhere, but it was a random page :<

[Kaezar]

putting the clown out of the party during woe won't freeze his guildmates

I read that somewhere, but it was a random page :<

Confirming this.

Consider Ensemble skills also if you imagine you're going to have a Dancer/Gypsy partner in the guild you're going to join. Dedicated clown/gypsy combo has its uses as opposed to dual clienting for Roki's. But I guess you can just reset to adapt to specific situations :]

[fluidin]

wrong, FJ should still affect guild members, just at a much lower rate.

afaik, it goes like this (most prone to FJ>least prone)
enemies > pt members > guild members not in pt

[skytotoro]

So what combination should i use?
1. Encore(1), Frost Joker(5), Assassin Cross of Sunset(10), The Apple of Idun(4).

FJ and SinX songs are good for partying.  The extra hp you get from mastering Apple isn't a lot.  I would get Level 1, and try to get ensembles like Loki's Veil.

[DarkDevine]

The extra HP are 25% on lv 10 AoI

Imagine a Paladin with 20.000 HP, he would get additional 5000 HP, which is as much as his faith skill gives.
It will make a huge difference, really.

Assassin Cross of Sunset IS nice, in WoE, for the takers, mostly, while you won't come to use it because you stick with the Wizards for Bragi, which is far more important.
In PvM you will never need Assassin Cross of Sunset, since you can't train without a wizard anyways (On low rates, that is), a ASPD class such as sinx isn't suited for power-leveling, they are more for effective 1on1.

This is how I would build my bard: (Actually, I am doing it like that atm, playing LuminaRO)

Code Select Expand


Owl's Eye Level 10
Vulture's Eye Level 10
Attention Concentrate Level 10
Double Strafing Level 10
Arrow Shower Level 9
Making Arrow Level 1 Quest
Skill
Charge Arrow Level 1 Quest
Skill
Adaptation to Circumstances Level 1
Encore Level 1
Musical Lesson Level 10
Dissonance Level 3
Frost Joker Level 5
Assassin Cross of Sunset Level 9
A Poem of Bragi Level 10
The Apple of Idun Level 10
Pang Voice Level 1 Quest
Skill


Total first job skill point used: 49/49 Left: 0 Over: 0

Total secondary job skill point used: 49/49 Left: 0 Over: 0


these are my calculated stats for it:


notice the pretty high SP and HP, this will save you quite a lot, since the bards are mostly the first targeted characters in WoE, Bragi is just pure hax.


as for the skills, you won't really ned ACOS much, though, if you get a free hand, you're taking without wizards or there are enough other bragi bards, you can stick with the sinx still to ACOS them while taking.
Use Apple of Idun before entering emp rooms when attacking, be sure to have a priest put a sactuary in your Apple of Idun when doing that, this will save you some time.

More than that, Bards can actually gather Zeny quite good, using Dissonance in payon dungeon.
Dissonance seems to be a pretty useless skill, actually it does 90 DMG per Hit on lvl 3 with Musical Lesson on 10, which is enough for running through payon dungeon (@autoloot required, sadly)

Notice that I skilled Encore. While in WoE, you will use either Bragi or ACOS the whole time anyways, so it's useful requiring half of the SP for each cast using Encore.

Adaptation to Circumstances, you won't need it, take a bow as well as an instrument or better, two instruments with you and just switch them to stop songs, with two instruments you can cast the next one directly, if you manage this you can as well keep all 3 songs up for everyone, since they last 20 seconds after they stopped.

You can also forget about either ACOS or AoI and go to Loki's Veil instead, but as long as you don't have a good dancer with you, it will be useless, so make sure to have a perma dancer in your guild first and make sure, (s)he skilled Loki's Veil as well.

[Astraliche]

wrong, FJ should still affect guild members, just at a much lower rate.

afaik, it goes like this (most prone to FJ>least prone)
enemies > pt members > guild members not in pt

now where did that formula come from?

I have no proof, and I don't play a clown for a living, but when I was forced to, I am sure that I did not freeze anyone from my guild when I am out of the party in the precast, it's either my guild got lucky for more than 5 WoEs, or it does not affect allied members outside of the party.

there was no marc on that server, the admin turned it to apple, a SHR with one digit drop rate

personally, I raise my clown hunter-styled, AGI and DEX, so it's easy to lvl with double strafe, but I had to do plenty of switching.

[Tachibana]

As far as I recall, FJ shouldn't freeze anyone in your guild when you are out of the party.

When going FS, I wouldn't take a Bow due to switching from Instrument ---> Bow removes your shield. I usually take, as mentioned, another instrument or anything one-handed and light.

ACoS is nice but I tend to use AoI more often and keep ACoS skilled in order to get Loki's Veil. Also, you can use Dissonance to unhide SinX's and Stalkers

[fluidin]

indeed, repeatedly flashing dissonance is for unhiding sinx/stalks.

either the server i've been playing in is different from u guys, or it's bugged on ur server, or u guys just haven't spammed FJ enough.

PS:
I found this quote online "In mRO *any* guildmate can be frozen. In iRO only guildies outside your party cannot be frozen."


Anyway, my best advice would be to train hard and trans to clown asap, then get all 3 songs. as easy as ro is now, you should have no problem leveling fast even on lowrates. Heck, even official servers aren't as difficult to level in as before.

[Tachibana]

I just know most servers I've been on, FJ only affected enemies and people in my party during WoE.

The most sought after thing from FS Bards/Clowns is Poem of Bragi. As long as you get that, you should be mostly set.