6.0 Build
Abilities
Disharmony
This will be one of your most damaging abilities and you will want to
make sure this is at max rank.This will be used in both single target
and multi-target situations.
Solo
This will cast your Disharmony 4 times in a row at rank 1 on random
targets within range. Mostly used in single target situations since it
targets randomly. Important Note: While Solo is happening you can't use
Disharmony. If you have extra talents rank 2 here would be another good option for more damage.
Power Chord
The damage over time effect from this may be low, but it
increases your Disharmony damage done to the target so make sure to keep
this applied at all times with 3 stacks.
Timpani
This makes your next chord played within 3 seconds become an area of
effect at the cost of increasing its energy consumption by 60% at rank
2. This is very useful for large groups of enemies commonly found in
astral. This helps push your AoE DPS through the roof! I like to put one
stack of Power Chord up using Timpani then switch to Timpani and
Disharmony in large AoE pulls for lots of damage.
Flying Blade
Another one of your high damage abilities that should be used
whenever possible. This has a random cool down between 10-30 seconds.
Largely used for single target, but don't underestimate its ability to
take chunks of HP off enemies.
Raving Blade
This does 5 hits of damage over 6 seconds. This is a channeled
ability that you will use very frequently in your single target dps
rotation.
Muse
Reduces the cast time of your Raving Blade, Lullaby, and Overture and
also reduces the cool down of several of your abilities by 50% for its
duration of 30 seconds. This is a big part of your DPS because it allows
for your Solo to come off of cool down quicker as well as giving you an
increased energy regeneration rate that i will touch on in the ruby
section.
Cantata
One of the 2 songs you will be running in this build, Cantata provides a
constant source of ticking AoE damage to enemies within a 20 yard
radius.
Aria
Every 6 seconds you gain 1 stack of Aria up to a max of 20 stacks. When you use
your Disharmony (includes solo) or Power Chord it will deal additional
shadow damage. This ability adds great damage to your main DPS
abilities.
Encore
This resets the cool down of all of your abilities except for Encore and
Shadow Duette. If timed correctly when your Muse, Solo, and Flying
Blade are on cool down this will sustain your DPS on the longer fights
you encounter.
Shadow Duette
Creates a copy of your character at a target location and
preforms the 2 songs you were running at the time. In our case Aria and
Cantata! This is a huge help to your DPS since Aria only stacks once
every 6 seconds after you use some of your Aria shadow Duette can
provide a nice way to gain back stacks faster in combat as well as
providing extra damage from Cantata.
Protective Tune
A great way to cover yourself in those times you just can't get a
heal. If you take a hit that would kill you Protective Tune kicks in
and puts you at 10% max HP and reduces incoming damage taken by 30% for 3
seconds. This can help you survive in a time where you normally
wouldn't have and give you a chance to heal back up and stay in the
fight.
Lullaby
This is a channeled ability that allows you to put a target to sleep!
CCing enemies is a big part of astral to make some fights more
manageable so having an extra long term CC is great in any build.
Musical Notation
BUFFS, BUFFS, BUFFS!! This is one of your most important
things as a Bard make sure to have this ability maxed. This allows you
to cast HP, Potency, Ferocity, or Regen so it is very important to have
this for your parties.
Overture
Although not useful in all situations i have found more and more in
astral that there are buffs you can dispell that would help your group
in a pinch. Also can be useful in some raids as we have seen in the
past. I like to get rank 1 here, but it isn't a must have ability.
Rhapsody
This ability gives a target +15% hp for each party member
within 100 yards. This ability is gained from the world mysteries
and is just one of the amazing things Bard bring to any party.
Extra Abilities:
If you have an extra talent point or 2 spare i like to get the below 2 abilities
for their general usefulness. Also rank 2 in Solo is a nice addition.
Nocturne
Although nocturne at rank 1 isn't an amazing ability, this can help
in those times where you just need that extra bit of AoE healing to keep
the party alive.
Fuge in A Minor
This AoE fear doesn't work on every enemy, but i have
found it pretty useful in times when the tank is taking a lot of damage
and the healer needs an extra second of calmness to catch up.
My name is Tendo on the New Frontier server of the guild Disturbed (Nezeb), a long time Bard player and I still find the class very enjoyable and I am going to try to help you understand Bards in PVE! I like playing Bard because i find it to be very versatile in both PVE and PVP situations. What you will find below is an in-depth look at the Bard from a PVE perspective including builds, information on rubies/talents, and my opinions on the most important things to remember when trying to maximize your potential as a Bard! Each of the sections below will have information on why i made the decisions I did for this guide.
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