Note: This page is a work in progress.
Introduced in Build X.34, the Bard is the third bow class since the Huntress was introduced in Build 104 (September 2010). Unlike the more combatative Archer and Huntress, the Bard wears less durable Robes, befitting his role as a support class. There is no class requirement to unlock Bard yet. However, he is only playable on the Exalt client. See his stat gains, caps and averages here.
The Bard’s maxes out at an exceptional 75 Wisdom and 385 MP. His Dexterity also caps at 70 points. However, his delicate nature comes to a head in his 670 HP and 55 Attack.
Unlike other robe classes, the Bard’s choice of weapon is the bow. Bows are one of the two weapons to pierce enemies at any tier (UTs excluded), so higher tiered bows are renowed for their substantial crowd control. It should be noted, however, that each missed arrow in the multishot bows counts against accuracy. If that is important to you, try to land every shot. Additonally, the untiered bow options provide the Bard with a verstile arsenal for any situation.
The Tier 12 Bow of Covert Havens and Tier 13 Bow of Mystical Energy are the best tiered bows available. The Bow of Covert Havens is the highest purchasable tiered bow and the Bow of Mystical Energy is a rarer, soulbound tiered bow only dropping from the Void Entity. These are good bows for lower level characters however UT bows will always outshine these DPS wise. However, due to the piercing shots and three projectiles, these are great for crowd clearing, so it is recommended to keep at least one tiered bow as a swapout.
The Doom Bow is a slow shooting, hard hitting, untiered bow that work well against high defense enemies in particular. The reduced fire speed fits the Bard better as opposed to the Archer and Huntress when using it as a main weapon, since the high Dexterity stat reduces the need to plan each shot. The Doom Bow is considered the best bow to get soulbound damage on Event and Dungeon bosses given the sheer damage of each shot. However, it should be noted that this bow does not have superior DPS to a tiered bow in situations where a Bard can safely approach an enemy with negligible defense.
The Bard’s choice of ability is the Lute. Lutes provide a party buff known as “Inspired.” Inspired increases weapon attack range by 25%. For example, a tiered bow (7.04 tiles) would have its range increased to 8.8 tiles under this effect. Unfortunately, lutes do not alter the shot pattern of the weapon, so the true range is unchanged. Higher tiered lutes also provide the user with a defense boost. The defense boost of tiered lutes is always 2 seconds shorter than the Inspired duration. Tiered lutes have a cooldown that is 1 second longer than the Inspired duration.
The Regal Lute and Skyward Lute are the best tiered lutes. They provide the longest, most mana-efficient inspired duration, and also provide the highest DEF boosts to Bard upon use.
Unlike other bow classes, the Bard wears robes. As a robe class, Bard benefits from a much larger mana capacity than other bow classes at the cost of less durability and health.
The Robe of the Elder Warlock (Elder) and Robe of the Grand Sorcerer (GSorc) are among the best tiered robes available. The Robe of the Star Mother is the highest stat-wise, soulbound alternative found in high tier dungeons such as The Nest, Lost Halls and the Fungal and Crystal Caverns. These robes provide the Bard with low Defense, but increased Mana, Attack and Wisdom.
The Anointed Robe
The Soulless Robe
The Shendyt of Geb
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Play the Bard class and see what you think. If you have any information that one would find useful while playing Bard, feel free to add to this guide!
