Bard

Bard is a class in the Healing and Support class branch.

You are most likely to find a Bard relaxing in the shade of a tall oak tree, quietly composing poems and songs. Often, Bards are also found at the center of boisterous social events, wooing the crowd with charming music and dance. Little known to the people is the colorful Bard's excellent combat prowess. Using arcane musical spells and enchantments, the Bard suavely overwhelms the enemy with waves of power chords and fast-paced hypnotic music. The Bard's gregarious songs and sonnets also have healing and defense powers.

Traits

Class traits

Racial traits & stat modifiers

Skills

Class skills

Regular skills

These skills are available to all classes in the Healing and Support class branch.

Racial skills

These skills are available to all classes in the Healing and Support class branch, but depend on the character's race.

Certificates

Knowledge Tree

Music Theory Max Level 20 For each level up, Cast SPD +1% "Your intimate knowledge of a variety of music lets you play quickly and precisely."	Soothing Chords Max Level 1 When using Music of Life, HP Regen +10% per second & duration +2 sec. "When you hear truly lively music, you can't help but tap your toes, then soon enough, you bust out the dance you promised yourself never to unleash on the world again." LV 10 Music Theory	Folklore Max Level 20 For each level up, M-CRIT DMG +2% "Folklore is filled with interesting ways of killing monsters."		Moving Performance Max Level 10 For each level up, Spirited Melody's duration +1 sec. "A spirited melody can move people to action - whatever that action may be." Total Knowledge Points: 20 LV 10 Folklore		Lively Beat Max Level 1 When using Poem of Wind, Move SPD bonus +20% "Those who hear the song of the wind feel as though they can run far beyond the horizon." Total Knowledge Points: 30 LV 5 Moving Performance
Musical Knowledge Max Level 20 For each level up, M-CRIT Rate +1% "Your music is easy on the ears, but hard on the body."	High Pitch Max Level 5 For each level up, DMG from Vocal Bomb +2% "The next time someone tells you your performance bombed, take it as a compliment!" LV 10 Musical Knowledge	Composing Max Level 20 For each level up, ACC +2% "Your music touches the hearts of your audience. Sometimes literally."	Conductor Max Level 5 For each level up, all M-ATK +2% "The same qualities that give a musician a great sensitivity to the elements of a musical performance make them keen users of magic." Total Knowledge Points: 15		Marching Song Max Level 5 For each level up, War Rhyme's duration +2 sec. "A good war song brings cadence, order, and morale to those who are fighting." Total Knowledge Points: 25 LV 5 Conductor	Folk Music Max Level 5 For each level up, Max MP +2% "By studying the popular and folk music of a region, a musician can better understand the soul of its people." Total Knowledge Points: 30
Lyrics & Poetry Max Level 20 For each level up, G-Healing +1% "Write and sing music to soothe the souls of others."	Guitar Tuning Max Level 20 For each level up, when equipped with a guitar, Guitar ATK & M-ATK +1% "When your instrument is perfectly tuned, playing it will tune you in return."		Heavy Metal Max Level 1 When using Burning Metal, Fire DMG per second and DEF penalty +10% "There has been death metal and epic metal, but you specialize in Burning Metal." Total Knowledge Points: 15 LV 10 Guitar Tuning		Moody Style Max Level 10 For each level up, Song of Illusion's duration +1 sec. "Bards roam the world, listening to the songs of the people, then learning how to amplify their effects." Total Knowledge Points: 25	Pop Style Max Level 10 For each level up, Spirited Melody's duration +1 sec. "Bards have embraced popular music as a way of expanding their fanbase." Total Knowledge Points: 30

Gameplay commentary

Equipment and stats

Most Bard spells require you to have a Guitar equipped, so any other weapon is out of question. Bards use Light Armor.

If you're focusing on a DPS-oriented build, consider M-CRIT Rate (LCK), M-CRIT DMG, and Cast SPD/EVA (AGI).

If healing is your primary focus, consider M-CRIT Rate (LCK), M-CRIT DMG, Cast SPD (AGI), and G-Healing (WIS).

Offensive strategies

Until level 25, the Bard's soloing capacity is slow, relying only on two single-targeting spells: Earth Shock and Vocal Bomb. However, once a Bard unlocks Poem of Wind at class level 20 and Burning Metal at class level 25, it's very easy to run around in circles while hitting several targets with Burning Metal.

Bard works well in a duo combination with a Tank AoE; a good example would be a Mechanized Engineer and Bard. A Bard can provide buffs, easy group healing, and mob attraction (with Burning Metal), and the other can use their powerful AoE skills while tanking, keeping fire off of the Bard. Keep in mind that in a group, your priorities are in this order: surviving (potions, kiting, running out of stuff in the ground), healing, buffing, debuffing, and lastly, doing damage.

Support role

Bard is an unique support class that brings an array of buffs, debuffs and healing spells to their group. Their main benefits to groups are:

• Healing: Even though Bards have good offensive abilities, they're more oriented towards supporting and healing. Cure will be their main healing spell until unlocking Music of Life at class level 30, an incredibly powerful heal-over-time skill that heals an entire group simultaneously.
• Buffs: Bards bring an unique and ample array of boosting spells to their allies. They possess defensive buffs (Song of Illusion), offensive buffs (Spirited Melody, War Rhyme, Demonic Symphony) and a great movement speed buff (Poem of Wind).
• Debuffs: Bards not only inflict an Accuracy debuff from Earth Shock, they also have Burning Metal, which lowers the defense of enemies in a wide area.
• Debuff removal: Even though they don't have as many tools to remove debuffs as their fellow Clerics, Bards still have the Prevention skill to remove ailments from allies. This can reduce the damage taken and reduce the amont of healing needed to keep your party alive.
• Revival: As with any class from the Healing and Support branch, Bards can bring allies back to life if not in combat. Ressurected players are brought back in the same place where their bodies were, and are immune to effects and invisible to monsters for a few seconds. Make sure they get away from enemies before the immunity ends!

Bards aren't as much of a healing specialist as Clerics, but what they lack in healing tools, they make up for in utility.

Healing strategies

Although a Bard's healing capacity is limited until they learn Music of Life, they can easily provide healing in 3-man dungeons and support their fellow Clerics in 5-man dungeons.

In a party setting, a Bard should constantly maintain Music of Life stacked to 3, and use Cure whenever its needed. Even though buffing is what Bards are specialized in, these are of no use if your group is dead.

Being grouped with a Cleric gives more freedom to cast your buffs while the Cleric keeps everyone healthy, but watch for debuffs and heavy damage moments when your fellow healer might need help. Depending on your hotkey settings, you can press Ctrl+(1-4) or F1-F4 to quickly select a party member, which lets you change quickly from target to target for healing. In a party, it is usually better to focus on healing, while occasionally going for a buff if Music of Life is able to keep up with the damage.

Gallery

Trivia

• Bard is the only case where it is the sole class prerequisite for another class, and the class unlocked is of a different branch—in this case, Blade Dancer.

Healing Branch

Preawakened Classes	Awakened Classes
Cleric	Adjudicator	Equilibrian
Bard	Battlefield Poet	Life Worshipper
Shaman	Unreleased	Unreleased
Sage	Unreleased	Unreleased