Music of the Dead?

[ThePage311]

I was intending to take Music of the Dead, but did not realize until level 6 that I needed to have Extra Song IV!

As great as Music of the Dead seems, especially since I expect to be running quite a bit of Delara's, it seems like a lot of AP. I am also trying to get Spellsinger and already I'm complaining about taking enhancements I don't want. In the case of Spellsinger the +100 SP, +1 DC and -10% spell cost so heavily outweigh what I could do with the AP it seems like a no brainer.

I don't feel like I need the additional songs, but I suppose I would find use for them once I had them. My question is, do people think it is worth using Music of the Dead? Are all those extra songs over kill, or do you find they are very helpful?

[EinarMal]

I think it would be good, but never have enough free action points to fit it in. The extra song IV thing is pretty much not worth it in my opinion. Once you get 10+ songs per shrine that is generally enough for me.

I guess that is the appeal of virtuoso, as it qualifies you for song of the dead. I just like spellsinger better so that wasn't an option either.

I just can't see fitting it in on a spellsinger build, maybe when the cap is 20 and if they don't add a lot of high level enhancements you can eventually grab it (I might do that at some point).

[Cedrica-the-Bard]

I did spend the AP to get Song of the Dead on my Warchanter dwarf. He has one level of Fighter and 17 songs total at level 14. I find all the extra songs extremely useful mainly because I only have Extend Song II and the Warchanter DR song only lasts a little over 3 minutes. If I want to keep everyone buffed with 3 songs between shrines and throw the emergency fascinate, those 17 songs are very handy. Even moreso when Mod 6 comes out because it looks like there aren't many shrines placed in the new quests. Finally, I HATE UNDEAD! I hate fighting them! I much prefer to sing them a song and move on. Having that option has saved my fat butt a few times.

[Blind_Skwerl]

I have a WF warchanting battlebard. I seldom use fascinate, becasue the kill hungry zergers in my guild refuse to be patient enough. My songs are used for buffing. I have 16 songs after resting, and usually still have 8-14 songs by the time I hit the next shrine. But they do last for over 6 minutes.

[Gypsy_Mouse]

The way I look at it is the songs are only as useful as you make them.

If you're only going to buff, then no, the extra songs aren't worth it as pointed out by Einar Mal and Blind Skwerl. In most cases you'll have plenty between shrines.

But, depending on the quest and the group, you may find certain situations where you have used every song or close to it.


As a Virtuoso, running through PoP and Enthralling everything as the rest work their way up is pretty nice, and there are still songs left for buffing and Enthralling inside the rooms (if everyone holds off long enough for you to get them played).

Desert Caravan can use all your songs just for Fascinating/Enthralling.


The smoothest run I've had in From Beyond the Grave (with non-capped characters) is with my bard and using Music of the Dead. Everything at the pyres is Fascinated including the wraiths while one other is lighting, leaving the rest to guard the gate. But I think I still had 3 or 4 songs left out of my 17.

The smoothest elite run in Madstone Crater I've been in on was with a bard who basically Fascinated everything around the seers, so there was minimal SP spent by the casters and cleric. I never asked how many songs he had and used between shrines.


Honestly though, it's all situational. Like Blind Skwerl said, the kill hungry zergers always ruin it for the bard, so you may find more often than not that you'll do the buff songs and that's about it.

I don't regret taking Music of the Dead over some other enhancement with my Virtuoso, but when my Spellsinger gets high enough, I'm not going to bother with it. Yes, there are a lot of undead quests, but few enough of them that have hordes needing a song to soothe them when you have plenty of DPS and fire wielding casters.

I haven't decided yet on whether I'll keep up on the extra songs. I'm too paranoid about the future of Perform and may just make sure that's maxed in every way possible.

[EinarMal]

The way I look at it is the songs are only as useful as you make them.

If you're only going to buff, then no, the extra songs aren't worth it as pointed out by Einar Mal and Blind Skwerl. In most cases you'll have plenty between shrines.

But, depending on the quest and the group, you may find certain situations where you have used every song or close to it.


As a Virtuoso, running through PoP and Enthralling everything as the rest work their way up is pretty nice, and there are still songs left for buffing and Enthralling inside the rooms (if everyone holds off long enough for you to get them played).

Desert Caravan can use all your songs just for Fascinating/Enthralling.


The smoothest run I've had in From Beyond the Grave (with non-capped characters) is with my bard and using Music of the Dead. Everything at the pyres is Fascinated including the wraiths while one other is lighting, leaving the rest to guard the gate. But I think I still had 3 or 4 songs left out of my 17.

The smoothest elite run in Madstone Crater I've been in on was with a bard who basically Fascinated everything around the seers, so there was minimal SP spent by the casters and cleric. I never asked how many songs he had and used between shrines.


Honestly though, it's all situational. Like Blind Skwerl said, the kill hungry zergers always ruin it for the bard, so you may find more often than not that you'll do the buff songs and that's about it.

I don't regret taking Music of the Dead over some other enhancement with my Virtuoso, but when my Spellsinger gets high enough, I'm not going to bother with it. Yes, there are a lot of undead quests, but few enough of them that have hordes needing a song to soothe them when you have plenty of DPS and fire wielding casters.

I haven't decided yet on whether I'll keep up on the extra songs. I'm too paranoid about the future of Perform and may just make sure that's maxed in every way possible.

Very well said, it basically comes down to how you play and who you play with on whether or not music of the dead is really that big of a deal. I've found that most groups at high levels have at least one DPS caster that pretty much wipe out everything faster than you could finish the song, and with AOE spell damage fascinate/MOD are useless anyway.

[Cedrica-the-Bard]

Oh, I should have pointed out that I do not have Song of the Dead on my Spellsinger Bard. Different playstyle altogether from my Warchanter. So the point made about it depending on your play style is bang on.

[Zenako]

Well I found room on my Spellsinger Bard for Music of the Dead, Music of the Makers and the Extra Song IV (obviously). WIth 18 songs per rest, I have little excuse to not having a note trail 24/7 in my parties. makes a lot of quests a LOT easier when you can fascinate 90+% of the mobs (vermin and oozes still immune....grrrr). How effective you can be with fascinate depends on the group you are running with. If they never let you use fascinate on giants, they will probably not let you have time to work on undead either.

I often pop one off in various PoP rooms to keep things somewhat static while the boss is killed. With some skill and timing, you put beholders into a trance as well.

Even if they someday make Fascinate a Perform based Save the mobs will be looking at something like a DC44 for saving anyway. Good luck mobs.