Looking for Bard DPS build

[mercedesbinns07]

Hello, I am looking for the ultimate Bard dps build. I am VIP and very familiar with the game, have capped 3 toons and am currently TRing one of them into a Monster. My bard is a 20 Drow Warchanter II, using a Min II Falchion, and I am looking to TR her into an effective Bard dps build by multiclassing. However, I am stuck.

The skills she must absolutely have are UMD and haggle. The rest are open for negotiation. I want to be able to still cast, so kind of leaning away from barbarian, but I won't rule it out. I am just not sure about how to plan her. I would like suggestions on which race would be most effective (absolutely excluding Warforged, Halfling, and Dwarf races), what her starting stats should be, which levels I should take which classes, etc, which feats would be more effective for dps, if she should stay THF like on her first life or switch to TWF... etc, etc.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

-Jes

[maha0201]

1st wrong forum XD
2nd skill is must in preform so you can otto some :P and chant some
3rd i would go 16 bard/2ftr/2bbn - since you use 2hf no big point in rog, go either human or Horc 10-12 cha rest on str / con maybee to int if you are Horc, get +2 cha and int before tring though

[mercedesbinns07]

Meh, I couldn't find the right forum, so I figured I'd go with my own server. ^.^ As for that build, I was trying not to go barb. I don't cast otto's to be honest, all it does is cause lag, and I usually discourage anyone else from casting it in VoD and Shroud. Chanting would not be a problem. I was thinking maybe 16 bard, 4 fighter. If there are any official builds for that, that would be awesome.

-Jes

[blitzschlag]

Meh, I couldn't find the right forum, so I figured I'd go with my own server. ^.^ As for that build, I was trying not to go barb. I don't cast otto's to be honest, all it does is cause lag, and I usually discourage anyone else from casting it in VoD and Shroud. Chanting would not be a problem. I was thinking maybe 16 bard, 4 fighter. If there are any official builds for that, that would be awesome.

-Jes

i think he was talking about ottos irresistible dance. single target. anyway.

bard thf
high str. levelups there
basic dex
high con
basic int
basic wis
medium/low charisma

feats thf (musthave)
toughness
pa
weapon focus (warchanter pre)
extend (displacement/rage/haste)
maximize (for masscures)


bard twf
high str. levelups there
get enough dex for gtwf (e.g. starting 15 and +2 tome. starting 14 if you have +3 tome)
medium/high con
basic int
basic wis
medium/low charisma

feats twf (musthave)
3 x twf
pa
weapon focus (warchanter pre)
toughness
extend (displacement/rage/haste)
maximize (for masscures)


16bard/2ftr/2barb (you only get 3 rages anyway which are ok for boss battles or endurance fights) if you need to cast you can always dismiss the rage.
16bard/2ftr/2rog evasion. even trapskills possible (i would not recommend it though on this build)
20bard

[maha0201]

well as you can see i have 16bard/2ftr/2bbn, and i do use otto especialy in epics since dc is youre preforme and not youre cha mod + lvl of spell....
you need base of 17 preform iirc (without item) for AC song. [by otto i mean otto irrisistable dance - the one on touch not dance ball ]
If you go dps part do you plan to go Warchanter, spellsinger or virtuoso ?
On swithcing to 2wf do you have wepons on you you are aware you sohould then craft 2 min2 or get 2 boss beaters, if you have min2 falcion i would stay 2hf

As for bbn part 2 bbn give you +4 hp over ftr, power attack enhancment barbarian constitution 1, dr 1 (1 more rage if you go WC 1 rage enhancment and enhancment for 25% longer rage) remember if you go bbn you dont need to be raged all the time

Feats power attack, improved critical: wepon choice, toughness, greater style fighting - this are 6 + 1 for youre PrE + quicken + extend (if you go human youll have 8 feats + 2 ftr feats) so 1 is empty you can get stuning blow sf or empower healing

[mercedesbinns07]

well as you can see i have 16bard/2ftr/2bbn, and i do use otto especialy in epics since dc is youre preforme and not youre cha mod + lvl of spell....
you need base of 17 preform iirc (without item) for AC song. [by otto i mean otto irrisistable dance - the one on touch not dance ball ]
If you go dps part do you plan to go Warchanter, spellsinger or virtuoso ?
On swithcing to 2wf do you have wepons on you you are aware you sohould then craft 2 min2 or get 2 boss beaters, if you have min2 falcion i would stay 2hf

As for bbn part 2 bbn give you +4 hp over ftr, power attack enhancment barbarian constitution 1, dr 1 (1 more rage if you go WC 1 rage enhancment and enhancment for 25% longer rage) remember if you go bbn you dont need to be raged all the time

Feats power attack, improved critical: wepon choice, toughness, greater style fighting - this are 6 + 1 for youre PrE + quicken + extend (if you go human youll have 8 feats + 2 ftr feats) so 1 is empty you can get stuning blow sf or empower healing

I don't use any form of dancing spells, otto's or dancing ball. As for prestige, I'm sticking with Warchanter. I may go barbarian splash, since I am already equipped with the falchion. For healing, in response to Blitz, I only use scrolls when necessary, which is why I must have the UMD. I appreciate the responses. Any recommendation on actual stat points?

-Jes.

[Chette]

The skills she must absolutely have are UMD and haggle.

Don't forget perform. A bard that can't fasciniate epic trash is a pretty terribly built bard. You need ~50 perform to hit most epic mobs, which requires full or nearly full ranks for most builds that don't max out charisma.

I want to be able to still cast, so kind of leaning away from barbarian, but I won't rule it out.

You don't have to rage all the time, or ever really, to take advantage of a barbarian splash. The run speed and sprint boost alone are worth it IMO and there are some other nice enhancements as well.

I am just not sure about how to plan her. I would like suggestions on which race would be most effective (absolutely excluding Warforged, Halfling, and Dwarf races)

Human or half-orc

what her starting stats should be

20 str
8 dex
16 con
8 int
8 wis
12 cha

which levels I should take which classes

I like to get fighter and barbarian levels in early for the run speed and haste boost. Then I like to get to 8 bard ASAP for a bump to song damage. Try to do your fighter splashes when you need feats and try to "pause" your barding when you get to nice levels, such as 8 and 14 for songs, 7, 10 and 13 for spells, etc.

Don't forget that you don't really *need* to splash to get great DPS, and by staying pure instead of splashing you give EVERY member of the party +1 to hit and damage from your songs. So, before you splash, ask yourself, am I getting enough benefit out of this to make up for giving everybody else (probably 9 other raid member) +1 to damage, and +1 to hit (very useful in epics)? I like to splash on TWF so I can get extra feats to take take khopesh, but on a THF I would be much more hesitant.

[ulticleo]

well as you can see i have 16bard/2ftr/2bbn, and i do use otto especialy in epics since dc is youre preforme and not youre cha mod + lvl of spell....

Wait, what? my bard is only lvl 12, but this is new. afaik (I have two casters), otto's irresistible dance doesn't have a save, but is subject to spell resistance, which is off you char level, feats, enhancements, and gear. otto's sphere has a save which should be off 10 + char mod + spell level(+highten) + feats + items (and also SR as above). This is the first I am hearing that a bard's disco ball is based off the perform skill.

Can someone please confirm/refute this?

[Chette]

Wait, what? my bard is only lvl 12, but this is new. afaik (I have two casters), otto's irresistible dance doesn't have a save, but is subject to spell resistance, which is off you char level, feats, enhancements, and gear. otto's sphere has a save which should be off 10 + char mod + spell level(+highten) + feats + items (and also SR as above). This is the first I am hearing that a bard's disco ball is based off the perform skill.

Can someone please confirm/refute this?

You are correct, irresistible has no save and is spell resistance only. Dancing ball has a save and is based off spell DC. Neither have anything to do with perform. Only fascinate is a perform check, or the virtuoso dance-song.

[Chubsta]

This is the build I based my WC on. Not going to have 6th level spells or WCII, but it is a fun build with good DPS. You might have to switch some things up for your Kopeshes as this build is built around dwarven axes, but you could adapt it for want you are wanting.
http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=195289

-Chubsta

[mercedesbinns07]

Don't forget perform. A bard that can't fasciniate epic trash is a pretty terribly built bard. You need ~50 perform to hit most epic mobs, which requires full or nearly full ranks for most builds that don't max out charisma.



You don't have to rage all the time, or ever really, to take advantage of a barbarian splash. The run speed and sprint boost alone are worth it IMO and there are some other nice enhancements as well.



Human or half-orc



20 str
8 dex
16 con
8 int
8 wis
12 cha


I like to get fighter and barbarian levels in early for the run speed and haste boost. Then I like to get to 8 bard ASAP for a bump to song damage. Try to do your fighter splashes when you need feats and try to "pause" your barding when you get to nice levels, such as 8 and 14 for songs, 7, 10 and 13 for spells, etc.

Don't forget that you don't really *need* to splash to get great DPS, and by staying pure instead of splashing you give EVERY member of the party +1 to hit and damage from your songs. So, before you splash, ask yourself, am I getting enough benefit out of this to make up for giving everybody else (probably 9 other raid member) +1 to damage, and +1 to hit (very useful in epics)? I like to splash on TWF so I can get extra feats to take take khopesh, but on a THF I would be much more hesitant.

Wow, this is very insightful. Thank you a lot! I totally looked over perform, even though my bard is capped out at 52 Perform atm. ._. But yes, she will have max perform, umd, and haggle next life. But I'd like your opinion on how many levels of barb and fighter I should take. Are you basing this off the standard 16/2/2? Thanks!


-Jes

[begbie]

First.. multi-classing is not the wisest course...

Go HOrc.. pure bard Warchanter... 18 8 14 8 10 14 (or so) and eat as many +2 tomes as you can get.

Go 2 hand weapon user... all 3 feats... toughness... slash or blunt spec and then craft gs great axe or maul...and power attack... last feat extend?

With those stats you'll have haggle, umd, perform, jump and balance for sure.

HOrc and bard enhancements are combat (horc damage, pa, 2h effects) , strength/chr and haggle (get all 4 ranks) focused...

You're dps will be excellent.. your songs will improve everything and your aoe's/buffs wil rwk. Never forget rage spell and displacement.

With this build you should reach at least a 65 haggle (gear etc), your cc will be solid (especially with mindfog)... and you'll hit as hard as any tank out there (except a barb).. with the ability to get hit less and self heal.

My bard is on her 2nd life and I am very happy with her dps.

p.s. Do not multi-class... your endgame will suffer.

[mercedesbinns07]

First.. multi-classing is not the wisest course...

Go HOrc.. pure bard Warchanter... 18 8 14 8 10 14 (or so) and eat as many +2 tomes as you can get.

Go 2 hand weapon user... all 3 feats... toughness... slash or blunt spec and then craft gs great axe or maul...and power attack... last feat extend?

With those stats you'll have haggle, umd, perform, jump and balance for sure.

HOrc and bard enhancements are combat (horc damage, pa, 2h effects) , strength/chr and haggle (get all 4 ranks) focused...

You're dps will be excellent.. your songs will improve everything and your aoe's/buffs wil rwk. Never forget rage spell and displacement.

With this build you should reach at least a 65 haggle (gear etc), your cc will be solid (especially with mindfog)... and you'll hit as hard as any tank out there (except a barb).. with the ability to get hit less and self heal.

My bard is on her 2nd life and I am very happy with her dps.

p.s. Do not multi-class... your endgame will suffer.

You know, I hadn't thought of that. She's drow on her first life, and while I was satisfied with her song and spell abilities, I didn't like her damage, and her hit points were a little lacking. I have con 6, greater false life, toughness, and the green steel +45 exceptional hit points, as well as the +2 con shrine from my ship, and I still felt gimp. ._. I guess with the horc race, I could mitigate that some more. Thank you for the response.

-Jes.

[Westerner]

Check out the Diva's Bard Love Guide.

Contains lots of good WC builds.

[Xenus_Paradox]

I'd go 2 Barb/2 Ftr over 4 Ftr.

[Kaeldur]

In my opinion if you want to get DPS on a warchanter you should be looking at TWF, since you'll get roughly "double worth" on your songs.

[Der_Incubo]

im rather fond of my 12 bard (wachanter)/ 6 barb (frenzy)/ 2 rog halfelf (pally dill).

sumtin about casting haste, rage, then barb raging makes little der stand up and salute.

and a piece of me dies everytime i have to dismiss rage to scroll heal or rez someone because they fail to be as awesome as my bard.

[begbie]

OK... so why do folkes think the fighter/bard splashes are good?

The extra 20hps?

The Barb Rage?

The extra feats?

All terrible reasons...

20 hps will not save your toons life on epic... your high caster level will (harder to dispel your buffs such as displacement)... you want longer timers on your combat songs cuz you and your party do 4+pts damage extra per hit on a non-crit with your songs... going for a few extra hps over better bard buffs is silly.

Barb Rage? ewww yuck. Try to cast displace.. use a Heal scroll etc on the fly when you're raged... you don\t have time to dispel rage when you really gotta get that spell effect off.

Extra Feats? You got enough as a pure bard to be very effective.. and you gotta be lvl 6 fighter to get specialization... no way would I lose Otto's or the high end bard effects for the extra feats.

Now if you want a novelty toon.. go for the splash build but on Epic... the splash-built bard will pale in comparrison to a full warchanter specced great axe/maul wielding HOrc

[begbie]

In my opinion if you want to get DPS on a warchanter you should be looking at TWF, since you'll get roughly "double worth" on your songs.

Anyone remember how "uber" the Tempest once was?

[Westerner]

Sigh... I miss the Bard forums already.