Bard Trapper for new players

[Detrick_Kalte]

Yet another build from the repository that is #1 on Google search despite not having a post in nearly a year and a half.

Is it still relevant? Who knows! But I tried it anyway and ****... this one seems like a paper build. Nearly 9th level and STILL have only trip and sunder for combat moves and no aoe attacks whatsoever. And this is supposed to be a melee build. It's decently well protected and handles most situations without too much trouble (Big aoe blindness/obscuring type spells are pretty much its bane but decent defense in general). But fights are tedious with bog standard attacks spammed to death to slog through with. You can cc with fascinate but then you still have to wade through one by one. Bring a good hench if you want to finish your quests before your beard grows in.

[magaiti]

Yet another build from the repository that is #1 on Google search despite not having a post in nearly a year and a half.

Is it still relevant? Who knows! But I tried it anyway and ****... this one seems like a paper build. Nearly 9th level and STILL have only trip and sunder for combat moves and no aoe attacks whatsoever. And this is supposed to be a melee build. It's decently well protected and handles most situations without too much trouble (Big aoe blindness/obscuring type spells are pretty much its bane but decent defense in general). But fights are tedious with bog standard attacks spammed to death to slog through with. You can cc with fascinate but then you still have to wade through one by one. Bring a good hench if you want to finish your quests before your beard grows in.

Going through enemies one-by-one was/is true for any SWF build, not just bard. Considering current state of affairs though, THF is your choice if you want your DPS be the main point of your build.
I have a similar bard build, but I tailored it to be buffer/trapper with rudimentary swashbuckling (23 singer, 37 chanter, 13 swash, 7 harper), with party play as main intent.
for CC, I was using Fascinate and Frozen Fury throughout leveling and endgame.
You don't have to kill every mob in the quest, just fascinate a pack, pull the lever or whatever you wanted to do in the room, and run away.
Also pick up buckler with guardbreaking, it works as a defense layer, often disrupting your target's attack animation.