How do bards' songs stack exactly?

[Oliphant]

Same question basically, a few different ways:

1. If a Spellsinger, Stormsinger and Warchanter walk into a bar, can the patrons get the best of all their special song add ons?

2. Given different bards can have different song add-ons, and given that songs reportedly don't stack, only the best applies (or something), what does that actually mean?

3. Does bard with highest song level just straight up overwrite the other bards' songs? Seems like more questions then, like what happens in tie?

[Enoach]

Think of it this way

Bard A - has effect 1 and effect 2
Bard B - has effect 1 and effect 3
Bard C - has effect 2 and effect 3 and effect 4

when all buffs are applied
Receiver will get effects 1 (strongest of A or B), 2 (strongest of A or C), 3 (strongest B or C) and 4

Basically, the same effect will go to the strongest, unique effects will be available. This is why it can be very powerful to have multiple different types of Bards in your party.

Now by strongest I mean bonus not length of time. if the strongest effect has the shorter time, when it expires the weaker one with longer time will still be in play

[LokiFrost20882]

Think of it this way

Bard A - has effect 1 and effect 2
Bard B - has effect 1 and effect 3
Bard C - has effect 2 and effect 3 and effect 4

+1 Rep. Great explanation

[Oliphant]

Thanks, very clear! Exactly what I needed (and the news was good news)

[vryxnr]

I would love to see tests (plural) to prove this.

Not long ago I was in a raid where one bard player was yelling at another bard player for singing, because he said that his lower power bard songs were overriding his better bard songs.

I did a quick test myself via dualboxing 2 bards (one was level 30, the other 32) and the higher level songs were applied and not removed, but they were both very similar builds, and this is just a sample size of one. I would love to see many bards of different builds and different strengths work together to see which buffs from each song gets applied.

[unbongwah]

Basically, the same effect will go to the strongest, unique effects will be available. This is why it can be very powerful to have multiple different types of Bards in your party.

It helps that Spellsinger enhancements are focused on Fascinate and Inspiration bonuses while Warchanter focuses on Ballad improvements. So your party could have a Stormsinger with T5 Spellsinger (Spell Song Vigor) + T4 Stormsinger (Stormsinger's Inspiration) and a melee Warchanter with its tier-5 (Ballad Melody), which avoids duplicate bonuses as much as possible and they serve complementary roles on the team (caster DPS and frontline support / CC, respectively).

[jskinner937]

It helps that Spellsinger enhancements are focused on Fascinate and Inspiration bonuses while Warchanter focuses on Ballad improvements. So your party could have a Stormsinger with T5 Spellsinger (Spell Song Vigor) + T4 Stormsinger (Stormsinger's Inspiration) and a melee Warchanter with its tier-5 (Ballad Melody), which avoids duplicate bonuses as much as possible and they serve complementary roles on the team (caster DPS and frontline support / CC, respectively).

Agree that’s ideal. Warchanter t5 is top song as well, especially in raids.

One thing I noticed about bard songs. If you have multiple with t4 Spellsinger healing song, don’t apply your own song to yourself. Get the other bard to sing for you and sing for the other bard. That way no healing penalty in reaper. Now if you sing for yourself after the other bard sung for you, it can overwrite to where you have a healing penalty again. I don’t know if it’s positive spell power, perform or even the song itself that overwrites.