Gathering some data
What do you believe is the best implementation of a bard class/kit/playstyle in games?
Could be an MMO, RPG, moba, etc
What do you believe is the best implementation of a bard class/kit/playstyle in games?
Could be an MMO, RPG, moba, etc
Comments
But I always love a bard that doesn't just pull power from music, but from the vast lore and stories they carry with them. People that truly can give and pull power from myth and legend.
Miracles are, according to the game itself, actual miraculous tales and acts of the gods being evoked in physical form.
Your buffs and abilities work on the rythm of the music you compose yourself, and encourage players to listen to it and play in rythm to get insane buffs
It's got music sheets to learn, different instruments to master, you provide buffs and debuffs to allies and enemies, earn money in taverns, and you can expand on play styles based on either entertainment or combat or a mix of the 2
And the outfits are cute...
Did I mention the outfits? >.>
The capability of changing your auras on the fly while being a good control/support caster and having some specific subclass dependends effects such as Warrior giving orders or Maestro doing a high note for a
+
Enigma also has some of the best skills on recall knowledge
Some of the most fun I had was playing a Warrior/Enigma Bard with Obedience Champion archetype themed on being a battlefield tactician and it was just so much fun
songs are automatically sung over time, consisting of verses which you arrange into a song. verses have an effect while they are being sung, and a lingering effect afterwards which scales from your stats.
So...
Is Adeleine from Kirby a bard?
Are the Expedition 33 Painters bards?
Also if I had a nickle for every Archer to Bard advancement, I'd have two nickles. Which isn't a lot but is weird it happened twice (FFXIV & RO)
Dnd 4e bard is definitely interesting, especially since it can really be great for setting allies up via moving allies and foes along with the standard healing and numerical buffs
I feel like pf2e bard is able to cover all of the bases of what one could want out of a bard...
Enigma is pretty great if you want more of a bard of obscure lore but competes with Thaumaturge
Polymath is just a good skill monkey since you can just use performance for any skill check
Warrior bard can be a decent gish that is able to make your...
There is Zoophonia bard which is the animal themed one but it kind of is a mixed bag
Then the best of all is maestro which can just do the lingering comp to make their inspire courage last for a few more rounds.
Thankfully you can...
Also there's Rising Force as a heavy metal bard.
buffer class where all its weapons are harps and every single one of its skills is a song
been chasing the harp weapon high ever since
Meanwhile, the subjob system allowed you to round it out how you wanted, either as a pure support, damage, or healer.
I'm not not a fan of archers with side gigs, like in FFXIV.
A class that's both a dancer and plays an instrument? I need it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjmVz-_mTK4
Terraria had a fun mod that added in instruments that when you hit enemies with one instruments it would give buffs to you and anyone around you! It really encouraged you to have a set of different instruments for different buffs to stack on your team.
Also, of course, Monster Hunter. Hunting Horn is basically a bard, just slightly more aggressive than average
Temporarily buffing damage or healing dealt by allies or their speed or even remove some emotion-related effects like fear or enemy rage. etc etc...
source: my brain. it does not exist (yet)
Composing the music itself was a core feature of the game, be it yourself or buying a written score from another player.
Baldur's Gate 3's bard dialogue specifically is incredibly central to the experience for me too.
Doesnt matter if there's a mechanical benefit or not, just being able to do that feels integral and ripe for memorable moments.
It was such a simple mechanic that required thought to benefit you.
I associate 'bard' with doing fun things with music, but a lot of 'Bard gameplay styles' don't truly interact with that. But Mother 3 giving you a soundtrack full of wildly different songs and going 'match its tempo for more damage' is exactly what I'd want.
I have enjoyed playing it.
But whenever high charisma meets high agility meets musical talent, it’s definitely Bard-coded!
...but for real I don't think I've ever played a bard class that made me feel like I was actually inspiring people via tales and song, and I've played a *lot* of bards
The former can destroy everything, turn invisible, and stuff with bluetooth speakers, the latter let it rip to buff allies while burning everything.
Add Banshee for a Rogue/Bard multiclass.
I think this would work really well with a Bard.
that felt like the best bard rep <3
Mechanically? Hunting horn hands down. As a bow main I never feel so powerful as when a HH answers my SOS and brings the stamina buffs. 12/10 support class.
Also Rift because they are not Heals or DPS but 'Support'
Project Gorgon bard can perform to give out buffs that improve the longer you listen.
Ultima Online had one of the coolest battle bards; they could both pacify mobs or make them fight each other!
Kind of like "fighter", in a sense: Are we talking about an easy to pick up swordsman in D&D, or Terry Bogard in KOF?
Just my thoughts on the matter.
It's rocking a guitar with style and has synergy with the Blade Dancer class with a mix of offence and support. The song casts are cool too.
I love timed hits in a game that seriously reward the player for being able to pay attention to that kinda thing
All of his abilities involve him playing his guitar (which has guns built into it), but the songs are divided into categories. Delight, rage, grief, and passion.
He's valuable but not too complicated.
Our lovesick mariachi singer has the stereotypical staples of a bard, but brings firepower to battle in the form of his guitar modded with a shotgun, flamethrower, and micro-rocket launcher.
I don't want to be rude, but music classes are maybe best performed in music games, a bit more rpg is Crypt of the Necrodancer feat Hatsune Miku
Specifically the song rotation plus party buffs. Makes the Job feel like a concert :3
Music typically is team buffs or debuffs while the spells are Occult and are manipulating emotions, illusions, curses, etc. It shows a light and dark side of the bard which i think is cool!
I enjoyed playing a Bard in Pathfinder 1st Edition
If we count Songstress as a more dancey-ish bard, FE14 and FFx-2 have some fun stuff w their songstresses, ofc im a ff14 Bard fan all the way (mostly for the job quests and Job gear Aesthetics+
and ik a bunch of ppl have said it already. but HUNTING HORN MY BELOVED
Primrose is more focused on damage, while Agnea is more focused on support. Agnea can even use various npcs she can recruit to perform with her.
Coming from FF14, this Bard iteration was really refreshing.
And maybe not the best per se, but a really fun one is from a mod for Terraria.
The Thorium mod added bard weapons, and its real fun playing a large tuba in battle.
But more importantly, mayonaise is an instrument.