Posted by Proud Blade on April 3, 2000 at 15:55:45:
In Reply to: Actually, bard is probably the easiest class to play. NT posted by Salipek on April 3, 2000 at 14:35:17:
Low levels (<25): Your only reliable lagging move is trip, and any schmoe with 500 coins can get a potion to stop that. You can defend rather well (dodge, parry... you likely won't use a shield until you get a capella, and even then rarely), although your limited weapon selection means a creative opponent can often use something that you have trouble parrying. However, without the big damage songs (fire and ice, wild west wind) and a limited number of songs that disable your opponent (sleep is huge, but then things get slim), you will have trouble striking killing blows. You can avoid being killed with some ease, but good players won't fall unless you catch them off guard.
Mid levels (25-33): You pick up several useful songs (heavy heart for dodge-happy foes, dance w/ jak, etc.), and now that enhanced damage has kicked in, you no longer hit like a first-grader. Still, you might be able to drive foes off, but even with a successful sleep, you're easy to run from. Sneak can help get the drop on people, though.
High levels (34-44): Dome of illusion, fire and ice, and when you don't see me are all Powerful. Life's tomb can confuse opponents readily, but a strong opponent will know they can whoop you whether or not they know what else is going on. You can now start to gather some of the more interesting staves/scrolls to crank up your combat skills, and can PK quite readily with proper prep.
Fiend: (45-51): While it's not a death sentence, 100% fiend against a slept (and weak, heavy, when you don't see me, life's tomb, etc.) opponent is about as dangerous as being slept by a necro. (A little more or a little less depending on race/class). Unlike many necros, however, you have sneak, and can stand up in a fight longer (not counting wands) if the sleep fails, and there's no need for zombies.
The big thing that newer players underestimate is how much better a bard is with one of the following: shaman, necro, arcane trannie, other trannie, A-P, thief, assassin. (Rough order) Even a healer can curse, and curse plus fiend often means death. Curse + maledictions + fiend usually means horrible, nasty death. Even at lower levels, area sleep means a group of two can often take out a group of three if they get the sleep off, even if it doesn't work on everyone. And being slept in front of even a low level necromancer or shaman means trouble, especially since the bard can tank for them once you are spelled up.
Hardly the easiest class to PK with, though. Warriors and thieves are both "easier", in the sense that your plan is often very similar no matter who your opponent is (Warrior: lag them many times, knowing you can outfight most people one-to-one. Thief: jack them, steal their stuff, bind, backstab, lag). Wollscheid showed that you can be quite dull, and kill a lot of people with an air major and flyto/murder/repeat. Bards have to adjust more often, and have the versatility to do it. Try to sleep that felar warrior, or go for fire and ice? Start with dome of illusion? Fiend immediately, and fight toe-to-toe in the confusion? Or does he look wounded enough to go for trip-and-tank? Greensleeves, so he can't call help from nearby? Now, consider the same choices for an elf invoker, and see how priorities change. (25 int, elemental shields, resists charm)
A fun class, but hardly "easy".
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