Multiple suggestions to bards playstyle

[Alex_F]

Bard

The bard has a single baton (conductors rod) and five orbs. Each orb has a special effect, its own beat and represents an instrument. Only 3 orbs can be played at once. For example the orb with the violine on it, heals and plays a slow beat of ABAAB. So basically these orbs are in front of the bard and are small. When the bard hits an orb that orb becomes bigger , starts playing and the effect starts. Now every orb has 3 levels, which can be activated when hit. Every level can always only be used on 1 of the 3 chosen orbs. The levels:

1. loud - the effect is at its strongest - orb is red
2. medium - the effect is medium - orb is blue
3. quiet - the effect is minimal - orb is yellow

[Richleth]

A bit passive, perhaps you can control how loud each instrument is by conducting. Conducting wider makes the instruments louder, perhaps if you need to keep tempo as well you can conduct pre set songs and then if you do the tempo and dynamics correctly you get a bonus in effect.

[Alex_F]

New suggestion to the bards play style.
This is a way more active approach.
You have 8 orbs which represent a specific instrument and each orb has its own sound lasting 3 sec. These orbs could be very small in front of you, so that they won’t get in your way. So you can place/throw up to 5 orbs where you want them to be. There they would float. There still inactive. To make an orb play, the player has to move their conductor rod in a specific way (pattern). Btw an orb only plays for 3 sec. This pattern could be based on the instrument of the orb. When the orb plays it becomes bigger, could change to a more vibrant color (and perhaps rotates). Also when you play the orb 3 times in a row and then move your conductor rod in the pattern of a clover, it continues playing by itself. Only 2 Instruments can be played by themselves at once.
The orbs still have the same effects as in the beta!! The effect starts when the orb is played.

( Maybe only the bard sees the orbs . The other players can only hear the music, notice the effects and can see the conductors rod. )

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Also this play style resembles a mini orchestra with a conductor. This way could allow a player to create melodies easily. Also it makes it easier to support your friends and defend yourself. This method also looks very pleasing. You could also play for friends or at highstepp for newbies or host a concert .

[Metris_Marshmallow]

it continues playing by itself.

That is likely the key sentence, the instrument should be able to do things, by itself… I keep imagining the bard in a simple shard dungeon, say, on the way to a boss like Sentry, and fail to do it and I fail at the trash already, not even at the actual boss fights. A group will need no more than a few seconds to get past the first group, players usually move out of the way of each other, most of the bard’s debuffs require to be in range of mobs, so positioning is all, then in the next few secs they move on, again few secs fight, move on, few secs fight, gogogo and so on. Most groups which are in front of mist keeper also need constant position changes of everyone to not get hit by the AoEs and with the new dodging system movement is gonna be even more a key skill in fights.

All the old classes need only a sec or less to do their combos, shots, spell drawings etc., they are flexible. I can not imagine how to reposition myself constantly, watch the fight and hit even 2 of the “flying” notes all at the same time, regardless 9+ or conducting or what not. I don’t see yet how the bard fits into the picture without the group having to wait for him to catch-up, prepare, do his thingies all the time, but yea there’s surely solutions for that, perhaps it is also a bit early since we could not test any actual dungeon performance.