Bard Skill Basics

This guide will go over just the basics of using the various Bard Skills and how they work currently in the game.

The information presented in this guide is from the current live build of 1354 (Release 87).

Summary
Currently the Bard Skill is a series of skills that are only available for accounts that have the Episode 2 Early Access. You can view the Bard Skill tree by pressing the k key to bring up the Skills window. And then select the Adventuring tab and see the Bard Skill tree near the bottom.

The trainer you can learn these skills from is on the new continent of Mistrendur and located in the adventure scene named Ruins of Utheim. The Bard Trainer, Oski is located at the default entrance of this scene. Speak to them to train any of these skills. You must have Episode 2 Early Access to enter this scene.

Of note, there is only a requirement of only level 20 to train any of these skills that are directly below another skill.

The various Bard Skills when attempting to activate them, can be interrupted (like if another creature stuns you). If you are interrupted while trying to activate the skill, the skill will not work.

When activating (casting) a bard skill, you will see a bar that will take some time to fill until the skill is successfully activated:



If you get interrupted (like with stun) you will see an indictor where the bar is and it will then turn red:



The Player and Party Boost Skills
All of these skill will play an activation sound when activated, letting you know the skill was successfully activated and have a Visual Effect (VFX) placed on the player letting you know it is still active. Except for Savage Sonata.

All of these skills have a short activation time. All of these skills are placed on the player and will move around with them as they move around a scene.

Melody of Mending
This skill when successfully activated will provide an area of effect health recovery buff to the player and any near by friendly targets that are near the player that successfully activates this skill.

Rhapsody of Recovery
This skill when successfully activated will provide an area of effect focus recovery buff to the player and any near by friendly targets that are near the player that successfully activates this skill.

Anthem of Alacrity
This skill when successfully activated will provide an area of effect Move Rate, Attack Speed and Dexterity buff to the player and any near by friendly targets that are near the player that successfully activates this skill.

Savage Sonata
This skill when successfully activated will provide an area of effect Strength, Dexterity and Weapon Critical Damage buff to the player and any near by friendly targets that are near the player that successfully activates this skill.
This skill currently does not play an activation sound when activated.
This skill currently does not display any Visual Effect on the player.

Refrain of Resistance
This skill when successfully activated will provide an area of effect Magic Resistance buff to the player and any near by friendly targets that are near the player that successfully activates this skill.

The Area Of Effect(AOE) Skills
All of these skill will play an activation sound when activated, letting you know the skill was successfully activated and have a Visual Effect (VFX) placed on the player letting you know it is still active. These skills have a very long activation time. All of these skills are placed on the player and will move around with them as they move around a scene. Except for Concussive Canticle which is only a one time per use skill.

Concussive Canticle
This will do a one time large amount Sonic damage and has a chance to cause any near by hostile creature to be knocked back from the player that successfully activates this skill. This is a one time per use skill.

Atonal Aria
This skill when successfully activated will provide an area of effect debuff to hostile and neutral creatures. Hostile or neutral creatures that get near the player with this debuff currently active will receive a large amount of Physical Damage.

Psalm of Stagnation
This skill when successfully activated will provide an area of effect debuff to hostile creatures. Any hostile creatures that gets near the player with this buff currently active will have their Move Rate and Dexterity reduced.

Mesmerizing Melody
This skill when successfully activated will provide an area of effect debuff to hostile creatures. Any hostile creatures that gets near the player with this buff currently active will have a chance to become mesmerized.

Bard Specialization
Training this skill will provide various additional effect to some of the Bard Skills. I will not be providing any information on these specifics at this time in this guide.

And that is it! Now knowing HOW these skills are working currently in the game should help you understand how to use these various skills much more effectively!

Let me know if you have any other questions or if I just wasn't explaining something clearly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All of the information in this post was tested and confirmed by me in the current live build of 1354.
All of the information in this post was tested and confirmed by me in the current live build of 1325.
*added information on activating and when interrupted.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Does Savage Sonata actually affect the player who uses it? I've never noticed it actually apply the buff to myself, even when standing still. Though, it may have been bugged when I tried it, as it was a while ago.

I believe the tooltip also says it only affects friendly players and pets, though I may be misremembering that.

Regardless, great guide!

 

Savage Sonata is definitely applying a buff upon my character when successfully activated.

 

I can assure you guys 100% that I get the buff when using Savage Sonata, I play solo 90% of the time and I see the difference in my character sheet when I do have the buff vs when I don't

 

I never tried having my char sheet up. I just never saw the icon appear. I would see the one you get for the song duration, but I never saw the other icon. (The one that reapplies every 2 seconds or so with the actual buff.)

Might have been just a bug with the icon displaying, but I was still getting the buff.

 

Just checked; it is applying to myself now.

 

Ah, I see why I was confused. It acts like a totem. Since I have to kite like hell 99% of the time, I'm never in the radius. So it seemed to work fine when I was at a practice dummy, but didn't seem to do anything out in the field.

 

This is now updated for the current build of 1354.

Previously, several skills were set as totem based AOE effects, Now all skills are placed on the player and will follow them as they move around the scene (except Concussive Canticle with is a one time use skill).

Savage Sonata currently does not play any activation sound and shows no VFX on the player letting you know the skill is active. All of the other skills do.