Bard Skills:

Bard’s Dream:


These are the passives that make a good bard buffer. The first increases damage done by bard nukes, the second passive increases the range for which your tambours and moving march are effective, the third lowers the mana consumption of your tambours, and the fourth increases your resistance. Resistance is useful so if you do get attacked while using a tambour, it is most likely to stay up. This is key in parties with multiple bards buffing with dances.

Battle Chord:


These are your nukes. If you want to call yourself a battle bard, you need these. The first horror chord hits a single target, the second, booming chord, hits multiple targets without the need to target a specific one, skip the third skill, the fourth is the second version of horror chord but hits multiple targets, and the fifth is the higher version of booming wave.

Music Pleasure:


This line contains all of the bard’s core buffs. They consist of tambours (music protection that absorbs up to 40% phys and mag damage), movement buffs, and also tambours that increase the party’s hit rating. You must get all of these.

Skipping the Melody Series for now – only max patter clamor: It gives bind status!

Sound:


This series contains mainly your mana restoration skills. Tuning noise and Tuning sound are both absolute damage skills. These are great if your opponent has bless and screens on because they will always deliver the same damage no matter what. The infamous Noise skill, which prevents normal and party mobs from attacking you, is a must for an int bard. Mana Cycle restores MP to a single target while Mana Orbit restores mana to up to 8 players within range in a party. Skip Mana wind/breeze because it aggros (you already have mana cycle/orbit), and discordant wave can also end up bringing mobs onto you.

Beautiful Life:


These are your passives for your dances. They increase the range your dance is effective and also increase your resistance so the dances can stay up even under attack.

Dancing Concert:


Ohh how bards are beautiful! These skills are useable when there are 2+ bards in the party. The initial bard must do a tambour and then the second bard (in range of the tambour) can then do one of the above dances. In order, they increase phys damage, mag damage, effect of healing, reduce of mana consumption, and then the higher books of phys damage, mag damage, effect of healing, reduce of mana consumption. Take all that apply to what you would like to do in the party! Dancing of Wizardry is by far the most used, so take that for sure!