User:Mediggo/Bard

“

My cunning so strong, my savvy great, while I laugh in jest, you meet your fate.

— GuildWars2.com Bard

The bard is a scholar profession focusing on supporting allies with enchanting songs. They strike from afar with ranged weapons, and can charm and demoralize enemies bold enough to attack them directly. They are at their best in long fights, where pressure of battle is starting to take its toll on all but the rhyming bard.

Abilities

The bard profession has two individual but related profession mechanics:

• The Overtime gauge will increase duration of songs. When the duration of a song expires, the bard will automatically expend Oveertime to keep singing and use up the Overtime gauge to prolong the duration their songs. To end the song, the player must toggled the active song off by pressing the skill for second time.
• If all bard songs are recharging, a Finale will become available in their mechanic bar. The effect of Finale combines effects from all song skills currently recharging, and using it brings the Overtime gauge to half full.

Skills

See list of bard skills and a concise list of bard skill descriptions.

Special skill types

• Area of effect skills — these skills can strike many foes across an area.
• Charge skills — these skills are held down - the longer the hold, the more impressive the attack upon release.
• Charms — charms make their target lose control of their character in a random way, like inducing fear in them or dazing them.
• Songs — the bard has a number of songs to choose from, which are all selectable skills. The songs are toggled on or off, and while singing the bard can keep fighting normally.

Traits

The bard has two general trait lines: Rhymes and Cunning. They also have lines for each of the weapons they can wield. A bard can learn traits by traveling to different locations and listening to various background music tracks.

See list of bard traits.

Equipment

Bard concept art.

Armor

The bard is a scholar profession and thus wears medium armor.

Weapons

• Two-handed
  • Longbow — a long range weapon, capable of various attack patterns and chains.
  • Shortbow — ranged weapon used to attack in quick succession and inflict conditions.
  • Staff — traditionally a spellcasting weapon, the bard uses staff to strike foes in melee.
• Main-hand
  • Sword — suitable for parrying attacks as well as magical skills.
  • Dagger — allows attacking from range by throwing daggers.
  • Pistol — carefully aimed and bouncing shots from a pistol.
• Off-hand
  • Focus — provides charms to control enemies' actions and movement.
  • Dagger — provides additional throwing dagger skills.
  • Warhorn — allows debuffing of enemies.
• Aquatic
  • Harpoon gun — long range mechanical weapon which excellent choice for damage.
  • Trident — long range magical weapon which is used to support allies and control enemies' position underwater.

The bard has access to 9 different weapon sets and two weapon sets while underwater. The bard can equip and alternate between two weapon sets, but doing so in combat induces a recharge to prevent continuous switching between weapons.

Personal story

During character creation, bard characters must decide which of the three instruments, lute, harp or flute, they favor the most.

Trivia

• Bard was in part inspired by Ragnarok Online character class Bard.

External links

• Bard on the official website.

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