Thanks for ruining the bard STA line

[Lethe5683]

<p>Really... 1% MA per rank now makes that line almost totally useless.  Way to go SoE!</p>

[Chiel]

Uh on which AA? If it's the group buff, it was always that amount...somehow I think you mean the one that used to require a round shield. I see no reason why they would keep the higher amount of multi...the reason it had a higher amount was to compensate for not dual-wielding. Now you can use both weapons AND get your MA. If they kept the same amount it would be broken. It's called "balance."

[Undorett]

AA that increase "blue stats"'are generally useless by today's EQ2 standards. Just one of today's items has stats that would take 30 to 40 AA to gain. While I would agree that 1% per AA is a little low, it is not completely out of line with other people's AA.

[Haciv]

<p>The change was a boost to 99% of bards, not a nerf.</p>

[Lcneed]

<p>It is only a slight nerf to kiting solo bard I think.  I love the change.  It is kind of weird that I could bash without a shield.  What am I am bashing the mob with?  My butt? <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[Lethe5683]

<p><cite>Chiel wrote:</cite></p><blockquote>Uh on which AA? If it's the group buff, it was always that amount...somehow I think you mean the one that used to require a round shield. I see no reason why they would keep the higher amount of multi...the reason it had a higher amount was to compensate for not dual-wielding. Now you can use both weapons AND get your MA. If they kept the same amount it would be broken. It's called "balance."</blockquote><p>I mean the one that required the shield, it's about 1/4 of the origional amount.  There was no logical reason to remove the shield requirement if they were going to then make it totally useless.</p>

[PeterJohn]

<p>Would have been cool if they made it the higher amount if you had a roundshield, and the lower amount of MA if you did not have a roundshield.</p>

[Chiel]

Hmm good point PeterJohn, that would have been kinda neat...and I did compare to another somewhat similar AA that clerics have on their Cleric AA page. Down the 2nd line there is one that not only increases block but also does give more MA than the bard one. So perhaps you are right and it might seem slightly off. But couple that with the MA you can gain from the group buff next in line and that's still a nice amount of MA that has NO restrictions to use. As for bashing with no shield lol...they took that requirement away from both warriors and crusaders too. <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> We are, I think, considered to be bashing them with our weapon now. Which really sounds rather painful when I think about an SK bashing someone in the face with a claymore...ow.

[Lethe5683]

<p><cite>Chiel wrote:</cite></p><blockquote>But couple that with the MA you can gain from the group buff next in line and that's still a nice amount of MA that has NO restrictions to use.</blockquote><p>It's hardly worth spending 20 AAs just to increase your MA by 20 points.  Before it was 10 AAs for more than 40 points of MA; the current change just makes it a line only suitable for dirges, as if they needed the bonus.</p><p><cite>Haciv wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>The change was a boost to <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">99% of bards</span> <span style="color: #ff0000;">dirges</span>, not a nerf.</p></blockquote>

[Notsovilepriest]

<p><cite>Lethe5683 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Chiel wrote:</cite></p><blockquote>But couple that with the MA you can gain from the group buff next in line and that's still a nice amount of MA that has NO restrictions to use.</blockquote><p>It's hardly worth spending 20 AAs just to increase your MA by 20 points.  Before it was 10 AAs for more than 40 points of MA; the current change just makes it a line only suitable for dirges, as if they needed the bonus.</p><p><cite>Haciv wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>The change was a boost to <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">99% of bards</span> <span style="color: #ff0000;">dirges</span>, not a nerf.</p></blockquote></blockquote><p>What else would you put points in, an increase is an increase and instead of that specific ability being useless to people 90% of the time (Who actually used a shield for anything other than soloing and even then occasionally) it's now useful 100% of the time for dirge and troub, while dirge will get more out of it due to their myth proc.</p>

[Lethe5683]

<p><cite>Notsovilepriest@Nagafen wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Lethe5683 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Chiel wrote:</cite></p><blockquote>But couple that with the MA you can gain from the group buff next in line and that's still a nice amount of MA that has NO restrictions to use.</blockquote><p>It's hardly worth spending 20 AAs just to increase your MA by 20 points.  Before it was 10 AAs for more than 40 points of MA; the current change just makes it a line only suitable for dirges, as if they needed the bonus.</p><p><cite>Haciv wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>The change was a boost to <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">99% of bards</span> <span style="color: #ff0000;">dirges</span>, not a nerf.</p></blockquote></blockquote><p>What else would you put points in, an increase is an increase and instead of that specific ability being useless to people 90% of the time (Who actually used a shield for anything other than soloing and even then occasionally) it's now useful 100% of the time for dirge and troub, while dirge will get more out of it due to their myth proc.</p></blockquote><p>Currently the AA for poison is better than this by far.  Previously using a bow for autoattacking and a shield to gain the 40+ MA was superior DPS as compared to dual weilding for a troub with mid-high group gear or lower.  This change is only a good thing for dirges and possibly raiding troubs.</p>

[Shotneedle]

<p>To be fair, no roundshields had MA anyway. So while it was 40 MA for 10 points, you're losing 27 MA taking off an offhand.</p>

[Lethe5683]

<p><cite>Buffrat@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>To be fair, no roundshields had MA anyway. So while it was 40 MA for 10 points, you're losing 27 MA taking off an offhand.</p></blockquote><p>Yeah because there are heroic weapons with over 70 ma... <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/2786c5c8e1a8be796fb2f726cca5a0fe.gif" border="0" /></p>

[Geothe]

<p><cite>Lethe5683 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Buffrat@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>To be fair, no roundshields had MA anyway. So while it was 40 MA for 10 points, you're losing 27 MA taking off an offhand.</p></blockquote><p>Yeah because there are heroic weapons with over 70 ma... <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/2786c5c8e1a8be796fb2f726cca5a0fe.gif" border="0" /></p></blockquote><p>You do realize, dont you, that the DPS you lose by wearing a shield instead of an offhand weapon doesnt come close to being offset by 40 MA that it used to give? lol <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/2786c5c8e1a8be796fb2f726cca5a0fe.gif" border="0" /></p>

[Seiffil]

<p><cite>Geothe wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Lethe5683 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Buffrat@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>To be fair, no roundshields had MA anyway. So while it was 40 MA for 10 points, you're losing 27 MA taking off an offhand.</p></blockquote><p>Yeah because there are heroic weapons with over 70 ma... <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/2786c5c8e1a8be796fb2f726cca5a0fe.gif" border="0" /></p></blockquote><p>You do realize, dont you, that the DPS you lose by wearing a shield instead of an offhand weapon doesnt come close to being offset by 40 MA that it used to give? lol <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/2786c5c8e1a8be796fb2f726cca5a0fe.gif" border="0" /></p></blockquote><p>It's a moot point geothe.  He sets his troub up to use primarily ranged auto attack, so doesn't necessarily feel the loss of the offhand being able to attack.  How effective is it, I have no idea, but that's what he does.</p>

[Geothe]

<p><cite>Seiffil@Permafrost wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Geothe wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Lethe5683 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Buffrat@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>To be fair, no roundshields had MA anyway. So while it was 40 MA for 10 points, you're losing 27 MA taking off an offhand.</p></blockquote><p>Yeah because there are heroic weapons with over 70 ma... <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/2786c5c8e1a8be796fb2f726cca5a0fe.gif" border="0" /></p></blockquote><p>You do realize, dont you, that the DPS you lose by wearing a shield instead of an offhand weapon doesnt come close to being offset by 40 MA that it used to give? lol <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/2786c5c8e1a8be796fb2f726cca5a0fe.gif" border="0" /></p></blockquote><p>It's a moot point geothe.  He sets his troub up to use primarily ranged auto attack, so doesn't necessarily feel the loss of the offhand being able to attack.  How effective is it, I have no idea, but that's what he does.</p></blockquote><p>Ah,So the answer to the question:"How do you make troub DPS even lower?"Is:Just sit back and plunk arrows.gotcha.</p>

[Lethe5683]

<p><cite>Geothe wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Lethe5683 wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Buffrat@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>To be fair, no roundshields had MA anyway. So while it was 40 MA for 10 points, you're losing 27 MA taking off an offhand.</p></blockquote><p>Yeah because there are heroic weapons with over 70 ma... <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/2786c5c8e1a8be796fb2f726cca5a0fe.gif" border="0" /></p></blockquote><p>You do realize, dont you, that the DPS you lose by wearing a shield instead of an offhand weapon doesnt come close to being offset by 40 MA that it used to give? lol <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/2786c5c8e1a8be796fb2f726cca5a0fe.gif" border="0" /></p></blockquote><p>I clearly stated that when specced that way I was using a bow, not melee weapons.  Bow damage is not affected by whether or not you dual weild.</p><p><cite>Geothe wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Ah,So the answer to the question:"How do you make troub DPS even lower?"Is:Just sit back and plunk arrows.gotcha.</p></blockquote><p>I never said anything about sitting back and "plunking" arrows.  I do everything exactly the same as if I were meleeing only staying ever so slightly further back as to be past the bow's minimum range and swapping to ranged autoattack after using a CA.</p>