This guide covers the basics of leveling a Bard, including stat allocation, recommended monsters, valuable loot, and useful tips. It’s not mandatory to follow strictly.
The Bard is one of the possible 2nd job advancements for the Archer class. Unlike their Hunter counterparts who mostly deal damage with the bow and arrow, this branch picks up a musical instrument and provides his team some of the best support buffs in-game. Paired with a Dancer, he grants even more benefits to the team – from increasing EXP gained from monsters to removing Gemstone requirements for some skills. If you feel like whipping out your lute and supporting your party as a Bard, this leveling guide will be a great supplement to give you an idea on how to begin your journey as one!
This guide will contain the basics of what you need to know about leveling a Bard – which stats to invest in, what monsters to target, what loot to look out for and some possible tips and tricks that you may find useful. Do note that this guide is not in absolution and is not required to follow by the letter. You as a young Bard have free range on how to traverse and explore the ups and downs of your characters, and may this guide at least provide you some options that you may deem beneficial with that.
II. Stat Breakdown
STR: Increases max weight limit
AGI: Provides FLEE and ASPD; also affects the Bard’s skills “Impressive Rift” and “Perfect Tablature”
VIT: Boosts HP, HP RECOVERY, DEF, resistance to STAT AILMENTS and increases healing amount of HP POTIONS; also affects the Bard’s skill “Song of Lutie”
INT: Boosts SP, SP RECOVERY, MDEF and increases healing amount of SP POTIONS; also affects the Bard’s skill “Magic Strings”
DEX: Boosts ATK, Bard’s main DPS stat when using Bows and Instruments, decreases VARIABLE CAST TIME; also affects the Bard’s skill “Magic Strings”
LUK: Increases CRIT, and slightly increases ATK and PERFECT DODGE; also affects the Bard’s skill “Perfect Tablature”
III. Possible Bard Stat Builds
A. Support Strings (aka Bragi Slave)
High INT and DEX, mid to low VIT
A common term especially in parties, the Bragi Slave pretty much is self explanatory – a Bard which goes along the party while having Magic Strings (Poem of Bragi) song up most if not all of the time. This support build ensures high INT and DEX for Bragi’s aftercast delay and variable cast time reduction buffs respectively, while having some investment in VIT to have a suitable HP pool.
B. Bow Strings (aka Archer 2.0)
High DEX and AGI, mid to low INT
Some Bards who prefer either leveling solo or favor a more DPS play style will tend to follow this route. He uses his Archer tree offensive skills such as Double Strafe and Arrow Shower to gain levels rather than relying on a party. With that, investing higher points in DEX and AGI are a must to ensure harder-hitting shots and faster releases of arrows. INT is included to complement the Bard’s Base SP and SP Regeneration.
C. Multi Strings (aka Hybrid)
High DEX, moderately high INT and/or AGI, low VIT
If you are the type of Bard who prefers both variants stated, you may want to consider taking the hybrid route – having the means to level up solo while also providing some support to parties if you ever come across one. High DEX ensures damage with Double Strafe as well as boosting variable cast time reduction for Magic Strings. A good investment to INT and/or AGI will be beneficial for aftercast delay reduction for Magic Strings, Max SP/SP Regen, FLEE and ASPD for Double Strafe spam. Some points into VIT for a bit of boost to max HP is also acceptable.
High: 99-80
Moderately High: 79-61
Mid: 60-31
Low: 30-1
Stat Point Range for Reference
IV. Gear and KP Preparation (+F2P Options)
Before proceeding with your Archer, one may opt to have some items prepared to help ease with leveling. These items are not required, but getting the best amount of EXP possible will definitely be worth the investment. Below is a list of sample gear and consumables that you may consider acquiring beforehand to ease up the leveling process:
– Beginner (LV1-49), Rookie (Lv50-99) Shadow Sets and Experience Shadow Shield to increase EXP gained from defeating monsters
– Class-specific Shadow Equipment (preferably Archer Shadow Pendant for ATK Buff when using Double Strafe and Bard Shadow Set for ATK and SP bonuses)
– Equipment which provide +% EXP such as Kafra Uniform/Kafra Staff Headband set, Blue Rear Ribbon, Marin Balloon, EXP Rings from Cash Shop, Footgear with EXP-Race Cards
– Premium Buff Box (Increased EXP/Drop Rate and Kafra Storage space for 30 days) + Battle Manual Box (10pcs)
– World Teleport Ticket Box (allows easy access to fields and dungeons without having to traverse long walks or teleports from town; done via World Map or Navigation System, and must be used outside a building)
– HP/SP Sustain (aka leecing) Equipment such as Rideword Hat, Vanargandr Helm, Asgard Blessing, Catherina von Blood and Hunter Fly Card-compounded weapons
– Equipment which provides Lv1 Greed such as Bravery Bag, Greed Shadow Weapon or Greed Amistr Bag
– Equipment which increases ATK or Ranged Damage such as Strawberry Set, upgraded Violet Halo (Ranged DMG +3%, additional +3% per 3 refine) combo’d with Crimson Booster (Ranged DMG +14%), and Bravery Bag (with Base 90 DEX, increases Ranged DMG by either 5% or 10% if refind to +7 or +9 respectively) compounded with Menblatt
– Pecopeco Hairband for Movement Speed (movement speed bonus stacks while mounted)
– Hi-ATK Bow options like over-upgraded Crimson Bow and Orc Archer Bow + Steel Arrow Combo (for B. Bow Strings Bard)
– Bows with Expert Archer Malangdo Enchants or Musical Instruments with INT or DEX Malangdo Enchants (for DPS or support builds respectively; some weapons require Clown job to equip)
– Physical Enhancer Ring, Angel Egg, Bakonawa Tattoo or any accessory which increases ATK/DEX/INT or provides utility skills (ex. Heal from Archpriest Glove or Hide from Gyges Ring)
– Equipment and/or Cards which help in crowd control or survivability (especially for A. Support Strings Bards)
If you are a new player though with limited resources or just want to take the free-to-play (F2P) route, you may go for these viable options:
– New User Box (free potions/consumables)
– Time Keeper Equipment and Metal Weapons (also included in the Time Keeper Box from New User Box) which are enough to carry you in the early to mid-game
– Eden Equipment Quest (preferably those done within Lv50-59, LV70-79 or Lv80-89 range for easy kill quests)
– Alice Mercenary Scrolls (via New User Box) summon an Alice companion to fight alongside you. She can use AoE skills such as Brandish Spear and Magnum Break that can kill multiple monsters at once, making early leveling effective. If you wish for Alice to automatically attack and use skills, consider downloading and setting up AzzyAI in the AI>USER_AI Folder.
– 5x [NFS] Battle Manuals via Jellopy Quest in Prontera; basically need to bring Jellopy to an NPC located at /navi prontera 204/53 (click to copy the command and enter in game chat)
– Event consumables such as [NFS] Small Mana Potion and [NFS] Almighty (depending on which ones are available in the current patch)
V. Leveling Guide (Archer)
[Lv1 – 10]: Criatura Academy Quest (until receiving Eden Group Mark), Prontera Field (Rocker, Fabre, Lunatic)
Archers with Job levels between 40 to 50 can proceed to change into a Bard. It is highly recommended (especially to new players) to level up to Job 50 to waive the entire quest requirement and instantly change your job. Once you’ve decided to change jobs, proceed and talk to the Wandering Bard located at /navi comodo 211/155 (click to copy the command and enter in game chat).
VII. Bard Songs and Other Mechanics
Players who are new to the Bard class need to know about its kit in order to fully utilize its supportive capabilities. The song skills on the second row of the skill tree can be performed solo, and are boosted by the Bard’s stats (INT, DEX, VIT, AGI and LUK depending on the buff). The ensemble skills on the third and fourth rows require a partner Dancer with at least Lv1 of said skills in order to perform them, and are not boosted by the Bard’s stats.
Choose wisely the essential songs and ensembles your character will need to properly support your team in different scenarios, such as in leveling grinds, boss hunts and War of Emperium. A Full Support WoE Maestro Guide written by Pandan, one of our GGH Librarians, provides a quick showcase on how the class’ support-inclined kit excels in the late game. You may access the guide through the link below and use it alongside this leveling guide as you explore more about the class:
IX. The World Bounty Repeatable Quests and Boong Boong Drinks
Introduced in the Sept 2023 patch, World Bounty is a set of repeatable quests the player can accept, turn-in and reset in order to speed up the leveling process than just normally grinding monsters or doing Eden’s Daily Mission Board Quests. In various cities and towns, the NPC Magical Boy will teleport you to maps with bounty boards available, depending on your current location, at the cost of Boong Boong Drinks. These can be bought at the fixed cost of 100z from the Boong Boong V. Machine nearby. It is advised to bring a couple of them if you wish to grind for a good amount of time in bounty maps (around 500-1000), or have them in your storage which you can access via Kafra Card or Kafra Bell.
These drinks can also be used to reset the quest cooldown of bounty boards when you have finished turning in your quests. Depending on the bounty, simply talk to the board and bring the correct number of Boong Boong Drinks to refresh the cooldown. Afterwards, you may accept the bounty quest and kill monsters once again. More details about the World Bounty System may be viewed through the link below:
Once you have reached Base Lv99 and Job Lv50, proceed to Juno where you can rebirth or transcend into a High Novice. Make your way to the Sage’s castle /navi yuno 87/321 (click to copy the command and enter in game chat) and find Metheus Sylphe.
He will give you an option to either donate some Zeny or do a simple monster-hunting quest (Escaped Book) in order to transcend. More information may be viewed via the Free Transcending Guide:
Once finished, he will direct you to walk north towards the Book of Ymir which will teleport you to Valhalla.
Before speaking to the Valkyrie NPC who will change you into a High Novice, make sure that you are below 500 weight, have no remaining skill points and not on a mount via Boarding Halter. Once you have transcended, it’s all a matter of following the leveling guide once again until you max out as Clown.
XI. Possible Clown Stat Builds
A. Bragi Support Clown
High INT and DEX, moderately high to mid VIT
Much like its early days playing Magic Strings to parties, this Clown build lives up to its support role of reducing casters’ variable cast time and aftercast delays. Having transcended means being able to invest more points into DEX and INT for said boosts, as well as being even tankier due to more VIT investment. One may see this as a Pre-Magic Maestro template due to the stat distribution, although as of writing (May 19, 2023) Performer’s Magic Rework is still to come to make skills like Reverberation and Metallic Sound really shine.
B. Pre-Rainstorm Clown
High DEX and AGI, mid to low VIT and INT
This Clown lives up to its DPS Archer roots by picking up his bow once again and firing Double Strafes and Arrow Showers at enemy targets. With more stat points for distribution, one may consider adding points into VIT and INT for a much higher HP and SP pool respectively. This build prepares Clowns for taking Severe Rainstorm once they change into Maestros, making solo leveling even faster with an AoE skill which scales from both DEX and AGI.
C. Puppeteer Clown
Varies
More of a personalized support Clown, this variant mainly focuses on one goal: sharing as many stat points as possible to a single party member through the skill “Marionette Control.” Which stat and the amount this Clown invests into varies depending on which character you plan to grant the buff onto. Common recipients are classes with item creation capabilities such as Biochemists (Prepare Potion) and Assassin Crosses (Create Deadly Poison), thus making the Clown invest High DEX and moderately high to mid INT and/or LUK. Building your Clown this way allows your recipient class to invest points elsewhere, potentially allowing them to have combat capabilities than being a pure brewer build.
XII. Dual Client Partymates (Optional)
Whether you’re building your Bard or Clown as either a damage-dealer or support type, it can be helpful to have some other characters on hand to provide for your performer’s needs. Having these classes isn’t a necessity, but will definitely make the grind to max out your toon much more convenient. Here are some optional classes to have in an alternate account should you decide to help boost your Bard or Clown’s leveling experience:
– Priest (for heals, buffs and warps, preferably Archbishops for Expiatio, a buff which grats DEF-pierce to monsters)
– Dancer (for Ensemble or Gypsy’s Kiss partner in parties)
– Any DPS character (for leeching or carrying your Support-type Bard or Clown; preferably AoE-casting classes like Wizard classes, Sorcerers, Rune Knights, Rangers or Geneticists)
– Soul Linker (for Bard and Dancer Spirit benefits like removing movement speed penalty when using Bard songs, benefiting from own songs and gaining access to Dancer’s dance counterparts to skills)
– Spouse (for recall and HP/SP Battery)
XIII. Additional Tips and Tricks
A. Because a support Bard’s kit provides buffs which are vital to most party compositions, it is important that he is able to keep them up as much as possible. One of the status ailments to avoid being inflicted on is Silence, which renders Bards unable to use these buffs. If an Acolyte class with Cure is unavailable, it is advisable to carry at least 5 Green Potions (bought from Tool Dealer NPC) and use them if one is silenced.
B. Keep a lookout on some important loot that you can sell at a fair price to players looking for them (refer to the items listed at the different leveling brackets above). These are either used by other classes as catalysts for their skills or as items for BQ turn-ins. Likewise, you may consider using some of these loots to craft arrows (such as Gill for Crystal Arrows, Wind of Verdure for Wind Arrows and Steel for Steel Arrows).
C. Bard songs and performer class ensembles last at maximum three minutes (180 seconds) and one minute (60 seconds) respectively. Keep those durations in mind when you plan to cycle and keep support buffs up for your party mates.
D. Before transcending your Bard into a High Novice, hoard and do one run of BQ Lv70 to 90, and turn the quests in once you reach Lv70 as Clown. Doing so will give you an insane amount of EXP (especially when increased with Battle Manuals and server’s EXP Boosts), raising your level to around Lv80+ and making you skip a whole lot of grinding.
E. Bards and Clowns gain access to the skill “Amp” which immediately stops a song or ensemble skill one has casted, but puts the caster at a long aftercast delay of 5 seconds. An effective alternative to stop songs is through the Dagger Swapping Technique (also known as Dagger Amping or Dagger Switching). As the name implies, hotkey any dagger-type weapon your Bard or Clown in order to quickly equip it when you need to stop a song. Doing this method will avoid the 5-second aftercast delay and allow you to cast your other skills such as Improve Concentration, Unbarring Octave or your other Bard songs/ensembles (provided you switch back to an instrument right after).
(Dagger Swap demonstration ℅ Pandan)
XIV. Epilogue
Having great power doesn’t always translate to having the sharpest blade or most mystical staff in-hand. Sometimes, you just need a nice guitar and play a little tune to set the mood for your friends. We hope this guide has become informative to you, and that you have become more knowledgeable on how to effectively progress with leveling your Bard or Clown. Should you have any questions, please leave a comment below or visit us over at the GGH Discord. Best wishes and happy leveling!
Special thanks to Pandan from RO GGH Discord for sharing his knowledge on the class and making this guide possible.
I’m already level 162 when this useful guide was published. It could have saved me a lot of pots hehe. Nice guide!