Introduction
The Bard is the first premier support class introduced in Lost Ark. She was the only support option before the introduction of the Paladin. Her music provides a wide variety of supportive skills.
In PvP, the Bard plays like your traditional support class. Although low in personal damage, she makes up for it with great defensive skills and buffs. She ranks high on the PvP tier list with only Paladin challenging her supportive position. Just having a support on your team alone gives you an innate advantage before the battle starts. Navigating the map can be tricky at first, but a well-played Bard can be the difference between winning and losing.
This article assumes you have a Character with a minimum level of 26 before transitioning to it. Check out the Bard Leveling and 1-50 Leveling guides to reach Level 26.
Check out the General PvP Guide for a better understanding of the arena systems in place.
Support ✔
Best Buffs ✔
Great Peels ✔
High Push Immunity ✔
❌ Low Base Stats
❌ Teammate Reliant
❌ Decent Skill Ceiling
❌ Requires Good Positioning
Core Skills
- Rhapsody of Light is your main peeling skill. Use it on downed teammates to mitigate damage. You can also use it for Push Immunity as a last resort.
- Sonic Vibration another great Push Immunity skill that can peel opponents off teammates or yourself.
- Rhythm Buckshot is a fast, short range Push Immunity skill that Knocks Up enemies.
- Soundholic is your main damaging skill.
- Prelude of Storm is your long range Hard Crowd Control skill.
- Heavenly Tune is one of your buffs that provides attack speed, mana regeneration and attack power to your entire team. Note that this skill is not map wide, so stay close with your team.
- March is your main mobility skill. Don't be afraid to run ahead of your teammates to drop some notes on the map to slow your opponents.
- Guardian Tune is your defensive buff. This is one of the best buffs in the game, as it is the only skill that provides a mitigation with a Debuff Immunity (Hard Crowd Control) shield for the team. It also has Push Immunity on cast, making it a great reactive defensive tool if needed.
- Serenade of Salvation is your main Identity usage, as the heals are more impactful. It's preferable to use it with two or three bars of gauge. You don't have to make use of the Push Immunity, just drop it in a good location for your teammates to heal. Note that the total heals will be split between everyone in the circle, so teammates that don't need heals should not be in it.
- Serenade of Courage Identity is another offensive buff for your team that is quite good in overtime mode. You won't be using this as much as Serenade of Salvation, but it is much easier to use. This skill provides a quick buff, while Serenade of Salvation requires positioning and time commitment in the healing circle. It provides Push Immunity on cast.
- Symphonia is your Awakening skill that is best used when the team is under pressure, to save someone, or for the final push of the battle. Don't be afraid to use this skill to protect yourself as well or to push a 3v2 advantage. Any opponents hit have their speed reduced.
PvP Builds
Combat Stats
- 750 Swiftness, 1 Critical and 249 Domination for more damage.
- 750 Swiftness, 250 Endurance for more defense.
Alternatives
- Spreading Vibration for Sonic Vibration can be taken if you prefer more damage over the bigger area.
- Quick Preparation on Heavenly Tune if you want to sacrifice casting speed for a lower cooldown.
- Shock Enhancement can be taken on Rhythm Buckshot.
- Sound Concentration and Raid are interchangeable on Soundholic.
Basic Combo
- Start with Prelude of Storm.
- Follow with Heavenly Tune if you have it.
- Finish with Soundholic.
Gameplay
- Stick with your teammates and coordinate buff timings. Be mindful of your teammate and enemy positions.
- Start with Heavenly Tune once the gates fall. Before casting Guardian Tune look at your team composition. If you a melee teammate, cast Guardian Tune before they charge in. Otherwise, wait to use it when opponents engage. You want to get the most value out of the buffs, especially the Crowd Control buff on Guardian Tune. Casting it on a ranged team could become a waste if the other team waits for it to be over before engaging.
- After the opener, just freely buff whenever you can. Keep in mind where your teammates are as the buffs aren't global.
- Sonic Vibration, Rhythm Buckshot and Guardian Tune should be your main Push Immunity skills before resorting to Rhapsody of Light.
- Move around the map with March. Don't be afraid to use Sound Illusion to get to your teammates if they need help.
- Hitting Prelude of Storm is crucial, using auto attacks to bait out skills could help with hitting this skill.
Combat Stats
- 750 Swiftness, 1 Critical and 249 Domination for damage.
- 750 Swiftness, 1 Critical and 249 Specialization for more identity guage.
Alternatives
- Wind of Music can be added over March. Catching someone with this skill can lead to Soundholic.
- Sound Concentration and Raid are interchangeable on Soundholic.
- Wide-angle Attack can be taken on Sonic Vibration.
- Harp of Rhythm can be taken if you need more damage over Guardian Tune or Wind of Music.
Basic Combo #1
- Connect Wind of Music.
- Finish with Soundholic.
Gameplay
- In the 1v1 variant, you be mainly play around Serenade of Salvation.
- Bards aren't very good at killing people in 1v1s, so keep that in mind and try to sustain through the battle. Your main goal should be to time out your opponent with Serenade of Salvation.
Gameplay
GvG is more chaotic than Arena battles, so you rarely have the opportunity to do long combos. This mode is more about zoning/interrupting objectives and assisting allies. Do your best to coordinate with your team and stick together. Refer to 3v3 section for more gameplay tips.
Please refer to the GvG Islands and GvG Builds Guide for more information!
Summary
- Keep your enemy and teammates within vision.
- Peel for your team; you are a support, not a damage class.
- Remember your Push Immunity skills and escapes.
- Abuse FoV (Field of Vision) by and keeping your opponents horizontal from you.
Credits
Written by Starlast
Reviewed by Lexyu