Thursday 5 May 2016

Bard/Dancer/Clown/Gypsy Guide

***WARNING: Gravity just announced 3 new skills for Clowns and Gypsies. If you are building one, don’t forget about them! And Clowns are called ‘Minstrels’ in iRO.

This guide is the original full version. A shorter, more concise version can be found here: http://www.ragnainfo.net/forums/view...=51467&start=0

Other related guides to your fancy:
- AxiaDrake's Dancer guide, http://www.roempire.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38594
- Lotharin's Bard/Dancer levelling guide, http://www.roempire.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78958

______

Bard/Dancer/Clown/Gypsy Guide (full iRO version)
V4.9
By aldoteng (abinobi@hotmail.com)
24 Oct 2005





This guide is meant for the public. You can post it anywhere or quote any information, but please inform me should you do so, and credit me should you do any direct quoting. Do NOT alter/edit the guide in anyway should you decide to reproduce this guide for public viewing (unless translated into another language).

Contact me at abinobi@hotmail.com; I'll be happy to receive constructive feedback, suggestions, criticisms, corrections, and some good old flirting. I'm male. Flames are welcome too, though they'll be swiftly ignored anyway.





This is a complete one-stop station for anyone who needs information and answers about this elusive class in Ragnarok Online. It tends to go into detail as it does mean to be as broad as possible. It's geared at readers who are at minimum comfortable with the game basics.

This guide is divided into two major sections. The first section deals with stuff already available in various databases and websites (like stats, equipment, etc) with comments included. The second section deals with builds, strategies, discussions and comparisons.

Oh yea, I'm a boy, so I've never played a Dancer and whatever I write about Dancers is not from my personal experience. I will be updating this guide constantly as I receive more feedback from experienced Dancers.

Written by deadlyasshole, Bard enthusiast from pRO:
"To all Bard that feel down because many ignoring us and calling us weakling then let us show them what we can really do. We Can Support Masses, We can deal tons of Damages, And We Can Frost them like an Ice Candy hehehe. Now, Many feared me, Annoyed to me, Aiming to kill me, Also cosidering me a big threat in PVP and siege hehehe. It seem i'm getting popular. Because of this i ignore my BS and my FS priest. Also it's flooding without getting banned and silence for an hours hehehe. See, Bard is cool. Nope, Bard is extremely cool. Still or us serious bard, being bard, seing other bard rarely is really a great advantage for us because we know were only few and shinning in migard is an easy step stone. As for now my goal is to become the best bard in our server and in the future to become the best in pRO after that in the Whole world. That is only a dream but still i hope it will come true since i'm a serious bard also a Super Active WOE player. To all serious bard like me. Long leave Bards of Migard. Rok On."

Contents at a glance:

Introduction
Stats
Skills
- Archer
- Bard/Dancer
- Bard
- Dancer
- Ensemble
Builds
- Support Builds
- Battle Builds
- Hybrid Builds
- Other Builds
- Clown/Gypsy Builds
Equipment
Cards
Arrows
Walkthrough (includes job quests)
Strategies
- Dagger-stopping
- Song/dance-switching
- Solo PVM (Player versus Monster)
- Party PVM (Player versus Monster)
- MVPing (Most Valuable Player)
- PVPing (Player versus Player)
- WOEing (War of Emperium)
Clown and Gypsy
Compare and Contrast
- DEX build bs INT build
- Bard vs Dancer
- Bard/Dancer vs Priest
- Bard/Dancer vs Hunter
- Clown/Gypsy vs Sniper
- Bow vs Instrument/Whip
Patch History
My Character
Version History
References
Acknowledgements





An Archer in Ragnarok Online can choose to evolve into a Hunter or a Bard/Dancer. Bards must be males and Dancers have to be females. Hunters and Bard/Dancers have several similarities, but are otherwise strikingly different. If you want to be a powerhouse in damage, win MVPs, and terrorize PVP arenas, Hunter is for you. Bard/Dancers are built for supporting, not for damage.

But Bards/Dancers are not the best supporters either. Compared to Priests who can heal, cure, bless, buff, ress and protect, Bard/Dancer skills are at best limited to few benefits.

The most efficient Bard/Dancers occupy the middle niche in a party. The ability to deal huge damage (not as high as Hunters/Smiths/Monks though) while singing/dancing simultaneously allows us to be excellent supportive attackers. Melody Strike (Bard)/ Slinging Arrow (Dancer) are fearsome skills known to take down foolish Hunters who forget that we can also reach 150 DEX and actually wear a Cranial Buckler.

The general public sentiment is that Bards/Dancers (along with Alchemists and Sages) are not useful in general PVM partying. Be prepared to face rejections from ignorant parties, but anticipate the fun you can get from playing a rare but powerful class. This class is also great for WOE lovers. Most guilds today already realize our assets in War and the powerful ones have at least a Bard and a Dancer.

As a Bard/Dancer you can equip both bows and instruments (Bards)/whips (Dancers). You can use daggers too, but why would you?

WHEN YOU EQUIP INSTRUMENTS/WHIPS
- Damage is DEX based. Not STR!
- You can equip a Buckler.
- You cannot use Double Strafe, Arrow Repel and Arrow Shower.
- You can use Unbarring Octave and Dazzler without instruments/whips, but all other Bard/Dancer skills require them equipped.

WHILE YOU PERFORM A SOLO SONG/DANCE
- The skill effect is 7x7.
- The skill affects anyone, even outside party or guild alliance.
- The skill effects on your mates will last even after they step out of the area of effect for 20 seconds. You can imbue them with multiple buffs by switching skills quickly.
- The skill effects do not affect YOU.
- You cannot attack.
- You move at a much slower speed. But if you have Musical/Dancing Lesson lvl 10, you can move up to 1/2 of normal walking speed.
- You can cast Amp after the first five seconds of performing the skill.
- You can cast Melody Strike/Slinging Arrow.
- Your SP will not regen. Meanwhile the skill depletes your SP slowly.
- The skill effect is snipable.
- When two nearby Bards perform and their skills intersect, the intersected area loses their original effects and becomes Unchained Serenade Lvl 1 (For Dancers, Hip Shaker Lvl 1). Nothing bad happens when a Bard and a Dancer intersects.

WHILE YOU PERFORM AN ENSEMBLE
- To perform, a Bard and a Dancer must be in the same party and both must have at least a level of that ensemble. One of them (the caster) must stand next to the other (the partner) and start the skill. The duet is automatically performed even if the partner doesn't want to. Both must have instrument/whip equipped. The resulting skill level is an average of the two skill levels rounded down (eg. Mental Sensing, Bard has it at Lvl 2, Dancer at Lvl 4, resulting ensemble is performed at Lvl 3).
- The skill effect is 9x9.
- Some skills affect everyone, some affect party members, some affect enemies only.
- The skill effects do not last after your mates step out of the area of effect.
- The skills do not affect the caster but they affect the partner.
- You cannot attack.
- You cannot move at all.
- Both caster and partner can cast Amp for all ensembles except for Classical Pluck, where only the caster can do that.
- You can cast Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow.
- Your SP will not regen. Meanwhile the skill depletes your SP slowly.
- The skill effect is snipable.
- Nothing happens when duets intersect.

A SONG/DANCE/DUET WILL STOP IF
- The player casts Amp, but only after the first five seconds of the skill. This is the typical way to stop singing/dancing.
- The player receives a single damage of more than 1/4 his/her max HP.
- The player gets frozen, stunned or stoned.
- The player runs out of SP, or HP (aka dies).
- A Sage Dispels you.
- The player equips a dagger, a bow, or simply unequips the instrument/whip. This is the basis of the dagger-stopping tactic.

Progression of jobs:
Males: Novice --> Archer --> Bard --> High Novice --> High Archer --> Clown
Female: Novice --> Archer --> Dancer --> High Novice --> High Archer --> Gypsy





The Bard's Job bonuses at Job 50 are:
STR 2, AGI 7, VIT 3, INT 5, DEX 8, LUK 4

The Dancer's Job bonuses are Job 50 are:
STR 2, AGI 7, VIT 3, INT 5, DEX 4, LUK 8


STR
- +30 maximum weight per point

At first glance useless to a Bard/Dancer. But WOE support builds have a use for it. Below 50% weight conditions, one STR = one white pot. It’s a lot of help so WOE support builds should seriously consider 10 – 20 points in STR. Other builds stay away.


AGI
- +1 Flee per point
- Increases ASPD by some complicated formula
* For Bard skill Perfect Tablature, +1 flee per 10 points
* For Bard skill Impressive Riff, +1% ASPD per 20 points
* For Dancer skill Slow Grace, -x% enemy movement speed per 10 points (not known how much exactly)

Very good for levelling and dealing fast damage, and is decently useful in MVP and WOE situations. A moderate amount is still pretty useful because Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow speed is based on ASPD. Too high a figure is not necessary; you can't flee crits, magic and mobs, and you shouldn't be the main damage-dealer so you don't need so much ASPD.


VIT
- +1% maximum HP per point
- +0.8 weapon damage reduction per point
- +2% healing item effect per point
- +1 HP regen per 5 points
- +1 spell damage reduction per 2 points
- Increases stun, silence and poison resistance
* For Bard skill Song of Lutie, +5 HP recovery per 10 points and +10% max HP per 10 points

Very good for WOE and MVP survival. Without a doubt very important for a support build and moderately important for battle builds.


INT
- +1% maximum SP per point
- +2% SP recovery item effects per point
- +1 SP regen per 6 points
- +1 spell damage reduction per point
- Increases stone curse, sleep and blind resistance
* For Bard skill Magic Strings, -1% after-cast delay per 10 points
* For Dancer skill Gypsy's Kiss, +x% max SP per 10 points (not known how much exactly) and -1% SP usage per 10 points
* For ensemble skill Lullaby, improves sleep chance

A convenience stat, the only useful effects of INT are max SP and SP regen. A good choice for players who do not wish to burn blue pots and honey. Most get 1 to 30. It is not necessary to get higher than 30 as the points are better spent on other stats that affect performance like DEX and VIT.


DEX
- +1 Hit per point
- +1 base damage for bow, instrument and whip
- Bonus of (DEX/10)^2 damage. The number in brackets is always rounded down (This is commonly known as the DEX bonus; it comes in 10s)
- Reduces casting time for skills Arrow Repel, Arrow Shower, Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow and Arrow Vulcan by (DEX/1.5)%. At 75 DEX your casting time is halved. At 150 DEX you have no casting time
- Increases ASPD by some complicated formula. The effect of 1 DEX is about one-quarter that of 1 AGI
- Reduces chance of enemy Rogues stripping you
* For Bard skill Magic Strings, -1% cast time per 10 points
* For Dancer skill Focus Ballet, +1 hit per 10 points
* For Dancer skill Slow Grace, -x% enemy ASPD per 10 points (not known how much exactly)

Easily the most popular stat in the game, you'll need a very high figure of this for damage and spamming skills with cast times. Most builds recommend getting 120, 130 or 140. (final DEX). You don't actually need this for most of your songs/dances, but otherwise you won't be able to MS/SA well making you basically a weak supporter. Plus you'll be levelling like hell.

Side note: Get your final DEX (base DEX + job bonus + equips + cards + buffs) to multiples of 10, like 130 and 140. The same goes for INT (bonus at 6s for regen) and VIT (bonus at 5s for regen).


LUK
- +0.3 crit per point
- +1 perfect dodge per 10 points
- Increases resistance against enemy crits
- Slightly increases resistance against almost all status ailments
* For Bard skill Perfect Tablature, +1% perfect dodge per 10 points
* For Dancer skill Lady Luck +1% crit per 10 points

Crits do not work with skills so all except Crit builds should stay away. The Crit build itself is still a gray area; it isn’t a proven success yet. AGI-less builds, however, should choose 9 LUK 1 AGI over 9 AGI 1 LUK because perfect dodge, status resistance and the crit shield are very nifty stuff.





This section is divided into Archer skills, Bard/Dancer skills, Bard-only skills, Dancer-only skills, and Ensemble skills.

Note: Many of the Bard/Dancer skills were renamed in iRO, and I wrote the original kRO name (that's used in mRO, pRO, jRO, and probably the other ROs) next to it.

Note: Credits to Himeyasha's now-defunct website for much of the Bard/Dancer skill info.





Archer Skills



01) Owl's Eye (Passive)---------------------------------------------
Requirements: None
Requirement for: Vulture's Eye (3)

Lvl 1: DEX +1
Lvl 2: DEX +2
<...and so on...>
Lvl 10: DEX +10

Description: Increases your DEX stat.

No reason why you wouldn't want to max this.
My rating: *****



02) Vulture's Eye (Passive)-----------------------------------------
Requirements: Owl's Eye 3
Requirement for: Improve Concentration (1)

Lvl 1: Range +1 and Hit +1
Lvl 2: Range +2 and Hit +2
<...and so on...>
Lvl 10: Range +10 and Hit +10

Description: Increases your range ONLY with a bow. Melody Strike does not benefit from this skill. But the Hit bonus applies to both bow and instrument/whip.

It's great during your Archer days and your Bard/Dancer days if you level with a bow (recommended choice). With this skill you get to murder enemies as far as the edge of the screen. The Hit bonus does not mean much for you as an Archer class.
My rating: ****



03) Improve Concentration (Self)------------------------------------
Requirements: Vulture's Eye 1
Requirement for: None

Lvl 1: AGI and DEX +3% for 40 seconds, 25 SP
Lvl 2: AGI and DEX +4% for 50 seconds, 30 SP
Lvl 3: AGI and DEX +5% for 60 seconds, 35 SP
<...and so on...>
Lvl 10: AGI and DEX +12% for 130 seconds, 70 SP

Description: Improves your AGI and DEX by % and also allows you to detect nearby hidden enemies. AGI and DEX increment is based on base stats, job bonuses, Owl's Eye and equips (not including cards).

Has a high SP cost while low-levelled but you'll be using this skill again and again when you're a Bard/Dancer and have SP to burn. This is very useful for performance and the only builds that don't need this are those with no DEX and AGI, which aren't good at all.
My rating: *****



04) Double Strafe (Single Enemy Ranged)-----------------------------
Requirements: None
Requirement for: Arrow Shower (5)
Cast time: None
Cast delay: 0.1s (or 0.3s? not confirmed)
SP cost: 12

Lvl 1: Damages enemy with 200% ATK
Lvl 2: Damages enemy with 220% ATK
<...and so on...>
Lvl 10: Damages enemy with 380% ATK

Description: Basically hits the enemy with a strong damage multiplier. Requires arrows.

The fearsome trademark of a Hunter. Bard/Dancers can be scary with DS too, but our lower ASPD with bows makes us second-class compared to Hunters. This is great for levelling as a Bard/Dancer when you have SP to burn. Cannot be used with an instrument/whip.
My rating: *****



05) Arrow Shower (Splash Ranged)------------------------------------
Requirements: Double Strafe 5
Requirement for: None
Cast time: None
Cast delay: Somewhat exists, but not specified. Delay is longer than DS.
SP cost: 15

Lvl 1: Damages enemies in 5x5 AoE with 80% ATK
Lvl 2: Damages enemies in 5x5 AoE with 85% ATK
<...and so on...>
Lvl 10: Damages enemies in 5x5 AoE with 125% ATK

Description: Targets an enemy and hits the 5X5 area of effect around him. Enemies hit are pushed back 2 cells. Requires arrows.

Besides Unbarring Octave and Dazzler, this is your only reliable mob control skill. Lvl 1 is already useful for inflicting status ailments to a mob with status-carded bows. Many people don't max this because they do not wish to level all the way to Job 50… but come on what’s Job 50 compared to Base 99? Cannot be used with an instrument/whip.
My rating: ***



a) Arrow Create (Self)----------------------------------------------
Job quest requirements: Archer Job >29, or Bard/Dancer. Gather 41 Tough Scalelike Stems, 13 Trunks, 1 Red Potions, 20 Resins, 7 Mushroom Spores and talk to Roberto in Morroc (121,109).
SP cost: 10

Lvl 1: Creates arrows from items in your inventory

There are many websites/guides with the list of Arrow Create combinations. This is very useful for levelling (instead of having to lug 5,000 silvers per trip and get overweight, just bring 100 Zargons) and getting rare arrows like Crystal, Stone and Wind. It's free anyway. Cannot be used when weight >50%.



b) Arrow Repel / Charge Arrow (Single Enemy Ranged)-----------------
Job quest requirements: Archer Job >34, or Bard/Dancer. Gather 1 Crossbow, 10 Tentacles, 10 Bills of Bird, 3 Yoyo Tails, 2 Emeralds, 36 Banana Juices, and talk to Jason in Payon (102,61). You'll get your crossbow back.
SP cost: 15

Lvl 1: Damages enemy with 150% ATK and pushes back 6 cells. Requires arrows.

Description: Push-back does not work in WOE. Outside WOE, a great tool to get out of sticky situations like mobs and strong monsters approaching. It’s extremely powerful against melee opponents in PVP. It's free anyway. Cannot be used with an instrument/whip.



Comments: You can't really go very wrong here. You need a minimum of 39 skills and there are only 50 to choose from. Bard/Dancers who plan to still use a bow at higher levels SHOULD consider GOING FOR JOB 50 and get as many available skills as possible (the least important being Arrow Shower). Actually, if your build has DEX and AGI, you really should use a bow to level. It's a much better levelling tool. Anyway, if you refuse to use bows, you can sacrifice a few skills and change at Job 40. Among the bow-only skills, Double Strafe is more important so you can leave Arrow Shower to rest except for 1 point in it to use with status bows. If your build does not have DEX or AGI altogether, you are mad, but anyway you can forget about Improve Concentration.

I'm highly biased towards getting all Archer skill points because I believe a bowless and DEXless build is useless. Most people don't bother with Arrow Shower but I feel it could come useful one day. What's Job 50 compared to Base 99 anyway…


Bard/Dancer Skills

Both Bards and Dancers have these skills. They can be cast without a partner.



01) Amp / Adaptation to Circumstances (Self)------------------------
Requirements: None
Requirement for: Encore (1) and Unchained Serenade (1)/ Hip Shaker (1)
SP cost: 1

Lvl 1: Stops your singing/dancing/ensembling

It's requisite for your whole skill tree. It's not as super-useful as it sounds because it cannot be cast within the first 5 seconds of the song/dance. Instead, equip a dagger to stop your skill. Refer to Strategies section, Dagger-stopping, for more reasons why you should use dagger-equipping instead of Amping.
My rating: ***



02) Encore (Self)---------------------------------------------------
Requirements: Adaptation to Circumstances 1
Requirement for: Unbarring Octave (1)/ Dazzler (1)
SP cost: 1

Lvl 1: Repeats your last song/dance for half its usual SP cost

Definitely take this skill, Bards and Dancers don't have a LOT of SP.
My rating: *****


Bard Skills



03a) Musical Lesson (Passive)---------------------------------------
Requirements: None
Requirement for: Unchained Serenade (1) and Melody Strike (3)

Lvl 1: Instrument ATK +3 and improves Bard songs
Lvl 2: Instrument ATK +6 and improves Bard songs
<...and so on...>
Lvl 10: Instrument ATK +30 and improves Bard songs

Description: Improves instrument ATK and improves the effects of solo Bard songs (ensembles are not affected, though). Its effects on individual songs are described below under each respective song. Also improves walking speed while singing. At lvl 10, you can move at 1/2 of normal walking speed.

No reason why you would want to skip this.
My rating: *****



04a) Melody Strike / Musical Strike (Single Enemy Ranged)-----------
Requirements: Musical Lesson 3
Requirement for: None
Cast time: 1.5s
Cast delay: None
SP cost: 8

Lvl 1: Damages enemy with xxx% ATK, 1 SP
<...details of lvls 2 to 4 are unknown to me...>
Lvl 5: Damages enemy with 260% ATK, 9 SP

Description: Basically hits the enemy with a strong damage multiplier. Requires arrows. You can also set the level.

Not as strong as DS, but you can use this while singing. With very high DEX you can basically spam this like a Hunter's DS and do a lot of extra damage even while you're singing away. GET THIS! Without this you're just a half-grade supporter. Note that the skill ignores the ATK from the arrow, so there isn't a difference between using Arrows and Oridecon Arrows. Also, currently this cannot bypass Immune Muffler in PVP. Say you're using MS with an elemental arrow on someone wearing Immune Muffler. The MS damage will still get reduced by 20%. Hope they fix that soon. I recommend Clowns and Gypsies to get only one level of this because you'd want to use Arrow Vulcan for damage, and MS for Wizard-interruping/Frozen-breaking/status-inflicting. Plus you only use 1 SP for all that.
My rating: *****



05a) Unbarring Octave / Frost Joker (Active)------------------------
Requirements: Encore 1
Requirement for: None
Cast time: None
Cast delay: 3 sec.

Lvl 1: Freezes with 20% chance, 12 SP
Lvl 2: Freezes with 25% chance, 14 SP
<...and so on...>
Lvl 5: Freezes with 40% chance, 20 SP

Description: Tries to freeze your enemies on the WHOLE screen, behind walls included. Has a low chance of freezing your own party members / guild allies in WOE. In some servers namely iRO, guild members and allies in sieges OUTSIDE your party can never be frozen.

It's best to use this when a lot of your party/guild members wear Unfrozen in WOE. This is a killer move, a lot of people go "WTF !@#$%^&" when they realize the enemy has a Frosting Bard; it's known to be great for castle-storming. Mature servers have a lot of Marc armours so this becomes less useful, but now you can teach those Ghostring/Angelring/Dokebi brats a lesson. If you do WOE, take this.

Lotharin of ROE says:
"Further strategies with Unbarring Octaves:
1) Use wind arrows and DS or MS the poor sucker when he is frozen. A hunter can outdamage you normally, but under these circumstances, you would be able to deal an insane amount of damage - why? You will have the benefit of an additional elemental modifier (wind vs. ice).

2) In PVP or even WOE, delay your DS or MS so that you can attempt to freeze him again with another Octave. This means you will need to wait 1 or 2 seconds before you DS him to wait for the "recoil" to almost finish. If requires a good deal of control, but if you can pull it off, you will make your opponent cry or embarrassed.

3) Use Jupitel Thunder from the Electric Guitar and basically play like a weak Wizard. Full support and high INT bards (not necessarily 80-99 INT, but high enough to do good damage), and even the standard 18-30 INT types should do decent damage, though I much prefer the wind arrow method. Apply the above strategy of stalling the attack after freezing for repeated lightning beatings to the head.

4) Octave the screen. Wizard friend LOVs. Screen is refreshingly clear of enemies. (this one is obvious I know)"
My rating: ****



06a) Unchained Serenade / Dissonance (Song)-------------------------
Requirements: Amp 1 and Musical Lesson 1
Requirement for: Perfect (3), Riff (3), Strings (3) and Lutie (3)
Duration: 30s
SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds

Lvl 1: 20 damage, 18 SP
Lvl 2: 40 damage, 21 SP
Lvl 3: 60 damage, 24 SP
Lvl 4: 80 damage, 27 SP
Lvl 5: 100 damage, 30 SP

Musical Lesson lvl 1: Additional 3 damage
Musical Lesson lvl 2: Additional 6 damage
<...and so on...>
Musical Lesson lvl 10: Additional 10 damage

Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, any enemy receives a non-elemental, DEF-ignoring damage of 40 every 3 seconds. The damage increases with skill level.

You need 3 levels of this to unlock the main body of Bard skills, so just get 3 of this! 3 is also enough to interrupt a sea of casting Monks and Wizards in WOE. It's been reported to be useful that way though I've never tried it. Whatever it is, just get 3 of Unchained Serenade.
My rating: Unknown/not important anyway



07a) Perfect Tablature / A Whistle (Song)---------------------------
Requirements: Unchained Serenade 3
Requirement for: Lullaby (10)
Duration: 60s
SP depletion: 1 SP per 5 seconds

Lvl 1: Flee +1 and Perfect Dodge +1, 24 SP
Lvl 2: Flee +2 and Perfect Dodge +1, 28 SP
Lvl 3: Flee +3 and Perfect Dodge +2, 32 SP
Lvl 4: Flee +4 and Perfect Dodge +2, 36 SP
Lvl 5: Flee +5 and Perfect Dodge +3, 40 SP
Lvl 6: Flee +6 and Perfect Dodge +3, 44 SP
Lvl 7: Flee +7 and Perfect Dodge +4, 48 SP
Lvl 8: Flee +8 and Perfect Dodge +4, 52 SP
Lvl 9: Flee +9 and Perfect Dodge +5, 56 SP
Lvl 10: Flee +10 and Perfect Dodge +5, 60 SP

Musical Lesson lvl 1 and 2: Additional Flee +1 and Perfect Dodge +1
Musical Lesson lvl 3 and 4: Additional Flee +2 and Perfect Dodge +2
Musical Lesson lvl 5 and 6: Additional Flee +3 and Perfect Dodge +3
Musical Lesson lvl 7 and 8: Additional Flee +4 and Perfect Dodge +4
Musical Lesson lvl 9 and 10: Additional Flee +5 and Perfect Dodge +5

If your AGI is 10: Additional Flee +1
If your AGI is 20: Additional Flee +2
<...and so on...for as high AGI as you want>

If your LUK is 10: Additional Perfect Dodge +1
If your LUK is 20: Additional Perfect Dodge +2
<...and so on...for as high LUK as you want>

(Eg. A Bard with maxed Perfect and Musical Lesson, with 100 AGI and 50 LUK, would buff for Flee +25 and Perfect Dodge +15)

Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person receives a Flee and Perfect Dodge upgrade.

No no no...this is NOT GOOD. Flee is great for PVM only, and the uses are too limited. Don't get this unless you want to get Lullaby and Power Chord, which suck anyway.
My rating: **



08a) Impressive Riff / Assassin Cross at Sunset (Song)--------------
Requirements: Unchained Serenade 3
Requirement for: Classical Pluck (10)
Duration: 120s
SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds

Lvl 1: ASPD +11%, 38 SP
Lvl 2: ASPD +12%, 41 SP
Lvl 3: ASPD +13%, 44 SP
Lvl 4: ASPD +14%, 47 SP
Lvl 5: ASPD +15%, 50 SP
Lvl 6: ASPD +16%, 53 SP
Lvl 7: ASPD +17%, 56 SP
Lvl 8: ASPD +18%, 59 SP
Lvl 9: ASPD +19%, 62 SP
Lvl 10: ASPD +20%, 65 SP

Musical Lesson lvl 1 and 2: Additional ASPD +1%
Musical Lesson lvl 3 and 4: Additional ASPD +2%
Musical Lesson lvl 5 and 6: Additional ASPD +3%
Musical Lesson lvl 7 and 8: Additional ASPD +4%
Musical Lesson lvl 9 and 10: Additional ASPD +5%

If your AGI is 10: Additional ASPD +1%
If your AGI is 20: Additional ASPD +2%
<...and so on...for as high AGI as you want>

(Eg. A Bard with maxed Riff and Musical Lesson, with 100 AGI, would buff for ASPD +35%)

Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person receives an ASPD upgrade. Does not work with Two-Hand Quicken, Spear Quicken, Adrenaline Rush, and bows, but does work with ASPD potions.

That leaves out AGI Knights, AGI Crusaders, all Blacksmiths and all Hunters. But wait, we still have Assassins, Rogues, Hybrid Spear Knights and Combo Monks to buff, and boy will they love you for this. Especially good for Emperium breaking, buff those Sins and destroy those Emperiums faster. Also good for monster-hunting/levelling.
My rating: ****



09a) Magic Strings / A Poem of Bragi (Song)-------------------------
Requirements: Unchained Serenade 3
Requirement for: Acoustic Rhythm (10)
Duration: 180s
SP depletion: 1 SP per 5 seconds

Lvl 1: Casting time and after-cast delay -3% each, 40 SP
Lvl 2: Casting time and after-cast delay -6% each, 45 SP
Lvl 3: Casting time and after-cast delay -9% each, 50 SP
Lvl 4: Casting time and after-cast delay -12% each, 55 SP
Lvl 5: Casting time and after-cast delay -15% each, 60 SP
Lvl 6: Casting time and after-cast delay -18% each, 65 SP
Lvl 7: Casting time and after-cast delay -21% each, 70 SP
Lvl 8: Casting time and after-cast delay -24% each, 75 SP
Lvl 9: Casting time and after-cast delay -27% each, 80 SP
Lvl 10: Casting time and after-cast delay -30% each, 85 SP

Musical Lesson lvl 1: Additional casting time and after-cast delay -1% each
Musical Lesson lvl 2: Additional casting time and after-cast delay -2% each
<...and so on...>
Musical Lesson lvl 10: Additional casting time and after-cast delay -10% each

If your DEX is 10: Additional casting time -1%
If your DEX is 20: Additional casting time -2%
<...and so on...for as high DEX as you want>

If your INT is 10: Additional after-cast delay -1%
If your INT is 20: Additional after-cast delay -2%
<...and so on...for as high INT as you want>

(Eg. A Bard with maxed Strings and Musical Lesson, with 150 DEX and 30 INT, would buff for casting time -55% and after-cast delay -43%)

Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person can cast faster and enjoys a reduction in after-cast delay.

This is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST Bard skill. Cast time reduction can be stacked with Suffragium and this is the only skill in the game that reduces after-cast delay. You're basically helping Wizards (the mass damagers), Priests (the vital supporters), Spirit Monks (high damagers), and actually anyone else that spams skills with painful after-cast delays, especially Snipers and Lord Knights. I declare this an overpowered skill (no complaints though)!
My rating: *****



10a) Song of Lutie / Apple of Idun (Song)---------------------------
Requirements: Unchained Serenade 3
Requirement for: Battle Theme (10)
Duration: 180s
SP depletion: 1 SP per 6 seconds

Lvl 1: HP regen 35 and max HP +7%, 40 SP
Lvl 2: HP regen 40 and max HP +9%, 45 SP
Lvl 3: HP regen 45 and max HP +11%, 50 SP
Lvl 4: HP regen 50 and max HP +13%, 55 SP
Lvl 5: HP regen 55 and max HP +15%, 60 SP
Lvl 6: HP regen 60 and max HP +17%, 65 SP
Lvl 7: HP regen 65 and max HP +19%, 70 SP
Lvl 8: HP regen 70 and max HP +21%, 75 SP
Lvl 9: HP regen 75 and max HP +23%, 80 SP
Lvl 10: HP regen 80 and max HP +25%, 85 SP

Musical Lesson lvl 1: Additional HP regen 5 and max HP +1%
Musical Lesson lvl 2: Additional HP regen 10 and max HP +2%
Musical Lesson lvl 3: Additional HP regen 15 and max HP +3%
Musical Lesson lvl 4: Additional HP regen 20 and max HP +4%
<...and so on...>
Musical Lesson lvl 10: Additional HP regen 50 and max HP +10%

If your VIT is 10: Additional HP regen 5 and max HP +1%
If your VIT is 20: Additional HP regen 10 and max HP +2%
If your VIT is 30: Additional HP regen 15 and max HP +3%
If your VIT is 40: Additional HP regen 20 and max HP +4%
<...and so on...for as high VIT as you want>

(Eg. A Bard with maxed Lutie and Musical Lesson, with 70 VIT, would buff for HP regen 165 and max HP +42%)

Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person has some HP regen and an increase in max HP.

The most often-played song in towns and thus the most famous. Its HP recovery is crap honestly, go for the max HP upgrade, a 30% to 40% HP increase is enough to make Knights and Crusaders want to kiss you. Great for tanking MVPs and shockingly good for storming into the WOE pre-casts.
My rating: ****



Dancer Skills


03b) Dancing Lesson (Passive)---------------------------------------

Description: Same as Musical Lesson, except that it affects whip damage and Dancer skills.



04b) Slinging Arrow / Dart Arrow (Single Enemy Ranged)--------------

Description: Same as Melody Strike, except that it applies to whips.



05b) Dazzler / Scream (Active)--------------------------------------
Requirements: Encore 1
Requirement for: None
Cast time: None
Cast delay: 3 sec
SP cost: 8

Lvl 1: Stuns with 30% chance
Lvl 2: Stuns with 35% chance
<...and so on...>
Lvl 5: Stuns with 50% chance

Description: Tries to stun your enemies on the WHOLE screen. Has a low chance of stunning your own party members / guild members in WOE. In some servers namely iRO, guild members and allies in sieges OUTSIDE your party can never be frozen.

It's best to use this when your party/guild members in WOE are high VIT. This is a killer move, a lot of people go "WTF !@#$%^&" when they realize the enemy has a Dazzling Dancer; it's known to be great for castle-storming. Unlike the Bard's Unbarring Octave, stun cannot be prevented by equipment (except for the Orc Hero card), but it can be reduced by VIT and most WOE players have respectable VIT. By they way, Dazzler quotes are hilarious. "I'm pregnant with your child!!!" o.O
My rating: ****



06b) Hip Shaker / Ugly Dance (Dance)--------------------------------
Requirements: Amp 1 and Dancing Lesson 1
Requirement for: Focus (3), Slow (3), Lady (3) and Gypsy (3)
Duration: 30s
SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds

Lvl 1: 8 SP damage, 23 SP
Lvl 2: 14 SP damage, 26 SP
Lvl 3: 20 SP damage, 29 SP
Lvl 4: 26 SP damage, 32 SP
Lvl 5: 32 SP damage, 35 SP

Dancing Lesson lvl 1: Additional 6 damage
Dancing Lesson lvl 2: Additional 7 damage
Dancing Lesson lvl 3: Additional 8 damage
<...and so on...>
Dancing Lesson lvl 10: Additional 15 damage

Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, any enemy receives SP damage of 8 every 3 seconds. The damage increases with skill level.

<I do not have a Dancer, but AxiaDrake states that this skill is good in WOE. Especially when the enemy does not know what the skill does. Muahaha>



07b) Focus Ballet / Humming (Dance)---------------------------------
Requirements: Hip Shaker 3
Requirement for: Lullaby (10)
Duration: 60s
SP depletion: 1 SP per 5 seconds

Lvl 1: Hit +2, 22 SP
Lvl 2: Hit +4, 24 SP
Lvl 3: Hit +6, 26 SP
Lvl 4: Hit +8, 28 SP
Lvl 5: Hit +10, 30 SP
Lvl 6: Hit +12, 32 SP
Lvl 7: Hit +14, 34 SP
Lvl 8: Hit +16, 36 SP
Lvl 9: Hit +18, 38 SP
Lvl 10: Hit +20, 40 SP

Dancing Lesson lvl 1: Additional Hit +2
Dancing Lesson lvl 2: Additional Hit +4
<...and so on...>
Dancing Lesson lvl 10: Additional Hit +20

If your DEX is 10: Additional Hit +1
If your DEX is 20: Additional Hit +2
<...and so on...for as high DEX as you want>

(Eg. A Dancer with maxed Focus Ballet and Dancing Lesson, with 150 DEX, would buff for Hit +55)

Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person receives a Hit upgrade.

It seems leet. +40 or +50 Hit is not a joke. Low Hit has always plagued many melee classes in MVPing, and here's your chance to get your melee friends to score the MVP for Mistress, Knight of Windstorm, Dark Lord, and other high Flee bosses. Unfortunately there is no real use outside MVP, thus the bad rating it receives from my Dancer friends.
Friends' rating: **



08b) Slow Grace / Forget Me Not (Dance)-----------------------------
Requirements: Hip Shaker 3
Requirement for: Classical Pluck (10)
Duration: 180s
SP depletion: 1 SP per 5 seconds

Lvl 1: ASPD -3% and movement speed -2%, 28 SP
Lvl 2: ASPD -6% and movement speed -4%, 31 SP
Lvl 3: ASPD -9% and movement speed -6%, 34 SP
Lvl 4: ASPD -12% and movement speed -8%, 37 SP
Lvl 5: ASPD -15% and movement speed -10%, 40 SP
Lvl 6: ASPD -18% and movement speed -12%, 43 SP
Lvl 7: ASPD -21% and movement speed -14%, 46 SP
Lvl 8: ASPD -24% and movement speed -16%, 49 SP
Lvl 9: ASPD -27% and movement speed -18%, 52 SP
Lvl 10: ASPD -30% and movement speed -20%, 55 SP

<The effect of Dancing Lesson is currently unknown>
<DEX improves ASPD reduction but its exact effect is unknown>
<AGI improves movement speed reduction but its exact effect is unknown>

Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person suffers a reduction in ASPD and movement speed.

Experienced Dancers absolutely recommend this dance. In solo PVP, awesome. In WOE, even more awesome. Place the Dancer at strategic points, and unsuspecting enemies get to suffer an ASPD and movement delay for a fat 20 seconds. Or dance next to your own Emperium, and the enemy Sins/Knights would just have a hard time.
Friends' rating: ****1/2



09b) Lady Luck / Fortune's Kiss (Dance)-----------------------------
Requirements: Hip Shaker 3
Requirement for: Acoustic Rhythm (10)
Duration: 120s
SP depletion: 1 SP per 4 seconds

Lvl 1: Crit +11, 43 SP
Lvl 2: Crit +12, 46 SP
Lvl 3: Crit +13, 49 SP
Lvl 4: Crit +14, 52 SP
Lvl 5: Crit +15, 55 SP
Lvl 6: Crit +16, 58 SP
Lvl 7: Crit +17, 61 SP
Lvl 8: Crit +18, 64 SP
Lvl 9: Crit +19, 67 SP
Lvl 10: Crit +20, 70 SP

Dancing Lesson lvl 1 and 2: Additional Crit +1
Dancing Lesson lvl 3 and 4: Additional Crit +2
Dancing Lesson lvl 5 and 6: Additional Crit +3
Dancing Lesson lvl 7 and 8: Additional Crit +4
Dancing Lesson lvl 9 and 10: Additional Crit +5

If your LUK is 10: Additional Crit +1
If your LUK is 20: Additional Crit +2
<...and so on...for as high LUK as you want>

(Eg. A Dancer with maxed Lady Luck and Dancing Lesson, with 10 LUK, would buff for Crit +26)

Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person receives a Crit upgrade.

Popular use for supporting Emperium breaking. Dancers are truly friends of the Emperium - allied or enemy's.
Friends' rating: ***1/2



10b) Gypsy's Kiss / At Your Service (Dance)-------------------------
Requirements: Hip Shaker 3
Requirement for: Battle Theme (10)
Duration: 180s
SP depletion: 1 SP per 5 seconds

Lvl 1: SP cost -13% and max SP +11%, 40 SP
Lvl 2: SP cost -16% and max SP +12%, 45 SP
Lvl 3: SP cost -19% and max SP +13%, 50 SP
Lvl 4: SP cost -22% and max SP +14%, 55 SP
Lvl 5: SP cost -25% and max SP +15%, 60 SP
Lvl 6: SP cost -26% and max SP +16%, 65 SP
Lvl 7: SP cost -31% and max SP +17%, 70 SP
Lvl 8: SP cost -34% and max SP +18%, 75 SP
Lvl 9: SP cost -37% and max SP +19%, 80 SP
Lvl 10: SP cost -40% and max SP +20%, 85 SP

Dancing Lesson lvl 1 and 2: Additional SP cost -1% and +unknown max SP
Dancing Lesson lvl 3 and 4: Additional SP cost -2% and +unknown max SP
Dancing Lesson lvl 5 and 6: Additional SP cost -3% and +unknown max SP
Dancing Lesson lvl 7 and 8: Additional SP cost -4% and +unknown max SP
Dancing Lesson lvl 9 and 10: Additional SP cost -5% and +unknown max SP

If your INT is 10: Additional SP cost -1% and +unknown max SP
If your INT is 20: Additional SP cost -2% and +unknown max SP
<...and so on...for as high INT as you want>

(Eg. A Dancer with maxed Gypsy's Kiss and Dancing Lesson, with 30 INT, would buff for SP cost -55% and max SP +unknown)

Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person gets to use less SP for skills and an increase in max SP. Affects party members only?

Its SP cost reduction is good for levelling parties and potting alchemists, while its max SP upgrade is awesome for Guillotine Fist Monks.
Friends' rating: ****



Ensembles

Note: Notice how 1337 the original names were, and how stupid they've become in iRO.



11) Lullaby---------------------------------------------------------
Requirements: Perfect Tablature 10 / Focus Ballet 10
Requirement for: Power Chord (1)
Duration: 60s
SP cost: 20
SP depletion: 1 SP per 4 seconds

Lvl 1: In the 9x9 area of effect, makes everyone go to sleep. INT improves sleep chances.

It sounds like a bad skill. But fact is, no one has bothered to test it in battle. Till then, no one would know if Lullaby can actually be useful.
My rating: *



12) Power Chord / Into the Abyss-------------------------------------
Requirements: Lullaby 1
Requirement for: None
Duration: 60s
SP cost: 10
SP depletion: 1 SP per 5 seconds

Lvl 1: In the 9x9 area of effect, skills no longer require gemstones or traps. Works only for party members.

Was very popular for Hocus Pocus parties before the recent nerf. Now Hocus Pocus will always require at least one gem, and the chance of MVP-summoning in Hocus Pocus has been drastically lowered. Since its prerequisite Bard skill Perfect Tablature is useless, it's screwed up a lot of Bards. Luckily the Dancer's Humming is decent. Anyway, with this nerf, there isn't any reason why you would want to get this. Gems and trap costs are not your priority in critical MVP and WOE situations, and in PVM other skills totally trash it flat.
My rating: *1/2



13) Classical Pluck / Loki's Wail-----------------------------------
Requirements: Impressive Riff 10 / Slow Grace 10
Requirement for: Down Tempo (1)
Duration: 60s
SP cost: 15
SP depletion: 1 SP per 4 seconds

Lvl 1: In the 9x9 area of effect, all players cannot use any skills, including the partner who's unable to cast Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow / Amp. Only the caster can Amp the duet.

IMHO the best duet! Get your partner near the portal in a pre-cast room, and get your guild mates to stand further away while barraging the portal with all sorts of skills and spells. Priests can't heal, Monks can't GF, Bards can't freeze, Dancers can't stun, Blacksmiths can't Mammo, Knights can't Pierce, Crusaders can't GC... you get the idea. Thumbs-up!
My rating: *****



14) Down Tempo / Eternal Chaos--------------------------------------
Requirements: Classical Pluck 1
Requirement for: None
Duration: 60s
SP cost: 30
SP depletion: 1 SP per 4 seconds

Lvl 1: In the 9x9 area of effect, players not in your party or guild get 0 VIT DEF.

No it doesn't reduce Armour DEF. Only VIT DEF. No one knows any good tactic for this yet.
Friends' rating: *1/2



15) Acoustic Rhythm / Invulnerable Siegfried------------------------
Requirements: Magic Strings 10 / Lady Luck 10
Requirement for: Mental Sensing (3)
Duration: 60s
SP cost: 20
SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds

<Has 5 levels but the effectiveness at the 1st four levels are not known>
Lvl 5: In the 9x9 area of effect, party members gain 80% resistance at all elements and 50% resistance to status changes.

It's received a MAJOR buff. It sounds awesome in MVP and WOE! But my friends who've experienced it say that it doesn't work really that well, so I'll use their rating.
Friends' rating: ***



16) Mental Sensing / Mr Kim a Rich Man------------------------------
Requirements: Acoustic Rhythm (3)
Requirement for: None
Duration: 60s
SP cost: 20
SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds

Lvl 1: Increases EXP gain by 136%
Lvl 2: Increases EXP gain by 147%
Lvl 3: Increases EXP gain by 158%
Lvl 4: Increases EXP gain by 169%
Lvl 5: Increases EXP gain by 180%

Description: For any monsters killed within the 9x9 area of effect, the EXP gained is increased.

Its original name is the only thing I like about this duet. Even its iRO name got screwed. It's only useful for levelling, and what do you do when you level? You move around actively, looking for more monsters. Duets root the poor Bard and Dancer to one miserable spot. Sure you can get the party mates to lure the monsters into the duet area, but how efficient is that? While we are talking about efficiency, levelling is all about efficient EXP gain per unit time per party member, and adding a Bard and a Dancer just to use this skill is a huge waste of party space. And everyone knows that the most efficient levelling parties in RO are the two-man Priest + Wizard/Hunter parties. Edit: There are people who like this skill. They get paid for serving aggressive levelling parties.
My rating: **



17) Battle Theme / Sound of a Drum on the Battlefield---------------
Requirements: Song of Lutie 10 / Gypsy's Kiss 10
Requirement for: Harmonic Lick (3)
Duration: 60s
SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds

Lvl 1: ATK +50 and DEF +4, 40 SP
Lvl 2: ATK +75 and DEF +6, 45 SP
Lvl 3: ATK +100 and DEF +8, 50 SP
Lvl 4: ATK +125 and DEF +10, 55 SP
Lvl 5: ATK +150 and DEF +12, 60 SP

Description: In the 9x9 area of effect, party members get ATK and DEF upgrades. DEF upgrades work normally like Armour DEF. ATK upgrades are multiplied by elements, skills and cards. Players outside your party do not get buffed. Thanks Mint Parfait for testing!

Mint Parfait says: "Suppose you have a 4x 20% carded weapon, and 2x element. With battle theme, that becomes 360% * 150 atk = 540 extra damage per attack. Consider this with a skill - a double strafe that did 4000 damage would now do 6000 damage (540*3.8)." What can I say? This is great. The fact that it affects only your party members also scores well in flexibility.
My rating: ****



18) Harmonic Lick / Ring of Nibelungen------------------------------
Requirements: Battle Theme 3
Requirement for: None
Duration: 60s
SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds

Lvl 1: ATK +150, 40 SP
Lvl 2: ATK +200, 45 SP
Lvl 3: ATK +250, 50 SP
Lvl 4: ATK +300, 55 SP
Lvl 5: ATK +350, 60 SP

Description: In the 9x9 area of effect, party members wielding Lvl 4 weapons get an ATK upgrade. ATK upgrades are multiplied by elements, skills and cards and ignore DEF. Players outside your party do not get buffed. Thanks Mint Parfait for testing!

OK the naming really got screwed. IMHO better than Battle Theme. +350 ATK is huge! But the constraint to Lvl 4 weapons is a major, major weakness. There are still very few situations a Lvl 4 weapon is better than a properly-carded or elemental weapon, except for the Infiltrator and the House Auger.
My rating: **



COMMENTS: Duets generally sound good on paper but they are highly flawed. You absolutely need a partner all the time who shares the same skills. Both of you can't move. The skill effects disappear immediately when your party members step out of the area of effect. And most importantly, it would be better for a Bard and a Dancer in the same party to perform their own solo skills. Think twice before you get a duet, because it takes a lot just to use it. The only duets I see of practical use are Classical Pluck in siege defence and Battle Theme in MVPing.





A Bard/Dancer is not optimal at being a support-only character. Our skills have a lot of restrictions and are hardly as indispensible as the Priests'. Neither are we good damagers; we are basically Hunters with less HP, slower ASPD, no traps and no falcon. However, we specialize in support PLUS damage.

Our Archer background, bonus stats and armour give us plenty of opportunities to reach sky-high DEX and damage, so don't miss them. With the skills Melody Strike and Slinging Arrow, you're able to deal huge damage AS WELL AS sing/dance your hearts out. Hence the paramount importance of DEX in your build.

At this point I must say that even full-support builds should have high DEX instead of high INT. INT/VIT support Bards and Dancers just aren’t good enough. You’ll read more of this throughout the guide.

As you know your different stats help you in your skills (eg. DEX and INT improve Magic Strings), so you should also factor them in deciding your stat build.

These builds are just guidelines. The best way to create your own build is to understand the benefits of each stat, the uses of each skill, and combine your tastes with the experienced players' recommendations to make a Bard or Dancer with the stats and skills you really want.

General stat guidelines:
DEX - Get it high, very high or max. Any build.
VIT - Higher for PVP and WOE and even MVP, but don't overdo it. Extremely high VIT (like 99) is a waste of valuable points.
AGI - Good for PVM, MVP and levelling, but don't overdo it either. Sky-high AGI ruins your build even worse than high VIT.
INT - A convenience stat, you can leave it at 9, or push it to a maximum of 30 (40 if you really like SP).
STR - Get a bit of STR (up to 20) for pure WOE support. No other build should get this.
LUK – Besides Crit builds, leave it at 1 or 9.

General skill guidelines:
Amp, Encore and Unchained/Hip 3 should be in all builds.
Musical/Dancing Lesson should be put at 10, or 9 if necessary.
Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow is -highly- recommended in any build.
Octave/Dazzler is for WOE.
Classical Pluck is for WOE; Battle Theme is for MVP; other duets are, for now, not worth the points.
Solo songs/dances - Choose at your own discretion, keeping in mind who you want to buff and bonuses from your stat build. Tip: Magic Strings is a must-have for Bards.


Support Builds

“The WOE Support Build”
90 DEX
90 VIT
30 AGI
25 INT
20 STR
1 LUK

1 Amp
1 Encore
10 Musical / Dancing Lesson
5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
5 Unbarring Octave / Dazzler
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 Impressive Riff / Slow Grace
1 Classical Pluck
10 Magic Strings / Lady Luck
3 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>

This build is in my opinion the exemplary support build. VIT is great for any support situation, while DEX is for MS/SA with status cards. Dancers could replace Lady Luck with Gypsy’s Kiss. The 30 AGI is to improve Impressive Riff and Slow Grace, lest you go “AGI in Bards and Dancers is useless!!!”.

Because the majority of Bards and Dancers are WOE support I have discussed further with other players about the build. The recommendations that deviate from the above build are:
1. STR should be reduced to 1; some users do not find potting useful. I somewhat disagree.
2. INT should be added to 40 – 50; some users do not find they have enough SP. I stand neutral.
3. VIT should be added to 99; some users want complete stun immunity especially for Classical Pluck. I stand neutral.
4. VIT should be reduced to 70 – 80; some users find it’s enough. I moderately disagree.
5. DEX should be added to 99; some users love to MS. I somewhat agree.
5. DEX should be reduced to 80; some users find it’s enough. I moderately disagree. 80 DEX renders MS/SA quite useless due to slow cast times.
6. AGI should be reduced to 1; some users see no point. I moderately disagree. AGI at low levels are very cheap investments; not only does it up MS/SA speed, more importantly in WOE they improve the invaluable WOE skills Impressive Riff and Slow Grace.


"The DEXless WOE Build"
90 INT
90 VIT
50 DEX
9 LUK
1 STR
1 AGI

1 Amp
1 Encore
5 Unbarring Octave / Dazzler
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 Musical / Dancing Lessons
10 <Insert any song/dance here>
10 <Insert any song/dance here>
9 <Insert any song/dance here>

Ah, always a touchy subject for myself. There will always be players around who do not see the point of DEX in a support build. I disagree very strongly with this build but I list it here because it is, after all, quite an established build among players that belong to the opposite camp. Fuelled by the desire to be a "Full-Support" character, builds such as these have low DEX because they wish to "just sing songs and not bother about damage". Such high INT is useless because with smart playing, you will hardly run out of SP with 30 INT. And remember, additional damage or status attacks on the enemy are a form of support too! Refer to Compare and Contrast section to see why I don't agree with this build.


"The MVP Support Build"
99 DEX
75 AGI
50 VIT
25 INT
1 STR
1 LUK

1 Amp
1 Encore
9 Musical / Dancing Lesson
5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 Magic Strings / Lady Luck
10 Song of Lutie / Gypsy's Kiss
10 Impressive Riff / Focus Ballet

In my opinion the skills listed are good for MVP-support. Stats wise, you have enough AGI to spam MS/SA at the MVP or the occasional monster approaching your Wizard. Pretty good at levelling too.

Alternative skill build #1 for the MVP Build:
1 Amp
1 Encore
10 Musical Lesson / Dancing Lesson
5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 Magic Strings / Focus Ballet
10 Song of Lutie / Gypsy's Kiss
5 Battle Theme
4 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>

Alternative skill build #2 for the MVP Build:
1 Amp
1 Encore
9 Musical / Dancing Lesson
5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 Magic Strings / Lady Luck
5 Invulnerable Siegfried
10 Song of Lutie / Gypsy's Kiss
5 Battle Theme


"The Crazy STR/VIT Ensemble Support Build"
99 STR
99 VIT
9 LUK
1 INT
1 STR
1 LUK

1 Amp
1 Encore
5 Unbarring Octave / Dazzler
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 Impressive Riff / Slow Grace
1 Classical Pluck
10 Song of Lutie / Gypsy's Kiss
5 Battle Theme
10 Magic Strings / Lady Luck
3 Invulnerable Siegfried

This build is crazy. You need to depend on pure leeching for experience, and you can't do anything else besides using ensembles. I listed this here because this nevertheless is an excellent build - if you have the sanity, the money, and the determination to play a very very very boring and expensive character. VIT for the HP, STR for the weight to carry your pots. No INT? Bring lots of Blues or Honeys. I highly recommended NOT to go this route because a Bard and a Dancer can be utilised so much more effectively than just spamming ensembles, but then again I cannot deny the sheer power of a long-lasting support character. Be prepared to spend millions and millions and millions of zeny though.


Battle Builds

"The DEX/AGI Build"
99 DEX
99 AGI
9 INT
1 STR
1 VIT
1 LUK

1 Amp
1 Encore
10 Musical / Dancing Lesson
5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
5 Unbarring Octave / Dazzler
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 <Insert any song/dancer here>
10 <Insert any song/dancer here>
4 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>

A Hunter with slower attacks, no traps, no falcons, better looks, sing/dance, and freeze/stun the whole screen. Bards and Dancers like this do exist, and they level very fast, but the lack of VIT means you die often in WOE/MVP and the lack of INT means you lose SP fast from singing/dancing. For your info this was my Bard build so that I could level up quickly for rebirth (though I had less AGI for 30 INT).


“The VIT>AGI Battle Build”
99 DEX
80 VIT
50 AGI
9 INT
1 STR
1 LUK

1 Amp
1 Encore
10 Musical / Dancing Lesson
5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
5 Unbarring Octave / Dazzler
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 <Insert any song/dancer here>
10 <Insert any song/dancer here>
4 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>

Obviously a more well-rounded build compared to the previous one due to the 80/50 distribution of VIT and AGI. Reported to be a very popular build in iRO; it works great in both battle and support, though it lacks the INT that support-focused builds possess.


“The AGI>VIT Battle/Hybrid Build”
99 DEX
80 AGI
50 VIT
9 INT
1 STR
1 LUK

1 Amp
1 Encore
10 Musical / Dancing Lesson
5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
5 Unbarring Octave / Dazzler
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 <Insert any song/dancer here>
10 <Insert any song/dancer here>
4 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>

An alternative is to swap the AGI and VIT values; instead of VIT>AGI you have AGI>VIT. Like all kinds of characters (Smiths, Knights, and so on) VIT>AGI and AGI>VIT builds have their individual pros and cons (according to FATALx420engel, however, the former is superior).


Hybrid Builds

"All-Purpose Build"
99 DEX
80 VIT/AGI
40 AGI/VIT
25 INT
1 STR
1 LUK

1 Amp
1 Encore
10 Musical / Dancing Lesson
5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
5 Unbarring Octave / Dazzler
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 Magic Strings / Lady Luck
10 Impressive Riff / Slow Grace
1 Classical Pluck
3 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>

Basically able to accommodate into any situation, plus able to level fast enough. Does great in both battle and support but does not excel in either one. These builds are basically battle builds with more INT.


Other Builds

"The Slave Build"
<Your stats won't even matter, and you wouldn't reach 99 anyway>

1 Amp
1 Encore
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 Perfect Tablature / Focus Ballet
10 Magic Strings / Lady Luck
1 Lullaby
1 Into the Abyss
3 Acoustic Rhythm
5 Mental Sensing
14 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>

The sole purpose of these builds is to slave for Hocus Pocus parties by eliminating gem usage and buffing experience gain. You really don't need to read a guide then. I'm just warning you that sooner or later Hocus Pocus will get weakened badly, and such slave builds would hardly get used anymore.


"The Crit Build"
90 DEX
90 AGI
50 LUK
9 INT
1 STR
1 VIT

<The skills don't matter>

I previously thought that Bards and Dancers shouldn't Crit since Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow cannot Crit. But today we see Crit Knights, Crusaders and Smiths. I don't know how good a Crit build is. Crit builds are probably more suitable for Dancers since they have Crit-enhancing weapons, plus they are better battlers in general.


"The Insta-cast Build"
99 DEX (or whatever is enough to get you to a final value of 150)
99 INT
9 AGI
1 STR
1 VIT
1 LUK

<The skills don't matter>

Just a raw idea that's never been put to practice. Magic Scrolls are usable items that allow you to cast magic spells, and the Electric Guitar allows Bards (ONLY) to cast Jupitel Thunder lvl 1. As Bards / Dancers we reach DEX 150 easily, and imagine the chaos an instant-caster can do. I've thought about Electric Guitar Bards. JT has no after-cast delay, and now at 150 DEX with no cast time, you can continuously spam JT with no end. With JT's knock-back effect, get ready to do some serious pwning.


Clown/Gypsy builds
Note: Details on Clown and Gypsy skills are located further along this guide.

“The Ultimate Build of Support + Battle Versatility”
99 DEX
90 VIT
30 AGI
25 INT
10 STR
1 LUK

1 Amp
1 Encore
10 Musical / Dancing Lesson
1 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
5 Unbarring Octave / Dazzler
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 Impressive Riff / Slow Grace
10 Magic Strings / Lady Luck
10 Song of Lutie / Gypsy's Kiss
1 Classical Pluck
1 Marionette Control
10 Arrow Vulcan
5 Tarot Cards of Fate
1 Wand of Hermod

Bards and Dancers are forced to choose between battle and support (or end up with a hybrid) because our battle skills need AGI. But this no longer poses a restriction for Clowns and Gypsies, because Arrow Vulcan and Tarot Card of Fate are ASPD-independent. Ditching the bow, this build is the true high-VIT, Buckler-toting, Instrument-wielding/Whip-slashing battle powerhouse we’ve dreamed of. The beauty is: the stat build is similar to established support stat builds! Now you have a build that is not a hybrid build, because hybrids are jacks-of-trades but masters of none, but an all-rounder build that enjoys the best of both worlds. Go Clowns and Gypsies!



Comments: For more detailed stat-planning, use the almighty stat calculator
http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~magnusrk/calc/





I'm only listing the equipment you should actually think of obtaining.

Note: Credits to Akemi's Monk guide found in Emperium/ROE.

* - You should have these.


Weapons

- *Composite Bow [4], when properly carded is the best bow for High DEX (130 and above)
- Crossbow [3], cheapest and most versatile
- Gakkung [2], when properly carded is the best bow for Low Dex (below 120)

- *Violin [4], dropped by Violies in Geffenia, when properly carded is the best instrument for 150 DEX and above.
- Lute [3], dropped by Wicked Nymphs in Gonryun Dungeon 3, when properly carded is the best instrument for 140 DEX and below. At any DEX it is the best weapon against high DEF/VIT opponents.
- Harp [2], can be obtained from Bard Job Quest. Has a nice +2 INT bonus; when carded great as your starting instrument before you obtain the rare 4S. Violin or the 3S. Lute.
- Electric Guitar <rare>, Wind element, +2 INT, +1 AGI, enables Jupitel Thunder lvl 1
- Pipa <unavailable yet>, +10% Melody Strike / Arrow Vulcan damage
- Guitar of the Solo Army <unavailable yet>, Water elemental
- Guitar of Passing Breeze <unavailable yet>, Wind elemental
- Guitar of Fiery Spirit <unavailable yet>, Fire elemental

- *Rope [4], when properly carded is the best whip, plus very frequently-dropped by Dryads
- Rante Whip [1]
- Chemeti, +5% Crit, +10% Flee and +2 Perfect Dodge
- Lariat Whip, +5 DEX and +1 AGI
- Rapture Rose <rare>, 50% chance of inflicting Poison status
- Queen’s Whip <unavailable yet>, +10% Slinging Arrow / Arrow Vulcan damage
- Blade Whip <unavailable yet>, randomly causes External Bleeding
- Whip of the Earth <unavailable yet>, Earth elemental
- Whip of the Flame <unavailable yet>, Fire elemental
- Jump Rope <unavailable yet>, +20% Crit

- *Knife [3], 40 Weight, the lightest and cheapest dagger a Bard/Dancer can equip. Use it to stop your song/dance without Amping. Sold by your favourite town NPCs.


Headgear

Any pretty headgear to suit your fancy. The following lists include only functional headgear.

Functional upper headgear:
- *Apple o' Archer (AOA), 0 DEF and +3 DEX, most popular headgear in the game.
- Posture Hat, 2 DEF and +2 DEX
- Ghost Bandana (GHB), 0 DEF and +2 AGI
- Sombrero, 4 DEF and +1 AGI
- Sea Otter's Hat, 3 DEF and +1 VIT
- Corsair, 5 DEF and +1 VIT
- *Crown of the Mistress <rare>, 0 DEF, +2 INT and +100 SP
- Crown <rare>, 4 DEF and +2 INT
- Tiara <rare>, 4 DEF and +2 INT, for females only
- Annoyed Raccoon Hat, +20% resistance to sleep status
- Drooping Cat <rare>, 1 DEF, 15 MDEF, and +30% resistance to curse status
- *Poopoo Hat, 0 DEF and +10% resistance to human attacks, very good in WOE.
- Fresh Bluish Fish Hat, 2 DEF and +10% damage to fishes
- *Cap [1], 4 DEF

Functional middle headgear:
- *Binoculars, 1 DEF and +1 DEX, most Archer classes wear this
- Masquerade, +3% damage to humans
- Blinker, 0 DEF and immunity to darkness status
- Sunglasses [1] <very rare except in iRO>

Functional lower headgear:
- Romantic Leaf, +3% resistance to plant attacks
- Romantic Flower, +3% resistance to plant attacks
- Smoking Pipe, +3% resistance to insect attacks
- Oxygen Mask, +20% resistance to poison status
- Gangster Mask, +30% resistance to silence status

Functional mask (middle and lower) headgear:
- Phantom of the Opera, 2 DEF
- Alarm Mask, 2 DEF and +50% resistance to darkness status

Functional whole-headgear:
- Munak Turban, +10% resistance to undead attacks

Note: Most popularly worn are Apple o' Archer, Poopoo Hat, Binoculars, Romantic Leaf, Romantic Flower


Shields

- *Buckler [1], 4 DEF, we beat Hunters in defence because we can wear a carded Buckler, an extreme importance in critical battles.


Armour

- *Tights [1], 6 DEF and +1 DEX, a staple for Archer classes


Robes

- *Muffler [1], 2 DEF
- Ragamuffin Cape, 1 DEF and 10 MDEF
- Wing of the Angels [1] <unavailable yet>, 3 DEF


Footwear

- *Boots [1], 4 DEF
- Crystal Pumps, 0 DEF, 10 MDEF and +5 LUK


Accessories

- *Clip [1], +10 max SP
- Glove, +2 DEX
- *Glove [1], +1 DEX, must be at least lvl 90
- Brooch, +2 AGI
- Brooch [1], +1 AGI, must be at least lvl 90
- Necklace, +2 VIT
- Earring, +2 INT
- Rosary, +2 LUK
- *Rosary [1], 3 MDEF and +1 LUK, must be at least lvl 90
- Safety Ring <rare>, 3 DEF and 3 MDEF

Note: Most popularly worn are Clip, Glove and S. Glove





Again I'm only listing the cards you should bother ever getting.

Note: Credits to Akemi's Monk guide found in Emperium/ROE.

* - You should have these.


Weapons

Size modifiers:
- Desert Wolf (Gigantic), +5 damage and +15% damage to small monsters. Baby players in PVP/WOE are small.
- *Skeleton Worker (Boned), +5 damage and +15% damage to medium monsters. Most monsters in RO are medium, and so are human players in PVP/WOE.
- Minorous (Titan), +5 damage and +15% damage to large monsters. Most bosses are large.

Racial modifiers:
- *Hydra (Bloody), +20% ATK to humans.
- Goblin (Clamorous), +20% ATK to brutes.
- Caramel (Insecticide), +20% ATK to insects.
- Strouf (Decussate) <very rare>, +20% ATK to demons.
- Scorpion King (Holy), +20% ATK to undead.
- Pecopeco Egg (Beholder), +20% ATK to formless.

Elemental modifiers:
- Kaho (Underground), +20% ATK to Earth property monsters.
- Vadon (Flammable), +20% ATK to Fire property monsters.
- Drainliar (Saharic), +20% ATK to Water property monsters.
- Mandragora (Windy), +20% ATK to Wind property monsters.
- Santa Poring (Hallowed), +20% ATK to Dark property monsters.
- Anacondaq (Venomous), +20% ATK to Poison property monsters.
- Mao Guai (Evil Ward), +20% ATK to Ghost property monsters.

Species modifiers:
- Goblin Leader (Fatal Goblin), +30% ATK to Goblin species.
- Lava Golem (Breaking), +30% ATK to Golem species.
- Orc Lady (Broken), +30% ATK to Orc species (excluding Orc Hero and Orc Lord).
- Kobold Leader (Deady Kobold), +30% ATK to Kobold species.

All the cards above can be combined to form specialized, stronger weapons. It's best you use a stat calc to find out the best combination available, but as a general rule...
- When combining elemental and racial cards, get a double elemental double racial.
- When combining elemental and size cards, get a triple elemental single size.
- When combining racial and size cards, get a triple racial single size.
- I haven't experimented enough with species cards.
For example, the best PVP weapon for a High DEX character is always Triple Bloody (three Hydra Cards) Boned (one Skel Worker Card). Bards and Dancers aren't the best attackers and a slew of specialized weaponry may be rather exorbitant, but for Clowns/Gypsies, who have the powerful Arrow Vulcan, a set of specialized Violins/Ropes would be very viable.

Status cards:
- Snake (Untouchable), +5 ATK and 5% poison chance. Poison is countered by the target's VIT.
- Metaller (Silence), +5 ATK and 5% silence chance. Silence is countered by the target's VIT.
- Savage Bebe (Stun), +5 ATK and 5% stun chance. Stun is countered by the target's VIT.
- Farmiliar (Blink), +5 ATK and 5% blind chance. Blind is countered by the target's INT.
- Plankton (Drowsy), +5 ATK and 5% sleep chance. Sleep is countered by the target's INT.
- Marina (Ice), +5 ATK and 5% freeze chance. Frozen is countered by the target's MDEF.
- Magnolia (Cursing), +5 ATK and 5% curse chance. Curse is countered by the target's LUK.
- Requiem (Chaos), 5% chaos chance. Chaos is unavailable yet.
- Lord of Death (Critical Moment) <super rare>, random chance of inflicting Coma (HP drops to 1) on a target --- Get this, and your Clown/Gypsy will be famous in the history of Ragnarok Online.

Status cards are very popular for WOE Bards and Dancers. Instead of MS/SA for damage, MS/SA for status is a better choice for many. Alternative, slot them in a Composite Bow for Arrow Shower on an enemy mob, though Hunters are more often allocated this role. Stun, chaos and silence are the most popular choices.


Others:

- Andre (Hurricane), +20 ATK --- This beats the size, racial and elemental modified cards at low DEX levels, thus suitable for early weapons.

- Mummy (Ancient), +20 Hit --- Even with such high DEX a few monsters, some MVPs, Rogues and Assassins with incredible Flee are hard to hit without Ancient weapons.

- Phreeoni (Perfect) <super rare>, +100 Hit --- See above. Great, but I'd rather use it on or sell it to a damager character, like a Blacksmith.

- Fabre (Vital), +1 VIT, +100 HP --- Suitable for situations you know you won't be doing any damage at all.

- Hunter Fly (Malicious), 3% chance to drain 15% of damage inflicted as HP --- Popular for solo levelling weapons, as the self-healing removes the need for a healer.

- Abysmal Knight (Liberation) <very rare>, +25% ATK to bosses --- Great, but I'd rather use it on or sell it to an MVP character, like a Hunter.

- Doppleganger (Berserk) <super rare>, upgrades ASPD --- Great, but I'd rather use it on or sell it to a damager character, like a Hunter.

- Incantation Samurai (Extreme Lust) <super rare>, pierces DEF, character loses 666 HP every 10 seconds, unequipping this weapon loses the character 999 HP --- Great, but I'd use this on a primary attacker character.

- *Golem (Solid), weapon cannot be stripped or destroyed --- Very good choice for WOE defence as the Alchemists and Whitesmiths can’t remove your weapon. In fact my main WOE Violin[4] now has a Golem card along with three other cards of my choice.


Headgear

General purpose:
- Pharaoh (Precious) <super rare>, SP consumption -30%
- Incubus (Nightmare) <rare>, -3 INT, +150 Max SP, and -20% SP regen. If you are wearing Succubus card at the same time, the net effect will be +1 INT, +150 Max SP and +10% SP regen.
- Permeter (Evil Ment's), +15% resistance against dark and undead elemental attacks.
- Carat (High Class), +2 INT. If headgear is refined +9 or +10, +150 Max SP.
- Maya Purple (Premonition) <rare>, allows user to see Hiding/Cloaked players and monsters.

Status modifiers:
- Deviruchi (Adurate), +1 STR and darkness immunity.
- Giearth (Order), +15% resistance to earth attacks and chaos immunity.
- Marduk (Peerless), silence immunity.
- Nightmare (Insomniac), +1 AGI and sleep immunity.
- Orc Hero (Neutral) <super rare>, +3 VIT and stun immunity.
- Dark Snake Lord (Anti Curse) <super rare>, +3 INT and darkness, curse immunity.
- Stalactic Golem (Stun Resisting), +1 DEF and +20% stun resistance.

Note: The best headgear for Bards/Dancers are the nonslotted ones like Apple o' Archer, Poopoo and Mistress Crown. For WOE you could also consider carded Caps, with Nightmare card, since Sleep is not protected by VIT.


Shields

General purpose:
- Ambernite (Athena), +2 DEF.
- Andre Egg (Excellent), +5% max HP.
- Thief Bug Egg (Rigid), +400 max HP.
- Golden Thief Bug (Deaf) <super rare>, immunity to magic.
- Maya (Reflect) <super rare>, 30% chance to reflect targeted magic attacks (not AoE spells).

Racial modifiers:
- *Thara Frog (Cranial), +30% resistance to human attacks.
- Orc Warrior (Brutal), +30% resistance to brute attacks.
- Bigfoot (Gargantua), +30% resistance to insect attacks.
- Khalitzburg (Hell), +30% resistance to demon attacks.
- Penomena (Fire-resisting), +30% resistance to formless attacks.
- Medusa (Plasterous), +15% resistance to demon attacks, stone curse immunity. More Wizards today have Stone Curse in their builds and this is the only card that confers any resistance to stone curse.

Size modifiers:
- Mysteltain (Ment Tiny) <rare>, +1 DEF and +25% resistance to small opponents.
- Grimtooth (Ment Media) <rare>, +1 DEF and +25% resistance to medium opponents.
- Executioner (Great Ment) <rare>, +1 DEF and +25% resistance to large opponents.

Note: Highly recommended is: Thara Frog.


Armour

General purpose:
- *Pecopeco (Ares), +10% max HP.
- *Pupa (Hard), +700 max HP.
- Rocker (Skilful), +1 DEX.
- *Marc (Unfrozen), freeze immunity.
- Rybio (Stunning), when you receive any physical damage, you have 10% chance of causing Stun ailment to enemies. If your DEX is over 77, then it will be 30% chance.
- Disguise (Silent), when you receive any physical damage, you have 10% chance of causing Silence ailment to enemies. If your VIT is over 77, then it will be 30% chance.
- Succubus (Nightmare) <rare>, -3 VIT, +1000 Max HP, and -20% HP regen. If you are wearing Incubus Card at the same time, the net effect will be +1 VIT, +1000 Max HP and +10% HP regen.
- Tao Gunka (Highly Dangerous) <super rare>, +100% Max HP, -50% DEF and MDEF.

Elemental modifiers:
- *Dokebi (Zephyrus), 1 DEF and makes armour wind 1 element.
- Swordfish (Aqua), 1 DEF and makes armour water 1 element.
- Pasana (Ifrit), 1 DEF and makes armour fire 1 element.
- Angelring (Holy) <very rare>, makes armour holy 1 element.
- *Ghostring (Ghost) <very rare>, makes armour sense 1 element.

Note: Highly recommended are: Either Pecopeco or Pupa, Marc, and all the elemental modifiers. Ghostring's a superb card, and very expensive.


Robes

- *Raydric (Immune), +20% resistance to neutral attacks.
- *Whisper (Mocking), +20 Flee and +50% damage from ghost element attacks.
- Nine Tails (High Class), +2 AGI. When robe is refined +9 or +10, +20 Flee.
- Devilring (Surprising) <very rare>, +50% resistance to neutral attacks and -50% resistance to all other elements.
- Dragontail (Crooked), +10 Flee and +1 AGI, Double Strafe and Arrow Shower damage increased by 5%.

- Dustiness (Warmth), +30% resistance to wind attacks.
- *Marse (Genie's), +30% resistance to water attacks.
- Jakk (Flameguard), +30% resistance to fire attacks.
- Hode (Glorious), +30% resistance to earth attacks.

Notes: Whisper for levelling and monster-hunting. In any other situation, use Raydric. Use the elemental modifiers for specific situations like MVPs; Marse is great for storming into pre-casting SGs in WOE. Richer players who can afford a +9 Muffler easily should go for Nine Tails.


Footwear

- Matyr (Green), +1 AGI and +10% max HP.
- Verit (Fledged), +8% max HP and +8% max SP.
- Sohee (Soul-enchanted), +15% max SP and +3% SP regen.
- Moonlight Flower (Rushing) <super rare>, increases in movement speed and -2 DEX.
- Antique Firelock (High Quality), +2 STR. If footwear is refined +9 or +10, +10% HP/SP.

Notes: Highly recommended is Verit. I didn't indent any of them with * because it's up to you to choose between Matyr, Verit or Sohee. Players should attempt to save up for a +9 Boots because Antique Firelock is just superior to Verit already.


Accessories

- *Zerom (Nimble), +3 DEX.
- Kukre (Athletic), +2 AGI.
- Spore (Spores), +2 VIT.
- *Vitata (Healing), enables Heal lvl 1 skill.
- *Creamy (Teleport), enables Teleport lvl 1 skill.
- Smokie (Hiding), enables Hiding lvl 1 skill.
- Horong (Clairvoyant), enables Sight lvl 1 skill.
- Violy (Collapsed), when you are attacking, small chance to auto-cast Unbarring Octave lvl 1 (if you already know UO lvl 5, you will auto-cast UO lvl 5 instead).
- Mimic (Blue Cubical), small chance for monster to drop Old Blue Box.

Notes: Highly recommended are Zerom, Vitata and Creamy. Mimic's a great investment for servers with expensive OBBs (namely non-iRO servers).


Combination

- If you equip all the Cruiser + Anolian + Alligator + Merman + Dragontail cards,
Increases ranged damage by 20%, +3 DEX, +5 AGI.
Chance of unleashing a no-miss guided attack +20% (WTF does this mean?).
Only for Archer classes: +5% EXP gain for Brute monsters. If damage is physical, small chance of Coma ailment against the Brute monster.





You need arrows as an Archer, and as a Bard/Dancer you still need them irregardless of your weapon choice. Double Strafe, Slinging Arrow, Melody Strike and Arrow Vulcan (eventually) take the element of your arrows. Besides, the aforementioned four skills will ONE DAY require the usage of arrows.

Currently you can get arrows from three alternative sources: buy, loot or create. Below lists the arrows you should get. Note that MS/SA do not consider arrow ATK. Henceforth the first four arrows are actually the least useful.

Arrow, 25 ATK and neutral element
Iron Arrow, 30 ATK and neutral element
Steel Arrow, 40 ATK and neutral element
Oridecon Arrow, 50 ATK and neutral element

Fire Arrow, 30 ATK and fire element
Crystal Arrow, 30 ATK and water element
Arrow of Wind, 30 ATK and wind element
Stone Arrow, 30 ATK and earth element
Immaterial Arrow, 30 ATK and sense element
Rusty Arrow, 30 ATK and poison element
Silver Arrow, 30 ATK and holy element
Arrow of Shadow, 30 ATK and dark element


Buying Arrows

Arrows and Iron Arrows can be bought but because they are essentially useless I shan't mislead you so.

Silver Arrows - 3zn (2zn discounted) from all weapon NPCs, Payon tool NPCs and Sunken Ship.
Fire Arrows - 3zn (2zn discounted) from Sunken Ship.

Silver and Fire are the most important arrows because i) they are very easily available from NPCs and ii) Earth, Undead and Dark monsters are the most populous in the game; these arrows work great for them!


Looting Arrows

Steel Arrow - Orc Archers
Oridecon Arrow - Goblin Archers

Fire Arrow - Skeleton Archers, Horong, Gajomart
Crystal Arrow - Anolians
Arrow of Wind - Orc Archers
Stone Arrow - Orc Archers, Sting
Arrow of Shadow - Wild Rose

A conscious effort to harvest arrows by looting is never efficient. To collect unbuyable arrows, the following is recommended.


Creating Arrows

All right I've changed my mind... there are far too many places you can check out the Arrow Creation list from (using your Archer quest skill Arrow Create). BUT LISTEN!

Subsequent to the arrow usage patch, Gravity decided to improve Arrow Creation on several items to make it easier for us to collect elemental arrows. Items not listed below receive no changes. Courtesy of Lune.

* Wind of Verdure: Wind Arrow 50 --> 150
* Rough Wind: Wind Arrow 150 --> 450
* Matyr's Leash: Wind Arrow 50 --> 150
* Red Blood: Fire Arrow 200 --> 600
* Flame Heart: Fire Arrow 600 --> 1800
* Matchstick: Fire Arrow 1000 --> 3000
* Blue Gemstone: Crystal Arrow 10 --> 30
* Crystal Blue: Crystal Arrow 50 --> 150
* Mystic Frozen: Crystal Arrow 150 --> 450
* Helm of Fin: Crystal Arrow 200 --> 600
* Teeth of Hatii: Crystal Arrow 100 --> 300
* Tooth of Ancient Fish: Crystal Arrow 100 --> 300
* Spiky Fin: Crystal Arrow 50 --> 150
* Yellow Gemstone: Stone Arrow 100 --> 30
* Green Lives: Stone Arrow 50 --> 150
* Great Nature: Stone Arrow 150 --> 450
* Mole Spike: Stone Arrow 10 --> 30
* Nail of a Mole: Stone Arrow 20 --> 60

Anyway, it is very useful to know that you can split pure elemental ores into
rough elemental stones with a quest in Umbala.


Quivers and Status Arrows

Quivers are recent additions in RO to make the Archer's life easier in response to the new rule that various skills use arrows. Each one is a usable item (like pots) of weight 25 and when you double-click / hotkey one, you get 500 arrows of the same type. Quivers allow us to carry many more arrows in one go.

To make Quivers, you need 500 arrows of the same type and 500 zeny for each Quiver. Someone in the Payon weapon shop can help you make them.

Status arrows are also now working. Unfortunately, not enough testing has been done to determine a status arrow's rate of inflicting status and whether it stacks with weapon status cards. Feedback would be tremendously helpful.


Arrows in PVP/WOE

Arrow-switching is highly recommended if you have mastered /battlemode. Mastering /battlemode is highly recommended if you have not. Not necessary, but highly useful and very fun (who likes to have only 9 skills at his disposal when he can have 27). Arrow choice in non PVP/WOE should be straight-forward; find the elemental weakness of the monster.

Elemental Arrows:
Because Arrow Vulcan (Clown/Gypsy) is a single mega-hit skill, choosing the right elemental Arrow works wonders. I've one-hit killed a lot of people this way. Here are my comments on arrow choice in PVP and WOE.

Silver Arrow: Overall cheap, easily available and faces the least risk. Great against wearers of Evil Druid armour too, an apparently popular trend.
Arrow of Shadow: Great against Angeling armour wearers only. The only wearers of Angeling are rich GC Crusaders... and Crusaders shouldn't be your target since they still can defend against your attacks so well.
Fire Arrow: Useful for Stoned characters, although it doesn't happen so often and any Stoned opponents would already have been targetted by Mage classes. Beware; Smiths' Skin Tempering reduce Fire damage by 25%.
Wind Arrow: Extremely useful because not everyone wears Unfrozen and a lot of skills Freeze people, including Bards' very own Unbarring Octave. But bad against Dokebi armours.
Crystal Arrow: Probably the least useful among all as no one wears Pasana armour in PVP/WOE.
Stone Arrow: Useful if a lot of people in your server wear Dokebi armour, and no risk since no one wears Pasana. Even better than Silver Arrows for an all-purpose arrow, though they aren't as cheap.
Immaterial Arrow: A splendid choice against Ghostring wearers. GR users tend to be overconfident because most attacks deal nuts to them. Well yours would NOT.

Status Arrows:
Not much to say since they are generally useful. It'd be much better to combine an appropriately-carded weapon with the appropriate status arrow, say a Quadruple Cursing Violin with a Curse Arrow. Using this I usually get to Curse an opponent after two or three Melody Strikes.





OK! Enough of the talk. Now you've decided what to get, how do you go about doing it?

Note: Lotharin has made an excellent levelling guide for our purposes, http://www.roempire.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78958. I'm just summarizing his guide here.


Stat progression

You ought to start with 1 STR, 9 INT, 1 LUK, 9 AGI, 1 VIT, 9 DEX. No other way around this, except for AGI-less builds who should go 9 LUK 1 AGI instead.

AGI builds:
Keep adding AGI and DEX until lvl 70+, where you can start pumping VIT furiously. This is assuming you start WOEing in lvl 80+, which in my opinion is the minimum for WOE participation.
Once you reach a comfortable VIT value (for your WOE), add AGI to its final value, then DEX to its final value, then finally VIT to its final value.
INT is one of the best levelling stats. Add them whenever you want.

VIT builds:
Sorry I have no idea :P I think it goes like this:
Keep adding DEX till you reach 100 – 120 with bonuses.
Pump VIT furiously to prepare yourself for your final levelling place (most likely Stings).
Once you reach a comfortable VIT value (for your final levelling area), add DEX to its final value, then VIT to its final value.
INT is one of the best levelling stats. Add them whenever you want.


Novice Days

Get tanked. But if you are totally new to the game, find a map with lots of Wilows and kill them along with the Porings, Lunatics, Fabres. This is to collect a meaty collection of various Trunks for your job change. For real good Novice EXP, go Rockers or Culverts 1. Pick up all loot and sell all to the NPC EXCEPT the various Trunks dropped by the Wilows.


Archer Job Change

By now you should have enough Trunks. Deposit any Trunks you can find that do not have a prefix; these can be sold to other players. Collect your Barren, Fine, blablabla Trunks and head to Payon, one map northeast of it is the Archer academy/school/institute, and talk to the guy. Voila!


Archer Days

Ripped off from Lotharin's guide: Rockers, Culverts 1, Culverts 2, Wolves, Horns, Culverts 3, Toy Factory 2, Desert Wolves, Geographers, Argiopes, Sphinx 2, Wild Roses, Geffen Dungeon 2, Sandmen. My other suggestions are Payon Dungeon 1, snipe Greatest Generals (one map south, one map east of Payon), Hodes, Zenorcs (Orc Dungeon 2), hit and run Zombie Prisoners (GH Prison), and the best of all, Mi Gaos.

As mentioned, try go aim for Job 50 and get all Archer skills. It's painful for now but beneficial in the long run. What’s Job 50 compared to Base 99 anyway?


Bard Job Change

- Prepare ONE of the following: Witherless Rose (sold in east Morroc for 55000z), Ment, Hinalle, Singing Flower or Illusion flower.
- Also prepare one Squid Ink, one Sticky Mucus.
- Optional Items: 60 Trunks of any type: note that a Harp [2] is unavailable unless you receive it via this test.

60 Trunks  Violin [3] (unavailable anywhere else)
60 Solid/Barren Trunks  Mandolin [2] (can be bought)
60 Fine Trunks  Lute [2] (can be bought)
60 Fine Trunks + job 50  Harp [2] (unavailable anywhere else)

- Talk to the Wandering Bard southeast of the Comodo Kapra and give him the flower.
- He warps you to Lutie the snowing village.
- Talk to the Snowman (134,112) to become his friend.
- Talk to the Girl inside the building in the 1 o’clock direction (portal at 189,275).
- Return to the Snowman.
- Talk to the Man (116,303) in the 11 o’clock direction.
- Talk to the Man (175,235) in the 2 o’clock direction, and give him the Squid Ink and the Sticky Mucus.
- Talk to the Lady inside the house northwest of the giant Christmas Tree (portal at 121,160).
- Return to the Snowman get the salt the Lady requested.
- Talk to the Clown (146,136) by the giant Christmas tree.
- Talk to the little boy and girl (207,168) in the 3 o’clock direction.
- Return to the Snowman, who'll give you a gift. In many cases it is 5 Candy.
- Return to the Wandering Bard. He will ask you to repeat after his song.
- Once you finish this make your instrument if you gathered the 60 trunks and then change classes. YAY!


Dancer Job Change

- Prepare ONE of the following sets of items. The shoe, sandal and boots must be unslotted.
Sandals, 10 Black Hair, 20 Jellopy, 5 Yellow Potion, 2 Clam Shell
1 Shoes, 20 Sticky Mucus, 3 Jellopy, 5 Red Potion
1 Boots , 5 Earthworm Peeling

- Talk to the Man next to the Comodo Kapra.
- He warps you to a Special Dancing Theatre.
- Talk with one of the NPCs on the left and give her one of the above sets of items.
- Talk to the NPC on the right for a Q&A. You have to get at least 80% to pass.
- Dancing test: Equip a bow and arrows, and listen to the instructions.

Dancing pattern :
Back
Front
Left
Right
Center
Pose
Improve Concentration
Left
Front
Right
Pose
Left, Center, Right, Back (you can cheat by going from Left to Back directly)
Right
Left, Center, Front, Back (you can cheat as above)
Left, Center, Front, Back (you can cheat as above)
Front
Left
Center
Arrow Shower/Double Strafe the Poring at the end. Make sure you are on the tile.

- Return to the NPC who performed the Q&A and change classes. Yay!
- Whip rewards:

Job 50 3S. Line
Job 40-49 3S. Rope


Bard/Dancer Days

Party levelling: Anywhere your party can handle. But as we know RO isn’t party-friendly, and you’d probably do a lot of soloing. You've a lot of options here.

For more details on individual maps, check out the emperium.org monster database. It serves you very well.

Ripped off from Lotharin's guide: Wild Roses, Sandmen, Zenorcs, Bathories, Turtle Island surface, Stings in GH (VIT builds). My other recommendations are: Mi Gaos, snipe Prison, Isis.

Once you've reached high levels (Lvl 80+) you are ready to join MVP parties and WOE sieges. Enjoy yourself and be on a continual journey to the lvl 99 aura.


Rebirth Walkthrough

Once you reach Lvl 99 you have the option of rebirth into Clowns and Gypsies. I will touch the subject further on the guide.





Dagger-stopping

You can always Amp your song/dance, but you can only do it 5 seconds after you started the skill. For a faster response, click a dagger hotkey and voila, your song/dance is interrupted and you are once again free to move about. Useful when you want to song/dance-switch and when an enemy is trying to enjoy your song/dance. Very very useful in situations where your party is moving around because you can just sing for a split-second, interrupt it, and move on while your party members receive that buff for 20 seconds. Downside to this is that now you need two hotkeys instead of one (Dagger + Instrument versus just Amp alone).

You can alternatively stop your skills with a bow. It lets you enjoy some moments of offensive capability, but it removes your Buckler and that creates an additional hassle of having to hotkey the Buckler.


Song/dance-switching

This great tactic is usable in any situation. Anyone who walks out of a solo song/dance area-of-effect is able to enjoy that song/dance buffs for 20 seconds.

Song/dance-switching basically uses this rule to continuously allow more than one buff for the party at the same time.

First, use skill #1 to buff your friends. Stop the skill with Amp or dagger-equipping, and IMMEDIATELY use skill #2. Your friends enjoy both the buffs from #1 and #2 now. Now you need to roughly estimate when the #1 buffs will disappear, which would be 20 seconds later, and before that happens, stop the skill and immediately use #1 again. Stop, then use #2. Repeat the method 20 seconds later to give your friends two different buffs simultaneously. You can extend this to three different buffs if your party needs so.

Many times you might need to move around while song-switching. Tankers, Priests, Skill users, Crit users, and so on benefit from different songs/dances, and if they are not clustered together you have to move around a lot (kinda like FFXI).


Solo PVM (Player versus Monster)

There isn't any way around it; bows and DS spam are better. Bows have greater range, and so what if they are slower, the elemental compatibility plus the higher Double Strafe damage modifier gives bows higher damage output. Yes instruments/whips allow you to wear a carded Buckler, but you should have decided to level somewhere you can Flee well in the first place (or literally flee well in the cast of VIT levelling in Stings).

Do a lot of Double Strafe, you have relatively high SP. When a tough monster approaches, try to use the Arrow Repel-Double Strafe tactic.

Sometimes you might have no choice but to hunt somewhere you can't Flee well, like when hunting for rares (eg. when I was hunting for slotted Lutes in Gonryun Dungeon 3). I'd suggest you wear an appropriately-carded Buckler, and an instrument/whip.


Party PVM (Player versus Monster)

With the 20 second rule and the dagger-stopping tactic, singing/dancing no longer slows your party down like before. Use skill, equip dagger to stop it, equip back your instrument/whip, and move on. Repeat and rinse every 20 seconds.

Know your party's strength and what songs/dances benefit each member of the party, and make sure to move around while song-switching if you have to. It's all about killing effiency; Strings, Riff, Lady and Gypsy work well in PVM. The other skills don't have much place here.

Don't be too zealous with your songs and dances. If the party performs better with you as an attacker, just do it. Like when you party with another Priest. Instead of trying to Poem him again and again, just get that bow out and DS those monsters.

As far as I know the fastest way to level up is to form a party with a Priest and spam DS. A Priest would usually say: Nah, you guys are just weaker Hunters, I'd rather party with Hunters. You should reply: Hunters cannot DS spam without rest, but we can.

MVPing (Most Valuable Player)

You have a few options.

- Double Strafe the MVP like a Hunter.
- Use duets.
- Sing/dance one skill and that's it.
- Sing/dance one skill and barrage the MVP with Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow.
- Song/dance-switching between two skills and that's it.
- Song/dance-switching between two skills whilst using MS/SA.
- Song/dance-switching between three skills and that's it.
- Song/dance-switching between three skills whilst using MS/SA.

What you choose from above depend on your skills and your SP. The last few points above are can be achieved efficiently only with a Clown or a Gypsy, who enjoy more skills and SP. My Clown is doing the last point right now, especially with hard MVPs and smaller parties, and I tend to bring a few blues just in case. Sometimes DSing like a Hunter is actually viable. When your party doesn't need your songs and dances, just DS DS DS. Finally, don't expect to get the MVP sign above your head if you're facing inter and intra-party competition; we aren't built for that.

We absolutely cannot solo MVPs the "brave" way; we don't have enough weight capacity to carry hundreds of pots, and our damage just isn't good enough for your meagre bag of pots to last through or to outbeat competition.

We can solo MVPs with the hit-and-run method; think Eddga, Garm and Amon Ra, like Hunters (note: this is in theory, I've never tried this before).

How about MVPing just with you and a Priest? Well it sounds impossible at the beginning, but I've come up with a theoretical suggestion for Bards (note: Bards, not Dancers. Dancers don't have the necessary skills. And note: this is purely in theory. I've never tried this before).

- Make sure to avoid the crazily hard MVPs like Stormy and Turtle.
- Make sure the Priest is fully equipped with the correct shield, garment, armour.
- Make sure you are fully equipped with the similarly correct shield, garment, armour, and a good instrument.
- Let the Priest tank. You sing Magic Strings. Under the influence of the song the Priest can HEAL himself FASTER.
- Even better, alternate with Magic Strings and Song of Lutie. Your Priest friend can Heal himself faster + have more HP to survive instant mega damage attacks.
- Whack away at the MVP with Melody Strike till he falls.
- Both of you need to have a lot of SP recovery items!!!
- You can't get the MVP sign if there is competition from other players, but that doesn't mean you and your Priest friends can't pick up the loot.
- If there is no competition expect to be fighting for a long long time!


PVPing (Player versus Player)

The Battle Bard/Dancer is quite versatile. Pneuma? Use instrument/whip. Safety Wall? Use bow. Weapon-stripped? Freeze/stun away. Hidden? Use Improve Concentration next to him.

These strategies apply to 1 versus 1 PVP situations in arenas and sieges. Note that Arrow Repel doesn't work in WOE ><

Slow Grace (Dancers only)
- Straightforward enough, any non-magic user would be significantly enfeebled with this movement speed and ASPD-reducing skill. While dancing, spam your Sling Arrow. If you’re a Gypsy and your server has received the 1200% Arrow Vulcan patch, stop dancing and for that 20 seconds your enemy is slowed, outrun him and keep spamming AV.

Dazzler (Dancers only)
- You better hope the PVP arena is sparsely populated, because bystanders certainly do not like being stunned by someone they don’t know. A great way to incapacitate low-VIT opponents.

Unbarring Octave (Bards only)
- Just like the above, this easily irritates other players outside the duel. Unfortunately for you, freeze status disappears the instance you damage him. Fortunately for you, you can combine this with I) Jupitel Thunder from Electric Guitars 2) MS with Arrow of Wind for some good damage, and finally 3) Arrow Vulcan with Arrow of Wind (Clowns only) for some REALLY GOOD damage that potentially beats Soul Breaker and Falcon Assault. This is only after the Arrow Vulcan buff. Very unfortunately, players who know what they’re doing would equip a Marc Armour if facing a Bard.

Arrow Repel + Double Strafe
- If you have very good DEX (which all of you should) + sufficient ASPD, this tactic is AWESOME. Strange I don’t see a lot of people using this. Swordman classes and Merchant classes are generally weakest to this tactic, although they are the sturdiest characters too. Thief classes can Hide/Cloak/Stalk, and Acolyte classes can Pneuma, but both problems can be solved quite easily. Mage classes with Phen are quite strong against this tactic. Don’t try to do this to Hunters because they can easily do the same thing to you with better speed.

Status bows
- You can pick from a few. Quad Silence/Stun/Curse Comps are useful against different people. Stun and Silence do not work well against VIT characters, while Curse can be countered by MDEF. Status attacks ignore Pneuma. This is how you fight against Aco classes.

Against Pneuma
- Whack away with your instrument or whip if the opponent is weaker. Or so that the Monk can never cast GF successfully if he isn’t Phen-ned.
- Stay far far far away so that you can reach him with your bow but he can't reach you with his Manipulate Spirit Sphere. It becomes a tight battle and you have to pull off a good Arrow Repel while he's not within his Pneuma effect.
- Use status bows that would penetrate the Pneuma.

Against Hide/Cloak/Chase Walk
- Unbarring Octave / Dazzler freezes/stuns the guy even while he's invisible. Walk up next to him and use Improve Concentration, which would unveil his sorry butt.

Against other Bards
- Wear a Marc!

Against other Dancers
- If you don’t have a lot of VIT to counter against Dazzler, things are not looking good for you. Get yourselves as far from her as possible to avoid her Slow Grace.

Against Hunters
- Don't try to DS spam! He can do it faster, better, and he has more HP. Equip a Cranial Buckler, and MS/SA him to death. As mentioned, the enemy's DS interrupts your MS/SA animation, allowing you to spam it faster than your ASPD would normally allow. Bards and Dancers usually pwn Hunters because Hunters do not equips Cranials.

Against Anyone
- Bards and Dancers are quite obviously not very good fighters. Even with the strategies above don't expect to surely win against Assassin Crosses, Professors, Whitesmiths that melt you, Bow Rogues that strip you, VIT Priests and Phen Wizards unless you're THAT good. I believe Swordsman and Merchant classes, whilst the sturdiest, are beatable if you have enough skill and SP... just get yourself as far as possible!


WOEing (War of Emperium)

What to bring?
Whites - Understandably so.
Blues (or other SP recovery items) - I take 5 or so. You don't need to continually spam your skills till you run out of SP every five minutes, but if you're holding off a major enemy attack and you really need to give it all you've got, spam those skills and those blues too.
Greens - I take 5. Priests love to Lex Div people.
Concentration Potions - I take 1 or 2.

What to wear?
Headgear - No, not AOA please, I'd really recommend Poopoo over it.
Eyegear - I'm ambivalent between Binos and any 2 DEF mask.
Shield - Cranial Buckler.
Shoes - Fledged or Green Boots.
Muffler - Immune Muffler or Genie’s Muffler.
Accessory - If you're rich: Safety Rings. Otherwise, Nimble Gloves, Nimble Rosaries or Rosaries carded with Spore cards.
Weapon - Good carded instrument/whip. You have three choices of cards: i) damage cards (Hydra and Skel Worker), ii) status cards (Savage Bebe, etc) and iii) Fabre cards (+1 VIT, +100 HP).

Should you attack / use MS/SA?
Yes though that's not your priority. Ranged damage is nerfed in WOE. But when the situation necessitates it, like when there's a HUGE wave of enemies trying to get past your defenses, MS/SA away at the weaker Wizards, Hunters, SAGES and Assassins (and definitely enemy Bards and Dancers). MS/SA is also very useful to interrupt pre-cast Wizards. It could be a very good idea to use status weapons instead of damage weapons because ranged damage is nerfed in WOE.

Are we popular targets?
Yes, people generally know Bards and Dancer can wreak lots of havoc, and that we aren't good at the DEF and HP department. Conclusion: Yes, good armour and VIT is quite the necessity.

Defending the castle:
Bards have it easy: Magic Strings the Wizards and the Priests, the Snipers, and even the GC Cruzes. Get them to stand near you. If they are too busy to notice (I like to think of ourselves as the silent supporters), do the moving around tactic.
I think everyone would appreciate Dancers' Gypsy's Kiss; pre-casting is tiring and SP-draining.
If you have a couple together, ret Classical Pluck out. It’s awesome.

STORMING INTO THE CASTLE:
More interesting than the monotonous pre-casting support.

Situation 1: The guild is waiting outside an entrance, eg. the Emperium room. The mood is patient and calculated. Bards use Song of Lutie. The Priests will notice that and heal your team mates to the max. Continue this until the guild rushes in. You've just basically given your whole guild a sizeable increase in HP. Just you alone did it!

Situation 2: The guild is rushing into an entrance; no time for you to sing Song of Lutie and get the Priests to heal to max. Get near the portal before the rest and immediately hit that song/dance hotkey. Everyone who rushes past you would receive that buff for a good 20 seconds inside the room. Good skills: Magic Strings (most useful for most characters), Impressive Riff, Focus Ballet and Lady Luck (useful for the least characters).

Situation 3: Emperium breaking. Straightforward enough: Impressive Riff and Lady Luck work wonders here.

Situation 4: Moving around with your guild: Unbarring Octave or Hip Shaker if number of enemies in the room > number of allies.

Situation 5: For some reason or other you want to stop an enemy in his/her tracks, especially so that he/she won't manage to get into the enemy Emp room; use Arrow Vulcan (Clown/Gypsy).

WHEN EVERYTHING'S MESSY:
Bards and Dancers in WOE are best used at controlled situations, like buffing the Emperium breakers or the pre-casting Wizards. But what if everything goes haywire? Like when the enemies breach your defences. Or when your formation is screwed and you're lost in a sea of enemy guild members?

- Option 1: Unbarring Octave and Dazzler. Note though, this move attracts a lot of attention and the enemies will be aiming at your throat immediately.

- Option 2: Keep singing or dancing. I've learnt that it's ok to let a few enemy guild members enjoy your buffs, because they don't expect it, they don't know what they can do with it, and at such impromptu situations you probably give useless buffs to them. Focus Ballet on Hunters, Impressive Riff on spell-casters, Lady Luck on Priests, Magic Strings on Blacksmiths....you get the idea. In a sea of confusion, locate your correct guild members, get near them and start singing/dancing. You'll get near your allied Wizards and buff them with Magic Strings, but the nearby enemy Hunters and Assassins have no use for it.

- Option 3: Slow Grace or Hip Shaker for Dancers. In a big chaos enemies might not notice that YOU are the cause of their slowed walking speed and their slower ASPD or their depleting SP.

- Option 4: Attack. Your guildmates are far away from one another, singing and dancing is not an option, frosting and stunning might affect your party mates / is ineffective as the enemies are all wearing Marc / have high VIT. Lock a weak enemy and whack away. I feel that MS/SA is a liability since ranged damage is nerfed + with the lag, it's 100% impossible for you to spam. Just whack/whip them melee-style. You might win, you more probably would not, 1 on 1. Yea you might die, but you would have deviated enemy attention. If you REALLY don't want to die...

- Option 5: Try to avoid everyone and get to wherever you're supposed to be. That’s difficult.





The advanced classes for Bards and Dancers are Clowns (Minstrels in iRO) and Gypsies.

The Clown's Job bonuses at Job 70 are:
STR 8, AGI 12, VIT 2, INT 5, DEX 14, LUK 4

The Gypsy's Job bonuses are Job 70 are:
STR 6, AGI 14, VIT 2, INT 5, DEX 16, LUK 2

Besides the better job bonuses Clowns and Gypsies have many other leet additions:
- About 30% more HP and SP.
- 20 more skill points (max Job lvl at 70).
- New sprites (Clowns remind me of Ricky Martin, Gypsies look cooler now)
- Six new skills:



01) Arrow Vulcan (Single Enemy Ranged)------------------------------
Requirements: Melody Strike 1 / Slinging Arrow 1 and Arrow Shower 5
Requirement for: None

Lvl 1: Damage enemy with 300% ATK, 12 SP, 2s cast time and 0.8s cast delay
Lvl 2: Damage enemy with 400% ATK, 14 SP, 2.2s cast time and 0.8s cast delay
Lvl 3: Damage enemy with 500% ATK, 16 SP, 2.4s cast time and 0.8s cast delay
Lvl 4: Damage enemy with 600% ATK, 18 SP, 2.6s cast time and 0.8s cast delay
Lvl 5: Damage enemy with 700% ATK, 20 SP, 2.8s cast time and 0.8s cast delay
Lvl 6: Damage enemy with 800% ATK, 22 SP, 3s cast time and 1s cast delay
Lvl 7: Damage enemy with 900% ATK, 24 SP, 3.2s cast time and 1s cast delay
Lvl 8: Damage enemy with 1000% ATK, 26 SP, 3.4s cast time and 1s cast delay
Lvl 9: Damage enemy with 1100% ATK, 28 SP, 3.6s cast time and 1s cast delay
Lvl 10: Damage enemy with 1200% ATK, 30 SP, 3.8s cast time and 1s cast delay

Description: Basically hits the enemy with a crazy damage multiplier. Requires arrows. Must use instrument/whip. Considers weapon cards and arrow element. Cannot be used while singing/dancing.

Very, very, very good PVM skill. Which makes it an excellent MVP skill too (plus you get to wear a Buckler! Compare to Double Strafe, Sharpshooting and Soul Breaker). Not a fantastic PVP/WOE skill as AV's main advantage over other mega-damage skills in RO is its elemental compatibility, and elements don't play a big part in PVP/WOE. But it's many times better than MS/SA. I honestly suspect we could easily stand against Snipers with buffed AV, because Double Strafe and Sharpshooting prevents the Sniper from equipping a Cranial, whilst Falcon Assault has a -very- bad delay. This is not an MS/SA replacement because it cannot be used while singing/dancing, but now only one level in MS/SA is sufficient.
My rating: *****



02) Marionette Control (Single Ally Support)------------------------
Requirements: Improve Concentration 10 and Musical Lesson 5 / Dancing Lesson 5
Requirement for: None
SP cost: 100

Lvl 1: Gives half of your stats to your party member.

Description: The person must be your party member and must be within 7 cells from you; otherwise the skill would interrupt. There are no level restrictions. You cannot raise your party member's stat beyond 99. While in MC mode your stats are halved, but you are free to do whatever you want; sing/dance. Using MC again ends the skill. Can be used in WOE.

Imagine buffing a Lord Knight; give him 45 DEX, 40 AGI, 35 VIT and 15 INT; with this kind of ASPD and Hit rate he'd be a tanker PLUS an awesome damager. Or imagine buffing an Assassin Cross if you're VIT; 45 DEX, 45 VIT, 15 AGI and 15 INT; no longer does he need to worry about being stunned, and he gets to enjoy maxed AGI for more ASPD! After using MC, buff them even further by singing/dancing the skills you already have! Looks very useful in MVP and some WOE situations. Is also very cool for donating DEX to Deadly Poison Creating SinXs. Tip: To trick your way to add the stats beyond the 99 cap, use Marionette before putting on your stats gears or getting buffed. This is how you help a Wizard achieve 150 DEX (it's proven to work): Tell the wiz to strip off any DEX gear, use Quagmire and step into his own Quagmire. Use MC on him. Get him to step out of the Quagmire, equip DEX gear and get Blessed. 150 DEX instant-cast Storm Gust!!!
My rating: ****



03) Sheltering Bliss / Moonlit Water Mill, Falling Petal (Duet)------------------------
Requirements: Improve Concentration 5 and Musical Lesson 7 / Dancing Lesson 7
Requirement for: None

Lvl 1: 20s duration, 30 SP cost, 4 SP reduced per 10s
Lvl 2: 25s duration, 40 SP cost, 8 SP reduced per 10s
Lvl 3: 30s duration, 50 SP cost, 12 SP reduced per 10s
Lvl 4: 35s duration, 60 SP cost, 16 SP reduced per 10s
Lvl 5: 40s duration, 70 SP cost, 20 SP reduced per 10s

Description: Creates a 7x7 area surrounding you and your partner that no enemies can enter, but ranged and magic attacks work normally. The skill cannot be used if there are already monsters within 3x3 of the couple. Cannot be used in WOE in fear of abuse.

Doesn't look very useful even with its buff from 3x3 to 7x7. Can't be used in WOE, and duets suck in PVM. Might be good in MVP but depends on whether the boss would teleport away if he can't get to you... no one knows right now.
<Pending rating>



04) Longing for Freedom (Self)------------------------
Requirements: Unchained Serenade 3 / Hip Shaker 3, Musical Lesson 10 / Dancing Lesson 10, Marionette Control 1
Requirement for: None
SP cost: 15

Lvl 1: ATK and movement speed set to 60%
Lvl 2: ATK and movement speed set to 70%
Lvl 3: ATK and movement speed set to 80%
Lvl 4: ATK and movement speed set to 90%
Lvl 5: ATK and movement speed set to 100%

Description: During any ensemble of both a Gypsy and a Clown, when this skill is used, the user gets to move around in the ensemble’s area of effect. This is a separate cast - Gypsy and Clown must use this skill on their own in order to move. If either Gypsy or Clown moves out of the ensemble area, cancels it manually, or either one of them die, the duet skill will cancel as well as this skill. User of this skill will suffer higher SP drainage. While under effect of this skill, Gypsy and Clown can attack and use skills as per normal, except for singing, dancing or ensembling. If skill, A Moonlit Water Mill, a Falling Petal, is in effect, Longing for Freedom will not work.

I don’t really know if this is good. The only useful ensemble is Classical Pluck, and it’s questionable if the ability to move around is an added bonus to the users. Ah well it’s still in preliminary testing anyway. I suggest you add to only one level in this.
<Pending rating>



05) Wand of Hermod (Solo Song/Dance)------------------------
Requirements: Improve Concentration 10, Musical Lesson 10 / Dancing Lesson 10
Requirement for: None
SP depletion: 5 SP per 5 seconds

Lvl 1: 10s duration, and 20 SP cost
Lvl 2: 15s duration, and 30 SP cost
Lvl 3: 20s duration, and 40 SP cost
Lvl 4: 25s duration, and 50 SP cost
Lvl 5: 30s duration, and 60 SP cost

Description: All friendly units in this 7x7 area of effect will have all their buffs (except LK’s Berserk) removed, and they will become invulnerable to magic. Going out of this skill will cancel out the effect. In this skill, other than the user of this skill, no skill can be used. There must be a warp portal inside the 7x7 area of effect, and it can only be used in WOE. The caster is not affected by this skill. Anyone outside of your party/guild is also not affected.

No other Bard/Dancer skill has garnered as much interest and sparked such intense debate. It’s a Classical Pluck + Magnetic Earth + GTB card. It seems to be created especially for WOE pre-cast breaking. Further discussion will follow once details are finalized, so don’t decide on anything yet with your Clown/Gypsy build for now.
<Pending rating>



06) Tarot Card of Fate (Single Enemy)------------------------
Requirements: Improve Concentration 10, Unchained Serenade 3 / Hip Shaker 3
Requirement for: None
SP cost: 40
Cast time: 1s (DEX does not reduce this value)
Cast delay: 3s

Lvl 1: 8% success rate
Lvl 2: 16% success rate
Lvl 3: 24% success rate
Lvl 4: 32% success rate
Lvl 5: 40% success rate

Description: A card is randomly selected from 14 different cards, and success rate depends on the skill level.

01) The Fool: Renders enemy's SP to 0. Right Side.
02) The Magician: Reduces enemy's MATK by half for 30 seconds. Opposite Side.
03) The High Priestess: Removes all buffs. Opposite Side.
04) The Chariot: Deals DEF-ignoring 1000 damage. Randomly destroys one armor equipment. Opposite Side.
05) Strength: Reduces enemy's ATK by half for 30 seconds. Opposite Side.
06) The Lovers: Randomly teleports you to somewhere, and heals 2000 HP. Teleportation does not work in areas that do not allow so. Opposite Side.
07) Wheel of Fortune: Randomly causes effect of 2 other Tarot cards. Opposite Side.
08) The Hanged Man: Either Stop, Frozen, or Stone will happen regardless of any reasons. Opposite Side.
09) Death: Will receive Curse, Coma, and Poison all in single set. Right Side.
10) Temperance: Causes Chaos ailment for next 30 seconds. Opposite Side.
11) The Devil: Deals DEF-ignoring 6666 damage, 30 seconds of halved ATK and MATK, and Curse status ailment. Right Side.
12) The Tower: Deals DEF-ignoring 4444 damage. Right Side.
13) The Star: Causes 5 seconds of Stun. Opposite Side.
14) The Sun: For 30 seconds, ATK, MATK, HIT, FLEE, and DEF will be reduced by 20%. Opposite Side.

No one knows what “Right” and “Opposite” sides mean. The skill has attracted a lot of attention also, but details are too sketchy right now.
<Pending rating>


How to be a Clown/Gypsy? Get your Bard/Dancer to 99/50. Strip him/her of EVERYTHING except for 1,285,000 zeny (if you have a wedding ring, it's ok). Go to the 11 o'clock building in Juno, and talk to the Librarian. Then the book. Then the Librarian again. I forgot the exact procedure, but if you want to be safe, talk to the book again. Then go downstairs and meander around a pointless maze to reach the Heart of Ymir, and you'll get warped to the Valkyrie's Palace who'd grant you your rebirth desire.

You'll have to level as a High Novice again. Once you get to Job 10, just talk to the Archer guildsman in Payon (remember the guy who changed you into an Archer long ago?), and you're now a High Archer. Levelling now takes about three times the original experience needed.

Once you reach at least Job 40 as a High Archer (recommended: change at 50!!), go back to the book in Juno and you'll get warped to the Valkyrie's Palace (don't bother to find the Heart of Ymir). Talk to the Clown or Gypsy (not the Valkyrie) and you'll be like him/her immediately.

Levelling as a Clown/Gypsy is slow with the triple experience requirement. You also won't be happy to know that when you reach base lvl 99, you most probably would reach only job lvl 65 or 66. So the levelling doesn't end when you get the aura now.

Build-wise, you could follow the same build as your predecessor Bard/Dancer, but now with 20 more skill points. You can now finally get a respectable collection of skills (my Clown would have 3 solos and 1 ensemble on top of the typical MS/ML/UO/US/Amp/Encore repertoire, and that's not including the new Clown skills). Or you could devote your 20 additional skill points to the six new skills.

I listed this in the Builds section, I’m listing this here again.

“The Ultimate Build of Support + Battle Versatility”
99 DEX
90 VIT
30 AGI
25 INT
10 STR
1 LUK

1 Amp
1 Encore
10 Musical / Dancing Lesson
1 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
5 Unbarring Octave / Dazzler
3 Unchained Serenade / Hip Shaker
10 Impressive Riff / Slow Grace
10 Magic Strings / Lady Luck
10 Song of Lutie / Gypsy's Kiss
1 Classical Pluck
1 Marionette Control
10 Arrow Vulcan
5 Tarot Cards of Fate
1 Wand of Hermod

Bards and Dancers are forced to choose between battle and support (or end up with a hybrid) because our battle skills need AGI. But this no longer poses a restriction for Clowns and Gypsies, because Arrow Vulcan and Tarot Card of Fate are ASPD-independent. Ditching the bow, this build is the true high-VIT, Buckler-toting, Instrument-wielding/Whip-slashing battle powerhouse we’ve dreamed of. The beauty is: the stat build is similar to established support stat builds! Now you have a build that is not a hybrid build, because hybrids are jacks-of-trades but masters of none, but an all-rounder build that enjoys the best of both worlds. Go Clowns and Gypsies!





DEX builds vs INT builds

It is true that MVP and WOE are the endgames, and our roles here are support. Many people opt for INT instead of DEX in their builds, going for the likes of 60 to 90 INT, leaving DEX at medium-low figures. I disagree, because very simply, INT doesn't add as much value as DEX. Even when you are supporting.

I recommend even “Full Support” Bards/Dancers to be high/max DEX because of efficiency both for the individual and for the party/guild. It becomes apparent that a Bard/Dancer able to damage + support + survive is better than one able to support + survive with no damage ability.

Melody Strike or Slinging Arrow is a very important skill in our repertoire. The fact that we can use it while singing/dancing is perhaps the most significant factor in determining Bard/Dancer gameplay. Extra damage is extra support. Do not underestimate the damage we can do. We are definitely not the strongest, but we pack punch too. At 140 DEX and a +7 Triple Boned Mandolin <not a Lute>, I dealed more than 3k on a Mummy alone. If a Hunter can DS one at 4k – 5k, you can realize that the damage we can contribute to the overall yield of the party/guild is significant enough. PVP wise, I have bested Assassins and Rogues 1-on-1 with Melody Strike. In serious WOE, imagine doing that while supporting your Wizards and tankers who are doing their own stuff.

In MVP, MS/SA can help the party take down the boss faster, distract the enemy that’s hampering the Priests/Wizards or kill the mobs while the others concentrate on the boss. In WOE, MS/SA can help interrupt pre-casters, take down Emperium-bound Assassins, break the Freeze status of the enemy so that your allied Wizard’s SG can hit him 3 more times, inflict status, or simply take down someone faster. All while you are singing/dancing.

Remember that MS/SA has a cast time. It isn’t long, but when you are thinking of spamming, distracting or interrupting, that small time difference could spell a lot of difference. You could save your friendly Wizard. You could also stop that enemy Wizard. A slow-cast MS/SA can’t do that. You need DEX.

With all that, the best use for a Bard/Dancer is still support, not damage. But a Bard/Dancer that can damage at the same time would be more useful in almost all aspects. When you are killing nuisances, interrupting casters, distracting monsters or plainly adding more damage, you are giving awesome support already!

VIT is always always welcomed. That’s why I say that DEX/VIT builds are monsters of WOE, like any PVP/WOE character anyway. But investing INT in the place of DEX is something like giving away 5 oranges for 1 apple in return.

INT ups SP – we love it. But at high INT like 80 or 90, we would find ourselves never running out of SP. The only way to run out of SP at 90 INT is when you song-switch between three songs while performing MS, but with low DEX, no point even having MS at your hotkey. INT also provides MDEF. But INT MDEF reduces damage by points, not by percentage like armour MDEF. It’s useful, but not that worth it. INT also helps in Magic Strings and Gypsy's Kiss, but the small benefit it accords isn’t significant enough to fashion a stat build just for that purpose.

DEX at high levels – good extra damage to help your party, near-instant MS/SA to aid your party in various ways. It’s a lot of help compared to INT.

Lastly, let’s compare 99 DEX and 30 INT with 99 INT and 30 DEX. The 30 INT in the first build is still useful with more SP, magic defence and 3% improvement in Magic Strings. But the 30 DEX in the latter build is not the least useful besides its Hit bonus. MS/SA takes too long to cast for interrupting/distracting, and the damage is so low it’s not even worth realizing that you had an extra 30 Hit.

To summarize, in my opinion DEX > INT even for support builds. The points spent in INT could have been spent in DEX for better results.


Bard vs Dancer

Bards are better than Dancers in these aspects:
- Better Job bonuses (high DEX low LUK), Dancers' are opposite.
- Support skills are universally known to be better, thanks to Magic Strings.

Dancers are better than Bards in these aspects:
- Females get to equip a few stuff males can't, but not the other way round.
- Better at 1-on-1 fights with Slow Grace.
- Good whips are much easier to get than good instruments.
- Dazzler is somewhat better than Unbarring Octave.
- Dancers are VERY popular in towns. Everyone wants to see you groove.


Bard/Dancer vs Priest

Bards/Dancers cannot replace FS Priests, and neither are they supposed to. FS Priests are ultimate support; Bards/Dancers provide additional support with the ability to give additional damage too. While Priest skills like Heal and Ress are must-haves, Bard/Dancer skills are nice-to-haves. They make a party stronger, but without them the party won't die.

Bards and Dancers have skills to actually support the Priests, unlike any other class, with the Bard's Strings and the Dancer's Gypsy. Magic Strings allows a Priest to heal spam at a faster rate, while Gypsy's Kiss prevents them from running out of SP.


Bard/Dancer vs Hunter

There is no answer to the question "which is stronger/better of the two?" Hunters and Bard/Dancers occupy totally different niches in the party. Hunters concentrate on standing afar from the enemy, targeting the right enemy, and switching bows and arrows actively to suit the current target to deal huge and efficient damage. Bards/Dancers concentrate on standing close to the Priests, Wizards, Monks, tankers and other characters they wish to buff, often having to move around the party, switching between songs/dances for the different classes, and trying to deal additional damage to the party's targets.

As friends, Bard/Dancers have nothing much to give Hunters. Bard skills help tankers, casters and melee attackers, while Dancers benefit critical attackers, low-DEX melee attackers and GF Monks.

As foes, Bard/Dancers are more likely to win because they can equip a Cranial AND the Hunter's Double Strafe interrupts the casting animation of MS/SA, enabling the Bard and Dancer to spam faster than his/her ASPD would allow.


Clown/Gypsy vs Sniper

The alternate advanced classes brought a whole new set of dynamics between the Clown/Gypsy and the Sniper. Bards/Dancers never had any good skills that were of real use to Hunters, but now Snipers can benefit a LOT from Clowns. Snipers are known for their killer skills Falcon Assault and Sharpshooting, both beating Double Strafe in raw damage, but suffer from really bad after-cast delays. What happens when they get engulfed in Magic Strings? 42% to 44% reduction in after-cast delay --- 40% increase in damage per minute, making Snipers an absolute terror with these two skills.

Duel-wise, an appropriately-built Clown or Gypsy now absolutely owns Snipers. Arrow Vulcan deals HUGE damage unaffected by ASPD, and this allows Clown/Gypsies to allow much more VIT in their build and still deal as much attacks per minute. On the other hand, Snipers still need AGI/INT/LUK for their killer skills Double Strafe / Falcon Assault / Sharpshooting, thus allowing less VIT in their builds. Furthermore, non-Falcon Snipers do not wear Cranials.

Don't misunderstand me though, Snipers are better overall fighters than us (trapping... range... True Sight... etc). But we win them in duels because their survivability is much worse.


Bow vs Instrument/Whip

"Should we use a bow or an instrument/whip to level/attack enemies when not singing/dancing?" My two cents: get both.

Bow:
- Combines with elemental arrows easily.
- More range.
- Double Strafe has a higher damage modifier (380% vs 250%).
- Double Strafe has no cast time.
- Double Strafe has a higher damage/SP cost ratio.
- Musical Strike / Slinging Arrow cannot bypass Immune Muffler.
- Good bows flood the market. Good instruments are like needles in a pile of other needles. Thanks God good whips (Ropes[4]) are as common as good bows.

Instrument/Whip:
- Wastes no arrows - cheaper and less hassle.
- Faster ASPD.
- Can equip a carded Buckler - excellent for monsters you can't Flee well.

Bottomline: Bows for general levelling, but instruments/whips when you happen to hunt in a place with neutral/wind/water/fire monsters and you can flee well. I wouldn't want to waste my Crystal, Stone and Wind arrows just for levelling. Get a good instrument/whip and whack them away.





For the uninitiated, iRO and all the other servers get their updates from kRO. Whatever changes occur in kRO Sakray today are bound to appear in our servers some time later (quickly for jRO, months for mRO, many months for iRO, maybe a year or more for pRO lol, not sure about the rest). Here is the list of all the patch updates regarding B/D/C/G gameplay that have occurred till the day of writing. Apart from a few nerfing early patches, B/D/C/G are on a continuous road to buffdom...they keep getting better and better. Thanks Gravity!

6/17/2003
- The Bard and Dancer classes were introduced for the very first time.
- The duet skill Ragnarok was removed for eternity.... dammit that skill rocked.

7/1/2003
- Bard and Dancer damage became based on DEX instead of STR.
- Monsters became affected by Slow Grace.
- Unbarring Octave and Dazzler could affect party members at a low chance (previously this did not occur). Ugh!
- Unbarring Octave's duration was shortened :<
- A few small changes to various solo songs and dances.

7/8/2003
- A four second after-cast delay was introduced for Unbarring Octave and Dazzler.

7/15/2003
- The movement speed for Bards and Dancers while solo singing/dancing was reduced to 1/4.
- Mental Sensing was buffed.

7/29/2003
- Bards and Dancers were allowed to use MS/SA while singing/dancing/dueting.

<a few very minor changes here and there not worth mentioning>

3/16/2004
- Bards and Dancers (along with the other 2-2 classes) received their extra job bonus point (unsure what it is).

4/7/2004
- Duets could be stopped if either partner quit while performing.

4/13/2004
Quite a significant buffing patch.
- Harmonic Lick: previously only affecting Lvl 4 weapons, it now affected Lvl 3 and Lvl 4.
- Acoustic Rhythm: previously only granting up to 80% resistance to Fire and Water, it now granted up to 60% resistance to all elements and up to 50% resistance to status ailments.
- Slow Grace: previously STR improved the ASPD reduction. Now DEX determined it.
- Gypsy's Kiss: generally buffed.

4/20/2004
- The Clown and Gypsy classes were introduced for the very first time (actually this was for the kRO common servers, I couldn't find when they were first introduced in Sakray).

6/21/2004
The all important 7x7 buffing patch.
- Previously, all solo songs and dancers were 9x9 and once players stepped out of the AoE, they lost their buffs. Now the AoE was reduced to 7x7 and the buff effects lasted for 20 seconds after the players stepped out of the AoE. This basically redefined Bard and Dancer gameplay for those creative enough to use it.

9/14/2004
- Music for the songs/dances/duets that previously went without one was added.
- The Electric Guitar was introduced.

10/11/2004
- The quests for the Lvl 4 weapons Electric Guitar and Rapture Rose were introduced.

11/09/2004
THE major Clown/Gypsy buffing patch loved by all.
- Arrow Vulcan's Lvl 10 damage was improved from 560% to 1200%. Basically more than doubled the effectiveness.
- Moonlit Water Mill, Falling Petal was improved from 3x3 to 7x7.
- Marionette Control: Previously, user and recipient must be within 5 levels of each other, user couldn't do a single thing while MCing, user retained his/her stats, and could not be used in WOE. Now, the level requirement and the WOE restriction was removed, user actually lost half his/her stats, and user could do whatever he wanted to throughout the duration of MC. Basically doubled the effectiveness too.

12/07/2004
The arrow nerf/buff patch.
- Double Strafe, Arrow Shower, Arrow Repel, MS/SA and Arrow Vulcan now use arrows.
- The status arrows were introduced.
- The quiver system was introduced.

12/14/2004
Another significant buffing patch with a few nerfs.
- Arrow Vulcan now considered elements and weapon cards.
- Movement speed during solo singing and dancing was reduced even further.
- Musical/Dancing Lesson now improved movement speed. At maxed lvl movement speed became half of the normal walking speed... A very important buff.
- Lullaby's sleep chance was improved.
- Down Tempo previously affected both enemies and friends; now it only affected enemies.
- Harmonic Lick did not work on Lvl 3 weapons anymore. On Lvl 4 weapons the damage bonus became DEF-ignoring...but still a big nerf, man.
- Acoustic Rhythm's elemental resistance was boosted from 60% to 80%.
- MS/SA mechanics were rewritten. At Lvl 5 it became 260% damage for 9 SP, and now you could adjust its skill level.

02/08/2005
- Introduced the new cards.

03/08/2005
- The Clown and Gypsy sprites were implemented in entirety.

04/12/2005
- The Clown/Gypsy skills Longing for Freedom, Wand of Hermod and Tarot Card of Fate were introduced.

04/26/2005
- Dispelling songs/dances/ensembles no longer stops them.
- Small changes made to Wand of Hermod and Tarot Card of Fate.

05/03/2005
- Fixed a hole in the Gypsy’s clothes (LOL).

05/23/2005
- Added pictures for the skill Tarot Card of Fate.

05/31/2005
- Added new equipment, instruments and whips.





I used to play mRO for one-and-a-half year, and iRO for one-and-a-half month. Now I play mRO again though somewhat rarely. Besides a Clown I had a Wizard, a Blacksmith, an Assassin, a Sage, an Alchemist-to-be and a Rogue-to-be.

If I had an option to remake my Clown I would opt for maxed DEX, high VIT, and STR/AGI/INT at 20-30. The specifics follow.


Stats

Final stats at lv99 outside WOE:
DEX: 160
VIT: 90
INT: 30
AGI: 54
STR: 24 (base)
LUK: 1 (base)

DEX:
98 + 14 (Job) + 10 (Owl's Eye) + 5 (AoA, Binos, Tights) + 8 (Nimble Gloves) + 15 (Concentration) + 10 (Bless) = 160. I love Arrow Vulcan so I'd love 160 DEX outside WOE.

VIT:
88 + 2 (Job) = 90. This was also to strengthen Lutie, but I got it primarily for HP and stun resistance. Resulting HP: 10k+. In WOE I'm wearing a Spore-carded Glove so my VIT would total at 92. Chance of being stunned: very minimal. Even if I do get stunned, I would recover so fast it wouldn't make any difference.

INT:
25 + 5 (Job) = 30. This was for SP, SP regen and to strengthen Strings. Resulting SP: Slightly over 1k.

AGI:
26 + 12 (Job) + 4 (Concentration) + 12 (Agi Up) = 54. For Marionette Control, for MS speed, to improve Assassin Cross of Sunset.

STR:
24. Weight capacity: 3420. Carries 23 more white pots compared to a 1 STR build below 50% overweight. Can carry much more if overweight.

LUK:
1.


Skills

1 Adaptation to Circumstances
1 Encore
10 Musical Lesson
1 Melody Strike
5 Frost Joker
3 Dissonance
10 Assassin Cross of Sunset
10 A Poem of Bragi
10 Apple of Idun
1 Loki's Wail
1 Marionette Control
10 Arrow Vulcan
1 Wand of Hermod
5 Tarot Card of Fate

(yes I've used the original names because I refuse to employ the highly inferior iRO nomenclature!)


Equipment

I've obtained most of these, whilst some are still in the works.

+7 Apple o' Archer
Poopoo Hat
Binoculars
Gas Mask
+6 Hard Tights, +7 Unfrozen Tights, +4 Tights of Ifrit, Zephyrus and Aqua
+10 Triple Bloody Boned Violin, +10 Triple Cursing Solid Violin, +9 Quadruple Boned Violin, +9 Quadruple Titan Violin, +9 Quadruple Gigantic Violin, +9 Double Bloody Double Boned Composite Bow, +7 Double Silence Double Cursing Composite Bow, +9 Quadruple Boned Composite Bow, +9 Quadruple Titan Composite Bow, standard Knife[3] :P
+9 Cranial Buckler, +7 Hell, Brutal, Gargantua and [Penomena] Bucklers
+10 Immune Muffler, +9 [Nine Tails] Muffler, +4 Guard Muffler
+9 [Antique Firelock] Boots, +7 Boots of Witch
A pair of Nimble Gloves, a Nimble Rosary, a Spore Rosary, a [Mimic] Glove and the Healing and Teleport Clips

Yes I've succumbed to the DEF craze, although I'd never afford to get my Tights past +7 (3m for each Tights[1]!!!).






v0

v0.1, 02 Dec 2004. First version of the guide.

v0.2, 02 Dec 2004. Corrected the erronous addition of Mine Hat and Silk Robe, and explained MS' inability to bypass Immune, courtesy of Eos.

v0.3, 03 Dec 2004. Confirmed that benefits last for 20 seconds AFTER song/dance ends, courtesy of DV.

v0.4, 05 Dec 2004. Added skill icons.

v0.5, 07 Dec 2004. Added my own skill tree, moved the "Crit build" from the "Bad" section to the "Average" section, and added some notes about future patches for DS, Arrow Repel, AS, MS, SA, AV, and all Clown/Gypsy skills.

v0.6, 09 Dec 2004. Added stat progression section in Walkthrough, courtesy of mrkibble, and info about Unbarring Octave, courtery of Neon23292 and Eos

v0.7, 11 Dec 2004. Added whip info.

v0.8, 12 Dec 2004. Added WOEing section, major update. Courtesy of Xantissimo guild.

v0.9, 13 Dec 2004. Added more stuff to the MVPing section.

v0.10, 15 Dec 2004. Added some notes about future skill changes, the Electric Guitar, a new Unknown Builds section in Builds, an Insta-cast build, and Clown/Gypsy build considerations.

v0.11, 19 Dec 2004. Added Patch History section, major update. Courtesy of Lune from Emperium.org


v1

v1.0, 22 Dec 2004. Really major update, grammatical and structural correction for the whole guide, added Arrows section.

v1.1, 26 Dec 2004. Overfed from all the cakes and goodies, decorated the chapter headings with pictures.

v1.2, 28 Dec 2004. Updated the future Arrow Create changes, courtesy of Lune from Emperium.org

v1.3, 29 Dec 2004. Added some defence for STR and LUK stats.

v1.4, 30 Dec 2004. Corrected a few minor errors not worth the elaboration, courtesy of Baddie.

v1.5, 03 Jan 2004. Updated several Dancer and Ensemble skill comments, courtesy of Sherona, Niroku, MystiqueSoul, Eos and deadlyasshole.

v1.6, 12 Jan 2004. Confirmed that ensembles do not affect the caster but they affect the partner, courtesy of Lotharin. Confirmed UO and Dazzler cast delay, courtesy of Leaflord. Added the super-pure WOE build and the carded Cap suggestions, both courtesy of people whose names I've forgotten :P

v1.7, 13 Jan 2004. Added further Unbarring Octave strategies, courtesy of Lotharin.


v2

v2.0, 06 Feb 2005. After paying most of my attention on my new Assassin, added PVP section and explained why a VIT/INT build is not the optimal choice for even full-support builds.

v2.1, 08 Feb 2005. Edited a few things like the very first few lines, my take on PVP and the Builds section.

v2.2, 09 Feb 2005. Added dagger-stopping tactic.

v2.3, 24 Feb 2005. Confirmed Dazzler stunning hidden enemies, courtesy of Kallia. Re-evaluated Unchained Serenade, courtesy of Angel of Music.


v3

v3.0, 07 Mar 2005. Extensive update; grammatical and structural correction for the whole guide, corrected numerous erroneous Dancer skill information, slightly restructured Skills section, re-evaluated equipment and card suggestions, incorporated new cards, expanded Walkthrough and elaborated on levelling areas. Oh yeah, I’m half-drunk as of writing. Who knows how alcohol can make you write on and on?

v3.1, 08 Mar 2005. Clown and Gypsy sprites are finally up! Oh and revised Bard/Dancer vs Hunter section.

v3.2, 13 Mar 2005. Numerous invaluable corrections about dances and duets courtesy of Lotharin, added the Slave build, mentioned the Umbala elemental ore fission quest, and some minor stuff.

v3.3, 22 Mar 2005. Somehow revised (or removed most of) the levelling sections because Lotharin's levelling guide makes much more sense. Also rewrote the intro again.

v3.4, 31 Mar 2005. Included NPC co-ordinates for Bard change quest, courtesy of Saidar, and bow-stopping, courtesy of Riy.

v3.5, 19 Apr 2005. Added the new skills Longing, Hermod and Tarot.

V3.6, 01 May 2005. Incorporated the changes made to the three new skills. Confirmed that Battle Theme and Harmonic Lick ATK bonuses are multiplied by skills, elements and cards, courtesy of Mint Parfait.


v4

v4.0, 10 Jun 2005. I’m semi-quitting RO so I want to do one last good job on the guide before I hibernate. Revision of the whole guide with a special rewriting of the Builds section, new equipment, new cards, new skill names, and other small stuff.

v4.1, 06 Jul 2005. Rewritten some portions of the Battle Builds and the Hybrid Builds, thanks to FATALx420engel.

v4.2, 29 Jul 2005. Remade Skill Tree picture, replaced "Charge Arrow" with "Arrow Repel", added a bit to Marionette Control, Quivers and Status Arrows, and rewritten My Character section.

v4.3, 04 Aug 2005. Added ratings for AV and MC. Added how to give 150 DEX to a Wizard with MC. Corrected my Clown's build's DEX. There are a lot of stuff written months ago about changes in the future, and since the future (of yesterday) has arrived today, I've rewritten these parts.

v4.4, 29 Aug 2005. Added the STR/VIT Pure Ensemble build, courtesy of AoiAyasaka.

v4.5, 13 Sep 2005. Added Arrows in PVP/WOE section, commented on the Golem Card, reconsidered duels between a Bard/Dancer and a Hunter, and rewrote the section about my character's equips.

v4.6, 14 Sep 2005. Added that Violins[4] are dropped from Violies and stopped recommending the other instruments.

v4.7, 24 Sep 2005. Added the Hit bonuses to Vulture's Eye skill description, courtesy of Kiniro.

v4.8, 08 Oct 2005. The future of the past has arrived. Revised the Cards section.

v4.9, 24 Oct 2005. Updated Jason's location in the new Payon, courtesy of AxiaDrake.





RO Empire - www.roempire.com/forums
Ragnainfo.net - www.ragnainfo.net and its forums
RO Guardians - www.ro-guardians.com/
iRO Stat Calculator - www.stud.ntnu.no/~magnusrk/calc
Skill Calculator – http://sophia.smith.edu/~lyamada/skill/
Himeyasha's delightful website - www.himeyasha.com (exact skill info, job quests)
RO Datazone - www.rodatazone.com (stats and status effects info)

AxiaDrake's and Lotharin's guides (I like to think of them as brother/sister guides :>)

Forever-Zero's Hunter guide in ROE (ideas on guide writing, Archer stuff)
Sitius' Alchemist guide in both ROE and Ragnainfo (ideas on improving guide aesthetics)
Akemi's Monk guide in both ROE and Ragnainfo (equipment, other stuff)
Borealis' Dancer guide in Ragnainfo (some opinions on Dancer stuff)





I wouldn't do it without you.

AxiaDrake, Eos Rododactylus, Raine, Lotharin, Evand, deadlyasshole and other posters in the Bard/Dancer subforum of ROE - for being the motivation behind this guide and the active site of discussion and knowledge sharing.

JP, Joan, Wire, DV, Zen, Ho, Bar, Pol, GK, Guis, Fen, Neph, Jit, Gene and the others from our lazy guild that always suntans in Payon - for being here for me now.

CJ - for being here for me from then till now, in RO and in real life.

Vincent Leow - you can be a big n00b *** in RO but I'm proud to be your cousin because you're one hell of a great kid to be with.

Kich, Looi, Jade, Domch, Tim, Xingz - for being there for me then, in RO and in real life, I miss you guys.

Goon, Junlong, Abel, Ken, Guilan - for being here for me too.

Siong, Wire, Kilven, YH, Xiang, PQ and all the Xantissimo people - for being such great people.

Des, Ryd and all the Knights of Odin / Nameless alliance - for being such great people too.

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