I have not seen any posts on the bard Dirge line so I thought I would speak up. The bard songs line that Absorbs Melee and Spell Damage got updated a while back. It now has a 60 base duration, so i would like to point out a few things. I don't have the latest expansion so i will use my current spell in the example along with the newest rank 1. One quick question. Does the plugin bard swap work or is there anyone currently using it.
Dirge of Dreams Rk. III
Classes: BRD/87
Skill: Wind, Max Focus: 320%
Mana: 1
Target: Target Group
AE Range: 75'
Resist: Beneficial, Blockable: Yes
Focusable: Yes
Casting: 3s, Recast: 8.75s
Duration: 60s+ (10 ticks) Song, Dispelable: Yes
2: Absorb Melee Damage: 9%, Total: 2071
3: Absorb Spell Damage: 9%, Total: 2071
4: Increase Base Stats by 14
[58058/1706] Dirge of Lost Horizons
Classes: BRD/107
Skill: Wind, Max Focus: 320%
Mana: 1
Target: Target Group
AE Range: 75'
Resist: Beneficial, Blockable: Yes
Focusable: Yes
Casting: 3s, Recast: 8.75s
Duration: 60s+ (10 ticks) Song, Dispelable: Yes
2: Absorb Melee Damage: 10%, Total: 10044
3: Absorb Spell Damage: 10%, Total: 9371
4: Increase Base Stats by 14
First, with the new duration, i suggest moving this song to the buffs section. The regular twist will weave it around but the buffs section will get it back up after fade quicker. Tested with no tags and a timer of 10. Worked pretty well, but if someone added a few tags I'm sure we could get it to keep the main tank buffed. If pulling you would want it to refresh once back to group. The max duration for my Dirge of Dreams Rk. III is 2m10s with flute and 2m without so there no duration benefit to instruments. Even a tune stuck in your head only added 3 seconds. However, the flute will give 60+ more focus. The max on all ranks is 320, so you're not going to get the full effect with the new rank one with just the focus from your pants(260maxongrupgear). It is why I brought up the bard plugin. One 3 second swap every 2 min does not sound bad at all. Also, i was wondering if pieces of raid armor could also be used in some kind of swap. An old pair of gloves long enough to apply a dot. Wish i knew more about how the focus affects this song. Do you need max focus to get full effect or does it increase the total damage absorbed? Most bards skip the spell but let me give you some perspective. The new rank one will absorb melee and spell damage that hit you for up to 100k (give or take) by 10% and that a big difference from the old 23k (give or take) by 9 percent. If your group gets hit with a 100k aoe , you will have absorbed 60k ish of it. It does not fade after meeting some damage cap. If your tank double tapped in a melee round for 100k each. Instead of 200k he would take 180k. It stacks with enchanter and wizzy spell aegis. It stacks with cleric Shining Defense and melee guard line. 2m duration, melee and spell damage absorbed, and no limit on uses.
Dirge of Dreams Rk. III
Classes: BRD/87
Skill: Wind, Max Focus: 320%
Mana: 1
Target: Target Group
AE Range: 75'
Resist: Beneficial, Blockable: Yes
Focusable: Yes
Casting: 3s, Recast: 8.75s
Duration: 60s+ (10 ticks) Song, Dispelable: Yes
2: Absorb Melee Damage: 9%, Total: 2071
3: Absorb Spell Damage: 9%, Total: 2071
4: Increase Base Stats by 14
[58058/1706] Dirge of Lost Horizons
Classes: BRD/107
Skill: Wind, Max Focus: 320%
Mana: 1
Target: Target Group
AE Range: 75'
Resist: Beneficial, Blockable: Yes
Focusable: Yes
Casting: 3s, Recast: 8.75s
Duration: 60s+ (10 ticks) Song, Dispelable: Yes
2: Absorb Melee Damage: 10%, Total: 10044
3: Absorb Spell Damage: 10%, Total: 9371
4: Increase Base Stats by 14
First, with the new duration, i suggest moving this song to the buffs section. The regular twist will weave it around but the buffs section will get it back up after fade quicker. Tested with no tags and a timer of 10. Worked pretty well, but if someone added a few tags I'm sure we could get it to keep the main tank buffed. If pulling you would want it to refresh once back to group. The max duration for my Dirge of Dreams Rk. III is 2m10s with flute and 2m without so there no duration benefit to instruments. Even a tune stuck in your head only added 3 seconds. However, the flute will give 60+ more focus. The max on all ranks is 320, so you're not going to get the full effect with the new rank one with just the focus from your pants(260maxongrupgear). It is why I brought up the bard plugin. One 3 second swap every 2 min does not sound bad at all. Also, i was wondering if pieces of raid armor could also be used in some kind of swap. An old pair of gloves long enough to apply a dot. Wish i knew more about how the focus affects this song. Do you need max focus to get full effect or does it increase the total damage absorbed? Most bards skip the spell but let me give you some perspective. The new rank one will absorb melee and spell damage that hit you for up to 100k (give or take) by 10% and that a big difference from the old 23k (give or take) by 9 percent. If your group gets hit with a 100k aoe , you will have absorbed 60k ish of it. It does not fade after meeting some damage cap. If your tank double tapped in a melee round for 100k each. Instead of 200k he would take 180k. It stacks with enchanter and wizzy spell aegis. It stacks with cleric Shining Defense and melee guard line. 2m duration, melee and spell damage absorbed, and no limit on uses.