Leveling / Songs

Song Rotations

Recommended melodies for every situation on Quarm

Swarming Rotations (AoE PBAoE DoTs)

Swarming kiting relies on four PBAoE DoT songs that deal damage to everything around you as you run. Stack as many as your level allows using /melody. Each song has a different instrument requirement, so swap instruments between casts for maximum effect.

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Chords of Dissonance
Level 2 · String
-100 MR modifier. Rarely resists on most enemies. Your first and most reliable PBAoE DoT — stays in every swarm melody for life.
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Denon's Disruptive Discord
Level 18 · Brass
DoT plus AC debuff. Added to your swarm rotation at level 18 and doubled up in the melody until you get Cessation.
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Selo's Chords of Cessation
Level 48 · String
DoT plus attack speed slow. Replaces the doubled Discord in your melody at 48, giving each slot a unique song again.
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Denon's Bereavement
Level 59 · String
DoT plus poison, stun, and MR debuff. The final piece of the swarm rotation. Add it as the fourth slot at 59 for the full four-song melody.

Swarming Melodies by Level

Level 2–17

/melody 1

Just Chords of Dissonance. Single song loop until you pick up Discord at 18.

Level 18–47

/melody 1 2 2

Chords of Dissonance, then Denon's Disruptive Discord twice. Doubling Discord fills the extra melody slot and applies the AC debuff more frequently.

Level 48–58

/melody 1 2 3

Chords of Dissonance, Denon's Disruptive Discord, Selo's Chords of Cessation. Three distinct PBAoE DoTs cycling cleanly.

Level 59+

/melody 1 2 3 4

All four PBAoE DoTs: Chords, Discord, Cessation, and Bereavement. Full swarm rotation. Maximizes damage and debuffs on every mob in range.

Instrument Swapping

Each PBAoE DoT benefits from a specific instrument type. Swapping instruments between songs significantly increases your damage output while swarming.

The song-to-instrument pairings for the swarm rotation are:

The Bard Epic held in your offhand provides an 80% bonus to all instrument types simultaneously, making it the best offhand for swarming. Use Zeal's right-click equip macro for fast mainhand swaps between string and brass without interrupting your melody.

Group and Raid Support Songs

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McVaxius' Berserker Crescendo
Level 58 · Brass
Attack speed and damage shield. Your primary haste song for melee groups before you source an overhaste option.
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Warsong of the Vah Shir
Brass
Overhaste. Best-in-slot haste song when available. Pushes melee group damage significantly higher than Berserker Crescendo alone.
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Cantata of Soothing
Singing
Mana and health regeneration. Core support song for caster and hybrid groups. Keep it rolling whenever the group needs sustained regen.
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Chorus of Soothing
Singing
Health regeneration. Lighter regen option when the group only needs HP recovery rather than both mana and health.

Regen: Lceas, Cantata, or Chorus of Soothing — pick whichever fits the group's needs.

Note: The Bard Epic proc provides 55% haste. Often replace haste song with stats or resists.

Utility Songs

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Kazumi's Note of Preservation
Level 60 · Singing
Grants group invulnerability for 12 seconds. The group cannot cast spells while the effect is active. Apply a movement speed buff before using so the group can reposition during the window.
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Selo's Accelerating Chorus
Multiple Levels · Drums
Movement speed buff for the group. Available at several level thresholds with increasing potency. Essential for travel, kiting setup, and getting the group moving before Kazumi's.

Solo Kiting (Fear or Chant Kite)

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Largo's Melodic Binding
String
Snare. Preferred kiting tool — keeps mobs from catching you without requiring a specific facing or positioning. Use this as your primary kite control song.
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Angstlich's Appalling Screech
Level 26 · Brass
PBAoE fear. Sends nearby mobs fleeing in random directions. Useful for breaking aggro on a swarm or creating distance when snare is not enough. (Song of Midnight the 55 fear is bugged some say, will do more testing on it)
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Chant of Flame
Level 10 · Singing
Fire-based DoT. Your first targeted damage-over-time song. Core of a solo kiting rotation in the early levels.
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Chant of Frost
Level 34 · Singing
Cold-based DoT. Pairs with Chant of Flame for dual-element solo kiting damage. Some mobs resist one element but not the other — having both covers more targets.

Tank Group (Damage Shield)

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Psalms (keep it amp'd)
Your primary damage shield song for the tank group. Keep it amplified for maximum effect.
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McVaxius' Berserker Crescendo
Level 58 · Brass
Attack speed and damage shield. Core song for the tank group rotation.
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Warsong of the Vah Shir
Brass
Overhaste. Particularly useful for warriors.

Resists

Used primarily in old content, not so much in Luclin.

Guardian Rhythms is Magic Resist only, and it stacks with the other resist options.

In addition to Guardian Rhythms (GR), bards can choose between playing a Chorus or a Psalm:

Chorus Options

Psalm Options

Psalm of Mystic Shielding (Magic Resist)

The Absorb Magic Damage portion is important to understand — if the absorb shield is used up, the entire song effect is lost.

It is up to the bard to understand the mechanics of the fight to decide which resists are important for it.

Hotbar Layout

JohnnyCash's Personal Setup

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This is a practical eight-slot hotbar layout used in active play. Adjust flex slots based on what the group or zone demands.

1 · Largos (snare/slow) ▸ 2 · Charm ▸ 3 · Flex (lull / DD / invis) ▸ 4 · Mez
5 · Heal or Regen (Cantata / Chorus) ▸ 6 · Flex (mana pulse / buffs / DS) ▸ 7 · Attack buff (McVaxius / Warsong) ▸ 8 · Selos or Resist buffs

Slots 3 and 6 are intentionally flexible. In a dungeon group, slot 3 might be lull or a damage disc; outdoors it might be invis or an AoE. Slot 6 swaps between mana pulse, damage shield, or stat buffs depending on what the fight needs.