PBAoE Swarming

• Pull up to 12 mobs, use slow turn + encumbrance to circle-kite them, and stack PBAoE DoT songs via /melody to kill packs.
• Never exceed 14 mobs on your aggro list -- at 15 they summon/warp on you and you die.
• At level 55+ there is a PBAoE XP penalty for killing mobs more than 5 levels below you; pair with an enchanter's memblur to bypass it.
• Swap instruments between songs (string/brass) and use the Bard Epic offhand for an 80% bonus to all instrument types.

1. Bind Zeal slow turn to a key — ALT+O > Keybinds > Movement > look for slow turn. Bind "slow turn left" (slow turn right is offensive and nobody should do that).
2. Refresh JBoots if you don't have Run Speed 2 AA.
3. Turn on Selos (optional outside, but makes pulling faster).
4. Pull 12 mobs (maximum that a PBAE will hit at once).
   • You can aggro up to 14 safely.
   • At 15+ mobs, they summon to you, and then you die.
5. Run manual big circles to group mobs together.
6. Click off Selos buff (from buff window).
7. Press and hold slow turn key.
8. Press Enter twice while holding slow turn to "lock it in."
   • This activates the chat bar method. Some people use alt-tab, but Enter is safer.
9. Adjust weight to match your ping and mob speed.
   • Use Throwing Boulders (dropped from giants) or buy Broken Blocks of Ore in Toxx. Keep them stacked in a bag, then unstack them to slow your speed down.
   • Run Speed 2 may need little or no encumbrance.
   • Test and adjust for your specific lag and ping (top left corner is your input/output).

• 12 mobs maximum can be damaged by AoE at once.
• 15 mobs on aggro list triggers mob ports on top of you — this means you can only have 14 mobs. At 15 = porting = death.
• These limits are enforced in open world, not PvP.

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.

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:

• Chords of Dissonance — String instrument
• Denon's Disruptive Discord — Brass instrument
• Selo's Chords of Cessation — String instrument
• Denon's Bereavement — String instrument

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.

Too many mobs (15+)

Mobs summon or warp on you = instant death.

• Fix: Charm and suicide one into the pack to drop under 15.
• Have to charm the summoning mob itself — once it starts summoning, it won't stop.
• Or use Song of Highsun to port one away.

Lag or server issues

Not much you can do. Accept it happens.

Other players training mobs near you

• Adds to your aggro list.
• Be aware of surroundings and pick quiet areas.

Multitasking

Do it at your own risk.

• Clicking into a chat box when returning to EQ helps avoid accidental turn interruption.

Clicking back into game from another window

Can interrupt slow turn = mobs catch you.

• Fix: Click into a chat box instead of the game window.

Pressing CTRL

Interrupts turning.

• If you hotkey single-select boulders from a stack, it can kill you.
• Watch hotkeys when chatting (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V).

Editing macros mid-swarm (don't be a hero)

Can cause issues and deaths.

• Fix: Make multiple macro versions and keep them on the hotbar.

Mobs hitting you mid-kite

• Server or connection lag.
• Running in straight lines (delays position updates).
• Particle effects enabled (turn off).
• FPS or frame rate issues.
• Some zones (like FG) have resource problems.
• Fix: Reduce pull size, check connection, disable particles, and make sure Zeal has a Windows Defender exclusion.

Mobs warping or bouncing

• Happens with 7+ mobs sometimes.
• More common in certain zones like FG.
• Keep weight at proper level.
• Some players need to go lighter (31 lbs vs 40 lbs).

Hit box size matters

The hit box size of mobs definitely affects the swarms. Bigger mobs basically can't be swarmed sometimes, or requires a much faster base speed.

One potential swarming leveling path:

1. Qeynos area til like 12 or so
2. Shadeweaver's Thicket to 18 or so
3. HSM to 30ish
4. DSP for a short time
5. Jaggedpine 33-53 — basilisks from 33-43, poachers/potameid's from 43-53
6. Then go tar goos and get Run Speed 1 + 2 (probably coulda done this at Jaggedpine)
7. FG to 60

The penalty

• If a mob is level 40+ and you deal >50% of its HP with PBAoE damage, you get a negative XP penalty.
• Penalty scales with level difference.
• 0% penalty when mob is within 5 levels of you.
• ~93% penalty at 20 level difference.
• Applies to both regular XP and AA XP.

What this means for XP

• Level 60 doing level 45 mobs = bad (massive penalty).
• Level 60 needs level 55+ mobs minimum (ideally 55-59).
• Level 55-59: Consider charm swarming instead of PBAoE (no penalty).
• Level 59+ with Denon's Bereavement: PBAoE becomes viable again with 4 DoTs.

Penalty math (approx)

• ~6% XP loss per level under 55 (for level 60 bard).
• Level 60 doing level 50 mobs = ~30% XP penalty.
• Level 60 doing level 45 mobs = ~60% XP penalty.

Workaround

Group with an enchanter who memblurs packs (removes penalty).

• Enchanter uses memory blur on the pack after you PBAoE.
• This removes the "PBAoE damage" flag from mobs.
• You get full XP as if you didn't use PBAoE.

What you play as a raid bard depends on the group you're assigned to. Here's a breakdown by group type.

Tanks

• Primarily playing Warsong/Battlecry (overhaste), McVaxius' Rousing Rondo (attack power), and then depending on the fight some sort of resists and damage shields.
• Do not put Dance of the Blade up, to conserve tank buff slots.

Melee + Ranger DPS

• Primarily playing Overhaste/Attack power as above.
• Keep up Dance of the Blade.
• Typically melee/ranger dps bards cover resist debuffs on the boss/mobs we're facing. So Occlusion of Sound primarily, Chant of Flame/Frost/Fufil's where appropriate.

Caster/Healers

• This typically only happens when we have an abundance of bards.
• Primarily ensuring Cantata/Chorus/Lcea is up along with doing mana pumping, when needed.
• When mana pump isn't needed, these bards can also take some of the resist debuffing roles.

General Info

• There will be times where charming is helpful — either for actual combat or when supporting enchanters that have charm breaks or deaths. This isn't often.
• When outdoors — Selos Chorus is a great addition to most groups (think dwarven ring war).
• Some bard should always have Lcea's/Chorus up — preferably two (one in melee range and one near casters).
• On some fights (less often in Luclin raiding) bards provide essential resist buffing via Elemental or Purifying Chorus and the Rhythms and Psalms lines.
• Bards have a lot of other utility that can come into play at different times. Kazumi's for group DA, Lulls, etc etc.
• If you were thinking you would be adding dps, well I've got bad news. Bards don't add very much dps. And that's not really how we best support the raid!
• If you're running IM3 / SM3 / JF3 with Drums of the Beast + epic, and layering Occlusion of Sound + Fufil's/Chant of Flame/Chant of Frost, you're shaving off about -86 FR/CR/MR from mobs. That's a nice boost — especially on mobs where wizards/mages need help pushing nukes through. For example, something sitting around ~190 FR/CR can usually be burned down with full nukes when we've got bard debuffs, malo, and (for fire) Ro's Disjunction stacked up. With Puretone, that bumps slightly higher to -90. The bard running this setup can also sneak in an early Angstlich's Assonance slow if the timing works out. Could significantly help our clerics. Since Lcea's + elemental/purity choruses make resists easier to handle these days, it's not too tough to weave these into a 5-song melody. It usually works best if one bard takes point, but we can adjust depending on who's around.