Mechanics / Solo

PBAoE Swarming

AoE kiting technique, song rotations, and group support melodies

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 + Discord twice. Doubling Discord applies AC debuff more frequently.

Level 48–58

/melody 1 2 3

Chords, Discord, Cessation. Three PBAoE DoTs cycling cleanly.

Level 59+

/melody 1 2 3 4

All four PBAoE DoTs. Full swarm rotation with maximum damage and debuffs.

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.

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.