Hello everyone, I'm still a bit noob to daoc, but I want to play a good solo character(at least in one realm). I chose minstrel, although I know playing him is not an easy thing to master(at least doesn't seem so). Anyway, if there are any experienced minstrels around willing to take some of their time and give me some hints, I would appreciate it. Like I said, I am a complete noob to playing minstrel(will roll one after finishing this post , so it would be nice if someone would like to explain me the basics...how instruments work, switching them and what spec would be good. Like a noob starter guide to one class ), that would pretty much be it. Anyway, thank you all in advance and I'm looking forward to play him.

if you start new to daoc, minstrel isnt the best class to start ^^ In my opinion one of the hardest solo classes to play (but alot utility!!)

Well, some basics:

Instruments:

you have 3 diffrent instruments: lute, flute and drum.
Lute: used to play healthregen song
Flute: mezz song
Drum: speed song and manaregen song

If you want to play a song you need to equip the equal instrument first.

You can play only one song at once!

You have 2 slots for euqiping instruments: 2-hand and ranged slot.
For these 2 slots I would chose the flute and drum (2-handed: flute; ranged: drum).
Reason: healthregen doesnt work in fight! so if you want to reg your health, hide anywhere and equip your lute manualy.

Charmsong/Pet control:

the higher your charmsong, the more diffrent mobtypes you can charm:

Code: Select all

Level 6: Captivating Melodies:   Humanoids
Level 13: Enchanting Melodies:   Humanoids, Animals
Level 20: Attracting Melodies:   Humanoids, Animals, Insects
Level 27: Plesurable Melodies:   Humanoids, Animals, Insects, Magical Creatures
Level 34: Enticing Melodies:   Humanoids, Animals, Insects,Magical Creatures, Undeads
Level 41: Alluring Melodies:   Humanoids, Animals, Insects, Magical Creatures, Undeads, Daemons

Charmsong ticks every 5 seconds. If a mob doenst get a new charm-tick after 9,5 secs you will lose the control over your pet
and it will attack you (normaly).

Charm-ticks can be resisted by you pet!

What level of a mob can I charm maximal? Isnt that easy to say ^^
With level 50, 50 in instruments, max bonus on armor, RR4 you can hold a level 54 mob without problems.
The higher your RR the higher the maximum level of mob you can hold (with RR6: level 56 mob)

How to switch songs:

As I said before, you can play only one song at once (charmsong is a song, too!)
But that doesnt mean that you can have only one song active
A song holds some time active until it fades. This time is based on you instrument quality!
==> the higher your instrument qualily, the longer you songs duration!
With 100% quality instrus your songs have a 12 sec duration. (not the charm and MHB song! they have allways 9,5 sec duration!)

That means we can have multiple songs active!
As example: speed and charmsong -> the most used song twist

At start you have charmsong active (means you control a mob ^^)
equip your drum and start song.
-> now you have max 9,5 sec to recharm your pet!
target your pet (if you have not in target anymore) and press the charmsong.
-> now you have max 12 sec (with 100% instrus) after the last speedsong tick until your speed fades!

and on and on ^^

You see, song switching is just about timing and practice!

__________________________________

A lil sum up of a minstrel

Thanks a lot for the reply . I'm level 18 atm and I figured out how most of it works, dunno how hard will it be to pvp though . Any suggestions on RA's?

I hope you dont specc in instruments untill you are lvl 48 ^^ cause this class has autotrain!
Means: every 4 level you gain 1 point in instruments for free if you dont have specc in instruments ever.

MT-Pear wrote:if you start new to daoc, minstrel isnt the best class to start ^^ In my opinion one of the hardest solo classes to play (but alot utility!!)

@ original poster: don't be afraid. This is not true. Minstrel is strong in solo PvM and in solo RvR too. Even leveling is fine, if you don't autoleech ... ahh, sorry autotrain your instruments The only thing is that you should know what to do (instrument swapping, timing). So, don't hesistate to play one.

I've never said that minstrel isnt strong Just said that minstrel isnt that easy to play solo like SB/infi/NS.
And to autotrain: if you dont do it, they are waste points.

normal solo specc (stealther)
without AT (autotrain): 31 stealth/29 weapon/50 instruments
with AT: 33 stealth/30 weapon/50 instruments

With AT you have with cap template 50 stealth at RR7
Without AT at RR9

It ISNT the easiest class to start learning DAoC mechanics.

MT-Pear wrote:I've never said that minstrel isnt strong Just said that minstrel isnt that easy to play solo like SB/infi/NS.

Timing for a minstrel is not as easy, but as minstrel you need maybe 2-4 styles. An good assassin uses minimum 2 full bars of styles (my inf do and my RR8+ nightshade on live do use even more). Switching instrument is no excuse. Minstrel need to switch 3 instruments, good assassins will have 10 to 15 weapons in their invent and swap them during styling (... something else than perma Garotte).

And to autotrain: if you dont do it, they are waste points.

I would never autotrain a minstrel beside he is leveled up by a higher character as a cabbalist. This is just pain.

normal solo specc (stealther)
without AT (autotrain): 31 stealth/29 weapon/50 instruments
with AT: 33 stealth/30 weapon/50 instruments

Minimal effect. Regardless if you train 33 or 31 stealth ... because every assassin has detect hidden and at least MoS2 and Ranger mostly Mos3 (or more) other stealther will see you before you see him. 2 points in stealth will let them see you 50 loc lesser for non assassins and 100 loc lesser for assassins. This NEVER is worth to autotrain an minstrel if you need to level it by our own.

It ISNT the easiest class to start learning DAoC mechanics.

Thats true, but assassins neither as well as bow classes (beside maybe melee ranger).

yeah. 50 composite stealth is more or less a waste on a minstrel. minstrel stealth is really just for gettign near the fight without being seen. the extra 2 steps detection radius is worthless. 25 stealth for climb walls and anything above that is gravy.

I would only AT a minstrel IF:

1) I was going full visi spec for strict 8v8 play: 50 inst/44 thrust. without at you cant get the 44 style.
-note that this spec leaves you no climb walls, which means your solo realm points will suck because you cant farm gaurd missions, or killpeople doig guard missions.

2) I was getting PLed. because hey, free pts for no extra work then.

- 25 stealth for climb walls and anything above that is gravy.

I played both, 25 stealth and high stealth.
try to escape with 25 stealth from a fullgroup or even more ppl with bard/skald ... forget it! They will find you (or they will kite you over 2 maps ... yeah)

Dudes, you never played a minstrel, or? Every point in stealth is it worth!
50 pts lesser where ppl can see you is alot if you wanna pass AMG, escape from grps and so on...

It isnt such a pain to AT minstrels if you know how. only the first 23 lvls. with 6 instruments you have the first charm. now you can charm a mob called Filidh, wich heals such alot that you level with it till 48.
You dont need instruments for lvling if you have a heals. but with full weaponspecc you deal more melee dmg than with instru specc. you dont need to reg mana cause you dont use it. with thrust specc you can lvl without high endu use...

Timing for a minstrel is not as easy, but as minstrel you need maybe 2-4 styles. An good assassin uses minimum 2 full bars of styles (my inf do and my RR8+ nightshade on live do use even more). Switching instrument is no excuse. Minstrel need to switch 3 instruments, good assassins will have 10 to 15 weapons in their invent and swap them during styling (... something else than perma Garotte).

dont forget, minstrels have to avoid melee combats, especially vs assassins
mincer are in a lower dmg table, they deal nearly no melee dmg.
-> pet and DDs is the "only" dmg output. So you have to kite + handle your pet + sometimes turn around to DD/mezz/stun.

I can show you a screenie from my qbar, I wish I have a 4th
6 buttons only for pet commands, 2 DD, Stun, Mezz, AE Mezz, Demezz, 6 thrust styles, Confusion, MHB, Speed, POM, Healthregen, target pet, 5 RAs, DDcharge, some stuff i forgot ^^ without qbind not to handle.

I dont want a /worship for how hard it is to play a mincer, but dont tell me they are easy to handle (sometimes I wish I have a 3rd hand ^^)

EDIT: here my qbars. second are the qbinded (qbar 1)

MT-Pear wrote:- 25 stealth for climb walls and anything above that is gravy.

I played both, 25 stealth and high stealth.
try to escape with 25 stealth from a fullgroup or even more ppl with bard/skald ... forget it! They will find you (or they will kite you over 2 maps ... yeah)

Dudes, you never played a minstrel, or? Every point in stealth is it worth!
50 pts lesser where ppl can see you is alot if you wanna pass AMG, escape from grps and so on...

It isnt such a pain to AT minstrels if you know how. only the first 23 lvls. with 6 instruments you have the first charm. now you can charm a mob called Filidh, wich heals such alot that you level with it till 48.
You dont need instruments for lvling if you have a heals. but with full weaponspecc you deal more melee dmg than with instru specc. you dont need to reg mana cause you dont use it. with thrust specc you can lvl without high endu use...

Timing for a minstrel is not as easy, but as minstrel you need maybe 2-4 styles. An good assassin uses minimum 2 full bars of styles (my inf do and my RR8+ nightshade on live do use even more). Switching instrument is no excuse. Minstrel need to switch 3 instruments, good assassins will have 10 to 15 weapons in their invent and swap them during styling (... something else than perma Garotte).

dont forget, minstrels have to avoid melee combats, especially vs assassins
mincer are in a lower dmg table, they deal nearly no melee dmg.
-> pet and DDs is the "only" dmg output. So you have to kite + handle your pet + sometimes turn around to DD/mezz/stun.

I can show you a screenie from my qbar, I wish I have a 4th
6 buttons only for pet commands, 2 DD, Stun, Mezz, AE Mezz, Demezz, 6 thrust styles, Confusion, MHB, Speed, POM, Healthregen, target pet, 5 RAs, DDcharge, some stuff i forgot ^^ without qbind not to handle.

I dont want a /worship for how hard it is to play a mincer, but dont tell me they are easy to handle (sometimes I wish I have a 3rd hand ^^)

EDIT: here my qbars. second are the qbinded (qbar 1)

qbar.jpg

qbar2.jpg

+1 really seems they didnt play mincer at all.. each point in stealth is worth. since many of sb/ns have only mos2, u can even camp close to amg/mmg and they wont see u. I also played long time with only 25 in stealth. But this was in agramon and there u had many more places for good camping then nowadays. Here, if main rvr is at amg and if u want survive more then 30 sek, u need at least 50 stealth. So autotrain is not a must have but nice to have for sure. and.. if u spec ur weaponline on lvl u can easy lvl up solo until lvl 40. so at least until this lvl i would do at. and if u have some money u could use 2x line respec before lvl44 and lvl48 to get full points. all in all, mincer is a great class to play. makes much fun and is one of the best solo classes. I pray each day for old ras.. then it will be a great grp class too. greez elrill

/hug ellrill

yeah, hoping for old RAs, too =/

I've never played Alb and obviously never played a minstril, but I will tell you that MT-Pear know's what he is talking about. There is some very well played Minstrils, but I still say he had the most well played minstril I have seen in Thid. By the way Minplus- I always wanted to ask you a couple questions. I never see you out in emain and would love to have a fight with you, of course now it might be a tad unfair since my ranger is a much higher RR now. Also, how in the heck did you almost take over the CK in Thid on your own? I remember me and another ranger watching you open up the inside gate on your own. Then go grab beetles and bring them up to the main gaurd, drop them, and then go grab another. I tell people about this all the time and they think I'm nuts. We both watched you take the main keep lord down to under 20% and anytime we tried to invtervene to stop you, you would just mez/stun and run away. Was insane

huh? xD never did that with the lord
But thx 4 the flowers ^^

to minplus itself .. I dont play it anymore, just for tests.

Lol, yes you did, in Thid I know for a fact it was you, because it was the only time that I played against your minstril. Me and another ranger were on the wall and you climbed over with a ram and opened up the gate. Then you kept on going towards Hib zone w/ the red/oj beetles and would charm them, then take 1 to the lord, and I dont know if you just dropped them at the lord and went and got another or what, but we went up after watching you do this for awhile and the lord was at like 20% (give or take a few %). I guess it is possible it might have been another minstril, but then I dont know why your name (Minplus) would stick out in my head to much.

Red beetle, yes, I loved that pet in Thid Easy to kill 2+ ppl at once with it xD
Maybe I killed you to often that you remind me ^^