Lost Ark offers a generous number of classes to test out at launch, and the choice will be definitive. For that reason, you should take your time when making your decision. If it’s already done and you’ve chosen Bard, though, know you’ll be the ally everyone wants in fights.
The Bard is an advanced class of the Mage, which is chosen shortly after creating a character. This support class can only be played by female characters. The Bard uses the harp’s melodies to deal damage to enemies and provide buffs for her allies. The class also features some crowd-control abilities such as knockbacks and stuns.
You’ll have a crucial role in your party, since the Bard must stay alive to help its allies in the fight. She must be careful of her positioning at all times since she’s squishy and can die easily compared to other tank and DPS classes.
Here are the best Bard builds in Lost Ark based on our experience. Since a lot of building comes to preference, you can adapt the abilities to best fit your playstyle and test out different tripods, which significantly change their use in combat.
The best Bard Builds in Lost Ark
Typical support build
| Skill | Skill Level | Tripod I | Tripod II | Tripod III |
| Wind of Music | 10/10 | Quick Preparation | Melody Increase | Wind of Protection |
| Heavenly Tune | 10/10 | Quick Preparation | Tough Tune | Intense Tune |
| Sonic Vibration | 10/10 | Protective Vibration | Brilliant Wave | Wide-Angle Attack |
| Dissonance | 4/10 | Melody Increase | – | – |
| Guardian Tune | 10/10 | Tenacity | Endless Protection | Wind of Protection |
| Rhythm Buckshot | 4/10 | Melody Increase | – | – |
| Rhapsody of Light | 10/10 | Quick Preparation | Note Brand | Shining Protection |
| Harp of Rhythm | 10/10 | Summoning Will | Melody Increase | Note Brand |
This build will provide the most utility for your team. You will focus on pushing the enemies back when they come too close to your party and apply AoE damage in areas where your DPS will also be able to receive your buffs.
If you need a bit more damage, you can swap out one of those attacks for Soundholic with a level 4/10 and the Tripod I Sound Concentration.
Solo build
| Skill | Skill Level | Tripod I | Tripod II | Tripod III |
| Stigma | 10/10 | Sustain Enhancement | Brilliant Stigma | Pain Brand |
| Heavenly Tune | 10/10 | Quick Preparation | Courageous Tune | Intense Tune |
| Sonic Vibration | 4/10 | Protective Vibration | – | – |
| Dissonance | 10/10 | Melody Increase | Law of the Jungle | Harmony Enhancement |
| Wind of Music | 10/10 | Quick Preparation | Melody Increase | Wind of Protection |
| Soundholic | 10/10 | Sound Concentration | Sustain Enhancement | Focus Fire |
| Sound Wave | 4/10 | Excellent Mobility | – | – |
| Sound Shock | 4/10 | Maintained Explosion | – | – |
The solo build isn’t that different from the support build, but those adjusted Tripods will allow you to deal more damage when playing alone, rather than focusing on crowd control and buff effects. You’ll also have to adjust your playstyle since your encounters will be longer and you’ll have to be more aware than ever of your positioning in the fight.
PvP build
| Skill | Skill Level | Tripod I | Tripod II | Tripod III |
| Wind of Music- | 10/10 | Quick Preparation | Melody Increase | Wind of Protection |
| Heavenly Tune- | 10/10 | Quick Preparation | Tough Tune | Intense Tune |
| Sonic Vibration- | 10/10 | Tenacity | Chain Vibration | Spreading Vibration |
| Dissonance- | 7/10 | Melody Increase | Law of the Jungle | – |
| Prelude of Storm- | 10/10 | Quick Preparation | Melody Increase | Powerful Prelude |
| Sound Shock- | 7/10 | Maintained Explosion | Sacred Shock | – |
| Soundholic- | 10/10 | Sound Concentration | Sustain Enhancement | Focus Fire |
| Stigma | 10/10 | Wide-angle attack | Brilliant Stigma | Pain Brand |
In PvP, know you can be as flexible as you want. It’ll all depend on your personal playstyle, on your allies, and on the meta.
If you see an overwhelming number of a specific class in your PvP scenarios, try to adapt to counter them as best as possible. It’ll also depend on how you like to assist your allies. You can go for this build, and then adjust after playing a few PvP encounters.
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