EverQuest/Character classes/Bard

Bards are almost always welcome in a group. They are also a competant solo class with a variety of kiting methods available. While they are not as good at any particular thing as any of the specialized classes, they do a little of everything. They can cast, tank and heal as circumstances dictate and are considered among the best pulling classes in the game. No other class gets the variety of spells and skills that the bard gets. Bards can also cast forever since they don't use up mana when they sing aside from their later charm songs and a few other abilities. Some of the most coveted bard songs for group play are haste, over-haste (which allows players to exceed the haste cap), mana/health regeneration, resists and various songs the bard uses to pull mobs. As well, bards make for fair crowd control and slowing when an enchanter or shaman isn't available. Bard songs are of short duration (usually 18 seconds), however a skilled player may "twist" three or four songs to keep multiple effects up at the same time.

As a class, bards may seem frighteningly complex to the novice player due to the wide array of song effects and the stress of keeping multiple songs up. But a skilled bard is a valuable asset to any group or raid and bards are one of the least played classes in the game so a well-played bard is almost always appreciated and rarely lacks for a group. Few classes in any MMORPG are as flexible or do as much as Everquest's bard class.