As an Elvaan Bard...

[Dnias]

Should I get Astral Rings ASAP? If so, when and what do I replace them with?

I just recently decided to level up Bard so I'm completely clueless as to what gear I should have...

Also, (stupid question >_>) how are Earth And Light Staffs superior to Monster Signa at 51? Wouldn't the CHR+8 from the signa be more helpful?

[Nodachi]

Astrals are helpful as soon as you can wear them. I bought mine a 10 and have kept them ever since (Hit 75 tomorrow). For some HNM situations i'll switch out to CHR rings but as a whole elvaan can replace the ring slot with MP items rather than CHR and be fine.

As for the Earth and Light staff. I liked the staves a great deal more once i hit 51. I don't think they ever really lose their use but later on you may want to pick up a Monster Signa again ( i havn't though).

[Sindinista]

While we're on the subject. For a BCNM40, would you rather use CHR or Astral rings? And in normal EXP groups use Astral rings?

[Faranim]

I would say use CHR rings for BC40. You likely won't have enough time to use up all of your MP, and the -50 HP could cost you if you take a beating.

[Nodachi]

Originally posted by Faranim
I would say use CHR rings for BC40. You likely won't have enough time to use up all of your MP, and the -50 HP could cost you if you take a beating.

Yup, and if you're not worried about CHR, you could even roll with like VIT rings.

[Dnias]

By the way, do I even have to worry about loading up on MP gear as a Bard? Should I just use 2 sets of equips like a CHR+ and MP+ set? And finally, how long does the BRD AF last before you have to replace it?

[Vilurum]

I was always more in favor of managing my MP intelligently rather than having a lot of max MP (which ultimately only matters if you give it the opportunity to GET to max). So I've never had more than a total of +50 MP or so. I really really really hate it when my debuffs are resisted, though, so I like to have CHR. Your play style may (probably will) vary.

You can indeed have two sets and switch as you wish ... just keep in mind that if you switch from MP to CHR, and your MP is high, you will lose some current MP. And if you switch from CHR to MP, you'll still need to regain that MP.

Generally a situation will either call for CHR or MP (or neither). If enemies are really easy to debuff, feel free to load up on MP, since CHR won't do a bit of good. Similarly, if you're in a situation where you never have to (or get opportunity to) use MP, loading up on that won't help either.

About BRD AF:

Head: replaced before you get it, by Gold Hairpin and Noble's Ribbon. Move on to Opo-opo Crown if possible, Errant if not.

Body: rather meh (+string, big deal), consider MP or CHR body alternatives. You can't get anything particularly exciting in the body slot though (may vary by RSE), so you might as well wear it if you don't want to wear one of the alternatives (Justaucorps is hideous). At 62 you could move on to Minstrel's Coat if you can get one (as it has +wind as well as +string). At 72, there's Errant for a nice 10 CHR and +5 MP/tick while resting. There's also various melee-oriented stuff you could nab.

Hands: I wore them all the way until 75, and only with the advent of Sha'ir Gages did I finally replace them. If your RSE2 gloves offer decent stats (and a decent price), consider them.

Legs: skill+ is useful, so I stuck with these until Errant, at which point I used Errant for debuffs and AF for buffs. Some RSE has some very nice MP on the legs, however ...

Feet: again, rather meh, but +wind and +evasion are nice enough. You can get some +MP here from a few things, again contemplate RSE2 feet, and at 72 you can use Errant for MP or Dance Shoes for CHR.

So basically hands and legs are good, body and feet are meh but there's not much better, and the head sucks.