There are already a ton of resources on the net about character creation. A word here – though I am really, really happy with my bard I wish that he had a point or two more of strength. Mainly I put points into charisma (we are performers after all!) and into agility and dexterity. I also put a few into strength. Whatever you chose, however, fear not. There are all kinds of items to raise any kind of attribute you want, all you need is platinum.

One thing you need to consider is your race. There are only three races that can be bards. They are Wood Elves, Half Elves, and Humans. Humans start off in Freeport and Qeynos, Wood Elves start off in Kelethin, and Half Elves get a choice depending on which deity they choose. This guide will focus largely on the Human bard starting in Freeport, as Humans level up 20% faster than other races, and also because Freeport has it all as a starting city.

Congratulations! You have arrived in Freeport with nothing but some muffins, milk, a note, and a Tome of Discord. Now let’s get down to business! First off, unless you plan to go PvP (player versus player) at some point, click on your Tome of Discord and drag it to the destroy button and click. Why carry around a book you never plan to use? If you think at some point that you plan to become a PvP player, then find the bank in North Freeport and deposit it for safety. At least it is out of your inventory, freeing up room for loot you can sell.

Next, you need to find the Bard’s Guild. In Freeport it is Marshearts Chords in North Freeport. Go in and deliver your note to the Guild Leader upstairs. You will receive some experience and a tunic. Equip the tunic and your sword and head out again into West Freeport. This will be your home of operations for the next two levels.

Unfortunately the Bard class is the only "casting" class that does not get spells right at the start. Step one – earn some money to buy that song! The nice thing – you only get one new spell each level, so it will not be too hard to raise the money. Start out hunting bats, snakes, and rats until you get to level 2. Along the way, when you can afford to, purchase your level 1 song, Chant of Battle. Sing this song everywhere you go! Never stop singing it as it will raise your singing skill which is important later on as in battle you will not have time to pull out your instrument (you will be a melee character until the high teens, after which you begin to vary your role).

At level 2 you will likely NOT have enough money to purchase your second level song, Chords of Dissonance, as level 1 goes by so quickly. This is a good thing however! BEWARE THIS SONG! While this song hits your enemies for about 4-6 hp per pulse, it also attracts any passing enemy in sight and trains them on you. To top it off, as you run for the gate and the guards, forgetting to cancel the song, the GUARDS get damaged and instead of saving you, slay you. Never sing this song around NPC’s or you are dead. Personally, after experimenting with it, I did not use it again.

There is a situation, though, where this song is great. Here is what you do. Group with 2 or 3 other characters. Have them wait in a spot where there are no NPC’s (to the right of the west gate down by the tent is good). Start up your song. Run around in the sand staying away from the guards. When you have several critters trained, head back to your group. Keep singing as they each select a critter and start hacking away. This is great, but if at all possible have a healer in the party so that if you attract too many enemies you can be healed. This saves time tracking down prey.

When you get level 3 you get another song, Jaxan’s Jig O’ Vigor. This is a stamina replacement song that also is reputed to speed up (by a little) mana regeneration for casters. Some casters I have sung this for have told me that it does work – others have told me that it does not work. Eventually you will sing this in battle when you notice that your stamina bar is depleted – I usually sing it when my stamina is down a bar (1 bar is 20% of your stamina gone, which affects you in battle).

Now you are ready for larger prey. You have seen the Orc Pawns around as you fought to level up and have probably even fought one or two (and maybe even won!). At level 3 head over to East Freeport and ask for a bind at the gate. Right away you will notice that EFP has more fire beetles and Orc Pawns than WFP. Kill away and run to the guards as necessary.

When you get ½ way through level 4 it is time to move again. Head back to WFP and get bound there once again, then head out into East Commons (next zone over and good for levels 4 to 7). After level 7 there is better experience to be had elsewhere.

Once in EC, shout for a group and start hunting pumas and black bears. If you have a cleric in your group (semi-likely) or a shaman (not too likely), you can also take on rattlesnakes as a group due to their ability to Cure Poison. You should also be able to take on skeletons at the undead ruins in the sands behind Inn 2, but be alert for zombies, mummies, and ghouls. When you get to level five take a break and get another essential bard song – Selo’s Accelerando. With this song and a drum equipped you can outrun any other player with a SoW cast on them. Now when you travel sing this song, and when you get your percussion skill (level 4 I believe) train a point in it and buy a drum to store in the bank for the day when you can use it. Then sing your SoW song and head back to EC. Keep hunting and before you know it you will be at level 6! Congratulations!!

When you get to level 6 you get one of the all time best Bard songs – Hymn of Restoration. This is a heal song that is great in battle. Your group will love you because they will never have to wait around again for the tanks to heal because the cleric is oom. Also, it allows you to take on higher level creatures and live to either run away or kill them. I have had some battles where I have actually gained hp back during the battle. Stay in East Commons and continue to fight. As you advance begin to take on lions, giant spiders, and scarabs. Each of these will give you good group experience. Avoid taking on darkweed snakes and asps unless you have a healer such a shaman or a cleric with you who can cure poison – the poison from one of these will kill a level 6 character in about 10 seconds.

When you get to level 7 you get Jonathan’s Whistling Warsong, which is better than Chant of Battle, but which is self only. If you are soloing then this is a song you will want in your song bank. I will not talk to you about twining your songs (or twisting, as it is also known) – suffice it to say that because it takes time for one song’s effects to die out it is possible to sing more that one song at once by stopping one, starting another right away, then stopping it when it kicks in and starting the first song again. You will learn this on your own as you experiment with the songs.

Continue hunting in EC. If you have a mixed group with some higher level members (say a 7 to 9 group), you can successfully hunt Befallen, a dungeon in West Commons. One the right hand side is skeleton lord Lrod. He is tough to take out at that level but gives great experience. There are also many skeletons around and great loot. You will make money in this place.

When you get to level 8 you have two choices. You can stay in East Commons and Befallen and level up there – OR – you can head out to Greater Faydark and Kelethin for your next few levels. I myself ventured to Kelethin as it was the site of my level 8 song - Kelin's Lugubrious Lament. Your level 9 spell is also not available in Freeport, but is in Qeynos and Kelethin.

Before you start your run, head to the bank and check in all your items except some food and a drum. Then visit Ton Two Tone at the Bard’s Guild and tell him you want to {deliver some mail} and tell him Kelethin when you have the choice. Bank the mail or carry it – it makes no difference. One word of advice – WRITE DOWN THE NAME OF THE PERSON WHO IS TO GET THE MAIL!!!!! Sometimes you get delayed and nobody knows who is supposed to get the mail bag. You hand it in and get a thank you instead of gold and experience. Now you are ready to run.

Head down to the docks in East Freeport and catch the boat to Faydwer. When you dock head out of the town and start singing sow as you run east. Run through the Butcherblock Mountains, heading East until you come to the Greater Faydark zone. Once in GF, head for Kelethin shouting for directions or a guide (Ed: If you head straight east from the BB zone, until you reach a path, (about 15 secs), follow the path left to Kelethin). Get to the orc or pod lift and get bound asap. Then deliver your mail, reclaim your items from the bank, and ask around for the location of Crushbone tunnel. Get a group to head into CB, as it is called, and start whaling on those orcs. Collect the items for sale, but keep the belts as they give experience and a leather item when delivered to a dwarf in Kaladrim.

Get used to the layout as this is where you will be spending time till you hit level 12 or so. Kill kill kill – then kill some more! Sell sell sell and watch the plat build up. Level up and purchase your level 9 spell (Elemental Rhythms) and do not worry about your level 10 song, which is Anthem de Arms, a group ac/attack rate spell. Hunt centurions and the trainer on trainer hill, and when you get to level 9 or 10 you can head off to the slave pits to kill slavers and free slaves for exp (the slavers drop keys). At level 11 and 12 you can start picking off Legionairres around the castle itself and collect lego shoulder pads for a quest – or sell them for platinum. The castle is still a little too high level for you – but will be great once you get to level 14.

When you get to level 13 repeat the process for running to Kelethin in reverse. Bank your items, pick up mail to deliver, and get ready to run. Do not forget to pick up your level 11, 12, and 13 spells: Cinda’s Charismatic Carillion (increases faction with target), Brusco’s Boastful Bellow (the ONLY direct damage spell you get!), and Purifying Rhythms (adds resists to getting diseased or poisoned – but is not 100 percent proof against them). By now you should have a hefty sum in the bank – I had about 40-50 pp by this time with my loot from Crushbone. The Carillion helps increase faction as does killing orcs in GF itself. Save that money cause you will need it in just a bit!

Run back to Freeport. Deliver your mail and retrieve your belongings from the bank. Buy your level 10 spell, Anthem de Arms. This spell is nice in a group when twined with Hymn of Restoration. Get bound in EAST Freeport. This will save you time as the trip to North Ro from East Freeport is shorter by a zone then being bound in West Freeport. After finding your bind head out to North Ro. At the platform do a shout for a group camping Dervish camp 1,2 or 3. Get the loc and head east to the camp they are at. Do not be afraid to advertise yourself – you can heal, lull, buff, SoW and protect EVERYBODY in the group. Usually you will have no problems getting a group.

Hunt dervs for the next two or three levels. They provide good experience and drop items that sell from 5 gp to 3 or 4 pp (sometimes bronze weapons). Start making newbie friends who might be helpful later by giving the rings away to newbies in West Freeport. When you get bored in North Ro, head out to Oasis or West Commons and hunt wisps, Young Kodiaks, orcs, or undead. Once you get about 55 platinum head out and buy yourself a combine long sword (about 55pp) or scimitar (about 42pp) from the gypsy camp at the Oasis of Marr south of North Ro. You can even camp out in orc alley, where the camp is, but oasis is a rough area and you WILL die at some point.

This is my guide to hitting level 15. If you follow it you will level up pretty quickly and get good exp while meeting new friends that you will start to run into again and again as you travel. That is important because by level 15 you will definitely be a group character. It is too hard and long to solo blues – much quicker in a group (though you can solo critters if you want). A WORD ABOUT WISP ISLAND – I had heard about wisp island from some of the other guides. When I went it turned out there was basically one spawn spot that is usually camped and not often shared. You need to run to Qeynos and take the boat to the first and only island in Erud’s crossing. I found it a waste of time as did a shaman I met there. Later, the shaman went back, found it deserted, and camped the spawn making mucho plat. It is up to you – just remember that wisps, like ghouls, need a magic weapon or magic to hit.