Is unartied bard comabt viable?

Arras

Another MKO refugee here. I'm going to give Achaea a try, and have been trying to pick a class. I'm looking for something that's viable for mid-tier pvp without arties (I don't want to artie up before I know for sure that I'm going to stay), but also has the potential to do well in high tier pvp eventually. Ideally this class would have potential to do well in both 1 v 1 and group combat.

I've been looking at bard in particular, but I've read some things that say that unartied bards struggle. Is this the case? If so, what other classes fit what I'm looking for? Jester seems to be another one that people often suggest.

Thanks in advance!

Exelethril

Bard is probs the most complex class and will most likely need an artie rapier to be competitive.

Kenway

Bard, Alchemist, Runewarden are all very very good without any help from arties. Bard is the hardest out of those but also probably the best sans artefacts. I say runie over the other knights 'cause lagua's 10% dsb buff lets you get to 100% health bursts without any strength arties. Plus weathering/jera/algiz/berkana really helps ease off the knock you'd take to health from specing strength. 

Szanthax

keep in mind... artefacts dont equal skill level. sure you can top out.. .but someone like me that has every artefact and little skill will still lose to someone who has no artefacts and lots of skill/knowledge.. Serpent, alchemist, bard come to mind as the classes capable of doing such. I'm sure there are more (ignores occie)....

Arras

Thanks @Exelethril for the quick answer, and thanks @Szanthax for the additional information!

Cooper

Exelethril said:

Bard is probs the most complex class and will most likely need an artie rapier to be competitive.

Bard is complex, yes, but you absolutely will NOT need an artie rapier to compete. 

Austere

Unartied bard was recently speed up and looks to be in a fairly decent position now. Melee will be your best friend and you will grow to hate line of sight

Exelethril

Well, it depends on who you compete against.

Cooper

Exelethril said:

Well, it depends on who you compete against.

I'm looking for something that's viable for mid-tier pvp without arties

Farrah

Heartsfury and Riposte are amazing, so if you're fighting any physical damage class, you're pretty well off, unartied or not, as bard.

If you had issues unartied, I'd think it'd be against good players who are playing affliction classes.

Jester/Shaman are great unartied because they aren't very much benefited by artefacts at all, but they're pretty unique classes in how they function so they aren't for everyone.

Runewarden's a solid option.

Cynlael

Exelethril said:
Bard is probs the most complex class and will most likely need an artie rapier to be competitive.

Top kek, Exel. Two both of these statements.

Antonius

Kenway said:

I say runie over the other knights 'cause lagua's 10% dsb buff lets you get to 100% health bursts without any strength arties.

Only if you're replacing a minimum of level 1 gauntlets with some other non-standard strength increase (rare minerals, shop of wonders elixir, truefavour, etc.), according to all of my testing. 19 strength (the maximum unartied as a Runewarden) is a bit over 96% of your target's maximum health with Lagua and level one torso damage, assuming you're disembowelling somebody who doesn't have a defence or active ability that reduces disembowel's damage.

Possibly enough in most cases, and obviously better than the other two Knight classes can get with the same number of artefacts, but then Paladin and Infernal have other avenues to pursue for kills that don't rely on damage at all, and other benefits that Runewarden doesn't get.

Dunn

Unartied bard felt really good after the speed up actually. People running is always an issue for bard unless you weave in leg breaks, but I was locking fairly consistently with kelp stacks and a non artie rapier.

I run runie at 19 str and my DSB hits like a truck.