Musician Archive

In response to a series of questions from me, the devs have provided some more information about our buff. I've amended my FAQ (stickied in this forum) to reflect this information, but I thought I shoud also post it separately in case you haven't been following the FAQ thread.

Q. Does flourishing affect the duration or power of the targeted (/setperform) buff?

A. Flourishing affects how fast you achieve maximum duration and maximum power. Flourishes will not, however, increase the maximum duration or power of the buff. In effect, flourishing cuts down the time you need to perform the targeted buff.

Q. Does flourishing affect the duration or power of the passive (grouped) buff?

A. No.

Q.Does song or instrument choice affect the duration or powerof the targeted (/setperform) buff?

A. Yes. As with flourishing, song or instrument choice will affect the time at which you achieve maxium power and duration with the targeted buff. If you play a higher song or instrument, the time required to buff is, in theory, shorter.

Q. Does song or instrument choice affect the duration or power of the passive (grouped) buff?

A. I am still seeking clarification on this, but the answers above strongly imply the answer is no.

Q. Do "lighting effects" (Firejet, Colored Lights, etc) affect the duration or power of the targeted or passive buff?

A. No, not currently. I have asked the devs to implement such a feature, and I'm hopeful they will do so.

Q. Does instrument quality affect the duration or power of the targeted or passive buff?

A. No, not currently. Again, I have asked the devs to implement this feature; I don't know what the prospects are for implementation.

Q.If I stop playing in mid-buff, say to change instruments, does that interfere with the buff, or prevent it from "taking"? Does it matter how long I stop?

A. Stopping for a short time should not interfere with your buff.I've tested this repeatedly over the past few days, and my "main" can buff my "alt" even if the main stops playing for 30 seconds. The buff is triggered when the recipient stops listening, whether via radial, command-line, or walking out of range; it's not triggered by a cessation of the performance. That said, some players say it's safer to play continuously if possible.

Q.Precisely what is the amount of time a Master Musician must play to confer the maximum-length targeted buff (i.e., /setperform)?

A. As the answers above indicate, it varies depending on the song, instrument, and flourish amount. Players have reported that six minutes is the minimum time for a Masterto confer the maximum buff power and duration, butitmay be possible to reach the maximum in as little as four minutes; more testing is required.