Even worse than the horrible drawbacks, I hate how the drawbacks get stronger along with the bonuses. That's plain bad. A high level Skald can literally have 0 initiative with all their units for half of the songs.

If I was balancing things I would do something like this:

Edda level 1: As it is.
Edda level 2: +30% bonuses/-30% drawbacks.
Edda level 3: +60% bonuses/-60% drawbacks.

Potentially make level 2 and 3 cost a bit more to compensate.

It is the initiative which saves he day with no-loss battles. You have rage + spells + loki's touch. That's often is enough to disable the enemy troops for 2 turns until you slaughter the dangerous units with your range attacks.

the drawback of not using the other songs isn't really valid as a drawback is it? I mean a viking or soothsayer is never using any song! so even if each song is balanced to do almost nothing it's still fairly useful? I mean it only costs a couple runes! for the same price you would expect a purely positive fixed benefit of a couple % to something, a flexible bonus should be even more minor... and it is?



the reason the anti-undead songs are the most powerful songs is that the skald class replaces the paladin class... and the song ability replaces several anti-undead abilities paladins had before... so this is INTENTIONAL here

Personally I'm not a fan of making something so good it needs to be simutaneously nerfed to balance it. At what price, power?

For crying out loud, he's a bard, not a blood mage making pacts with dark powers. Can't he sing a few happy songs without inviting Odin's wrath, the baleful eye of Hel, or Loki's slimy touch?

It's safer to be a wizard. :)

I'm trying a Skald for the first time but I found the songs to be all useless except for the undead song so I searched this board to see if I was I missing something. And after reading Chro's original message and the following comments it appears that all the other songs are useless. It is too bad, it is an interesting concept but the drawbacks ruin it currently.

I'm thinking it is not worth the stones to take Song Power beyond level 1?

I like song that gives Morale also, but yes I suppose it's usually not really worth it to level it beyond 1. Perhaps late game it would be (I tend to end up with too many spirit and magic runes anyway).