Spooky Wandering Ghost Bards? ...or just a bug?

MacCait

For the last couple months I have been noticing a strange phenomena, where an invisible bard appears in odd places and starts singing and strumming his lute.

I first noticed it while at a friends home in Hundings Palatial... I heard a bard outside her front gate. Going outside There was no one there but the sound was louder as if I was standing right next to the bard.

This continued to happen in a few different places, until one day it happened in the most bizzare location... my character loading screen. I was scrolling through my characters when I suddenly heard a bard singing and strumming. I stayed on that character screen and there was no bard to see on the screen, just my character standing in Auridon. Bizarre.

As I write this I am in Auridon at the woodworking crafting bench listening to an invisible bard singing Red Diamond.

This isn't a troll post or a joke. Has anyone else experienced this strange bug?

xaraan

Yes.

Happens a lot for me, esp when relogging to different characters.

I had 3 or 4 of them overlapping singing different songs in my home one day.

cyclonus11

I had it appear at every wayshrine I traveled to, even the ones out in the middle of nowhere. It would fade as I moved away from the shrine, and fade in as I approached. It was bizarre.

MacCait

Yessssss, thank you. I am not losing my mind lol. Glad I am not alone on this one. What a strange but fun bug

Appleblade

I’ve heard it in a group dungeon.

srfrogg23

Happens to me too, I wasn’t even logged in to the game at the time. I was actually in the shower.

Good to know it’s just a bug and I’m not the only one.

ekmcb

I first noticed it during this year's New Life Festival event. That was when it seemed worst, in my experience. But since, I have experienced it maybe a handful of times in a few other places.

I also formally reported it back during the New Life Festival, through the in-game reporting.

DirkRavenclaw

Its the Ghostbrd, a running Joke in my Guild, will happen more often the next weeks, when ZOS is concentrating more on PTS. We had, for a Time his Voice appearing at the Endboss in Dungeons, like White Gold Tower. Its funny

jrgray93

Lol yep. BGs and maelstrom. Best bug.

Imza

I would think that there are very few people that HAVE NOT experienced this bug.

It's not bad if it is only one ghost bard - but when there are more than one singing at the same time it is very very hard on the ears.

Nyghthowler

My problem with it is that the ONLY DAMNED SONG he seems to know is Red Diamond !?! I think that's what got him killed...

Sasyk

Yeah it happened to me once in the south half of bangkorai. I could hear the singing coming from the water just outside halin's stand but there was no npc to be found.

MrGarlic

There's sometimes one down the well outside the Flaming Nix in Mournhold. (Not the one on the rock.)

Chufu

It happens when you have the mudcrab with you (as far as I know). Just try to get your pet away and see if the "invisible bard" is gone

Shanjijri

Imza wrote: »

I would think that there are very few people that HAVE NOT experienced this bug.

It didn't happened to me yet... If @Chufu is right, it didn't happened to me because I don't have the mudcrab. I mean, I don't have it at all, I didn't buy Imperial Edition.

Meesha1170

Skooma, it's one helluva drug. Never had this happen.

Waffennacht

Griffe wrote: »

Imza wrote: »

I would think that there are very few people that HAVE NOT experienced this bug.

It didn't happened to me yet... If @Chufu is right, it didn't happened to me because I don't have the mudcrab. I mean, I don't have it at all, I didn't buy Imperial Edition.

I'm on Xbox and do not have a mud crab and have never heard this bard. I wish I would

ekmcb

Once in The Ample Domicile I could hear it at the back fence of my courtyard. It was pleasant and atmospheric, and seemed to be coming from just over the fence, maybe from the direction of the Coin Brothers Cornerclub (which has no bard, but would make sense to hear music coming from, in fantasy). I wished it would remain there all the time. You could only hear it from that certain corner of the yard, so it wasn't intrusive from anywhere else on the property, if you didn't want it. I imagined throwing little patio parties in the back of the yard with complimentary bard music wafting over the fence from the tavern.

The next few times I checked for it when I went home, it was gone, though. It hasn't come back yet, since. I miss it.

Beardimus

It's the precusor to the Bard DLC later this year.

Darkhorse1975

Maybe this ghostly singing bard was the same guy playing that Bardic Knowledge Spectral Drum in TESV?

Beardimus

Or its the new innovation. Music wherever you go. It's called.......

iBard

However iBard 2 is out in a month so yours will get forgetfull, get very sleepy when you need him and pass out alot. IBard2 remembers more songs tho

LuckyLuke

It is not a bug, but is intended ambience.

Conduit0

Yep I have experienced the ghost bard on occasion, in fact two such encounters were quite amusing. The first one the ghost bard was actually a singing spider, one of the little critter ones, it continued singing even after I killed it, but finally stopped when the body despawned. The second time it was coming from another player, when bard started singing the player character actually began lip syncing to the music, was quite hilarious seeing a female player character singing with a male voice.

I've turned the ghost bard into my own personal little game, the music is always coming from something, whether an NPC, player, or object, so I try to find and identify exactly where the music is emanating from.

Bonzodog01

I've encountered this bug a few times recently. Did make me wonder where the music was coming from.....

MacCait

Chufu wrote: »

It happens when you have the mudcrab with you (as far as I know). Just try to get your pet away and see if the "invisible bard" is gone

LOL... no it has nothing to do with pets. I don't have any non-combat pets

leetacakesb16_ESO

The khajiit quest giver in the AD Base was singing once. I went into first person mode and saw her lips move to the song. I thought she must be having a good day.

There must be voice files over lapping with other characters.

I swear once, towards the end of the coldharbor quest, Galerion said something like, 'queen aryenn should have never been queen '. It was something like that. I thought, so galerion shows his true colors...

nikigwil

@MacCait it's been happening to me in Cyrodiil so much. Defending haunted keeps is awesome

tinythinker

Haven't encountered this

MacCait

We should post some fun videos of this bug... the search for the ghostly bard

Slurg

I have heard ghost bard possessing:

My friend in a group dungeon
Another player’s scamp in town
My own non combat pet as I did crafting writs
Furniture in my house, or possibly my fireplace

Ghost bard went through a nice song rotation in my house. I invited him to stay but he decided to move on and haunt others instead.

LuckyLuke

Could the bard be visiting non-ESO+ accounts to encourage membership?