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SWG Legends Entertainer Guide: Musician and Dancer Buff System

Guide to the Entertainer profession in Star Wars Galaxies Legends. Covers how Musician and Dancer performances work, what buffs they provide, mind wound healing, and tips for making the most of the Cantina economy.

SWG Legends Entertainer Guide: Musician and Dancer Buff System hero illustration

SWG Legends Entertainer Guide: Musician and Dancer Buff System

The Entertainer profession in Star Wars Galaxies Legends is one of the most unique support roles in any MMO — performers who gather in Cantinas and provide combat players with powerful buffs by playing music and dancing. Far from being a casual cosmetic role, high-level Entertainers are integral to the server economy and the combat player pipeline.

What Do Entertainers Do?

Entertainers are characters who perform for nearby players in Cantinas and social hubs. Their performances:

  • Heal Mind Wounds — combat damages players’ Mind attribute; Entertainers restore it
  • Grant Performance Buffs — combat stat improvements earned by watching/listening to performances
  • Earn credits — satisfied audiences tip Entertainers in credits

Unlike combat professions, Entertainers progress by performing — the more you play music or dance in front of other players, the more your skills advance.

Musician vs. Dancer

Entertainers choose between two primary paths (though hybrid specialisations exist):

Musician

  • Plays instruments (Nalargon, Kloo Horn, Flute, etc.)
  • Uses the /startmusic command to begin performing
  • Switch songs with /playmusic [songname]
  • Instruments are crafted items; quality affects buff strength
  • Different songs provide different buff types

Dancer

  • Performs dance routines
  • Uses the /startdance command
  • Switch dances with /changedance [style]
  • Dance styles are learned through practice
  • Provides slightly different buff distributions than Musician

Both paths heal Mind Wounds and provide performance buffs. Most high-level Entertainers at least dabble in both, but many specialise in one.

Understanding Mind Wounds

SWG Legends’ wound system is central to why Entertainers matter:

  • Players take three types of wounds: Health, Action, and Mind
  • Combat damages these wound pools over time
  • Mind wounds reduce your maximum Mind pool and — critically — reduce the buffs you receive
  • Entertainers are the primary (and often only) way to heal Mind wounds in SWG

Combat players who farm for extended sessions accumulate Mind wounds and must visit a Cantina to have them healed before they’re back to full effectiveness. This creates constant demand for Entertainers.

The Buff System

When a player watches (or listens to) an Entertainer’s performance for sufficient time, they earn performance buffs:

Common Buff Categories

  • Combat Experience bonuses — percentage boost to XP earned from kills
  • Resistance buffs — improved damage resistance
  • Stat recovery bonuses — faster recovery rates
  • Elemental or damage type resistances

The specific buffs depend on:

  1. The song or dance being performed — different performances grant different buffs
  2. The Entertainer’s skill level — higher-level Entertainers provide more powerful buffs
  3. The quality of instruments (for Musicians) — a master-crafted instrument outperforms a basic one

Combo Buffs

Watching both a Musician AND a Dancer simultaneously provides combination buffs that are more powerful than either alone. This is why Cantinas with multiple Entertainers are valuable — players can stack benefits.

Progression as an Entertainer

Entertainer skill progresses through practice:

  • Playing music advances your Musician skill boxes
  • Dancing advances Dancer skill boxes
  • Higher skill unlocks new songs, dances, and buff types

Gaining XP:

  • Each player watching your performance generates Entertainer XP for you
  • More audience members = more XP
  • Being in a busy Cantina (especially at server launch) is dramatically faster than performing alone

The best Entertainers position themselves in high-traffic Cantinas — Mos Eisley, Coronet, and Theed typically have the most foot traffic on SWG Legends.

The Credits Economy for Entertainers

High-level Entertainers can earn significant credits:

  • Players tip Entertainers after receiving buffs (social norm, not automatic)
  • Experienced Entertainers in hub cities can earn consistent tips from grateful combat players
  • Some Entertainers offer on-demand performances in exchange for agreed payments

To maximise income:

  1. Set up in a hub Cantina during peak hours
  2. Macro your performance so you continue playing while AFK (common practice in SWG)
  3. Advertise your buffs in /say or /spatial chat so passing players know your specialisation
  4. Invest in high-quality instruments (purchased from Artisan crafters)

Macros for Entertainers

SWG Legends allows macros for repetitive actions. A basic Musician macro keeps performance going continuously:

/startmusic
/pause 30
/macro performer

This loops your performance. Remember to comply with the server’s macro rules — SWG Legends has guidelines around unattended AFK macroing.

Tips for New Entertainers

  1. Start in a busy Cantina — Mos Eisley’s Cantina is the classic choice; always players present
  2. Level both paths eventually — being able to provide both Music and Dance buffs makes you more valuable
  3. Invest in instruments early — a better instrument noticeably improves your buff output
  4. Network with combat guilds — a dedicated Entertainer guild member is valued by any combat guild
  5. Advertise your specialisation — let people in the Cantina know you’re performing and what buffs you offer

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