Musician Tunes

Musician Tunes & Functionality in Holdfast: Nations At War

The Musician class in Holdfast: Nations At War is a crucial support unit, providing battlefield buffs to nearby allies and adding to the game's atmosphere through period-appropriate music.

1. The Musician Class Overview

Musicians are auxiliary support units that utilize their instruments to inspire troops and provide tactical advantages.

Core Musician Traits & Buffs

• Musician - Inspiring Presence: Playing music grants nearby allied line infantry, guards, and grenadiers a substantial accuracy buff.
• Buff Stacking:
  • One musician playing a song provides an 8% accuracy buff.
  • Two or more musicians playing the same song in unison increase the buff to 12% accuracy. (The buff will not exceed 12%, even with more than two musicians.)
• Equipment: All musician classes are equipped with a Pistol (a short-range defensive weapon) and a Sword or Sabre Briquet (for close-quarters combat).

Musician Class Variations

Class	Available Nations	Instrument	Key Feature
Fifer	All Nations (Default Land Maps)	Fife	Can crouch while playing their instrument, offering a lower profile under fire.
Drummer	All Nations (Default Land Maps)	Drums	Provides the percussion of war, supporting Fifer/Bagpiper buffs.
Bagpiper	British Faction Only	Bagpipes	Unique instrument for the British.
Violinist	French and British Factions Only (Naval Maps)	Violin	Naval-unique class. Gains the Light Swimmer trait, increasing swimming speed by 35%.

2. Playing Music In-Game

1. Select Class: Choose any Musician class (Fifer, Drummer, Bagpiper, or Violinist).
2. Open Menu: Press the Q key (default) to bring up the Musician Tunes menu.
3. Choose a Tune: The menu displays a list of available period-appropriate tunes.
   • Green Text: Indicates the song you are currently playing.
   • Yellow Text: Indicates the song being played by other friendly musicians nearby. If you wish to stack the buff, click the tune displayed in Yellow.

3. Custom Music (VOIP Method)

While the game does not natively support adding custom MIDI or MP3 files to the in-game music selection menu, players frequently utilize third-party programs and Virtual Audio Cables to play custom music through the in-game Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) system.

This method is not officially supported and requires external software:

1. Software Required: A Virtual Audio Cable program (like VB-Audio Virtual Cable) and an audio player (like Foobar2000 or Soundpad).
2. Setup:
   • Install the Virtual Audio Cable.
   • In your operating system's sound settings, configure the desired audio application (e.g., Spotify, Foobar2000) to output sound to the Virtual Cable Out device.
   • In Holdfast's Audio Settings, set your Input Device (microphone) to the Virtual Cable In device.
3. Execution: When you activate your push-to-talk button (V or B default), the music playing through the Virtual Cable will be broadcast as your voice, audible to nearby players.

⚠️ Community Courtesy: It is highly recommended to use this feature sparingly, avoiding "ear-rape" (excessively loud or distorted audio) and only playing music that is period-appropriate or used during charges/last stands. Many players will mute you if you misuse this feature.