Bard Song Adjustments on the Test Server

[Okipuit]

Good evenin' bards,

We are going to make some adjustments to existing bard songs during this week's Test Server update! Specifically, we will be changing etudes, preludes, Foe Sirvente, and Adventurer’s Dirge from single target to AoE. We will also make their casting duration correspond with other AoE songs by increasing them from 4 seconds to 8 seconds. In addition, the enmity incurred when casting these songs will be increased. We do believe that casting single target songs should be much faster than the AoE versions, so when using Pianissimo, their spell casting times will be halved reducing it to 4 seconds.

On another subject regarding bard, we have received requests to make AoE songs center on the target rather than the caster. Since song effects offer considerable benefits, the risk of getting close to the action is a part of the trade-off.

[detlef]

So that Pianissimo adjustment, will it reduce casting time of all songs or just prelude/etude/sirvente/dirge?

[Rosalie]

:/ I think this could have been better solved by adding a "Fortissimo" JA but eh? It's relatively rare that you'd ever need to have more than one person in the pt needing the same etudes...

[Ophannus]

Nice. Etudes were originally AoE then they made them single target for some reason. This is a nice touch, even if its situational.

[Keyln]

Nice. Etudes were originally AoE then they made them single target for some reason. This is a nice touch, even if its situational.

If I recall correctly, it was changed so that players can hit individual members with an etude rather than overwrite a single song for the entire party for the sake of giving an etude for a single party member.

[Babekeke]

Good evenin' bards,

We are going to make some adjustments to existing bard songs during this week's Test Server update! Specifically, we will be changing etudes, preludes, Foe Sirvente, and Adventurer’s Dirge from single target to AoE. We will also make their casting duration correspond with other AoE songs by increasing them from 4 seconds to 8 seconds. In addition, the enmity incurred when casting these songs will be increased. We do believe that casting single target songs should be much faster than the AoE versions, so when using Pianissimo, their spell casting times will be halved reducing it to 4 seconds.

On another subject regarding bard, we have received requests to make AoE songs center on the target rather than the caster. Since song effects offer considerable benefits, the risk of getting close to the action is a part of the trade-off.

For when you're in a party full of Paladins.

[Monchat]

time to buy etudes. yeah my bard has Ghorn 99 and daurdabla 99 and I never bothered... I find myself often overkill on attack (1200 attack is overkill on most things), so using etudes instead might be useful.

[Garota]

Seriously?! You guys broke the utility of Etudes ages ago by making them into single target spell... And then soon after added Pianissimo... Now you're simply going to change the properties yet again?! You should have just added a new job ability named Forte or Fortissimo... Simple as that. I am very disappoint.

[Sigfreid]

As a BRD that actually uses Etudes, I must confess this is adjustment disappointing, however that being said Pianissimo does exist so there isn't a real issue, as a career Bard will make it work, just this means the already limited space on the macro sheet is taken up by another line by Pianissimo for each Etude.

Would of been nicer for a Job Ability to turn single target songs into a AOE, making Threnody hit a area of mobs would be useful for keeping a group of mobs slept or making them weak to a element for a party of BLMs to -aga them down, I'll go back to dreaming.

[Annalise]

Etudes should probably get a bit of a boost as well. Boost spells from White Mage cap at +25 Stat. Boost spells also take up their own slot, whereas etudes take up a song slot.

That being said, since you're sacrificing a song slot, etudes should be a bit stronger than a boost spell as far as balance is concerned. Typically, most people don't use them because you're giving up a much greater boost for something minimal. Perhaps even keep the Tier I etudes about the same as boost, and the Tier 2 stronger but decaying.

I could see if Dextrous Etude had a boost, and someone had a 99 Harp and a White Mage with high enhancing magic skill (Using Boost-DEX) in their party perhaps throwing an etude into their mix for capped DDex for critical hits... but as it stands etudes are pretty lackluster and unbalanced.