sorry to say, but I think SE has decided bard is just about done as a job. apparently all our songs work on a precentage boost (or debuff in the case of elegy and the like) that they don't want to increase. So, other than gear that gives us a higher DEF-at the expense of a nerf on our other stats-we don't seem to be able to look forward to much of anything except obsolesence when the new gear bumps the need for support role jobs.

I ain't happy about that.