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.

[Sigfreid]

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.
Swift and Quick Etudes give a huge gain to a COR's Wild Fire and Logical and Spirited are a more beneficial bonus to a WHM nowadays than Ballad.

[VoiceMemo]

OK is it just me or does this not seem like an improvement. Years ago Etudes were AOE, and changed to single target. Yes it's slightly different by AOE around target but that does not seem different enough. Does this mean the initial change was a mistake? Before BRD 2hr was 5 min long, reduced to 3 minutes. Mazuraka used to give hate to all party members it landed on and allowed BRD to tank, which personally I had alot of fun tanking as BRD.

What about massacre elegy? SE said they were giving it to us but we still haven't gotten it. Many other things have priorities over changing etude BACK to AOE as it originally was.

[Dekar]

While I like this update, I sincerely hope that there is more planned for the next update for BRD.

[Monchat]

Swift and Quick Etudes give a huge gain to a COR's Wild Fire and Logical and Spirited are a more beneficial bonus to a WHM nowadays than Ballad.

actually double march is is even more beneficial to WHM nowadays than ballads. I completly forgot that etude's stats decay over time, if at least they fixed that. As someone mentionned, an etude takes a song slot so if you get an etude you do not get your march. 2xmarch on any melee pretty much doubles its attack speed, a 2xetude will be at best in the 10% damage increase.

...so yeah, for melees, this update will be almost useless: only usefull to bards with daurdabla 99 when melee are capped on attack and accuracy, in which case you do double DEX song to try to break the dDEX tier. Nukers will still use 2x ballads, healers 2x march...

[Annalise]

actually double march is is even more beneficial to WHM nowadays than ballads. I completly forgot that etude's stats decay over time, if at least they fixed that. As someone mentionned, an etude takes a song slot so if you get an etude you do not get your march. 2xmarch on any melee pretty much doubles its attack speed, a 2xetude will be at best in the 10% damage increase.

...so yeah, for melees, this update will be almost useless: only usefull to bards with daurdabla 99 when melee are capped on attack and accuracy, in which case you do double DEX song to try to break the dDEX tier. Nukers will still use 2x ballads, healers 2x march...

DDEX is the only thing I could think of as well. And even then, Etudes are far behind WHM Boost spells which are more potent (and boost spells take up their own slot and don't waste something, similar to how a barspell has its own unique slot and a carol doesn't.)

[Okipuit]

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

Hello,

Just to clarify, Pianissimo’s effect itself will change, so when you use it, the casting time for all applicable songs will be reduced. This does not apply to only etudes, preludes, Foe Sirvente, and Adventurer’s Dirge mentioned in our most recent test server update.

[saevel]

Okipuit,

Would it be possible for the devs to look at removing the weakening over time of the etudes from BRD? That is mainly the reason their simply not ever used. Wouldn't be much of a buff if it goes away rather quickly.

[VoiceMemo]

Hello,

Just to clarify, Pianissimo’s effect itself will change, so when you use it, the casting time for all applicable songs will be reduced. This does not apply to only etudes, preludes, Foe Sirvente, and Adventurer’s Dirge mentioned in our most recent test server update.

Wait Wait Wait, does this mean Pianissimo is fundamentally changing? are we losing the ability to change an AOE song to a single target song? Because that JA is used for more than just etudes. If you misspoke and meant Nightingale, the JA which does decrease song cast time based on merits, please clarify.

[Reain]

Pianissimo will still make songs single target. The change is that when you use Pianissimo to make the song single target it will now half the casting time of that single target song.

E.g. If you do AoE march the base casting time is 8 seconds. If you Pianmissimo March one person the base casting time will be 4 seconds.

[Okipuit]

Pianissimo will still make songs single target. The change is that when you use Pianissimo to make the song single target it will now half the casting time of that single target song.

E.g. If you do AoE march the base casting time is 8 seconds. If you Pianmissimo March one person the base casting time will be 4 seconds.

Correct. This Pianissimo adjustment is going to be implemented in the test server update planned for Oct. 26th. We are also going to lower the level that you obtain Pianissimo from 45 to 20.



Okipuit,
Would it be possible for the devs to look at removing the weakening over time of the etudes from BRD? That is mainly the reason their simply not ever used. Wouldn't be much of a buff if it goes away rather quickly.

Noted. We'll see if I can get any insight from the development team regarding this mechanic. If we receive an update, we'll be sure to let you know~

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Yes, please make then useable. You can even make them incompatible with boost and gain if nessicary.

[detlef]

I would like the Devs to look at Etudes, Carols, and Threnodies which were balanced around long outdated content. All of their potencies are underwhelming these days.

[Monchat]

they should have carols/etude use a different buff slot and make etude them not wear off over time. But im sure they'll use their "balance" argument and prefer leaving them in the useless spell pile.

[Kari]

I would like the Devs to look at Etudes, Carols, and Threnodies which were balanced around long outdated content. All of their potencies are underwhelming these days.

It'll be really hard to balance Etudes. Even if they remove the decay, +15 to a stat is REALLY hard to compare to a large percentage of Attack/Haste.

[Babekeke]

It'll be really hard to balance Etudes. Even if they remove the decay, +15 to a stat is REALLY hard to compare to a large percentage of Attack/Haste.

I think that's what he's trying to get at. Aside from when you have 2 bards with Daurdabla SVing an alliance and singing to both parties, you're never going to need Etudes. Therefore they need to be increased to probably double their current value and not decay. Even then they'll still probably not be used over att, except on weaker mobs when you're already capping att.

[saevel]

Etudes should scale all the way to 25 cap from skill and not decay.

Currently our BRDs do up to six buffs (one is 99 Harp other is two song BRD), in an Embrava situation we're overkill on haste yet Min III doesn't really offer much as we're already capped on attack. Being able to tack on another 25 STR would be quite helpful and at least do ~something~ to the DD's.

[Creelo]

Random, but...

Whatever happened to Massacre Elegy?

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Random, but...

Whatever happened to Massacre Elegy?I could swear they said "maybe."

[Creelo]

Will Massacre Elegy be added

We have plans to. However, when considering the stats, we are planning to make it so this isn’t a song that can be used by just anyone.



Doesn't sound like a maybe. Granted... this was posted over a year ago. :/

I hate how SE announces shit and then never delivers decent status updates on that shit, so we are left to think that shit is just stuck in limbo. Another example that comes to mind are new Avatars for Smn...

[Reain]

In this thread in January: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/threads/19515-dev1065-Relic-Mythic-and-Empyrean-Weapon-Upgrades?p=261278&viewfull=1#post261278


Other Information of Note
Additional planned features, such as equipment-specific magic spells and pets, have been postponed to allow for more thorough testing concerning attributes, the number of potential users and the process by which to obtain them. One consideration is whether to implement such features as another stage of the above upgrades, or to apply them to a different set of equipment. Also under deliberation is whether to limit the availability of such equipment or make it relatively simple to obtain.


I think Gjallarhorn may have become too common to just give Massacre Elegy to without an additional quest.

There's also this horn model was dat mined in May and not used.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JLCLOKYP7RQ/T7SjhtcoLmI/AAAAAAAAGOY/1K8mWDGgrbE/s1600/w5.jpg

Source: http://wilddragonchase.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/ffxi-may-15th-version-update-data-mine.html