BRD: Additional UI Element

Need to first commend SE for the direction they've taken the Bard this expansion. Thematically with the songs it fits perfectly and one of the best feeling classes right now, been thoroughly impressed and can almost fill my support role now with these changes.

I think it would be fantastic if SE added another separate UI element to the BRD which looked something akin to a quiver to track 2/3 of their arrow abilities. I'm thinking Straight Shot/Refulgent Arrow procs, Empyreal Arrow and possibly Bloodletter in said 'quiver'? May not even need all of those but 3-ofs are usually a nice number to track in most games.

The only reason I say this is that I've really enjoyed having my focus on the environment/enemies with the pruning of some DoTs (rip Scourge/ToD/Fracture etc.) but I still find myself going back and forth from my hotbars to see if Bloodletter/Empyreal Arrow is ready a bit too often.

Thoughts?

please no more ui elements, the more ui you have to look at, the less you're looking at the fight.

the one thing i really hate about the new job ui is that the information they display has been removed from the character status bar, for absolutely no reason. So now i am forced to split my attention between 2 status bars (the job ui is functionally another status bar) which is really stupid, given that we already look at our status bar

The purpose of ui is to present the user with the required information in the most efficient way, splitting up info and placing in their own widgets around the screen is counter-productive.

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Originally Posted by KaosKeith

..the information they display has been removed from the character status bar, for absolutely no reason. So now i am forced to split my attention between 2 status bars (the job ui is functionally another status bar) which is really stupid, given that we already look at our status bar..

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I can actually agree with you here, there should absolutely be an option to not have to use the new job UI. However, tracking all those 15 second cooldown arrows (especially during Mage's Ballad) is a serious strain on the eyes. I wouldn't want something too big, just the size of the new Heat Gauge for example. People already use over-sized hotbars with 4/5 of their frequent abilities to track this anyway, would be cleaner with a small UI.

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Originally Posted by KaosKeith

i am forced to split my attention between 2 status bars (the job ui is functionally another status bar) which is really stupid, given that we already look at our status bar

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Move it next to / below your status bar.

I had to do a bit of shuffling myself in my HUD. I now have a hotkey bar right under my buff bar that has a copy of my timer and proc based skills (stuff like bloodletter, Empyreal arrow, sidewinder), and they're a bit bigger so i can watch my buffs at the same time I can see which skills are almost off CD. I have my song bar in a different spot, but it's easy to glance down to it to see how many arrows I have. The only one I really need to track that way is Wanderer's since it can proc multiple times during it's CD (rare as a purple pig, but it happens). the critical ones for me are all hovering around my targets bars.


What I'd like to actually see if a bit of tweaking on the ballads. Love the new implementation, but we could use a bit more flexibility in the CD's and/or duration. They just seem a bit too short to really get their full effect in. Especially Wanderer's. It may just be me (and my crit rate, which is pretty average for leveling gear), but I'm honestly lucky if i can get off a full pitch perfect on every cast of Wanderer's. my average is 2 arrows. a 45s duration would be great on the ballads. or perhaps reduce the CD on each to 60 seconds, that way you could choose to cycle through 2, or run with all 3.

On another note: How are you guys feeling with the damage potential? I'm not expecting top DPS on my bard, I do play it for it's flexibility more then anything (and it's playstyle at the moment), but as I level, it wasn't very motivational when I realized that i can kill as fast on my tank. How's DPS at 70 in decent gear? do the crit rates get high enough that our songs feel more viable and worth casting? Not that I don't cast them now, but it's quite dissapointing to run Wanderer's for 30 seconds, and have zero arrows.

I'll agree because I said the same thing a couple of weeks ago Here

Given that ninja has an element for huton, as does monk for Greased lightening, and sholars for aetherflow. I was a little surprised to see bard did not have a similar one for straight shot..

all its need is a small timer of some form and maybe have it change colour to indicate a straighter shot / refulgent proc..

it's a fairly critical buff to bards. on the same level as huton and greased lightening so really surprised it doesn't have its own element to make it easier to track

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Originally Posted by Temjiu

Especially Wanderer's. It may just be me (and my crit rate, which is pretty average for leveling gear), but I'm honestly lucky if i can get off a full pitch perfect on every cast of Wanderer's. my average is 2 arrows.

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This was my average as well until I hit level 68 - the guaranteed proc from using Empyreal Arrow took me from an average of 2 arrows per WM window to at least 4, and now at 70 it's not unusual to have 6 to 8 arrows (on a lucky aoe pack streak I can reach 9 to 12 arrows). Zero crits from the DoTs in that 30 second window is pretty rare and it feels a lot better once you reach that 68 milestone trait.

The feeling better extends to the other songs as well, though not as noticeably.

For me I'd rather they baked in a dot tracker into the song gauge to show if they're applied/not applied and to track duration because (for me personally) I keep losing either the sing or the dots in rotation trying to follow them and cooldowns, it makes sense to have them built into it since they only work with the dots anyways (for their mechanics that is not the team buffs.)