Usefulness: Bard or Dragoon

Hi all,

Which class do you think is most useful for grouped end game content. My FC has too many tanks at this point and I have been leveling Dragoon. I also have my archer at 15. Which class do you believe overcomes the other when it comes to general usefulness?

I don't exactly want this to be a DPS discussion as I don't think there's any way to prove either class has a leg up, but I moreso want a feeling of which class people prefer in their group.

Thanks so much!

-Saisha Shade

This game has damage meters, so one class having more DPS can be shown. But if we are looking for a pick of a DPSer without basing it on dps i guess utility?

bards give:
TP at the cost of personal damage
MP at the cost of personal damage
elemental resist debuff
Root
Kiting

dragoons give:
2 stuns
slow (not snare)
pierce resistance debuff

So bards would likely win in that area

Bards have more utility and the ability to continue to do damage while on the move (IE most Hard Mode fights and end game dungeons) which is a huge advantage. Starting out at level 50 they're great DPS, from what I hear they don't scale as well for Damage though. So basically Utility = Bard, Damage = Dragoon.

Bard and its not even close.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by xyaie

bards give:
elemental resist debuff

---

Wait...I thought SE didn't want elemental attacks playing a role in the game from the player's perspective? I mean, I know we have elemental resistances but I was under the impression our attacks, even for mages, didn't actually do any sort of elemental damage.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MalcolmReynolds

I know we have elemental resistances but I was under the impression our attacks, even for mages, didn't actually do any sort of elemental damage.

---

Many attacks do elemental damage. The difference is all enemies have the same elemental defense values, so a fire spell will hurt Ifrit just as much as a Thunder spell would. Same with Aero on Garuda. The 10% elemental defense down effect essentially boosts all elemental spells by 10%, which is very nice if you have a black mage in the party and really quite weak if you don't.

The one big part of a bard's utility, and something I never see people mention, is that they can apply a 10% damage dealt debuff to an enemy. This is like, the BIGGEST and MOST USEFUL part of the entire support skillset and nobody ever freaking talks about it. It's seriously better than the mana song, the tp song, and the elemental song combined in terms of its overall usefulness.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Powercow

Many attacks do elemental damage. The difference is all enemies have the same elemental defense values, so a fire spell will hurt Ifrit just as much as a Thunder spell would. Same with Aero on Garuda. The 10% elemental defense down effect essentially boosts all elemental spells by 10%, which is very nice if you have a black mage in the party and really quite weak if you don't.

---

That's kind of lame. So why even bother differentiating between the elements? It should just be magic resistance as opposed to fire/wind/earth/etc resistance like we currently have in our stats. A fire spell should heal Ifrit, not hurt him. Kind of a dumb move on SE's part IMO.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MalcolmReynolds

That's kind of lame. So why even bother differentiating between the elements? It should just be magic resistance as opposed to fire/wind/earth/etc resistance like we currently have in our stats. A fire spell should heal Ifrit, not hurt him. Kind of a dumb move on SE's part IMO.

---

That would make BLM 100% useless on Ifrit. Bad idea.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Powercow

Many attacks do elemental damage. The difference is all enemies have the same elemental defense values, so a fire spell will hurt Ifrit just as much as a Thunder spell would. Same with Aero on Garuda. The 10% elemental defense down effect essentially boosts all elemental spells by 10%, which is very nice if you have a black mage in the party and really quite weak if you don't.

The one big part of a bard's utility, and something I never see people mention, is that they can apply a 10% damage dealt debuff to an enemy. This is like, the BIGGEST and MOST USEFUL part of the entire support skillset and nobody ever freaking talks about it. It's seriously better than the mana song, the tp song, and the elemental song combined in terms of its overall usefulness.

---

Eh. It only lasts about a minute then your MP is crippled for a while. If a healer wants Ballad and have no MP because of Requiem then you're in a bad spot.

Bard.

More utility, easier to play, more damage.

Just wanna chime in one thing Dragoon has going for it is their limit break. Doesn't sound like a big deal but it makes many boss fights much easier. Bard limit break is useful to have in your back pocket if team is dying, then the Bard can cast the LB without the healer having to stop to do it. But that's not a situation your team wants to aim for. A well played team will never used a Bard limit break whereas there are some boss fights where Dragoon limit break is, perhaps not necessary, but incredibly useful.

Pretty sure dragoons do more damage than bards and scale much better so later on in the game bards will probably fall off

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by savant07

Pretty sure dragoons do more damage than bards and scale much better so later on in the game bards will probably fall off

---

Not a very comprehensive response, you didn't even touch on utility.

Dragoons have great single target damage and access to two stuns. Like mentioned above their LB is very helpful to burst down a boss as well.
Bards have great DPS when not singing and are not constrained by having to remain stationary to attack or have positional damage. Their DPS remains good even while singing and their songs, while situational, still provide much needed support in longer end game fights.

Both jobs are going to be important to end game and either would be a great choice. If you want to focus on DPS and don't mind melee and situational positioning, Dragoon is perfect. If you want great damage and also to provide a supportive role as well then Bard. You really can't go wrong with either one, just match which play style you enjoy the most.

Well I'm talking about purely in terms of numbers, I think dragoons would most likely win out no matter what, specially at later gear levels

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nibb

That would make BLM 100% useless on Ifrit. Bad idea.

---

Not really. In past final fantasies Blizzard did twice the damage on Ifrit. That would just change his rotation, which would involve blizzarding Ifrit to death. =3

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sehkmet

Not really. In past final fantasies Blizzard did twice the damage on Ifrit. That would just change his rotation, which would involve blizzarding Ifrit to death. =3

---

Doesn't work with this game and the way BLM rotation works.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sehkmet

Not really. In past final fantasies Blizzard did twice the damage on Ifrit. That would just change his rotation, which would involve blizzarding Ifrit to death. =3

---

As I said it would make BLM useless. This isn't the same type of game as past Final Fantasies. Their whole rotation is based off firestarter and without it you might as well invite someone else.