bards fix "WALL OF TEXT"

[Sapphic]

Thank you for this. I am a Support BRD, but with the dps checkers, I am told my damage sucks even though I am asked to keep Ballad up.

Doesn't sound like youre running with the brightest XD. Class which doesnt have the highest DPS running with 20% damage reduction from the ballad. Yup, not very bright.

[Sapphic]

When not using support abilities they certainly should... rift does not = ffxiv

There is no support in ffxiv. Repeat that to yourself . They cannot simply have a class be dps, say it's dps.. and have people spend all their tomes and time on that class and then say... well we change our mind, you're now support with crap damage.

The support abilities in bard do not come even remotely close to those in rift. And they lower damage when they are used. They are meant to be used as very temporary very minor buffs, that lower your damage when using them to balance it out.

I never said they were.

But, if they reduce effective DPS on BRD, I would like to see its utility boosted as well. A unique LB, not just cut and paste from the healer classes. As BRD, obviously, isn't a healer either.

If I wanted to be pure damage, i'd main a pure damage job. BRD could easily be pushed towards support by SE, and for all we know when level cap raises there utility may very well increase. Jobs will change over the lifetime of FFXIV theres always a constant cycle of nerfs and buffs and changes. Something you adapt to. Maybe the support abilities of BRD will become more utilised when 24 man raids start appearing.

But personally I'm going to wait and see what changes are made to BRD to jumping, to more than likely, the wrong conclusion based on one sentence. Which is all everyone is doing, jumping to a conclusion without any evidence of what exactly is going to change.

[Darkricko]

Or theres no fights in game that really need the BRDs support abilities? That the support of a BRD makes or breaks the encounter?

The only fight I feel like bard as support is even a worthy mention is final boss ... Turn 5 Twintania but even then the more gear you get and the faster the fight goes there will be no need for bard songs. I mean I say no need for them but I do ballad every now and then for like 30secs for battle voice. The game is not designed around any of the content needing any certain job other then ya need a tank and healer all DD jobs can be used in every fight and be successful. With that being said the answer is no there is no content that a support brd can make or break the encounter.

[KV-1]

They aren't going to make Bard, or any class, a true support class. The reason is most likely that they don't want certain classes to feel mandatory in groups like they did in FFXI. When you have a support class that brings unique buffs or abilities, everyone wants it. Bards and Red Mages were constantly in demand for groups and extremely hard to balance because of their nature, they don't want that to happen again. Bard is not a support class anymore, and won't be any time in the near future. That's why the songs are somewhat underwhelming compared to what people expected, if you make them too good they become mandatory. Right now they are basically just group-wide utility abilities like Mantra, they are not intended to be left activated indefinitely and they are not supposed to be beneficial to the point that people won't form a group without the presence of a Bard.

Yoshi said there would be small nerf to Bards because their DPS is a bit too high (most likely because they are the only class totally unaffected by movement). It will likely be a reduced chance for Bloodletter procs or maybe an ICD on the proc. There are not going to be drastic changes or huge nerfs. Even if they wanted to completely change Bard into a support class, it's too late now. You have loads of people who play Bard to be a pure DD, who spent time gearing the class and what not. They won't completely change it's role now, not without adding another job to branch from Archer, which they have no plans for doing any time soon.

[Lecreuset]

I'd guess they'd make BRD's ability potencies very similiar to mnk.

Where MNK has say, dragon kick from flank at 150 potency, anywhere else 100 potency.

They'll probably change BRD to be something more in line with that, like... A potency drop when moving, not a big drop, but still a drop, on abilities when compared to standing still.

So many people have suggested this already. It's a very simple adjustment as well. Most people cried because of the Bard's mobility which is pretty good.

My version was change the Increased Action Damage trait into a passive that only works if you stand still for, oh I dunno 2 seconds or so.. maybe even right as you stop moving.

I don't like the idea of having to go behind or flank the boss as a bard and honestly hope they don't do this if they add more melee dps in the game. To me it's like a step towards homogenizing things like what WoW did.
That should let us keep the advantage of being ranged but not a caster dps and with the already low potency on attacks it won't even be that much of an advantage.

[KV-1]

So many people have suggested this already. It's a very simple adjustment as well. Most people cried because of the Bard's mobility which is pretty good.

My version was change the Increased Action Damage trait into a passive that only works if you stand still for, oh I dunno 2 seconds or so.. maybe even right as you stop moving.

That should let us keep the advantage of being ranged but not a caster dps and with the already low potency on attacks it won't even be that much of an advantage.

Alternatively they could put <2.5 sec cast times on some of the Bard abilities. Either way, I agree the best solution would be to go after the Bards ability to maintain maximum damage while on the move.

[RandolphDupree]

It would seem most likely that they will just put a cast timer on Heavy shot and straight shot.

[Lecreuset]

Mmm I dunno about cast times on their attack abilities, We're not casters.. They'd be like WoW Hunters back in BC/wotlk spamming steady shot. Even WoW moved away from that and allowed steady shot to be casted on the move without aspect of the fox. Heavy shot is like that now without the cast bars but it does have a very noticeable, not too long or short, animation.

[Sax]

Giving ARC/BRD cast times would also mean they need to rework the mechanics of the class/job instance quests that require some form of kiting while you whittle down a specific mob in the pack. As it's been mentioned, the best way would be to reduce potency of attacks unless you are a certain distance from, or position related to whatever you are attacking, similar to other DPS.

[Charas]

If they would be giving us any sort of cast time, I then want to have Blood Letter make 220 potency atacks!
They want to turn bard into casters? ALRIGHT! let s make us have the dmg from caster class too then, knowing that they are by far the strongest ranged DPS....