melee dps buffs + bard nerf = cumulative effect too much?

[Mitski]

The problem is, nearly ALL that extra utility is 99% worthless in 4 man content.
So while it may make up for lower dps in raids, it leaves us short any time there is a DPS requirement in a 4 man.
(Ever tried Demon Wall with 2 ilvl50 geared Bards? Ifrit HM with 4 Bards? Yet the duty finder continues to create these multi-bard groups which will be even MORE impossible after a DPS nerf...)

You can't balance a class entirely around raiding and ignore the rest of the game...
There's got to be a better compromise.

Other classes are requesting balance changes to justify a single spot for their class in a group. You are complaining because 4x BRD (undedrgeared) may not be viable... that's ridiculous. You could make a valid argument for not allowing 4x BRD in duty finder, but that's a duty finder problem not a class balance problem.

[Bardo]

Other classes are requesting balance changes to justify a single spot for their class in a group. You are complaining because 4x BRD (undedrgeared) may not be viable... that's ridiculous. You could make a valid argument for not allowing 4x BRD in duty finder, but that's a duty finder problem not a class balance problem.

Undergeared? No. NOT overgeared? YES.

I'm sorry, but you're just flat wrong here.
It's a class balance problem.
There are no other DD classes that suffer from the same issue in 4mans.

Making the DF intentionally separate bards (while still allowing multiples of other DD classes) isn't acceptable.
It would take EVEN LONGER to get into DF groups as bard than any other DD.
That is NOT a solution.
Possibly if the DF ignored multiples of every class, but then everyone would probably be in for much longer wait times.

Listen, I'm not trying to say that Bard isn't too strong in raids, or that changes don't need to be made.
All I'm saying is that if you fix one area of the game but make another even worse than it already is, then that's not balance.
If the DF is going to continue to consider Bard to be a DD, and Bard DPS is going to continue to be lower than other DD's to compensate for to Raid support/utility, then they need to make some of that support/utility actually functional in 4 mans as well.
Right now the only real support that can compensate for a lack of damage is Foe, so we would have to be paired with a BLM or SMN. That leaves a lot of group setups short of DD requirements.

[Mitski]

*SNIP*

Yes, I said ilvl50 is undergeared.

The GC weapon (ilvl 55) is obtainable by a fresh 50, and you can run WP before AK which provides gear upgrades and tomes to purchase even better upgrades. Crafted gear is also an option. For some classes (e.g. PLD), the 2-star craft items are actually less philosophy tomes than Darklight, and after you meld it, it will be much better. You can have adequate armor/accessories for Coil before you even attempt AK or Ifirit, and there's no reason to do either without a minimum ilvl55 weapon.

Also, I never said that the duty finder should "intentionally separate bards". My point (which you missed) is that it may be unwise for the duty finder to pair 4x any single class together. Discouraging class stacking is one of the reasons SE is changing BRD in 2.1. So again, while you may have a valid complaint about 2x/4x BRD parties, that is a problem with the duty finder NOT your class.