Letter to all bards about Mages Ballad

[MartaDemireux]

Actually Mage's Ballad is the best song to sing in a WP SR if paired with a BLM.

With Mage's Ballad up BLM can spam Fire 3 > Flare > Blizzard 3 (repeat). This is the highest DPS rotation for AoE as BLM and makes up the difference of Foe Requiem's +10% and the -20% damage on BRD for its Ballad. It also facilitates Flash spam and Holy usage.

I was skeptical myself until I tried it out last night but it shaves a good 30s to 1minute off of each fight.

Edit: The reason is because after Flare BLM has 0mp and is in Astral Fire so no MP regeneration. The Ballad allows just enough MP to be restored to instantly use a Blizzard 3 without the need to use Transpose due to its 10s recast. So now you can spam those high damage Flares like crazy (the Fire 3 is there to increase its damage via AF after restoring your MP via UI), tank can keep hate easily with Flash and if he's geared appropriately the WHM can spam Holy and still have MP to cure.

After the fight Ballad is already applied as well which allows more efficient group MP restoral. Should only have Ballad off in WP SR when fighting a boss (use Requiem then) or if the entire party is full on MP but yours is low (in between pulls). You still regenerate MP with Ballad on outside of battle but it's slower than with it off which is why you want to take it off if the rest of the group is fine on MP.

[Lucke]

While PLDs do have Riot Blade combo (and this is just my experience), if I use it, that means I'm not getting aggro, if I'm not constantly getting aggro, I lose it to DPS that go balls out as soon as Shield Lob connects. Flash is our only real AoE aggro tool (besides CoS). While doing my RoH combo, I have to spam flash since everyone and their mom is spamming AoEs, that drains my MP real fast. Even with Flash spam and RoH and rotating targets, there are some jobs that are getting so much aggro, if I stop my RoH combo to for a RB, there's a good chance I'll lose aggro.

[BrandoH]

I love these threads. I really do. /sarcasm

I've yet to see a thread like this from someone that's not a complete idiot. If you want your BRD to use Ballad, how about you don't run with other idiots like yourself and tell your BRD to use it. -_-

[Crevox]

With Mage's Ballad up BLM can spam Fire 3 > Flare > Blizzard 3 (repeat).

lol

You never spam Fire 3. It's not only because of the MP cost; you get no Firestarter procs and the cast speed is horrible on Fire 3. It's not good DPS.

[MartaDemireux]

lol

You never spam Fire 3. It's not only because of the MP cost; you get no Firestarter procs and the cast speed is horrible on Fire 3. It's not good DPS.

I'm saying you spam that string of spells, not Fire 3. Cast Fire 3 once to get Astral Fire, cast Flare for big damage, Ballad restores just enough MP to use Blizzard 3, cast Blizzard 3, cast Fire 3, cast Flare, etc.

In doing this you're increasing the amount of damage per GCD (233) as opposed to using Requiem and the "usual" AoE combo you see people using (~197 without or ~225 iirc with Requiem). It's super easy to maintain this combo (it's only 3 spells) and allows for the tank to spam Flash to no end and allows the WHM to Holy in between cures and never worry about MP. The 20% hit to the BRD is moot in comparison to the benefits.

[DJ_Foxx]

Dear Bards ,

Mages Ballad 30 3.00s 2.50s Free 25y 0y
Refreshes MP of all nearby party members while lowering own damage dealt by 20%. MP is drained while singing.


Use it or find a new tank for WP run.


Yours sincerely , your flash spamming speed running WP tank.

Dear Flash Spamming Speed Running WP Tank,

Please don't tell me how to play my class. A good Bard knows how to flow from Foe Requiem to Mages Ballad when needed. So if you will let me do my job I will let you do yours and we will have no issues.

Yours sincerely, A Bard who likes to help support his group.

[Akirakogami]

Dear tanks

your mana pool is not important to us.

Bards.

[Maero]

Well as a newlie turned blm from PLD, it may help other classes but blm it pretty much just takes seconds to replenish mp.
Not to mention if it does in fact allow more spamming of Fire would it not be a bad thing in some cases? It is very easy to get more agro then tanks (Archers can easily get agro as well). I say let bards choose if/when to use Mages Ballad

[Darkstarz]

Learn to conserve and refill your mana better.

Foe Requiem is a much better spell to use on Speed Runs.

PS: If you do not have threat on a pack of mobs after 10 flashes under teh the Fight or Flight buff then i dunno, maybe time to find a new vocation.

[Montgraves]

Bards only purpose is to regen MP for WHM and BLM and PLD .

If they don't do that then might as well take DRG since they have better AOE dps than BRD .

But in your earlier post (here) you said that DRGs and MNKs were all but complete trash in speed runs. Then the community decided to sh*t all over your completely unfounded claims.

I'm seeing a trend here.