Bards need a buff

[Akesis]

Confirmed, Bards are a DD role... There is no such thing as a support role in this game. Brd is currently the lowest single target DD and lowest multi-target DD role in the game and we need a buff.


direct link, scroll down to post #49 : http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...-Updates/page5

copy and paste from #49 of the live letter:

Q48: Are there any plans to implement a new role such as buffer or debuffer?

A48: We will be sticking with our existing roles (Tank, DPS, Healer) for a while. This is mainly because the matching process is much faster and it’s easier to understand for the newer players. While we are not completely ruling this out, we are currently putting an emphasis on making the game easy to understand for the new players that may start playing the game from patch 3.0.

[Maero]

While i am blm more now days i would actually agree that Bard should probably get some sort of a buff.
Those melee players like to complain that they need a buff so badly but Bard and while not all that play the class but in general is the lowest dps.

[Velox]

Bards ARE a DD role, but they have huge support capability. It would be unfair to other DD jobs with lesser support capability if BRD did equal damage. You have to give something to get something, that is the essence of balance in MMOs.

Bards also have the highest up-time of any DD and some of the highest survivability (due to having the greatest mobility). Again, are you willing to sacrifice those to have greater DPS?

[Lyrica_Ashtine]

Bards who know their class through and through can compete properly against other classes. If you simply feel underpowered, I suggest you to experiment with your buffing rotation, order and priority. Practice dummy fights like T8 is a horrible example to compare. look at Titan EX, Garuda EX, T6, T9 or any other fight where you are forced to move or may waste enough time to lose your buffs (monks). In practice, bards are nowhere near bottom of the dps ladder or even far behind any other class when done properly.

[Akesis]

Bards ARE a DD role, but they have huge support capability. It would be unfair to other DD jobs with lesser support capability if BRD did equal damage. You have to give something to get something, that is the essence of balance in MMOs.

Bards also have the highest up-time of any DD and some of the highest survivability (due to having the greatest mobility). Again, are you willing to sacrifice those to have greater DPS?

If you want to get technical. Which, I can see that you do. Lets look at all of the DD jobs....

BRDs has 4 support abilities (Ballad, Paeon, Foe, Mantra). Can deal damage on the move. low multi target dps.
SMN has 4 support abilities (Virus, Resurrection, Eye for an Eye, Physic(healing as a DD is supporting the raid)). Can deal damage on the move. High multi target dps (if they don't insta-die).
BLM has 4 support abilities ( Virus, Eye for an Eye, Physic(healing as a DD is supporting the raid), Apocatastasis). They also have Atherial and can port to safety. Can deal damage on the move. High multi target dps.
DRG has 2 support abilities (Disembowel, Mantra). Can deal damage on the move. Can also stun. Middle of the road Multi-target dps. extremely high single target dps.
MNK has 2 support abilities (Mantra, Dragon Kick). Can deal damage on the move. Can also stun. Middle of the road Multi-target dps. extremely high single target dps.

[Velox]

snip

That is all very true, but you are arguing quantity while I am arguing quality. When is the last time a party reserved a space for BLM because they had Apocatastasis? Or Virus, or Eye for an Eye? They are all have support utility, but are severely limited due to range, cooldown, stack debuff (prevents reuse), or a combination of these.

Mantra will not make or break a fight. Foe's Requim or Mage's Ballad can make or break a fight.

[Akesis]

Bards who know their class through and through can compete properly against other classes. If you simply feel underpowered, I suggest you to experiment with your buffing rotation, order and priority. Practice dummy fights like T8 is a horrible example to compare. look at Titan EX, Garuda EX, T6, T9 or any other fight where you are forced to move or may waste enough time to lose your buffs (monks). In practice, bards are nowhere near bottom of the dps ladder or even far behind any other class when done properly.

Sorry, but I just lol'd this. You must not have other players in your raid who know how to play their jobs. fyi: I am a single BRD in my raid. I sing, I kite, I do everything that needs to be done. I'm not a turret... I can pull 415 on T8 and fall at the bottom of the list. I can pull 398 on T9 and yet I am the bottom of the list. My rotation is near flawless and I have spent countless hours out on a dummy. When you compare high end players with other high end players, Bards are the lowest parsing DD class and need a buff.

[Spiritus]

These threads are so stupid, the dps with the most useful support utitlity is going to be the lowest dps class. One class has to be the lowest, if your so offended at being that one, then switch.

[Zaero]

Buff bards and make em root to shoot. Movement and damage? Nah.

I main blm and titan ex is not fun when people start dps measuring.

[Akesis]

That is all very true, but you are arguing quantity while I am arguing quality. When is the last time a party reserved a space for BLM because they had Apocatastasis? Or Virus, or Eye for an Eye? They are all have support utility, but are severely limited due to range, cooldown, stack debuff (prevents reuse), or a combination of these.

Mantra will not make or break a fight. Foe's Requim or Mage's Ballad can make or break a fight.

Ahh, Quality of buffs: Peaon-Junk. if your BRD sings it outside of someone dying, he/she is a fool. It is a loss of raid-wide dps. Lets throw that one away. (Down to 3 support abilities). Ballad - if your healers know what they are doing, you never need to sing it. Sure, I sing it from time to time during progression. That's about it though. lets throw that one in the "Meh" category. (Down to 2.5 support abilities). Foe - yep. its a good one, lets keep it on the list. (2.5 support abilities). You say mantra is junk. Lets take it off the list. (1.5 support abilities). This isn't a make or break number that should suffer from such an extreme gap in numbers.

I can tell you as fact... several raid groups sit BLM's for SMN's, not for their ability to do more damage on movement intensive fights. Rather, for their ability to raise people when they die. So with your "quality of abilities" theory. A BRD should pull numbers just behind a SMN who should also be at the bottom of the list, not the top.

Should I change this thread to SMN's need a nerf?