Bard should have been something like this...

[LineageRazor]

There was use with every class in ffxi just had to utilize each of there strengths and bard in ffxi was one of the most useful jobs but you didn't need it. People just wen with the most efficiant as they do with any game, though I'm not that type of person I like to play what I play dispite what others want and still do all the content just fine. Example: I was a Thf/War, never subbed ninja.

This is not true. PUP was never accepted for any kind of endgame content; the only way your PUP would be involved in such content is if you created the group yourself, or your LSmates took pity on you. DNC was pretty much the same way, a great solo job but among the last to be invited to anything worthwhile.

Your THF/WAR would be a stain on the ground in the revamped Ark Angel fights. The AAs regularly use aoes that will one-shot even full ilvl 119 players (the current max) if they don't block the attacks with shadows. Of course, for that very reason, front-line jobs are rarely invited to those fights at all, as they need to sacrifice offense (from WAR and SAM subs) for defense (NIN sub); instead people invite only RNG (and SAMs who have sufficiently powerful endgame bows).

You're correct that a sufficiently determined niche job may be able to schmooze their way into whatever endgame activity they want, but don't delude yourself into believing that you're WELCOME there. People will always prefer you to attend on a so-called "useful" job.

[ruskie]

I'm already miffed that they might be changing the bard lb based on some of the fan fest q&a - if it's just the animantion to be a bard singing for a mass heal/rez then sure... if they are changing it to damage then really please no. I like my bard the way it is. More songs yes; mixing CDs with song - sure sounds interesting - basically advance bard; major changes NO.

I'd like to see an aura around the bard that would show a note here and there that shows the area the song has an effect on - different coloured auras for different songs - it should be minimal similar to the thundestorm aoe or something like that.

[Shadex]

This is not true. PUP was never accepted for any kind of endgame content; the only way your PUP would be involved in such content is if you created the group yourself, or your LSmates took pity on you. DNC was pretty much the same way, a great solo job but among the last to be invited to anything worthwhile.

Your THF/WAR would be a stain on the ground in the revamped Ark Angel fights. The AAs regularly use aoes that will one-shot even full ilvl 119 players (the current max) if they don't block the attacks with shadows. Of course, for that very reason, front-line jobs are rarely invited to those fights at all, as they need to sacrifice offense (from WAR and SAM subs) for defense (NIN sub); instead people invite only RNG (and SAMs who have sufficiently powerful endgame bows).

You're correct that a sufficiently determined niche job may be able to schmooze their way into whatever endgame activity they want, but don't delude yourself into believing that you're WELCOME there. People will always prefer you to attend on a so-called "useful" job.

That is actually a failing of the game's designers not the classes. Tell the designers to stop making encounters only beatable through a single mechanic tied to a couple 'useful' classes as you put it. Maybe put some extra effort in and make encounters with multiple ways to success. Everything these days is just stack everything on the tank and either rotate through marks or AoE until the enemy is dead while making sure you are not standing in something bad.... *yawn* God when did designers stop giving a damn about their content?

[Kling-Klang]

Why cant bard do dmg with singing...

[ErikMynhier]

Yes, I hope they revamp bard at some point. Currently it's just a glorified archer, not bardy at all. It should be about buffs, debuffs, and party support, not damage.

There is hope. We saw in the past where they completely rewrote classes to fit a model, the mages come to mind. There is certainly a desire for it from the player base. Maybe we will get a happy surprise in 3.0 in the form of a revamped Bard and a true DPS Ranger. One can dream.

[Erana]

Bard kinda sucked on Mabinogi, but it was the best implementation of it I have ever seen.

Surely if it kinda sucked, then it wasn't the best implementation.

[Mizore_Canaan]

Kinda tired so I kinda skipped over reading posts that arn't on the 1st page but since its a bard thread here's my 2 gil, rename Bard to Ranger replace the songs with Ranger stuff, and when 3.0 hits and jobs can exist without class's give us a bard that is actually a bard...
Barcher is alright, I enjoy it and all, but i'd much much rather have a real bard AND a true archer and not a hybrid :3

P.S I also really want Dancer as a TP using healer ♥

[kyuven]

Kinda tired so I kinda skipped over reading posts that arn't on the 1st page but since its a bard thread here's my 2 gil, rename Bard to Ranger replace the songs with Ranger stuff, and when 3.0 hits and jobs can exist without class's give us a bard that is actually a bard...
Barcher is alright, I enjoy it and all, but i'd much much rather have a real bard AND a true archer and not a hybrid :3

The entire aesthetic of the bard is...well, bardlike. They'd have to go back and redo the way ALL the armor looks to do that.
Also...now follow me here...
It is a really, really bad idea to change the fundamentals of an entire job/class over a year after the game goes live.
It's been tried before, and it's like trying to change a beehive into a baseball bat.
Bards are the way they are. It's not changing, or at least not as drastically as people in this thread want.

[Shadex]

One of my all time favorite bards was RIFT. So many songs, so many buffs. Sure you could spec pure barcher but nothing was as satisfying as some tool tank complaining I am buffing/debuffing/regen/nuking/etc. tell me to switch to DPS only to have us wipe two pulls later. He asked me to go back to singing and we breezed through the rest of the instance. No support classes should not be required and content should be doable without them but to have them should always make your life a little nicer... that's the whole point of the word SUPPORT.

[ApolloGenX]

Game where bards took skill- Everquest
Game where bards look cool - Aion