Dear All Bards,

[Nestama]

Melee DPS shouldn't need Paeon (which reduces a BRD's overall DPS) at the start of the fight, especially if they have Invigorate (maybe 5-6 minutes in, sure). If in CT raid and one or more alliances have two or more BLM/SMN's (and a healer or two decide to DPS), then use Foe Requiem (which does NOT lower a BRD's overall DPS). It's a debuff on the mob, therefore it benefits all Casters (and DPS healers). If in a Light Party dungeon and your party consists of a BLM/NIN/SMN and DPS healer, then use Foe's.

[Dyne_Fellpool]

As a bard, I feel like its best to:

-always play Swiftsong between pulls in dungeons
-play Foe Requiem for all trash fights unless the healer is not using any attack spells and there are no Ninjas, Black Mages, or Summoners in the party. (but make sure to save MP right before boss fights to have full MP for singing on bosses)
-play Army Paeon only if there are no Ninjas and circumstances are such that I have already used Invigorate and am running low on TP (very long fight or consecutive AoE fights w/o downtime between). This means any other melee dps is prbly in a similar position TP-wise.
-play Mage's Ballad only if a WHM is below ~30% MP and it looks like they will run out before the fight is over or if a Summoner just got raised and the fight will not be over soon.
-Always play Foes+Battlevoice at the beginning of boss fights unless there is a specific burn phase I think saving Battlevoice will be helpful for. (If any healer is going to need Ballad my MP will be replenished by then if I do this)

obviously, there is likely to be an exception here or there but if you follow the above I think you will be doing well as far as song management.

Bards that just let their MP go to waste by not singing make me sad. Even if you are just singing Foe for a healer that is nuking its worth it.

[Anemone_Valesti]

Foe Requiem Price: Commendations plz.

Best Reply in the entire thread xD

[SlyRoyale]

This thread is still up? Hm.

snip

While Foe doesn't add aggro, its range is greater than Shield Lob and Tomahawk. If the tank doesn't grab it, it'll run to you. Thankfully, in that case, all the tank has to do is touch the mob and its on them. A Foe Requiem pull is an inconvenience if anything. Another thing which I stupidly neglected to mention is that playing Foe Requiem while mobs are still being pulled wastes MP before everyone starts to nuke everything. The best time to play Foe Requiem during a big pull is when you know the tank is going to stop and group up all the trash real soon.

[AsahinaMyLove]

Lol ...cant believe this thread even exist and is being discuss.

Its common sense to use skills of a class you currently playing. o___o

If I play bard on 24player raids, Im looking at the 3 teams to check how many magic dps's are around.
Even its just one, I play foe song on every fight! <.<

[myahele]

....
Its common sense to use skills of a class you currently playing. o___o

Foe Requiem

Reduces all enemy magic resistances of all enemies by 10%.
MP is drained while singing.
Effect is lost if targets move out of hearing distance, and ends upon reuse.
Cannot be used with other songs.

Well Let's be real here. The Song helps but is not as great as most people think it is. If you read the description it says: Reduces all enemy magic resistances.
What does this means? It means that the enemy is less likely to resist a magic spell being cast upon him, so its more likely that does max damage. So in other words Foe Requiem does NOT grants an extra 10% damage as most people think. This is just an increase chance to do max damage. You can do max damage without Foe Requiem but its a bit harder.

Yeah.... common sense is not so common

[SlyRoyale]

If I play bard on 24player raids, Im looking at the 3 teams to check how many magic dps's are around.
Even its just one, I play foe song on every fight! <.<

Ideally, you should play Foe Requiem even if the only casters in the group are the healers in case they assist with DPS. If they do not assist with DPS, it's a waste of a BRD's MP which would be better spent on Army's Paeon for physical DPS AoEs (gotta keep pushing them out if there's still lots of mobs alive), or Mage's Ballad for when a healer or SMN is revived.

But yeah, common sense is a lost concept to many in this day and age...

[RiceisNice]

Yeah.... common sense is not so common

Last I checked, resistances in this game is a flat damage reduction toward the attack in question, (like defense), not a chance to reduce damage taken (in the sense of parry/block)

[ExiaQuanta]

Ideally, you should play Foe Requiem even if the only casters in the group are the healers in case they assist with DPS. If they do not assist with DPS, it's a waste of a BRD's MP which would be better spent on Army's Paeon for physical DPS AoEs (gotta keep pushing them out if there's still lots of mobs alive), or Mage's Ballad for when a healer or SMN is revived.

But yeah, common sense is a lost concept to many in this day and age...

^This. If a healer is not willing to dps, why is the party callin out the bard for not playing Foes Requim LOL. Besides the healers who are on this forum and claim they dps to help the group. How many other healers out there are doing the same? pretty there is alot more of the safe healers than the dps healers.

But a bard who sings a song a hundred percent of the time is ALSO a bad bard. Why? Cause if its not foes than they are nerfing their damage by 20% unnecessary. And even then why play foes when there is no cast dps. Its more proper to say a bard who doesnt sing during the appropriate situation is a bad bard.

ill just repost what i said in the earlier pages

[Maero]

Have been in ST runs with say 3 or 4 other Bards, none would sing except me. Thing is i guess they are trying to stroke their epeen like some would say but i still do more damage then those so called Bards even with having Ballad up, lol.
Usually if i am the only Bard and have casters, or dps such as Nin + sch i play FR for say half mana and then turn it off just in case need Mage's ballad for healers. Which fyi for some of you who do not know, Ninja's benefit from Foe as well. And yes healers benefit greatly, Holy, Aero, dots from sch, etc.
Same goes if the party is comprimised mostly of non magical dps, although most groups do not need Army's P, if ever one of them dies and are rezed they be out of tp so i help out there.
Bards who never play a single song are just bad at the class