Bards viability now?

[Waeksyn]

Bard as a playable class in FFXIV is dead. SE has done the same to bury this job as they did in FFXI with ranger. Run as fast as you can to something else - just don't let it be Machinist.

[KylePearlsand]

Bard as a playable class in FFXIV is dead. SE has done the same to bury this job as they did in FFXI with ranger. Run as fast as you can to something else - just don't let it be Machinist.

I wouldn't say it's dead. After all Bards still bring extremely useful utility and our numbers outside of WM isn't the worst thing in the world. (That title belongs to Machinist btw.) Buffing magic damage, Refresh, TP refresh and a status effect get out of jail free card once they make it easier to use. By the time Alexander hits, we will have some buffs and will still be a must have in raid groups.

[Sove92]

I wouldn't say it's dead. After all Bards still bring extremely useful utility and our numbers outside of WM isn't the worst thing in the world. (That title belongs to Machinist btw.) Buffing magic damage, Refresh, TP refresh and a status effect get out of jail free card once they make it easier to use. By the time Alexander hits, we will have some buffs and will still be a must have in raid groups.

This. What SE did was drop the bard's proportional damage they do compared to the other DDs, but in people's eyes, this is just a massive nerf and claims of how the job is now dead. They never lowered their damage, they just increased the damage of other DDs more. Machinist also has the same treatment, they do lower damage in proportion to the pure DDs. BRD and MCH are support DDs, not pure DDs. It is still a necessity to have either one in raids.

[Lillia]

This. What SE did was drop the bard's proportional damage they do compared to the other DDs, but in people's eyes, this is just a massive nerf and claims of how the job is now dead. They never lowered their damage, they just increased the damage of other DDs more. Machinist also has the same treatment, they do lower damage in proportion to the pure DDs. BRD and MCH are support DDs, not pure DDs. It is still a necessity to have either one in raids.

every other class has a higher base dmg on their wep than bard/mch, tanks included. Not sure if SE did that intentionally though but that's also one of the inflicting aspect on the whole lower dps thing. :x