I chose BRD for swift gameplay, if I wanted to cast I would have chosen a Mage.

[Dorfentyme]

This wouldn't be AT ALL similar. It's a horrible comparison.

An accurate comparison would be if Nin/Mnk/Drg were given skills that you had to stand still for 1.5s to complete and gave a 30% damage increase. They are called "Charge attacks".

Seriously, that's what BRD and MCH were given. You get a 30% damage increase in exchange for having to "charge" the attack for 1.5s. It doesn't harm the BRD playstyle in any way.

If that's all you took from my post, then you didn't get it. At all.

You even quoted the main part of my post. Neither opinions are discounted just because of how one or the other FEELS ABOUT IT.

[LambLich]

I would much rather WM only applied to certain abilities to turn them into harder hitting attacks that would otherwise not do a great deal, so in effect you keep your 2.xx game play but in order to use heavier new attacks your require to stop and charge them either with a longer cast time than current or temporarily immobilizes you after usage but the same cast time as currently applies to every ability.

[Vespar]

It doesn't harm the BRD playstyle in any way.

Have you personally tried it?
After using WM and getting effective with it, I still hate it. It doesnt feel like Bard anymore. and you know what maybe thats what SE wants. But its not what I want, so I wont play it anymore if it does not change.
Not giving them an ultimatum or anything, just merely saying I don't agree and therefore I'll let it go to someone who does.

Originally I was in the same boat as all the other bards, and part of me still is. But the arguing has gotten so out of hand Ive forgotten why I even care about this class

[FateAudax]

snip-

I actually like your take on Wanderer's Paeon. However, whether we admit it or not. The developers are more inclined to the voices of Japanese Bard players regarding Bard issues. I'm pretty sure if there are English players who chose Bard when 2.0 first started for a class/job with mobility, then without a doubt some of our Japanese counterpart will share the same sentiment too.

[Duelle]

Interesting, but while I'm usually one to complain that a lot of the new abilities are really nothing more than traits that take up extra bar space, I do feel like I'd miss the EA and IJ abilities (or, abilities in their place) with WM covering so many level-ups.

I can see where you come from on this. I figured some would feel odd to see themselves getting 3 new icons on their bars while everyone else is getting 5. Still, I do feel that sticking to exactly the same skill spread for every job can lead to problems down the road. I also thought of attaching a story to it (basically, you and whatshisname would uncover/decipher the verses of the minuet over the course of the 3.0 BRD questline). Of course, this idea basically gives BRD 7 skills in total (Invocation, Sidewinder and 5 Wanderer's Minuet effects).

I like the options that it could give us, but at the same time, I'm afraid just as many people would be turned off by the weaving of Invocation as weaving movement in WM. Others may also be turned off by the CDs it places on our support (via I-song lockouts, unless that was supposed to read as the Invoke-effect on those songs can't be used again for 2 min, instead of the songs themselves?).

Well, as you said, it's mostly for the sake of giving you options. Though this version of WM is a progressive buff, and there's not much to weave in other than WM, the number of skills to progress you to your desired verse and then hitting Invocation. In theory it would force a BRD to think ahead, though I guess it also places a restriction on certain things (hitting WM, then hitting Heavy Shot 4 times expecting to hit verse V, but in the middle of all that you get a Bloodletter proc and before you know it you find yourself on verse I). It is indeed far from perfect. XD

There are situations where you're not going to be using your songs for the full duration, and I figured song usability would be a decent trade-off for more DPS uptime, especially since you'd be sacrificing the overall strength of the song in question in addition to access to it because of the cooldown. The 2 minute song cooldown is more for balancing, but it could be reduced if necessary.

Invocation's cooldown does seem a little long, but what I wanted to prevent was making WM-related Invocation effects something you basically weave in all the time. You make the cooldown too short and it will most likely get in the way of procs and the rotation as a whole. Make the cooldown too long and you basically guarantee that it'd be used only when stacking DPS cooldowns and only with verse V (AKA Barrage + Hawk's Eye + Raging Strikes + Wanderer's Minuet V + Sidewinder).

I would much rather WM only applied to certain abilities to turn them into harder hitting attacks that would otherwise not do a great deal, so in effect you keep your 2.xx game play but in order to use heavier new attacks your require to stop and charge them either with a longer cast time than current or temporarily immobilizes you after usage but the same cast time as currently applies to every ability.

If you end up going that road, you might as well remove WM and give cast times to certain shots. I'd probably add a cast time to Windbite and Bloodletter while boosting their overall damage/potency. That way you'd have cast times for Bloodletter, Windbite, Empyreal Arrow and Sidewinder while Heavy Shot, Straight Shot and Venomous Bite would remain instant and still keep your auto attacks. If you want to be creative, allow the cast bars to fill while the BRD is moving, but have those cast bars fill slower than if you were standing still.

[VirusChris]

What's the situation with the Japanese Players and the Bard job? What's their thoughts on the new changes?

[Vespar]

What's the situation with the Japanese Players and the Bard job? What's their thoughts on the new changes?

As far as Ive read, they are in the same boat us us. Many dont like the changes and want it reverted.

[VirusChris]

As far as Ive read, they are in the same boat us us. Many dont like the changes and want it reverted.

Wow! If the Japanese Players are up in arms about the changes to BRD as well you know something seriously went wrong.

Ouch... >_>;

I haven't obtained WM yet as I only leveled Ninja to 60 and the rest of my classes are sitting at 50 (except DRK which is 35 and MCH and AST at 30). When I get to 60 on my BRD and see the full results of all its new abilities unlock I'll see how bad it is.

[Kat_Manx]

I have no problem "learning how to play."

I have no problem doing a proper rotation.

This is simply not the job I chose to play.

End of story.

[AriaEnia]

I remember that people were saying that BRD in 2.0 is a faceroll class even a baby horse while sucking his mother's can play it.
Now changes toward the class being a more skillful class to play actually make people complaining because they can't play the class while facerolling again.