This new bard play style blows.

[LambLich]

It depends on the design of the job if it is an actual design flaw. What do you perceive the Bard job to be? Primarily DPS or Primarily Support?

In all honesty, I perceive Bard and Mechanist primarily Support jobs with DPS mixed in. With that viewpoint, I can see the design being just fine. However, looking at it as a primary DPS, it would be a design flaw.

In all honesty, the "support" thing is a problem, its stupidly hard to balance unless it has its own defined role in a party. Trying make a dps with some support abilities tacked on usually ends in one of two ways either stupid overpowered or weak as hell.

[DreameR7g]

Snip

Actually, that's the perception of the community. That's also actually why Bard was put under the DPS role. They wanted to spread out the support abilities instead of having their own job role because hardly anyone wants to play a job with nothing but support abilities. From what I've seen, Support is a dirty word among communities. A good chunk of people rather to be doing damage because they get the pleasure of "BIG NUMBERS!" It isn't typically hard to balance in its own right. It IS hard to put support abilities in games where the community shuns it, even though support abilities can actually help maximize a party's effective power.

At the end of the day, that isn't a balance problem. It's a perception problem.

[LambLich]

Actually, that's the perception of the community. That's also actually why Bard was put under the DPS role. They wanted to spread out the support abilities instead of having their own job role because hardly anyone wants to play a job with nothing but support abilities. From what I've seen, Support is a dirty word among communities. A good chunk of people rather to be doing damage because they get the pleasure of "BIG NUMBERS!" It isn't typically hard to balance in its own right. It IS hard to put support abilities in games where the community shuns it, even though support abilities can actually help maximize a party's effective power.

At the end of the day, that isn't a balance problem. It's a perception problem.

They wanted to spread them out? Really that's why ONE class up until 3.0 had these fabled support abilities that required them to be a bastardized battery with a bow.

[DreameR7g]

Snip

Actually, they were the only job to be a full 50/50 Support DPS Hybrid. That is part of their identity at the moment and the heart of their crises is Heavensward made their support side a bit less useful.

As far as support abilities being spread out: I give you these examples -

Monk - Mantra
Ninja - Goad
Dragoon - Battle Litany

The only difference is Bard is a bit more dedicated in the Support side of things.