Bards - Help me understand

[SayuriHime]

As a healer, I am at a vantage point to see how different dps approach their roles. I have to watch them as a part of my job. Watch their hp and watch for things I might can esuna. Being in this position, I can see what buffs they are using and which they are not. I also can compare how fast a dungeon progresses with different dps.

I've noticed some bards not using Wanderer's Minuet at all in an expert dungeons. I've also noticed these bards are not moving at all while shooting. I understand the argument against using Wanderer's Minuet is it restricts movement. From what I understand, it is a damage increase and unlocks abilities that cannot be accessed outside of Wanderer's Minuet.

When paired with these Bards, the dungeons go much slower.

My question is, if they are not going to be moving, why on earth are they not using something that is a damage increase? I feel like I am missing something, please help me understand.

Side Note: I have been paired with some amazing Bards using their full toolkit and seen how fast we can blast through the dungeon.

[Anzaman]

My question is, if they are not going to be moving, why on earth are they not using something that is a damage increase? I feel like I am missing something, please help me understand.

Even tho I don't move that much (anymore) as Machinist, the issue is with the cast bar, I just don't like it.

And before somebody starts pointing fingers at me, I did use Gauss Barrel.. But anyways, since I got my another job leveled today to 60, I can just throw my gun to corner and never look at it again.

[SayuriHime]

Even tho I don't move that much (anymore) as Machinist, the issue is with the cast bar, I just don't like it.

And before somebody starts pointing fingers at me, I did use Gauss Barrel.. But anyways, since I got my another job leveled today to 60, I can just throw my gun to corner and never look at it again.

Ok so for you, the cast bar is a strange feeling. No longer having the instant gratification of your abilities makes the job less fun to play. Thank you for your honesty!

[m3eansean]

Seen this a lot too. DPS is really bad on these bards that refuse to use it "out of principle". It slows everything down and is a detriment to everyone on the team.

I'm quite surprised they don't want to use the full toolkit and output appropriate dps.

[Rikkustrife]

Seen this a lot too. DPS is really bad on these bards that refuse to use it "out of principle". It slows everything down and is a detriment to everyone on the team.

I'm quite surprised they don't want to use the full toolkit and output appropriate dps.

While I don't agree with not using it and making things for others, it is not out of principle, it's because it feels like they put wanderer's minuet and never considered how it would affect the rest of the bard 's abilities.

And if a bard is only doing 400 dps, it is not because they are not using wanderer's minuet

[LLamaPie]

Seen this a lot too. DPS is really bad on these bards that refuse to use it "out of principle". It slows everything down and is a detriment to everyone on the team.

I'm quite surprised they don't want to use the full toolkit and output appropriate dps.

As a bard that does utilize it I can explain to you why people don't. It quite literally breaks the class. Bard was not designed around cast times it was designed around instant casts with weaving oGCDs. They put the song in without fully adjusting the way the class is meant to be played. So even though I "mastered" it the way it is now, it feels incredibly clunky and the exact opposite of smooth. Get what I'm saying? Just think of it as you're a righty and you're playing baseball and they tell you you need to bat left handed now. It feels that awkward.

[i2agnarok]

I still think it was lazy of SE to slap on the same playstyle they envisioned for machinist onto bard...because that's what it feels like they did without working out the kinks of it.. but what do I know...

Bard was not designed around cast times it was designed around instant casts with weaving oGCDs.

I think those two sums it up rather neatly. There's also "fun factor," I suppose. Someone in another thread mentioned that he enjoyed "running around like a jackass because [he] could." All the complaining about lost mobility, I just write off personally because I don't think its relevant, but I think the oGCD issue doesn't fit in with the identity of the class. Like these guys said, it feels like they just slapped the MCH ideas onto BRD. I don't think the CONCEPT of the song (castbar, turret) is bad, but because the class is very dependent on oGCDs and procs, that's what causes the clunkiness and that hurts it a bit.

[AFinch]

As a bard that does utilize it I can explain to you why people don't. It quite literally breaks the class. Bard was not designed around cast times it was designed around instant casts with weaving oGCDs. They put the song in without fully adjusting the way the class is meant to be played. So even though I "mastered" it the way it is now, it feels incredibly clunky and the exact opposite of smooth. Get what I'm saying? Just think of it as you're a righty and you're playing baseball and they tell you you need to bat left handed now. It feels that awkward.

THIS. OH MY GOD THIS. I agree with just about every complaint about WM, but this is the fundamentals of the problem on the money. People say "oh BLMs don't need to move, why do you?" Well WM is like giving BLM a powerful set of mobility skills. It just doesn't work. I truly hope someone at SE reads this. I know it will probably never be fixed, but it really ought to be.

[SendohJin]

Ok so for you, the cast bar is a strange feeling. No longer having the instant gratification of your abilities makes the job less fun to play. Thank you for your honesty!

as a SCH main, part time BLM, part time SMN, cast bar on BRD is disgusting.

got it to 53 and it became completely unplayable to me. i like burgers and i like milk shakes, i don't want my burger put into a blender and than told i'm suppose to like drinking it with a straw.

[Temjiu]

Ok so for you, the cast bar is a strange feeling. No longer having the instant gratification of your abilities makes the job less fun to play. Thank you for your honesty!

I've been running allot of instances this week catching my DRG up with my WAR. I was in a Main Scenario instance when i quietly lamented to lack of bards swiftsong. What shocked me was i looked back over the week, and i can't honestly remember seeing any bards in the higher level instances I ran.


Now, with the amount of bards in the forums saying they're playing, I know that there are people out there playing them...but im so used to seeing bards in the instances I run. I see quite a few less now...which to me isn't suprising. In all honesty, even with the damage buffs, i simply lost my desire to play them when the cast bars were introduced. my bard hit 53, and stopped. my WAR sped past her, and now my DRG is as well.

Im not a fan of ranged classes, and cast bars even less. It was suprising to me that when i started playing FFXIV, my main became a ranged class. but in retrospect, the reason is clear...it's the first ranged class I've played that felt allot like my favored melee classes. Well...it did. futures portending towards watching cast bars made me feel far too much like my fledgling BLM, which has barely crept into her 20's. She'll probably stay there, and there's little chance that my beloved Bard will make it past her mid 50's. perhaps Ill solo her up to 60 just so she'll be there...I dont' have to use the casts to solo things i suppose. who knows. But yes...I think that many people are dissolusioned with the Bard now, and it seems to me at least that it shows in the group content I've been playing (Random dungeons for the most part).