I've permanently solved The Wanderer's Minuet problem...

[Freyyy]

I don't see any decrease in the number of BRD players. I see as much BRDs and MCHs as I see NINs or DRGs. I see less MNKs tho.

[RyuDragnier]

There's a funny thing about Wanderer's Minuet and Gauss Barrel. You don't move as much as you think you do when you're not using it.

I've had dozens of bards and machinists who absolutely refused to use WM or GB. Not one of them moved while attacking, and when they did, they stopped attacking anyway (they couldn't multitask I guess?).

This. I have my BRD at level 59, about to be level 60, and you really don't move as much as they want you to believe. In AoE heavy fights such as the last boss of The Vault, the longest you're going to be running is about 2 seconds to remove the Holy Chain. Assuming a BRDs attack just finished charging and went off, that's a 1 second downtime...quite a few of them are complaining about that, and it's pretty ridiculous considering melee loses out on way more than that when moving away from a boss.

[Gilraen]

I believe he/she meant they will be played less because of the change of gameplay. They will always be mandatory for progression I think.

It's a shame people like the originatory haven't understood why they are vital. Too many, I think, see archer and Bard as just an extremely mobile DD. That's just Square giving Bard a strong, active foundation in archer so that they aren't as combatively useless as XI's Bard when singing. Which is what makes Bards and Machninists vital, not their damage output but their support potential.

[justinjarjar]

So how about that sports team eh?

[RiceisNice]

There's a funny thing about Wanderer's Minuet and Gauss Barrel. You don't move as much as you think you do when you're not using it.

I've had dozens of bards and machinists who absolutely refused to use WM or GB. Not one of them moved while attacking, and when they did, they stopped attacking anyway (they couldn't multitask I guess?).

Thats one perspective of bards who don't like WM. Others don't like how cast times (doesn't) interact with their 2.0 toolkit of oGCD resets and proc timing. MCH isn't so much on the same boat since they were designed with GB in mind and their animations/procs are designed around it, but it's still pretty damn disappointing because both BRD and MCH more-or-less play the same under the influence of WM/GB.

[SuperZay]

BRD wasn't designed as a pure DPS class. It's meant to be a support role that is able to deal damage. This is something that the vast majority of all people who played BRD during 2.x failed to understand, though.

And what all XI players fail to understand is bard is not a full support class anymore like it was in that game. Don't make these illusions. In FFXIV it's DPS class with some support abilities.
Last time I checked I que dungeons as DPS, the same exact party spot which could have been taken by a dragoon or a black mage. So I have to perform on roughly the same level otherwise I'm just a waste of party spot.
And LOL at 'Git gut' posters. Not liking the changes is not about being good or bad because even the best bards have left the job.

[Freyyy]

snip

I'm sure the "best bards" are pretty happy to get a damage buff.

[Tyrial]

And what all XI players fail to understand is bard is not a full support class anymore like it was in that game. Don't make these illusions. In FFXIV it's DPS class with some support abilities.
Last time I checked I que dungeons as DPS, the same exact party spot which could have been taken by a dragoon or a black mage. So I have to perform on roughly the same level otherwise I'm just a waste of party spot.
And LOL at 'Git gut' posters. Not liking the changes is not about being good or bad because even the best bards have left the job.

Where did I bring up XI in my post? You do less DPS at the cost of allowing another party member to do more (assuming you're singing songs that actually reduce your damage). Know how often my static BRD moved before Heavensward? When he had to dodge mechanics. Know how often he moves now? When he has to dodge mechanics. Sounds to me like you're just angry that you can't run around like a clown jumping all over the place while you spam your skills topping charts.

I guess I should be angry that I can't queue as a DPS when I'm playing my WAR even though I'll totally demolish just about any DPS that I can get stuck with in DF, right?

[echoica]

I've been levelling bard 50 to 60 recently and while I can appreciate how big of an adjustment it is to play style for existing main bards once you get wanderers minuet (I only play it on the side), I also think bard was too simple pre 50. It's kind of like the complaints I've heard about blm in so far as "omg I have to actually think to do my job now not just spam the same buttons over and over". I also took blm to 60 and was rather impressed as well. The new skills add a new layer of complexity to the job(s) and I think it's actually been really fun to try to master them. I think se did a good job with both bard and blm in expansion. And honestly damage doesn't seem like such an issue for bard. I'm consistently doing more than most party members in all the duties I've been in (yeah that's not raid content I know). At first no, because it was hard at level 52 to make the movement adjustments, but given the practice it's not as bad as people make it out to be.

[Rikkustrife]

I'm sure the "best bards" are pretty happy to get a damage buff.

bards didn't, they are at the same spot in 3.0 as in 2.0.
and it is not like a damage buff from 2.0 was needed