Bard - they broke my job

[RiceisNice]

The majority of the DPS jobs--if not all of them--have gimmicks added to them, too. DRG has Blood of the Dragon and Wheel/Claw, SMN has Dreadwyrm Trance, BLM has Enochain like you mentioned, and MCH has Gauss Barrel. As long as we make proper use of them, we should be where we were before.

The additions that the classes have gotten either add onto what they already do (such as a 4th combo extension, enochian or stacks that build off from using your abilities) or filling in their short comings (monk's downtimes, healer and tank versatility). Bard, you really can't say something like WM was designed with 2.0 in mind when you're looking at their oGCD resets and even down to their animations.

Not to mention their skill is functionally the same as machinist, which really feels like a cop out since the latter was designed with it in mind. Having both at 60, they share nearly identical concepts of gameplay because of WM/GB being functionally the same; I feel that as a machinist, I'm changing lanes on the highway, whereas bard I'm going on a highway that has speedbumps. Like at that point, I'm not even playing machinist because of aesthetics (which was primarily why I wanted to switch when they were announced), but the fact that the two play similar to each other, but one of the two doesn't involve me having hiccups with my skill execution because of procs or haphazardly added mechanics that don't mesh.

[SlyRoyale]

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Sorry for the late reply, Flo. Got caught up with playing the game and real life stuff. Anyway...

I still have yet to seriously level MCH or watch any videos of MCH play, so I cannot make any accurate comparisons between the two jobs. I can say that despite BRD being a bit clunky, it is still functional enough to be viable in any group. Ever since the Minuet change, including the recent patch that fixed still getting a cast bar after turning it off (which I doubt worked since I still experienced that situation in a Fractal run earlier today), the job is functional enough to be brought in for progression raids. The ability to play resource songs during downtime or during a dire emergency, being able to buff all caster damage, and still being able to put out a steady stream of damage is nothing to scoff at.

Even if the job feels clunky compared to pre-HW and the supported claims of WM being tacked on as a clone of MCH's GB, it can still function effectively in any encounter and I doubt SE will make any significant changes unless they notice some statistics that make them consider creating further adjustments. There is also the matter that the ability is called Minuet, so if SE had to change it they would either have to keep within the theme of a "slow dance" or completely overhaul the ability. I like the mention of "Sniper Training" another poster made in this thread. Without the cast bars, we can easily weave in double oGCDs again while still promoting the play style of staying stationary for a damage boost. Still, I'll just wait and see what SE does. Whatever changes happen to the job, it will still be my main. No doubt about it.

[Katchoo]

. There is also the matter that the ability is called Minuet, so if SE had to change it they would either have to keep within the theme of a "slow dance" or completely overhaul the ability.

Or they could just rename it. I HIGHLY doubt that when they create a skill they base the effects around the name and not the other way around :P (BTW i agree with everything else you said i'm just being pedantic )

[Aiselia]

Or they could just rename it.

Or they could leave it as it is since it's already inaccurate. It's called Wanderer's when it is the only song to prevent us from wandering, and a minuet is a dance for two people and it's the only song that only has an effect on the bard alone.

Also of note, using the wording from Wikipedia, "The name is also given to a musical composition written in the same time and rhythm, though when not accompanying an actual dance the pace was quicker." Since the animation only shows a song being played and not a dance, the pace could be quicker.

So I guess technically the effect should be that if we're standing still (no dance), we should be attacking faster than when moving (dance). Or it should also affect one other person somehow, like maybe it works kind of like Cover in that if you link to another person, you and that person get X% increased damage, but if you move too far from each other, the effect fades, whether you just lose the damage bonus or you lose the song.

There's some more tactical gameplay hidden in the latter, though, whether it's better to pop it on a melee but be stuck in melee range for extra damage or pop it on a ranged to be out of melee range but increase the odds of an AOE circle coming near them. Or if you need heavy AOE, don't put it on someone who's mainly single target, run over to the SMN. Or heck, if that tank needs some extra threat in a pinch, toss it on the tank and they're doing more damage for more threat. The possibilities are endless! Except for where they end!

Or if they really want to cement BRD as support, how about a different effect depending on who you're dancing with? Say, tanks take less damage if you link with them, DPS do more damage, and healers do more healing, with a DPS boost to you for linking with them. Say, 30% if they're a melee but you can only shoot in melee range and maybe 20% if you're linked with ranged/healer so you get more benefit for being in the "riskier" position of melee.