Bard questions - what role are we ?

[Ghaaniz]

I just resubbed for this game, i played a Bard to 50 back at launch.

Are we a pure DPS class, or do these Bards have a supporting role?

If support, what skills are they benefitting with ?


I hope to hear from anyone asap, so i know if i should reroll or stick with it =)

[Egnasya]

Generally the game knows only tank, healer, and DPS roles. There is a bit of a grey area with classes like the Bard. They have songs which use their otherwise unused MP bar to enable group buffs that restore MP or TP of nearby party members, or weaken nearby enemies' magic defenses so that casters deal more damage. With that Bards sure have their place in group setup. You might however not see big numbers like BLM or DRG does, and be warned, at level 60 Bard is not as mobile as it was at 50 since new mechanics in Heavensward trade increased damage for cast timers on weaponskills.

[Sleigh]

You're a DPS who gets buffed by BRD and buffs caster/healer DPS while being able to recover party TP/MP. You have the capability of doing DPS anywhere from a bit below melee on a dummy, to ridiculous damage in real fights if you make use of your multi-DoTs and AoE.

Call it support, call it DPS, whatever. You're a vital role in the party.

[AskaRay]

We are the ones in the party who keep track of the MP/TP bars, play songs without asking, look to see if the healer or any other caster is DPSing so go ahead and play Foe's. Every once in a while we're the ones to silence stuff. Kiting is still a thing here and there so we'll be called on to do that as well.

We are also here to pull hate off the tanks with our burst opener, then get funny looks and say "Yeah so what's Quelling Strikes? Who uses that"
I'm kidding
or am i

[Lilith_Merquise]

BRD is a class that doesn't fall properly in the trinity but in a negative way that is not encouraged nor endorsed by the devs. It lacks any substantial contribution and is essentially a DPS class playing at a handicap for negligible bonuses. Until the devs realize this that the "Trinity" is more of a guidline rather then a "Law" BRD will essentially be lost in translation and WAR will continue to be the only true hybrid class in the game that can be both DPS and Tank roles.... Because ya know.... we can't have Hybrids in the game.... Where is my damn BLU already...

[NovaLevossida]

Every job in the game offers support. Your support functions aren't unique in themselves. You're just punished more harshly for some reason for using your utility than others.

[Lilith_Merquise]

Every job in the game offers support. Your support functions aren't unique in themselves. You're just punished more harshly for some reason for using your utility than others.

Thats definitely true, we're caught in this sort of oximoron that we want to be strict to the Trinity, but still give people unique utility functions that make jobs interesting and different. But still keeping harsh punishments for the classes that are "loosely defined" as "Support" roles like BRD losing DPS in songs and MCH losing turrets in Promotion. I will say MCH is in a better place, but so long as its still put in the same competition as DRG, SMN, MNK, we'll still just feel somewhat mediocre even if the playstyle is very fun.

I mean hell even DRK and WAR basically cancel out their Tank stance damge reductions with abilities while PLD gets the shaft, but we have MCH who gets a Barrel that puts its damage close to on par with heavy hitter DPS but becomes almost below average DPS when turret is in promotion, and its even worse for BRD.

[Attelia]

Every job in the game offers support. Your support functions aren't unique in themselves. You're just punished more harshly for some reason for using your utility than others.

I blame the resource system. Resource management is taken out of the hands of the individual player, and is given to the BRD (and now MCH). Utility that important must be tempered somehow, without hurting its potency (since it's basically required for lengthy fights); thus, poorer damage.

I personally believe that DPS should not be penalized with resource starvation for playing correctly (filling every gcd, ABC, etc.) I guess I just don't "get" the resource system.

[Linadae]

I don't think Square knows what Bards are to be honest. In one interview Yoshida says there is no such thing as a support class. In another he says Bards (and MCH) are a support class. Yet even after that second interview where we were declared a support class, we can't queue as support.

This was something that should have been figured out when they took 1.0 down for the overhaul or at the very least when they were working on Heavensward. But they didn't and once more we're stuck with this ball of confusion they call Bard.

More and more it's become clear that bard was the last on their list of classes to look at for the expansion and they ran out of time. Hopefully we'll be moved further up the list when 4.0 comes around.

[Lilith_Merquise]

More and more it's become clear that bard was the last on their list of classes to look at for the expansion and they ran out of time. Hopefully we'll be moved further up the list when 4.0 comes around.

I'm not so sure, even at 2.5 it was far less useful then it is in 3.0, I sure hope thy do something about this Support definition because honestly it makes it all to easy for ignorant people to blame the BRD/MCH for less DPS then higher classes even though its having to make sure that those putting out the harder DPS can still do it when they are blowing through their resource reserves...