Quote Originally Posted by AkashiXI View Post
Utility: of course we have it, we are supposed to. However, the utility we bring isn't nearly on the same level as it was in 2.0 or 3.0. Compound the fact that even more jobs possess raid tools and we are no longer a must pick (or even great pick, for that matter). I never agreed that Bard was a must have in raid, however it should be a niche that greatly benefits the group if you bring them, seeing they're the only support in the game (along with machinist). Now? I can name 3 or 4 compositions that are better without Bard or Machinist in it.
Most utility that's not Astro got slightly nerfed, and I'd argue the new Bard is more versatile (the HP troubadour buff is actually quite significant) in its utility.
"No longer being a must pick" is good. No job should be a "must pick". That said, BRD and NIN are still the most picked dps jobs by a mile. It is effectively a "must pick".

I haven't studied the new bard yet (casters first), but I'm sure it's actually quite hard. Bard has always been a rng heavy job (it was in 3.X). That said, it's still in almost every team, vastly overshadows its other counterpart (MCH) and is overall one of the current best dps jobs.