Quote Originally Posted by SaitoHikari View Post
I'm just going to address this part as I am somewhat in agreement with the rest, though my main point is that Bard really doesn't have much control over their gameplay this expansion compared to the previous.

Bard used to utilize their MP bar with Foe Requiem, now they don't anymore. I admit it's a bit of a flavor thing to have something that uses our MP bar again, but I feel it would have been a lot easier and a lot less problematic to just use our MP bar instead of coding a whole new gauge for just one skill.

Though Cetonis brought up an interesting point here and at the Balance discord - that ShB Bard currently feels like it's a level 80 synced down version of a level 90 next expansion Bard. This expansion didn't really add anything compelling to Bard at all, but it did lay out a potential foundation for next expansion (because we're obviously going to get a single target Apex Arrow and maybe an AoE Refulgent Arrow). It's literally the only justification we have for Apex Arrow currently existing as is, like they are balancing it around the existence of a future skill we don't even have yet (with it being on the GCD and having such low potency for the effort required to even use it, because a single target variant of it that is intended to be used with Barrage might be coming later).

That kind of feeling might be why Bard feels disjointed right now.
The Term 'Halved baked" comes to mind actually. I do agree BRD didnt get much substantial changes some might argue BRD for got ripped off with its role action removed like refresh, Troubadour being nerfed to a boring defense skill, Foes being axed, Song buffs getting nerfed, potency nerf, ect. But if you dislike Bard due to lack of control due to it being proc based (Much Like Dancer being pure rng based) idk if bard will ever be good to you or be streamlined to oblivion, that being shrunk to a nub to a boring safe rotation.

I still love it and its my preferred Ranged sadly, but has enormous room for improvement so much so as its impossible for the devs to just gie it a shallow upgrade and move on