Bard: All over the battlefield?

[Mychael]

Looking through the Class Reforms & Actions List, I noticed that BRD's "songs" will be "Self AOE."

Just as speculation based on other buffs in the game, this will have a 3-5 minute duration, a 1-2 minute recast, and a relatively small AoE radius (small enough that you can hit melee without hitting mages, I'm sure.^^). So I'm just wondering...will a fight for BRD go somewhat like this now?

• Run up to party. (5 seconds)
• Cast TP boost song (10 seconds)
• Cast +ACC song (10 seconds)
• Run to mages, and use Invigorate(10 seconds)
• Cast MP song (10 seconds)
• Still waiting on cooldown to give mages +ACC song, so run to combo distance and pull off a combo with TP from Invigorate (10-15 seconds).
• Back to mages for +ACC song. (10 seconds)
• Act as a normal ARC for 1-2 minutes.
• Repeat?

I can't decide if that sounds like too much work, or like fun. Until I test it for myself, I'm gonna assume "fun." It sounds way more interesting than any other job at the moment, esp. since most involve standing in one place and using the same combo, TP, filler combo, TP, repeat (or just the same 1 spell [Cure] or combo [Thunder or Fire] as a mage).

*EDIT*: The only thing that I worry about is, with that scenario I just described, the BRD is hardly contributing DD for almost 1:20 every 3-5 minutes... would it be worth it to sacrifice a DD spot for the buffs? After all, they're just refresh/regain and +ACC/+mACC... it'll be useful for boss fights, but I'm not so sure about normal parties.

[Zetsumei_Tsunarashi]

Dont forget about animation lock. On boss fights it could be really hard for bard to function (I'm looking at you ifrit). It could be bad, but I'll reserve judgment til I get to play it myself.

[syntaxlies]

Dont forget about animation lock. On boss fights it could be really hard for bard to function (I'm looking at you ifrit). It could be bad, but I'll reserve judgment til I get to play it myself.

ifrits so easy as is tre really wouldn't be any point in using the buffs anyway.

[Estellios]

Somehow I'm thinking that we will only be able to have 1 song active on a target at once, so we would have to shift what we cast depending on the flow of the fight. So TP song at the start of the fight, then Acc/Magic Acc on everybody, MP song on the mages at the tail-end of the fight. Since Swiftsong has "song" in the title I'm just going to believe for now that the other songs will have the same speedy cast/recast time and several minute duration, I think Swiftsong lasts 3 minutes?

[Babydoll]

It looks so busy lol could be fun if animation lock doesn't ruin it also how does spell interruption work for bard? If we move do we get interrupted...unless songs are like XI and not considered a spell.

[Spider-Dan]

Just as speculation based on other buffs in the game, this will have a 3-5 minute duration, a 1-2 minute recast, and a relatively small AoE radius (small enough that you can hit melee without hitting mages, I'm sure.^^). So I'm just wondering...will a fight for BRD go somewhat like this now?

• Run up to party. (5 seconds)
• Cast TP boost song (10 seconds)
• Cast +ACC song (10 seconds)
  
• Run to mages, and use Invigorate(10 seconds)
• Cast MP song (10 seconds)
• Still waiting on cooldown to give mages +ACC song, so run to combo distance and pull off a combo with TP from Invigorate (10-15 seconds).
• Back to mages for +ACC song. (10 seconds)
• Act as a normal ARC for 1-2 minutes.
• Repeat?

I doubt that jobs will be able to cross class abilities.

So you won't really have to worry too much about making time to DD, because you'll get back all the time that you are no longer spending managing abilities like Invigorate, Keen Flurry, and Blood For Blood (to say nothing of Second Wind, Sacred Prism, and Raise). Plus, now you'll only have to worry about using Quick Nock once every 3 minutes.

TBH, I envision BRD simply singing TP and MP songs, and calling it a day... though it will be interesting to see what non-MNK DDs use their MP on with Cures and Raises removed from their bar.

[Mychael]

I doubt that jobs will be able to cross class abilities.

So you won't really have to worry too much about making time to DD, because you'll get back all the time that you are no longer spending managing abilities like Invigorate, Keen Flurry, and Blood For Blood (to say nothing of Second Wind, Sacred Prism, and Raise). Plus, now you'll only have to worry about using Quick Nock once every 3 minutes.

TBH, I envision BRD simply singing TP and MP songs, and calling it a day... though it will be interesting to see what non-MNK DDs use their MP on with Cures and Raises removed from their bar.

It doesn't change the situation much... I included Invigorate as a way to build TP so you could do that first WS I mentioned. ^^; If not, include a "TP gain" before the first WS, not a big deal.

[Tatsuguy]

I doubt that jobs will be able to cross class abilities.

So you won't really have to worry too much about making time to DD, because you'll get back all the time that you are no longer spending managing abilities like Invigorate, Keen Flurry, and Blood For Blood (to say nothing of Second Wind, Sacred Prism, and Raise). Plus, now you'll only have to worry about using Quick Nock once every 3 minutes.

TBH, I envision BRD simply singing TP and MP songs, and calling it a day... though it will be interesting to see what non-MNK DDs use their MP on with Cures and Raises removed from their bar.

I think we will be even more limited in how many we can cross class abilities. 5 maybe?

[indira]

maybe bard shoot arrows at people for buffs.

[Mychael]

I think we will be even more limited in how many we can cross class abilities. 5 maybe?

Now that we have the new info, I'll necro my thread..

Bard is the only job that can Resonance Raise, the only way, in a party of *all* jobs, that Sanguine Rite can land on the tank ( the tank can no longer do this, either) and the only job other than PLD/WHM that can access cure, stoneskin, and protect.

This could get interesting.