Lets have class only abilities and spells

[Soukyuu]

Try soloing as Bard, then switch to Archer, it's significantly easier.
Assuming you have Bloodbath, Cure, Protect, Stoneskin...

I can't really say much about bard because I don't play this class beyond tryign to bring it to lv50.

All I can say is, I don't really miss PGL after switching to MNK. The damage you will be dealing with additional combos reduces the damage you take because well, you kill mobs faster. Not saying it will completely balance it out, but the difference isn't much unless you try to tank many mobs at the same time which you shouldn't do when you solo (unless you're WAR... damn killing machines)