Easiest DPS to play for the lazy?

[EasymodeX]

They can also be played adequately by just running your two dots and spamming heavy shot/straighter shot. Adequate though isn't optimal.

Actually, adequate = optimal for Bard. Hence Bards are easy to play.

Not being able to move while dpsing is NOT harder, it's just more inconvenient and dps inefficient.

It's not just "inconvenient". It's the BLM doing bad DPS unless they can position themselves well (or they eat mechanics and screw up healers).

Bards don't have to judge positioning. BLMs lose a straight 15-30% DPS on Titan due to movement. It's "inconvenient" for groups with BLMs to fail heart phase more often than groups without BLMs.

Hence to actually maintain good DPS, BLMs have to try way the hell harder than Bards.


Besides, this entire thread is about convenience. The OP asked about the easiest class to play. What is that if not the most convenient?

[Bardo]

Well, on the other side of the coin, if he starts raiding as Bard he has to keep track of [Blunt Arrow] and [Rain of Death] rotations in Coil.
That evens things up a bit against other DD's as far as "easiest" is concerned.

Take ADS for example.
Our Melee only have to avoid one AoE that the range can ignore(repelling cannons), and the only time they worry about Allagan Rot at all is if one of the tanks gets it. Then they bring it to a ranged and ignore it for the rest of the fight.
Meanwhile, our bards have to keep a silence rotation without ever missing a single cast of High Voltage, and they also have to pass around Allagan Rot and keep Rain of Death debuff up (not as important at the start, but very important near the end).

Which is "easier"? I'd say it's pretty even at that point.



I really don't understand the "5 button rotation lawl" comments about Bard.
Just about every class can be dumbed down to half a dozen buttons with macros.
The differences being other classes press combos in order as they light up and worry about positioning, whereas bard don't worry as much about positioning but make constant decisions about which button to press, (and they have to do it nearly twice as often for much of the fight).

Just look at an opener:
Straight Shot
Internal Release
Windbite
Bloodletter
Venomous Bite
Flame Arrow
Heavy Shot
Bloodletter or Hawk's eye
Heavy Shot or StraigherShot
Bloodletter or Blood for Blood
Heavy Shot or StraighterShot
Bloodletter or Raging Strikes
Heavy Shot or StraighterShot
Bloodletter or Barrage
Heavy Shot or StraighterShot
Bloodletter etc....etc....

The first 20+ seconds of every encounter is using at least two skills per global (most of which you must make a decision between two or more possible skills), and after the first 7 seconds or so, you're making decisions about what to press with every half global while also watching your threat and making decisions on when to insert Quelling Strikes, when to use Rain of Death for the debuff, AND keeping up with a silence rotation.

Playing it WELL is nowhere near as faceroll as people try to make it. Not saying it's especially "difficult", but it's definitely not for the lazy...

[OmegaXtc]

This is a non-monetized video so I'm not trying to make money, but it does demonstrate how just a few macros simplify the bard rotation into a sleep mode few buttons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Fn_CJrgWM

[Bardo]

Just FYI, those macros are nowhere near optimal. Not even close.
Tons of clipping dots when wrong buffs are up, missing flame arrow, bloodletter might fire when GCD is almost up, etc... etc...
Using that would probably be less than 80% effective.

You can macro quite a bit of stuff with Bard and still get "close" to optimal, but you'll be left with around a dozen buttons and still be making a lot of quick decisions about which to press.

[OmegaXtc]

Just FYI, those macros are nowhere near optimal. Not even close.
Tons of clipping dots when wrong buffs are up, missing flame arrow, bloodletter might fire when GCD is almost up, etc... etc...
Using that would probably be less than 80% effective.

You can macro quite a bit of stuff with Bard and still get "close" to optimal, but you'll be left with around a dozen buttons and still be making a lot of quick decisions about which to press.

Well, yeah... You still have to do flame arrow, sing your songs, have keybinds on your own AoEs, Have silence on your own key etc. As far as buffs being up, as long as you keep them used and of cooldown, that is better than sitting on them until you can stack them all. Dots are snapshots and I understand you want to have at least crit buffs on before applying them. I've had no problem parsing above relic bards when I had garuda bow and AK gear simply using the macros.

[EasymodeX]

I really don't understand the "5 button rotation lawl" comments about Bard.

[...]Just look at an opener:
[...]
The first 20+ seconds of every encounter is using at least two skills per global

No. L2p a Bard.

You have 5 buttons you attend to for the vast majority of the fight:

1. Straight Shot
2. Windbite
3. Venomous Bite
4. Heavy Shot
5. OGCD macro with [BL, ME, RS, BFB, Hawkeye, IR, Barrage, Quelling]

1 5 2 5 3 5
4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5
/repeat

Otherwise written as: 123 44444 while tapping 5 in between each button.

[Bardo]

You're advocating for using Windbite and Venomous Bite without IR up, and forgetting Flame Arrow and Rain of Death completely, yet you're telling me to L2p Bard?
/confused

Maybe you meant L2p lazy bard that doesn't care if he leaves out key abilities as long as his macro setup makes the class easy to play in his own mind?
You could create a 5 or 6 button macro set for nearly every class that accomplishes that goal.

[NeonC]

What is so hard about any other dps class? More buttons, positions? Don't be ridiculous, playing Monk and Dragoon you have one job. You get in and you beat, thats it! No DPS class is hard and ranking what is marginally more difficult than the next is laughable. Play other games where there is insane execution barriers, 1 frame timing or maintaining inhuman apm. Try playing Tekken/starcraft/quake at high levels then talk, this game is not about difficulty it's about decisions and strategy.

[Woodberry]

Actually, adequate = optimal for Bard. Hence Bards are easy to play.



It's not just "inconvenient". It's the BLM doing bad DPS unless they can position themselves well (or they eat mechanics and screw up healers).

Bards don't have to judge positioning. BLMs lose a straight 15-30% DPS on Titan due to movement. It's "inconvenient" for groups with BLMs to fail heart phase more often than groups without BLMs.

Hence to actually maintain good DPS, BLMs have to try way the hell harder than Bards.


Besides, this entire thread is about convenience. The OP asked about the easiest class to play. What is that if not the most convenient?

In that case, only having to push directional arrows during movement phases is much easier than having to attack at the same time.

[Razla]

You're advocating for using Windbite and Venomous Bite without IR up, and forgetting Flame Arrow and Rain of Death completely, yet you're telling me to L2p Bard?
/confused

Maybe you meant L2p lazy bard that doesn't care if he leaves out key abilities as long as his macro setup makes the class easy to play in his own mind?
You could create a 5 or 6 button macro set for nearly every class that accomplishes that goal.

^ This. People are just trolling. Pretty much confirmed when a lot of the comments are coming from people who don't even have Archer, or a high leveled Bard.

Right now, I have a level 22 lancer and if I follow the logic I am seeing, because lvl 22 LNC is so easy, that means lvl 50 DRG is so super easy too. All I do is hit the thing. I don't even have to pay attention to the healer or other DPS.


The 5 buttons thing made me LOL. Incorrect rotation, left important things out like timing and/or usage of buffs, Rain of Death, Flaming Arrow, Barrage, Quelling Strikes.

I think in any job you are supposed to maximize efficiency. Strive to do the best you can. As a BRD you are performing a balancing and I've seen so many comments from people who only see it as purely DPS - where you can focus on yourself. If you are playing in a party, you are supposed to divide your attention and no, it is not all about your DPS. Maybe this is why I've seen so many bad Archers/Bards.