Buff Bard - The Invisible Nerf

[kazaran]

They said it's a little bit to powerful and will adjust it a little bit to be balanced. A little bit.

[Lux_Rayna]

Buffing songs would just make Bards more overpowered. I dont think you thought this through enough. Its almost as if you thought that by buffing songs, bards would sing more, and therefore do less dmg. This assumption isnt remotely close to being true, and it does not remove the capacity for Bards to do so many things at such a high level with relative ease. Increasing a class's potential is not an invisible nerf.

The dmg by itself is not the issue. My mnk can easily outdmg a bard on a tank and spank. Its the dmg+mobility+boss mechanics that make bard a bit too strong for its own good. You have 100% mobility+100% dmg upkeep (except for occasional song)+no positional requirements. On top of all of this, you can buff the party too. This means on a fight like Titan or Coil, bards will outdps melees on the whole *while* providing capacity for buff support. The only reason to take a melee over a bard then is for the LB. Other than that Bard is *clearly* superior. Its common sense.

[Aramyth]

I dont think you thought this through enough. Its almost as if you thought that by buffing songs, bards would sing more, and therefore do less dmg. This assumption isnt remotely close to being true, and it does not remove the capacity for Bards to do so many things at such a high level with relative ease. Increasing a class's potential is not an invisible nerf.

I don't think nerfing BRD mobility is the answer nor is straight out nerfing BRD damage because currently a SMN, MNK, DRG or BLM of EQUAL skill and gear will ALWAYS out DPS a BRD. Always. Even in Titan. The reason you don't see this frequently is because the skill required to play a BRD is lower but that doesn't mean it needs to be out right nerfed. Make it more complicated and just throwing casts on our skills is just going to make up BLMs (who hit for less) with TP instead of MP.

If you give BRDs a reason to keep up songs and make it more easily accessible to do so (by lowering the MP cost on them) then you are effectively buffing the support role of the BRD and effectively nerfing their damage by 20%. You need to give them a reason to have songs up. If they have songs up they will be playing the class the way it is meant to be played; a DPS/Support.

[AridElf]

I started levelling my bard this week, people are always surprised when I sing for the healer's MP in longer fights. So you lose 20% damage while you sing, big deal, you can still fire off your abilities while moving and as mentioned before, no positional requirements.

I welcome any changes to make Bards use their songs more/ make other dps equally appealing to roll with.

[Shiyo]

Bards just need some cast times added to some of their attacks or some should root them in place for 2-3 seconds for them to be balanced, losing ZERO damage while moving and being at range is simply too strong, even if in target dummy situations they're the worst DPS it's still not balanced.

[RyujinUzikin]

I bring a TP song up if a tank is speeding through a dungeon and I'm running low on TP.

I buff MP when someone dies and healer needs to use a lot of MP.

It's really about the timing of when to cast these songs, they're not meant to be casted from the start unless it's a boss that requires lots of dps for long periods of time.

[Aramyth]

I bring a TP song up if a tank is speeding through a dungeon and I'm running low on TP.

I buff MP when someone dies and healer needs to use a lot of MP.

It's really about the timing of when to cast these songs, they're not meant to be casted from the start unless it's a boss that requires lots of dps for long periods of time.

Right, which means buff BRD songs and give them a reason to have them up for longer. You're buffing the class in its support role and effectively nerfing their damage at the same time with the damage dealt reductions on songs.

[RyuDragnier]

Right, which means buff BRD songs and give them a reason to have them up for longer. You're buffing the class in its support role and effectively nerfing their damage at the same time with the damage dealt reductions on songs.

I'd prefer a useful song or two to help us sing them more. Maybe one that increases the party's attack, to help with the DPS, one to increase their defense, and one to increase cast and skill speed. Of course all 3 would have the -20% damage dealt thing on them, but hey, who'd care when you'd be able to increase the DPS power and survivability of everybody else?

[Gokudo83]

I bring a TP song up if a tank is speeding through a dungeon and I'm running low on TP.

I buff MP when someone dies and healer needs to use a lot of MP.

It's really about the timing of when to cast these songs, they're not meant to be casted from the start unless it's a boss that requires lots of dps for long periods of time.

If you lvl drg to 34 there is no need to sing tp songs for your brd

[PopeHat]

If you lvl drg to 34 there is no need to sing tp songs for your brd

Our AOE's take a lot of TP. The song helps do more AOE.