BRD rotation

[Marcusow86]

Two misc. questions:

Quelling Strikes is obviously useful on pull, but is it worth using any time afterwards? The tanks should have no problems after they get started up, right?

Is it better to stack/stagger buffs or use them one at a time? Every time my DoTs need to be refreshed, I pop a cooldown. I've read some rotation guides saying it's better to stagger them - like Internal Release --> Windbite --> Hawk's Eye --> Venomous Bite --> Raging Strikes --> etc. but I don't understand why that's better.

1. Quelling strike can be use beginning of the fight and also anytime when boss transition to a new phase while wiping all aggro. Eg: Garuda HM, Ext where you want to start your dps but do not want to pull aggro.

2. Basically you would want all of your buff to be under CD. Meaning, use it when they are available. But first, you would need to gauge the situation of the fight. Will you be in a burn phase soon? Will the boss change phase soon? Will you receive any major damage soon?

If you need the buff for burn phase and that phase will come very soon. Then save your buff for that phase.
If the boss will change phase soon (boss will go invulnerable for a set amount of time). Then save your buff till the phase change is complete.
If you are going to receive a lot of damage soon (titan's tumult, titan's jump, etc). Then BfB should definitely be avoided. save it till that part of the fight is over.

Always go Raging Strike > Windbite > Venomous Bite and not the other way around. This will ensure your DoTs were powered up.

Windbite before Venomous Bite. As Dot crit from Windbite will refresh your Bloodletter CD. You need to keep these two Dots on the boss/enemy at all time.

[Ooshima]

Two misc. questions:

Quelling Strikes is obviously useful on pull, but is it worth using any time afterwards? The tanks should have no problems after they get started up, right?

Is it better to stack/stagger buffs or use them one at a time? Every time my DoTs need to be refreshed, I pop a cooldown. I've read some rotation guides saying it's better to stagger them - like Internal Release --> Windbite --> Hawk's Eye --> Venomous Bite --> Raging Strikes --> etc. but I don't understand why that's better.

On buffs - always stagger. Why? To maximize the buff time and up time. First, although buffs are insta-cast but they have animation time. Imagine the time required to pop all your CDs all at one go together => that's the amount of time you are doing NOTHING. As such pop your CDs during your GCD time (which is the waiting time in between your weaponskills) because CDs are OGCD. This ensure that you are always dealing damage whenever you can. Same as using OGCD damaging skills => Heavy Shot -> Blunt Arrow -> Heavy Shot -> Repelling Shot for example.

Quelling Strikes is your aggro management tool. Sure you don't always have to use it if your tanks aren't a flop but there will be times it will come to use. For example, Garuda EX sisters phase - if you popped Raging Strikes and other CD and went ape shit the instant Chirada drops, there is a high chance you will pull aggro. You could wait for OT to hold aggro but again that's wasting time. Solution is, pop Raging Strikes + Quelling Strikes and you can safely wallop Chirada all you want. The idea is if you are going to burst damage and you expect yourself that you might generate too much aggro or even pull aggro, pop Quelling Strikes.

Just on a side note, I personally don't use Quelling for Garuda EX's sisters phase. I just manage by throwing DoTs to both Suparana and Chirada first (boosted by BFB) then start walloping Chirada/Suparna (depending on the agreed trait)

[Lyrinn]

Always go Raging Strike > Windbite > Venomous Bite and not the other way around. This will ensure your DoTs were powered up.

Windbite before Venomous Bite. As Dot crit from Windbite will refresh your Bloodletter CD. You need to keep these two Dots on the boss/enemy at all time.

Well, the reason for using IR/HE first is to maximize crit chance for BL resets, since RS only increases damage. At least, that's what I've read.

On buffs - always stagger. Why? To maximize the buff time and up time. First, although buffs are insta-cast but they have animation time. Imagine the time required to pop all your CDs all at one go together => that's the amount of time you are doing NOTHING. As such pop your CDs during your GCD time (which is the waiting time in between your weaponskills) because CDs are OGCD. This ensure that you are always dealing damage whenever you can. Same as using OGCD damaging skills => Heavy Shot -> Blunt Arrow -> Heavy Shot -> Repelling Shot for example.

What I meant by "stack" was basically overlap in buff timers. The guides I've read say oGCD --> GCD --> Repeat, but like in the example above, if you do IR --> WB --> HE --> VB, then you have both IR and HE up at the same time. What I've been doing is (again, for example), IR --> WB --> VB --> Heavy Shot or Straighter Shot procs until DoTs need to be refreshed --> HE --> WB --> VB --> repeat. I guess I run into the problem where buffs like Barrage sit on the side for a while, but if you burn all your cooldowns, don't you have downtime anyways?

Maybe it would help if I linked one of the references: http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/commen..._rotations_cd/

[Ooshima]

What I meant by "stack" was basically overlap in buff timers. The guides I've read say oGCD --> GCD --> Repeat, but like in the example above, if you do IR --> WB --> HE --> VB, then you have both IR and HE up at the same time. What I've been doing is (again, for example), IR --> WB --> VB --> Heavy Shot or Straighter Shot procs until DoTs need to be refreshed --> HE --> WB --> VB --> repeat. I guess I run into the problem where buffs like Barrage sit on the side for a while, but if you burn all your cooldowns, don't you have downtime anyways?

Maybe it would help if I linked one of the references: http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/commen..._rotations_cd/

I see what you mean where. With regards to BRD, no hard and fast rule. In fact BRD has many ways to play despite limited weapon skills and no combo to play with.

How you want to pop your CD largely depend on the instance you engage and what you will be expecting next.

Straight forward instances like WP bosses? Just pop all your CDs and re-pop again whenever they become available.

Titan EX? Phase 1 you can just pop all CDs and go ape shit. After Titan EX jumps and geo crush and enters the next part, your faster refresh CDs like IR/BFB should be refreshed while Hawk's Eye and RS might be still on CD. You can go ahead and re-pop IR/BfB. However when Hawk's Eye and RS refreshed, you might want to save them for Heart Phase since it will be next very soon.

Other situational cases could be say, T5. Phase 1, just pop all CDs and wallop because all your CDs will be refreshed when Phase 2 starts. Then, you will want to "stagger" your CDs instead of popping all at one go. You can choose Hawk's + IR for one of the fast conflag and BfB+RS for the other fast conflag.

In general, get to know the sequence of the fight well. If there is an upcoming phase where you need to burn, check again how long more till that phase. Very long? Go ahead and pop all since your CDs will be refreshed by then. Not exactly very long? Maybe pop a quick one like BfB/IR. VERY VERY SOON? Save them up and stagger their usage if need be (like T5 conflag phase example above).

With regards to Barrage -> use it after Raging Strikes. Personally, I will pop Barrage right after Hawk's Eye and Raging Strikes are up because your auto attack dmg are affected by the above 2 CD boosts.


P.S. => Then again, evaluate your team's overall DPS. If it's very high for that instance you are in that you don't really need to pop CDs during "burn phases", just whatever and pop your CDs whenever they become available

[Drakuaza]

To those saying Raging strikes before windbite and venom over internal release, no, basically when you are done with your rotation and have to reaply dots, they will have the raging stikes buff + blood for blood before it wears off.

This is the one i use the most.

Quelling Strikes as tank Pulls > Straight Shot > Bloodletter > Internal Release > Windbite > Hawk’s Eyes > Venomous Bite > Raging Strikes > Blood for Blood > Heavy Shot > Flame Arrow > Heavy Shot > Barrage > Heavy Shot > Bloodletter/Blunt arrow > Straight Shot > Bloodletter/Repel Shot > Windbite > Bloodletter/Repel shot > Venomous Bite > Bloodletter/Repel Shot > Heavy Shot > Blood/Blunt/Flame/Repel > Heavy Shot > Blood/Blunt/Flame/Repel > Heavy Shot > Blood/Blunt/Flame/Repel > Start again with Straightshot and utilizing the buffs as they come back from cooldown.

Demonstration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZwPA1Nfzqo

[Lyrinn]

Would it be reasonable for me to think of popping all cooldowns as "burst" damage? Because it seems like every scenario you describe has you saving them for burn phases or using them all otherwise. But then I still don't get why you would "burst" on pull with a rotation like what Drakuaza uses.

Really appreciate the advice. Sorry if these are stupid questions, I'm a healer trying to learn BRD as a main DPS class. ><

[Drakuaza]

Would it be reasonable for me to think of popping all cooldowns as "burst" damage? Because it seems like every scenario you describe has you saving them for burn phases or using them all otherwise. But then I still don't get why you would "burst" on pull with a rotation like what Drakuaza uses.

Really appreciate the advice. Sorry if these are stupid questions, I'm a healer trying to learn BRD as a main DPS class. ><

By keeping a steady use on your cooldowns will allow you to have a constant burst dps to the degree where you will always have at least 1 up at 80% of your attacking time after the initial burst, and that usually is more than enough to go through dps check heavy phases. Not only that, it ensures most of the time(usually all my cooldowns are coming back 1 by one so i can pull them off by doing em in-between my attacks during heavy dps phases)

EDIT:
Forgot to say about barrage, but Bardo below my post got it.

[Bardo]

The reason you want to "stack" your cooldowns is because of Barrage.
Raging Strikes, Blood for Blood, and Hawk's eye are all additive.
If those were the only buffs you had, then you would want to just weave them on cooldown and it wouldn't matter if you stacked them or not.

But Barrage interacts with each of those in a multiplicative manner.
So the more of those buffs you stack on top of Barrage, the more damage you get out of them.

Of course you don't want to sit on them when they're off cooldown waiting for the others to all come off cooldown just so you can stack them again though.
Unless you actually need them for a specific burst phase like Titan Heart or Conflag, in which case saving them will lower your total overall dps, but it's necessary due to fight mechanics.

So the best way to handle buffs is to stack them near the beginning of the fight to take advantage of the Barrage interaction, then unless you need them for an upcoming burst phase, just weave them as soon as they come off cooldown.

[Tinks]

At one point I tried explaining in text how to best go about playing BRD...then I came across this video. While it isn't perfect and doesn't take every situation in to account, its pretty awesome for getting a general idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5XAHGXedNo

[AunaYuuki]

Just pop everything at the start of a fight and pull the boss. Everyone will scream. That is how you bard. (In serious-ness youtube is your friend for bard tutorials and suggestions.)