BRD rotation

[BakaChin]

Hello fellow adventurers!

I've scoured the forums for a rotation guide as I have just started rolling a BRD but nothing as yet.

I was wondering if anyone can give me a few tips regarding a decent rotation.

I'm currently using SS - VEN - WB - HS and rotate while hitting blood letter when available

[Thorauku]

There's no BRD rotation, basically, just keep up your SS buff and DoT always and you're good to go.

[ShiroSteve]

Hope this is of help:

http://www.ffxivinfo.com/guides/bard.php

[Ooshima]

Yup, BRD is kinda idiot proof to a large extend. Throw in Blunt Arrow (if silence is not needed) and Repelling Shot whenever available and pop CDs according.

On a side note, heya Baka Chin! (hope you recognize me lol!)

[Marcusow86]

What rotation LOL XD

Except for some of the mechanism in the game (eg: T1 Slime) using macros for blood letter and misery's end will make your life super easy while able to maximize dps.

I would only suggest macros those two skills, buff skills like BfB, RS will need to be activated manually depending on burn phases.

TIPS: if you are sure you won't be using silence anytime soon, blunt arrow and repelling shot can be use to add up to your DPS.

[Tinoris]

What I do most of the time, it depends on the fight, ie mechanics, boss vs trash, DPS race etc:

SS (for buff, buff applies to DoT damage), pop all dmg buff cool downs (also situational, there are times where you'll want to save them), WB, BL, VB, HSx3/Weave in BL when it procs/SS procs.

After that it becomes a priority system: those are 1) SS buff is on, 2) DoTs are up, 3) Misery's End, 4) SS procs, 5)BL procs. Use dmg buffs as they come off cooldown. Another thing to note is your dmg buffs also apply to WB/VB, so make sure you have them up before WB/VB.

Like Ooshima said, once you get the basic priority system down, try to weave in Blunt Arrow/Repelling Shot/Flaming Arrow. They are off the global cooldown so you can use them in between other skills. For Example, SS-(buffs)-WB-FA-VB-BA-HS-RS-HS-BL-HS. Just an example, the priorty list takes...well...priority.

Just be careful with Blunt Arrow, there are fights that may require a BRD to be a main silencer and you'll want to save it for the right time, and Repelling Shot, well...you don't want to use that during...say...Titan's LS and fly right off the ledge, lol.

[Ooshima]

Just be careful with Blunt Arrow, there are fights that may require a BRD to be a main silencer and you'll want to save it for the right time, and Repelling Shot, well...you don't want to use that during...say...Titan's LS and fly right off the ledge, lol.

And know when to use repelling shot - for example, it could be used to repel off a stacked WoTL for Titan EX. But certainly don't use it in Ifrit EX when Eruption is about to come, if not you will generate an eruption ahead of your other teammates which they probably have to eat. A good time to use Repelling Shot to up your DPS is when Ifrit is casting Searing Wind on your healers, that's 100% safe to use

Also make good use of your DoTs to generate blood letter procs. If there are times where you could spread your DoTs and they last long, do so. Example would be T5, Scourge of Meracydia, I always spread my DoTs and spam my free-flow procs. In Ifrit EX nails phase, you can spread windbite over to the next 2 nails which your team would hit in succession and you will find that the nails can be down even faster.

Basically to start off as a BRD, try to get used to the basic priority system. Then, run some idiot proof instances like WP where you can start popping your CDs in between your weaponskills (which means popping your OGCD CDs during your GCD time) to get a hang of their recast time and how you can "naturally" or "situationally" insert them into your rotations.

And soon you will get the hang of it

[Lyrinn]

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.

[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)