Supporter

[LadyVaJedi]

IMO that is what a bard is a support/dps role. They should have skills that enhance player stats and health regeneration and magic regeneration

[Spyrit]

I think bard will see more buffs as it levels, keep in mind we are only level 50.

[Nicobo]

No. It would fill a dps. He would buff the rest of the Groups dps enough to make up for the lack of his own. Even higher if he´s good - less if not. Just like any DPS.

IMO eventually most players in the new job will tell everyone they are DPS. ^^;

[Spyrit]

In order to balance support class one it has to buff the group and two wear down the mob, if you look at red mage, it buffed the group with haste, barspells, refresh and wore down the mob with dia, paralyze,slow, now haste effects everyone in the group from more damage to more healing to everyone taking less damage, and more resists to debuffs, dia reduced the defense of the mob, so damage was increased via haste and dia. (it effects tank and dps damage, and potentially heals damage) Paralyze and slow reduced the amount of damage a tank took, less healing means more damage from heals.

[LadyVaJedi]

I the Everquest Online Adv. that was the ps2 had the best support damage dealer was the bard. I also liked how each class had two ways that each class/job could be developed. And when you reached a certain level you can develop it even more.

[Tharian]

So in essence you want 1 tank, 1 healer, 1 dps, and 1 support?

Unforatenly because SE decided to go the 4 man dungeon route, a true support class does not work. In a 5 man yes it can, but in a 4 man no (you think dps ques are crazy now, imagine have to reserve a spot for support instead, or will support be classified as dps then groups get screwed over by df by having 2 support classes be placed in so dps is lacking causing more grief and stress on tank and healer since fights must last a lot longer)

Do you honestly consider Archer/Bard to be a DPS class when it doesn't even get a DPS Limit Break? I think future Support Classes will probably be treated in the exact same way that Bard currently is treated.

This is why Bards are usually not using their songs.

I don't know what you are talking about. When doing speed runs, due to the immense amounts of AoE attacks I am throwing down, I am constantly having to throw up Army's Paeon while waiting for Invigorate to come off of cooldown. Not to mention the fact that I am constantly asked for Mage's Ballad by White Mages. So yes, I do use my Song's.

[Duuude007]

SE already hinted at dps no longer taking 50% of the party in the future- that a hybrid role is being considered to shakeup the holy trinity, and fill the 4th (or 7th and 8th) spots.

(Please be excited.)

[Jandor]

Hybrid/Support/Whatever could queue as DPS in 4 man content if it's handled like Bard. Getting a tank/healer/2 bards doesn't render any current content unclearable.

Edit: Also, if it's handled like Bard there won't be any Hybrid/Support/Whatever for pre-30 dungeons so the queues can't be changed really.

[Erudain]

I can't see full support class on 4-man content, his buffs would have to make up for the lack of one DD....if they do that (huge buffs to make up for the lack of one DD) then in 8-man content said buffs would be OP.
Full support class or 75% support/25% dps classes usually work better in games with 5 or 6 men groups (1 tank - 2/3 dd - 1 support - 1 healer)