Bard needs a new support:

[Inosaska]

The bard in this game is more of a DPS class then a support class as it doesn't have a huge amount of support abilities to aid the party.

[RogueSpecter]

The bard in this game is more of a DPS class then a support class as it doesn't have a huge amount of support abilities to aid the party.

And that is why it needs more (job based) abilities! Having only 3 major songs is kinda lame.... 2 of which are only useful if coordinating with party. Which brings me to my next point! Army's Paeon, why is there no TP meter to see in game for PARTY?

[Cigaran]

And that is why it needs more (job based) abilities! Having only 3 major songs is kinda lame.... 2 of which are only useful if coordinating with party. Which brings me to my next point! Army's Paeon, why is there no TP meter to see in game for PARTY?

This. So very, very much this...

[Kuwagami]

The bard in this game is more of a DPS class then a support class as it doesn't have a huge amount of support abilities to aid the party.

That's because most bards are bad <.<

Don't get me wrong, but a bard who is *pewpew* killing mobs isn't a good bard. A good bard will always have a little song to give to ease his comrades' life while rampaging in Eorzea's dungeons, as long as he has the mp for it.

I consider myself a pretty decent bard, I have yet to see a single party where healers ran out of mp even with multiple raises, TP isn't a problem as I usually burn mine faster than anyone and gets army's ready, and casters love my debuffs. But all that come at a cost, and I have an awful dps (still better than tanks in dps stance, thanksfully). Parse me, and you'll lock me out of the party forever. Yet you'll lose a great support if you do that.

I think what the bard needs most is a real occasion to use his songs. Out of speedruns and raids, there is nothing much to do where my art is needed.

[Taban]

That's because most bards are bad <.< Don't get me wrong, but a bard who is *pewpew* killing mobs isn't a good bard. A good bard will always have a little song to give to ease his comrades' life while rampaging in Eorzea's dungeons, as long as he has the mp for it.

I consider myself a pretty decent bard, I have yet to see a single party where healers ran out of mp even with multiple raises, TP isn't a problem as I usually burn mine faster than anyone and gets army's ready, and casters love my debuffs. But all that come at a cost, and I have an awful dps (still better than tanks in dps stance, thanksfully). Parse me, and you'll lock me out of the party forever. Yet you'll lose a great support if you do that.

I think what the bard needs most is a real occasion to use his songs. Out of speedruns and raids, there is nothing much to do where my art is needed.

If you're constantly singing in dungeons, you're doing it wrong. Don't get me wrong, ballad is great when things go to hell, or a healer dies and needs a quick pick me up. But your job is to dps, most healers have decent enough mp management they don't need your songs outside of specific situations. Singing when they don't need it is just needlessly lowering your dps.

[Kuwagami]

If you're constantly singing in dungeons, you're doing it wrong. Don't get me wrong, ballad is great when things go to hell, or a healer dies and needs a quick pick me up. But your job is to dps, most healers have decent enough mp management they don't need your songs outside of specific situations. Singing when they don't need it is just needlessly lowering your dps.

It's not about singing all the time. It's about singing all the time that's needed. The difference is huge.

Bards have access to a lot of offensive CDs to help while they are singing.
It's not a coincidence if furious strikes have a 20% damage buff, while your songs are lowering your damages by 20%. That's 20 seconds of free song without any dps loss. Also, hawk's eye gives a nice help for that. With internal release, you can have a never ending rain of bloodletter procs. and B4B also gives a little extra.

I believe these buffs aren't here to satisfy bards' epeen. they are here to compensate the lowered damages while singing.

As for "useless songs", ballad gives the healer to go rampage with holy/ DoT without worrying too much about MP management for a few GCDs, which isn't neglictable in SRs, or to give some raises/come back to life without too much trouble (but again, out of SRs and raids, that's pretty useless as they can do all that without MP problems)
Paeon allows the physical dps to go rampage in heavy AoE situations
Foe is the most useful song you have due to its total awesomeness without compensation. tbh, I would gladly eat the 20% damage debuff considering how much the mages (any of them, DDs or healers) love to wreck things when Foe is up, and how much more efficient than me they are when doing so.

The real problem here is that SE made the bard out of his support role by just making it dps (I know that he would be alone as a support, thus exclusive, thus rarer than tanks, etc... not the point), and only giving him some songs which people do not care of, and which they cannot find a real use if they want to bother.
Sadly, without forcing it by doing SRs or Coil, only Foe will come in handy.


TL;DR :
You're a bard, a buffer, a support SE made dps because there is only ONE support at the moment in FFxiv. That does not make you a dps. Be more useful to your party and sing.

[Razzle]

.

As a main WHM I fully agree. I wish more BRDs (not only BRDs but players in general) would think about the DPS as a whole party and not their own DPS against others.

If a BRD knows when to use songs I can easily spam holy (ballad) for 900+ dmg per mob (Foe), which speeds the run by A LOT than it would with me sitting and healing the tank while the BRD DPS for 200 dmg per mob and runs out of TP in a min.

[Obysuca]

The bard in this game is more of a DPS class then a support class as it doesn't have a huge amount of support abilities to aid the party.

Idk about you, but I'm always using the songs >.> Depending on the situation of course. I've actually had a few other brds in my pts start copying me with using songs lol That's one let down that I see with other brds, they just spam their skills and most brds need to be told to use ballad. Seriously, not trying to put anyone down but if you're going to play brd, you need to see everything. Healers mp, depending on how long a fight is going on, maybe toss in TP+ to help the DD. If the healer's aren't looking to be low on mp or on trash mobs and you have some mages, throw on foe's. As Brd, I'm constantly looking all over my UI at things to check if something needs to be done.

Tbh, regen, atk+, def+ songs would be nice. Maybe even eva+

That's because most bards are bad <.<

Don't get me wrong, but a bard who is *pewpew* killing mobs isn't a good bard. A good bard will always have a little song to give to ease his comrades' life while rampaging in Eorzea's dungeons, as long as he has the mp for it.

I consider myself a pretty decent bard, I have yet to see a single party where healers ran out of mp even with multiple raises, TP isn't a problem as I usually burn mine faster than anyone and gets army's ready, and casters love my debuffs. But all that come at a cost, and I have an awful dps (still better than tanks in dps stance, thanksfully). Parse me, and you'll lock me out of the party forever. Yet you'll lose a great support if you do that.

I think what the bard needs most is a real occasion to use his songs. Out of speedruns and raids, there is nothing much to do where my art is needed.

^ All of this. Brd was intended to be light DD leaning more into support, but SE kind of forced everything that's not a healer/tank to be a DD. Some people don't realize that with your lowered damage, you're actually helping the pt overall. But most seem to only care about their epeen and seeing "high" number

[Gormogon]

I agree the Bard needs music that applies to more than just resource and a buff to mages dps.

Would be nice to see some utility, debuff, and damaging songs.

The bard in this game is more of a DPS class then a support class as it doesn't have a huge amount of support abilities to aid the party.

Bard is actually more of a support Job than it is a dps Job. The whole point behind the Bards Songs is the melodies which give support to healers, melee. and mages.

The dps comes from the "Archer" class abilities not the "Bard" job abilities.

So I propose the bard healing limit break be song related.

[TeaTimeBear]

Already said neeevermind