What is a Bard?

[Daeana]

Bard's skill set is Unique.
We have DOT's (Damage Over Time)
AOE (Area Of Effect) damage and a DOT AOE as well.
A silence and a bind.
Then we have our main damage rotation of shots.
I understand these mechanics.

Lets look our Bard Job skills
1 Skill shot of damage from above
SONG
2 songs reduce our damage "and buff the Party"
1 song to BOOST another classes damage.
1 Skill to boost the effect of our songs

and Lastly a HEALERS Limit Break.

Are we really considered DPS. I know we can put out good damage. but I feel that we are a Support Role not a DPS.

What are your feeling on this. This is not a complaint it is a thread to see what others think of this job and it's Role.

[Blackheart]

In my experience a brd doesn't really need to play any support songs unless the fight is taking way too long or a healer is downed and needs MP. So in my case i'd say more of a DPS (and i rarely and i do mean RARELY see a brd limit).

[RinchanNau]

Bard is DPS. There is no full on support job in the game. All DPS jobs have a few support skills.

Most people claiming BRD is support seem to use it as an excuse for not dealing adequate damage.

[Krisom]

Bard is a DPS that sacrifices a portion of their damage to support the team. So if anything it's a DPS with some supportive perks.
Also see Limit Break as a group ability rather than a personal one and to be honest you're not missing out on too much.

[Black91CRX]

If you aren't singing, you aren't doing your job. That's my opinion on it.

[Daeana]

I personally do a lot of solo stuff and Queue Up with Duty Roulette and Duty Finder.

I agree with EVERYONE's Statements.

Mages Ballad \ Army's Paeon / = MP and TP regeneration, is for specific situation's ("fight is taking way too long or a healer is downed and needs MP.")

Foe Requime = Reduces all enemy elemental resistance by 10% Does this effect Windbite and other attacks that have elemental effects? Should this ALWAYS be on even if there is no caster in your group? I am asking cause I don't know?

WE hardly ever see and Bard LIMIT BREAK cause it is the ONLY DPS CLASS with out a DPS limit break. Like when you have two bard and a healer in a DUTY FINDER quest.

I also think that if your MP is full your not using your job to its fullest. and I do see the appeal to having your brd with the ability to have and oh shit button in a party. But if you have two healers already isn't a 3rd a waste?

[Daeana]

Bard is DPS. There is no full on support job in the game. All DPS jobs have a few support skills.

Most people claiming BRD is support seem to use it as an excuse for not dealing adequate damage.

I feel that
ARCHER is DPS

Bard skills are Support
Granted you can't have one with out the other so YES ARCHER CAN PUMP OUT DAMAGE

as I stated earlier "Are we really considered DPS. I know we can put out good damage. but I feel that we are a Support Role not a DPS."

TICK for TICK on numbers can we compare to the Other DPS classes was more question as to (What is a Bard?)

With out a Limit break of damage we can never Bust out a single damage shot of 10% or more on a health bar. or one shot a wave of adds in a end fight. spreading our damage. now if your LIMIT break was to status bars remove all negative asspects and refill MP and TP or Reset all cooldowns that would make bard unique to me.

[Maero]

Experienced healers and such know how to manage mp same as dps with tp, etc.
Songs are there to be sung if or when needed not always a must needed.
Army's Patheon i maybe only ever used it 3 or 4 times as Bard. Twice in a few of my first ever T4 runs back in the day as warior tank asked for it
and maybe once when i was not paying attention to my tp so was out, lol.
Mage's Ballad and Foe Requiem by far are the most useful songs and i also agree some comments people make about Bard being a "support" class, well why do i out dps them even while i have a song active, lol (mainly drgs make those comments at Bards usually)

Foe is used when either a blm or smn are in the group i don't think windbite or venemeous bite is effected, however i truly believe Holy from a whm is

[Ooshima]

Bard is DPS. There is no full on support job in the game. All DPS jobs have a few support skills.

Most people claiming BRD is support seem to use it as an excuse for not dealing adequate damage.

This.

Just because BRD have 2 of the most useful support skills that can be used in any battle doesn't turn them into a support job.

[Seaku]

I feel that
ARCHER is DPS

Bard skills are Support
Granted you can't have one with out the other so YES ARCHER CAN PUMP OUT DAMAGE

as I stated earlier "Are we really considered DPS. I know we can put out good damage. but I feel that we are a Support Role not a DPS."

TICK for TICK on numbers can we compare to the Other DPS classes was more question as to (What is a Bard?)

With out a Limit break of damage we can never Bust out a single damage shot of 10% or more on a health bar. or one shot a wave of adds in a end fight. spreading our damage. now if your LIMIT break was to status bars remove all negative asspects and refill MP and TP or Reset all cooldowns that would make bard unique to me.

There's only 3 roles in this game, none of them are support.

Yes Bard have slightly less damage than other jobs in a straight up dummy fight, though if I remember correctly that is due to the fact that they have 100% uptime compared to other jobs. Their 2 main 'support' skills reduce their damage and at the moment are only really useful if people get downed or T8. Of course they use foe's requiem but all martial dps have ways to increase someone's dps (their own or someone elses). Foe's doesn't reduce your damage so you can still dps at full capacity during that time. So at all other times that you are not singing mage's ballad or army's paeon (which isn't often) you are a main dps. So I'd say, Bards are a dps class with two of the more useful support skills. In no way does that put them in a support role.

Also just because you do not have a damage limit doesn't turn you into a support. Dragoon could have the tank LB, it wouldn't make Dragoons a tank now would it?

Edit: When you become a bard you don't lose your archer skills, they don't do less damage either. So just because you become a bard doesn't make the archer portion of you less of a dps. I mention this because you say archer is a dps but somehow bard is no longer one by adding more stuff.