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.

[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.

[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.

[Daeana]

There's only 3 roles in this game
I agree with you completely THERE ARE ONLY 3 ROLES

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.
let me try this again
(BRD SKILLS) Meaning the powers you quest for "give you one damage ability" Rain of Death THE REST ARE SUPPORTIVE SKILLS
I THEN SAID GRANTED YOU CAN NOT HAVE ONE WITH OUT THE OTHER "YES ARCHER/BRD CAN PUMP OUT DAMAGE"

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?
Would dragoon be as effect as it is if you put a TANK Limit break on it. AS A DPS CLASS

BRD feels hybrid to me like it doesn't FIT in or belong to DPS

[Seaku]

There's only 3 roles in this game
I agree with you completely THERE ARE ONLY 3 ROLES

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.
let me try this again
(BRD SKILLS) Meaning the powers you quest for "give you one damage ability" Rain of Death THE REST ARE SUPPORTIVE SKILLS
I THEN SAID GRANTED YOU CAN NOT HAVE ONE WITH OUT THE OTHER "YES ARCHER/BRD CAN PUMP OUT DAMAGE"

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?
Would dragoon be as effect as it is if you put a TANK Limit break on it. AS A DPS CLASS

You can quote me instead of doing all those colour stuff.

You said in your OP and in the post I quoted: "but I feel that we are a Support Role not a DPS"
And my point being no, I do not believe it is Support just because you get two support songs. Bard is dps, who has support abilities. This does not make it a support.

Also yes, a dragoon doesn't suddenly become less of a DPS because it no longer has a melee limit. Almost all comparisons to dps as well as how effective they are never incorporate the LB. As long as one person in the raid has the LB necessary for your strategy it doesn't matter who wields it. It certainly doesn't define the class.

BRD feels hybrid to me like it doesn't FIT in or belong to DPS.
That my design is flawed in a DPS world. BUT I AM THE ONLY CLASS that can do the Supportive skills that I do right now.

Why is it flawed? Bards do damage, they do it well. So if that's the case and even by your own admission they can, how does this stop you from being a DPS class?
Also every class has some sort of support ability, you might not notice it but it's there. Monk has one that's always active (Dragon Kick) and one used for important heal phases (Mantra), you end up seeing that used more often than Bard songs. That doesn't make them a support role or 'flawed in a DPS world'. Think what you may, Bard is rightly categorized as a DPS and will continue being so in the Expansion as Yoshi has already said they aren't moving away from the 3 role system just yet.

[RubenSnizzle]

Bard is a jack of all trades, it can DPS, but not as good as DRG/MNK, it can AOE, but not as good as BLM, it can DOT, but not as good as SMN.

[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.

[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.