RIP Bard

[Lillia]

snip

"We" "us" Please don't type like everyone feels the same way. This thread is filled with mixed reactions by all those who main or alt bard. A few posts you put has been with the starting words I wrote and I for one personally do like the sound of the change. I want to believe SE will tweak it over time to adjust to the needs bards have but it needs to be used first to see what players feel after they actually tried using the skills and new play styles.

I personally feel like the skill may be great, it's optional and the most I'd like to happen? a skill animation time reduction. That's the ONLY problem I see, I know you have your preferences. That's fine and all but you're fighting against a skill you haven't even seen, they didn't show the damage rates of the shots or anything and I do prefer not falling too far behind in DPS that I'm just going to be standing around doing for maybe 2 mins in a fight before having to move around again afterwards.

Machinist is almost the same yes, but if they offer similar support or just as beneficial support merits then who do you think is going to get into those raid slots? Preferably not a bard over a machinist if their DPS is a significant amount lower, I can promise you this for a fact. Quite a bit of Raid Turns require a certain amount of DPS to be put into them most the time. If the DPS required is more needy because of the increased cap and harder monsters in HW's new raid then guess what, all jobs will need to pull a certain amount of DPS and this includes Bard.

Like I said there will be changes if there's problems with the skill but it won't be the ability to moving and shooting with auto attacks with the increased damage buff/stance because that's too overpowered to have at once for a single class/job. Also I hate to say it but bard is there for a certain amount of DPS and a certain amount of support, we aren't just one nor the other so we need to be able to do both roles as efficiently as the other and sometimes that comes with sacrifices.

Lastly, just try to remember that the base of our job isn't changing... I know right now with the changes it feels like it is but think of it as additions that depending on how they perform may not even be used all that often if at all. These are as I just wrote; Additions and nothing more, unless we see something crazy like current skills nerfed theres not much of a change so far.

Oh and I do have worries, I'm not trying to type this all down like I don't have some or I haven't considered any problems with the skill but the beautiful thing about MMOs is that it can be changed and so far stuff has been changed quite a few times to fix jobs and imbalances so don't worry too much.


Edit: I also want to note why I like bard seeing as if these changes do take place, they will be the "blm phys turret class(?)" I like bard not just for the movement, I like it for the ability to be able to be useful in multiple situations. Bard is the only class where I feel like I can actually be useful in ways that no other class can really be. It's unique because while ninja may be able to fill TP and healers can recover MP, they can't do it as often as a bard. No other class right now can do the supportive abilities that a bard can provide while doing that small amount of DPS that also fills in enough to get the group by as they allow other DPS, tanks or healers extend their abilities with TP or MP recoveries.

At first, I wasn't appealed by this class until I noticed how much value it has as a team player when I gave it a try for my first static in XIV and that made me love and appreciate the class for what it is. I know it's not the generic bard but it's something I really like to play and as long as I can support others the way I always do.... well... I'm just happy with that, mostly anyways.

[AzraelX]

The thing i look at is that...the new song is optional. people complained about bard's dps output well here u have it. I'm guessing they did testing with bard freely mobile and high damage output and it was probably very op./ too easy. remember they did all these changes with lv 60 end game raids/dungeons in mind. if you were fine with lower dps and mobility u still have it. i think its a good risk/reward. I can imagine the best bards will be able to use WMs and freely mobile at optimal times during boss fights for highest dps.

[StouterTaru]

The thing i look at is that...the new song is optional.

Just like all the previous songs. If you want to continue to bring nothing to the party but mediocre dps, you will be able to do so in the expansion.

[Irie]

Just like all the previous songs. If you want to continue to bring nothing to the party but mediocre dps, you will be able to do so in the expansion.

^Exactly this.

[RiceisNice]

The thing i look at is that...the new song is optional. people complained about bard's dps output well here u have it. I'm guessing they did testing with bard freely mobile and high damage output and it was probably very op./ too easy. remember they did all these changes with lv 60 end game raids/dungeons in mind. if you were fine with lower dps and mobility u still have it. i think its a good risk/reward. I can imagine the best bards will be able to use WMs and freely mobile at optimal times during boss fights for highest dps.

And possibly lead to subpar dps. That'd be the eqvuilant BLMs not using their enochain for IV spells, or the new dreadwyrm trance... or the monks managing chakra.

[Gilraen]

And possibly lead to subpar dps. That'd be the eqvuilant BLMs not using their enochain for IV spells, or the new dreadwyrm trance... or the monks managing chakra.

It's the bad Bard that concerns themselves with just their output as a DD. When I spawn into a dungeon my first act is often Swiftsong, because who doesn't like to get going a little faster? My second is to check to see who all I'm in with. If there's a caster I set in mind that I should Foe's when I can, if the tank is a marauder I consider keeping a finger ready to sing Paeon and if the healer is a White Mage and thinks it prudent to Holy I keep ready to drop Ballad. Never do I think about going balls-to-the-wall damage output that seems to be the prevailing idea of how a Bard should Bard.

[Viridiana]

Never do I think about going balls-to-the-wall damage output that seems to be the prevailing idea of how a Bard should Bard.

It's not that people are advocating "balls-to-the-wall damage" necessarily (though sure, some are), it's that HW encounters will be tuned assuming that the BRD is making use of WM when they can. If the BRD isn't, that means the other DPS have to make up the difference. We have no way yet of knowing how much difference that is or how difficult it'll be to compensate for. I kinda doubt it'll be trivial, but that's an assumption. And the thing is, they're actually going to be balanced around a BRD doing everything you just mentioned on top of playing WM when they can. . .

[RiceisNice]

...

Last I saw, bards queue as a damage dealer. You even mention this. If a bard can't do reasonable numbers, they're essentially throwing their party into a scenario where the songs are absolutely mandatory to make up for it. You don't seem to think it's a major point of a bard, but it still remains one of their aspects.

[Gilraen]

All the rage over a new ability that takes nothing from the Job's existing skillset. It's like taking a car in for routine maintenance then flipping a table because they hung an air freshener from the mirror when they gave it back. Don't like it, don't use it. Simple as that. "But they will have balanced everything around using it!" No, they can't, because of it's optional nature. The only thing Heavensward's content is balanced around is you getting better gear.

[Escadora]

From what I understand about the changes i'm already looking forward to 3.0 BRD. If something like this wasn't implemented I would have ultimately switched classes for raiding content in heavensward. Playing it as a main since the release of 2.0. I love the class, but Bard play in my opinion at the moment is lacking something. Not the "Bards parse lower than other DD" but it's the choices, I wanted more choices and variety in what I was able to do and implementing a quasi-stance dancing mechanism is exactly what I wanted. Some flavor. So no complaints here. If the job wasn't changed to the extent that was showcased I would have switched jobs for 3.x progression. 100%