Bowharp and the Death of RNG

[Xenor]

I don't think anyone who plays ARC actually wants to play a bard. Giving ARC the BRD job would be the biggest mistake they've made with this game since deciding to release it in September last year. It's not even a case of "you can't please everyone" here, it would be a case of "you haven't pleased anyone". The effect will be felt by non-ARCs too who want a cool BRD in their party but they can't get one because no one wants to play their ARC that way. People who liked BRD in XI won't be BRDs because they may not fancy ranking up a DD class to get it.

[Physic]

I don't think anyone who plays ARC actually wants to play a bard. Giving ARC the BRD job would be the biggest mistake they've made with this game since deciding to release it in September last year. It's not even a case of "you can't please everyone" here, it would be a case of "you haven't pleased anyone". The effect will be felt by non-ARCs too who want a cool BRD in their party but they can't get one because no one wants to play their ARC that way. People who liked BRD in XI won't be BRDs because they may not fancy ranking up a DD class to get it.

I think, that if they actually make this into a good class, it wont really play like bard in ffxi, but more like an archer with a lot more buff potential. Think raging strike, and hawkeye, but for every one in a cone. This while they sit back and prepare a insanely strong multishot, (having massive amounts of buffs placed on it) They could theoretically also do things like sleep monsters, etc. More of a ranged support class, with some decent DD elements.

If executed in some way like this, it could be pretty interesting, the main problem is

It aint really what most people wanted out of a bow class
It aint really wht most people wanted out of bard class.

In the long run this could be solved later on if there was other ranger specialisations, or a new class that also is a bard, but more song/buff heavy, but that is a lonnnnnnnnng way off. Most likely if they add secondary specialisations, it would be after releasing new classes and then jobs. fact is jobs, based on the last updates time, is anywhere from 4 to 6 months away so secondary jobs? really really far off.

In that time, archers wont have much options if they didnt want to support. and people who wanted to support may find barcher to be too focused on DD ( i mean no matter what specialized skills bard specificly gets, almost every single skill on archer is either about DD, or keeping itself safe, not too much support there) honestly barcher seems like a good idea, once you have hunter/ranger and bard/singer/musicperson already out. Then you get barcher with an interesting mix of playstyles, but for the number one job of archer? ehhhh


But you know, there is a reasonable possibility that archer wont become bard, and bard is something they have planned down the line, that they mentioned earlier.

[Ferth]

I have mixed feelings of the notion of Archers turning into Bard... but most of those feelings stem from a deep disappointment of the apparent direction of the Job System. I really dislike the jobs tied to specific classes on a 1:1 ratio, I don't see it as an expansive step.

From a lore perspective the decision confuses me, because we have two bards (that I know of) already in the game and neither project any sense of archery (one actually seems more like a gladiator than anything else.)

I will probably get some flak for this but I think the job system is being rushed into place and very poorly thought through. I am willing to wait and see it in action... but it doesn't seem to do anything to expand on the armoury system or create flexibility, but rather seems to constrict options.

Unfortunately, they've more than likely put too much work into the current system to be able to change much at this point.

[User201109011315]

I will probably get some flak for this but I think the job system is being rushed into place and very poorly thought through. I am willing to wait and see it in action... but it doesn't seem to do anything to expand on the armoury system or create flexibility, but rather seems to constrict options.

You won't get flak from any reasonable person, because that is actually what obviously has happened.

It takes 6 months to design a set of gear, and they obviously rushed out the concept so they could have it ready in a timely fashion, but I think it's time they backpeddled a bit, and analysed how incompatible the system is with the preexisting structure of the armory system.

Like you said, a one-to-one relationship is not expansive. In fact, it's practically the polar opposite of expansion; contraction. It's contracting the flexibility of the armory system.

[Kiote]

I have mixed feelings of the notion of Archers turning into Bard... but most of those feelings stem from a deep disappointment of the apparent direction of the Job System. I really dislike the jobs tied to specific classes on a 1:1 ratio, I don't see it as an expansive step.

The Job system was never meant to be expansive. It was meant to be restrictive. It is only being added to satiate the people who can't make there own classes.

[Zantetsuken]

If you don't want to play BRD, you can keep playing ARC - It's a pretty good DD last I checked.

Jobs are designed to modify classes via specialization and are made for party use. Classes are for soloing.

I think the bow-harp is a fantastic idea - A buffing job that can DD as well~

Not really sure what the issue is here...

[Physic]

If you don't want to play BRD, then stay as ARC - It's a pretty good DD last I checked.

Jobs are designed to modify classes via specialization and are made for party use. Classes are for soloing.

I think the bow-harp is a fantastic idea, but if you are an ARC that doesn't, then don't play BRD...

Not really sure what the issue is here...

this would be a good idea, but truth is, you probably wont be a better DD without bard. Archer doesnt really need much cross class skills to do its DD job. So a bard will most likely have access to all the archer skills, and some specialized ones. The idea they said is that the roles will be better at their role, so basically while archers DD is top teir versus current jobs, whatever jobs are supposed to be DD, need to be better at DD than they were before, so archer will most likely not be hax, when drg get something like blood of the dragon and does 1.5x dmg for 20 seconds everytime it jumps. (purely fictional ability, but hey sounds cool to me)

[goonMagi]

I think the bow-harp is a fantastic idea - A buffing job that can DD as well~

Not really sure what the issue is here...

the issue, as others have pointed out and hopefull SE can see for itself, is that an Archer class and a Bard class are completely opposite spectrum in terms of play styles. One is DD, the other is completely support. People who are looking forward to playing a Bard in the future are NOT going to want to be a freaking DD...

why the HELL would they do this?!?!

edit: I also want to say that the old jobs were amazing, not only because they had an old lore feeling to them (major props to the original artistic designs from old FF games) but also because they played critical, fun and extremely interesting roles! They could just rework how songs get casted, or what energy is used when you play them... but don't trash the spirit of the job (which was DEFINITELY support).

[AeraLucis]

the issue, as others have pointed out and hopefull SE can see for itself, is that an Archer class and a Bard class are completely opposite spectrums in terms of play styles. One is DD, the other is completely support. People who are looking forward to playing a Bard in the future are NOT going to watch to be a freaking DD...

Um... I am looking forward to playing a Bard AND want to be able to DD in-between casting buffs. But thanks for insinuating I'm not a person.

Also, Bard sounds like a perfect job role for Archer. They already stand in the back. And what's the point of giving archer a Job role that just does damage? What would make that role in the party any different from the Monk? Or the Dragoon?

Jobs are suppose to make the classes, which people complained play the same way, into more unique roles that have different duties during a party.

Lastly, your assumption that Bards are completely support is flawed. If you're taking FFXI as your reference, Bard's were only able to heal in between casting songs because of a WHM subjob. There is no reason why, with a bow in hand, Bards wouldn't be able to do damage in between casting songs. Besides, you don't even know how the bard job will work. For all we know you might be casting songs with TP, consequently requiring you to do some damage to be effective.

[goonMagi]

Um... I am looking forward to playing a Bard AND want to be able to DD in-between casting buffs. But thanks for insinuating I'm not a person.

Also, Bard sounds like a perfect job role for Archer. They already stand in the back. And what's the point of giving archer a Job role that just does damage? What would make that role in the party any different from the Monk? Or the Dragoon?

Jobs are suppose to make the classes, which people complained play the same way, into more unique roles that have different duties during a party.

Lastly, your assumption that Bards are completely support is flawed. If you're taking FFXI as your reference, Bard's were only able to heal in between casting songs because of a WHM subjob. There is no reason why, with a bow in hand, Bards wouldn't be able to do damage in between casting songs. Besides, you don't even know how the bard job will work. For all we know you might be casting songs with TP, consequently requiring you to do some damage to be effective.

You are right, it would be convenient. However it would also be convenient to simply mix all opposite spectrum classes just because they share a position on the battle field. You know what, screw white/black mages.. why not just have 1 mage who does both?!?!?! THEN YOU CAN SIT AND DD WHILE YOU SUPPORT