The harp is a lie.

[NoctisUmbra]

how does it float above it? seems like replaces. You cant be a job and a class at the same time. They did say it gave a specialized role in combat, so i suppose it could be a specialized role that has nothing to do with the class attached to it, but since it will limit cross class skills, to specialize it would have to draw on its class, at least partially. and not much on archer is bard like

No it does not replace. Replacing implies the previous is removed. Classes will remain in game after Jobs are implemented. That much was made crystal clear.

Jobs are roles one equips to excel in party play, whereas classes - while they can do well in a party - shine in a solo endeavor.

As far as their relationship to the class in terms of skill, they said that when as a class you equipped the unlocked job you would lose the ability to equip cross-class skills, however gain job-only skills. Apply this to the concept art of the alleged Bard class in that cover being the job that Archer unlocks and you can understand how, because the bow transforms into a lyre and back, it has the capacity to use all native Archer skills whilst gaining the ability to use Bard-only musical skills.

As far as how SE announced Jobs would work, there is no argument against Archer unlocking Bard. The only necessary link between jobs and classes is the native weapon of the class.

SE wanted to do something creative in a fantasy game. Bows and harps/lyres have been connected and their similarities appreciated in many ways throughout human history. It is not so difficult to imagine SE building on this and going the creative route. Hell they have Serah using a transforming bow/moogle weapon in FFXIII-2. The concept is not so foreign at all. If they made gunblades they sure as hell can make lyrebows.

The reason I find the opposition to the lyre/bow theory, especially in this thread, to be amusing is not because I simply disagree. It is because no one seems to offer up another believable reason as to why it is something else. The attempts to say it's still only a fancy bow by showing real-life bow designs are the most amusing. It is a fantasy game.

Let's look at what the lyre/bow theory has going for it:

1. Bard is one of the jobs that were announced by SE in an interview months ago. Although it wasn't certain they were the initial 7, being that the cover clearly displays the other 6 quite obviously, it is safe to assume that those are the initial release. By process of elimination, Bard is left for Archer.
2. Mages are getting BLM and WHM, and are therefore taken up based on SE's announcement of there initially being 1 job per class. Bard must go to a DoW. Out of all of them, coupled with this controversial cover art, it is logical to connect the bow to the lyre. As far as DoW weapons resembling musical instruments go, Archer takes the cake.
3. Archer has the highest base MP pool out of the DoW.
4. Latest response by community rep confirms the bow is a weapon that transforms.

If someone is going to argue against the bow/lyre theory, instead of making it based on denial or personal opinion how about they show some game-related facts that support their notion?

[Orcishgrappler]

The level of interest that this post has generated does not convince me that it's a harp or not a harp but it does convince me that we are REALLY bored and need 1.9 badly

[NoctisUmbra]

The level of interest that this post has generated does not convince me that it's a harp or not a harp but it does convince me that we are REALLY bored and need 1.9 badly

lol I can agree with that!

[Davorok]

I just hope the Bard brings some Beer..The Bard's Tale: Beer Song.

[Ferth]

The level of interest that this post has generated does not convince me that it's a harp or not a harp but it does convince me that we are REALLY bored and need 1.9 badly

Ain't that the truth.

The point about it being just artwork was the most valid until Bayohne decided to chime in and give it credence.

Most game related art in game related media is done by official artists for said game... It's possible that cover wasn't designed by Akihiko Yoshida, but if it wasn't they did a pretty good job emulating his style.

I can get passed Archer turning into a pseudo support/DD job, but I'd rather they did it in a way that correlated with being an archer... like special arrows. The leap from Archer to Bard is a bit much, and I think it was a poorly thought out decision, regardless of the execution.

What I can't get passed is a bow that transforms. It's right up there with Seifer calling Squall a "Chickenwuss" in how lame it is.

Mostly it suggests to me that the dev team can't cope with the armoury system in it's current form, and they can't think of a good way to get rid of it, so they are coming up with farfetched and ultimately bad ways to get around it.

"And another thing, we want real silverware in the cafeteria! No more sporks, fnives or knifoons, it's like a Dr. Seuss Kitchen in there!"

[D3aTh]

There is nothing wrong with a ranged debuff/buff class. There is something wrong with an archer bard.

Corsair made sense. It was a gambler and the buffs and debuffs included an element of chance, and the weapon was gun. All things that fit the gambler persona. The same cannot be said for an "archer bard." Musician and archer are completely different disciplines which have nothing to do with one another. It's silly and impractical to combine them.

Yeah I see and I agree it seems strange but I still find ArcBrd pretty cool. What if it makes music while the arrow get shot? this could give it some sense ^^ Anyway to me w/e weapon it uses, a DD/debuff job will be nice!

[Davorok]

Proof that Archers do indeed sing: Men in Tights.

[D3aTh]

Proof that Archers do indeed sing: Men in Tights.

Sings pretty well in deed

[Ferth]

Yeah I see and I agree it seems strange but I still find ArcBrd . What if it makes music while the arrow get shot? this could give it some sense ^^ Anyway to me w/e weapon it uses, a DD/debuff job will be nice!

Thaumaturge could already fill that role, except in it's current form most debuff spells have such a long recast that they aren't worth equipping except for longer fights. (and maybe not even then... oO)

I am in favor of debuffing classes, and corsair was one of my favorite jobs in ffxi... but if the corsair gave buffs through a gun-flute it would have been a different story. The corsair made sense as a gambling gunslinger, buffs from dice, debuffs from cards and a gun for added badassery.

The notion of an archer having to stop, fold up his bow into a lyre, strum out a tune and then unfold his bow again... there is no part of that sequence that makes sense. The whole concept sends up warning flags in my mind, somewhere in the dev team someone is making bad decisions, and they need to be reigned in...

This atrocity shouldn't have ever made it this far into development. It really worries me that it has.

[D3aTh]

Meh again, I agree it's strange but seriously...... It is less than a guy debuffing with... dances...

EDIT: Don't get me bad. I just try to explain it is sad everyone is unhappy when they add real new things... I bet in 3 month everyone will want a ARCBRD in their pt and you will see comments (TP BURN ONLY) XD