Buff Bards or Riot

[LaylaTsarra]

I suspect SE is collecting data on which actions are being used (assuming that is a possibility) and my suspicion is that a lot of bards have tried it but gave up on it. I know personally I have. I main as a black mage and I don't need my bard to be one too.

[Cakekizy]

Everyone keeps talking about bards dps being crappy because we move around so much, but in my experience it's the healers that hop around like hyperactive rabbits.

[codofwisdom]

Historically the most deadly archers were also highly mobile. Egyptian chariot archers, Saracen archers, and the Mongolian horseback archers to name a few. Fun fact, the deadly accuracy and high mobility of the Mongolian archers were a major factor for the spread of their empire under Genghis Khan.

You are correct, but to be fair: Two out of three of your examples had something else doing the moving.
And if you believe some of the stuff you see nowadays, Archer's were very mobile:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEG-ly9tQGk

I'm just talking about conventional knowledge. Most archers were stationary, in the same way that Snipers are stationary.

Either would be much better in my opinion than this attempt to turn bards and machinists into black mage lite.

Don't know enough about Machinist, but I will say again that Bard is meant to be support. I've heard people saying that Bard needs More DPS because of DPS checks. That's not needed if one Bard can buff the shit out of their team. Unfortunately, they haven't done a great job with that.
If I had my way, Mages Ballad would buff INT and MIN, while Army's Paeon buffed STR and DEX.

[Lewtskie]

Don't know enough about Machinist, but I will say again that Bard is meant to be support. I've heard people saying that Bard needs More DPS because of DPS checks. That's not needed if one Bard can buff the shit out of their team. Unfortunately, they haven't done a great job with that.
If I had my way, Mages Ballad would buff INT and MIN, while Army's Paeon buffed STR and DEX.

I would love to see more effort in our Buff Engine tree rather than our Regen Bot one. And still wish we could have some method of buffing physical allies. Always was a biggest peeve, that. Had they not diminished the effectiveness of Determination with AAs I'd still think something to boost their potency or frequency wouldn't have been a bad idea.

[RiceisNice]

Don't know enough about Machinist, but I will say again that Bard is meant to be support. [/B]

Stop. Both bards and machinists are queuing as DPS. They are a DPS class, not a support class. The moment you try to give them something like stat boosts or attack speed boosts, parties are going to be designed around keeping them in mind, and at best would be an utter nightmare to balance around.

[IfritReborn]

Don't know enough about Machinist, but I will say again that Bard is meant to be support. I've heard people saying that Bard needs More DPS because of DPS checks. That's not needed if one Bard can buff the shit out of their team. Unfortunately, they haven't done a great job with that.
If I had my way, Mages Ballad would buff INT and MIN, while Army's Paeon buffed STR and DEX.

Hmm I'm looking under PF and DF and in the Help files for that Support role but I can't find it. Would you point out where that Support role is for me? Tbh all I'm seeing is Tank, Healer and DPS

[Vespar]

While Bard may have support abilities to buff mages, we dont have much in the way of buffing melee types save Army's Paeon. Which only restores TP (but lowers our dmg anyways so its actually a trade off anyways)

Wanderer's Minuet is a huge DPS loss regardless of whether we are moving or not. Which is counter-productive to what it's tooltip says its supposed to do.

Personally, I wouldn't mind having something similar to Foe's but for buffing melee. SE could even make it extend only to party members but not self.

[Lyaha]

Actually wouldn't mind that, but they'd have to buff some of our (preferably new) abilities to make up for it.

[Luvbunny]

Everyone keeps talking about bards dps being crappy because we move around so much, but in my experience it's the healers that hop around like hyperactive rabbits.

OK this is something I do not get at all.... Unless there is AOE every 2 seconds, most of the time you DO NOT move in the battlefield AT ALL. You pretty much stand still, press your rotation, and move in between. You only move if there are tons of ground AOE, or directional AOE, etc..

[codofwisdom]

Hmm I'm looking under PF and DF and in the Help files for that Support role but I can't find it. Would you point out where that Support role is for me? Tbh all I'm seeing is Tank, Healer and DPS

Why aren't there just 3 classes then?
Maybe it's because people want classes which have different focuses?
Maybe it's because some people don't want the pressure of healing, the strategy of tank, and didn't want to be a run of the mill DPS?
Sorry if I offend by not wanting to be judged solely by how big my numbers are.