Bard is utterly destroyed

[Jetstream_Fox]

The main aspect of this class was it's ability to provide unrestricted dps while retaining mobility and regenerating party wide tp/mp. I'm about 3/4 of the way through the expansion and I'm cringing on how nerfed this class is, honestly it feels as if they attempted to combine Black Mage into this class, I mean I might as drop Bard for the higher damage output a Black Mage spits out at this point.

Locking all the new skills behind Wanderer's is such a even worse design requiring that I have it up 24/7. However combine Wanderer's with any of the 2.0 songs and Wanderer's is only a 5% increase to my damage added with no more mobility, this skill a HUGE nerf in terms of it being situational. I rather drop the 15% damage to constantly be able to dps left and right while giving my team the regen needed to stay above the fight.

[Jetstream_Fox]

Let\\\\\\'s not forget that Barrage is gone completely destroying the dps burst the class had, I mean you can\\\\\\'t even auto attack with Wanderer\\\\\\'s active so I don\\\\\\'t even see why this was left in the skill tree. Bloodletter is shared with Rain of a Death for whatever reason I can\\\\\\'t even think of highly hurting the aoe of the class, no longer can we have the option to use Wide Volley in order to make Rain of Death free which also could have made Quick Nock free. Honestly they might as well taken out Wide Volley since it cost more then Quick Nock that there is no reason to use it anymore. The only good things I\\\\\\'ve acquired so far is Iron Jaws and Empyreal Arrow, Warden\\\\\\'s Paeon is pointless when Healers already have the option to remove status effects.

What was the point of hurting this class so bad? If it\\\\\\'s not fixed then no one will play it and this class will be dead before the next expansion.

[pandabearcat]

Wait how did you get nerfed if you just got one ability that you can choose to use or not, that may or may not be a dps increase?

I sort of get what you are saying, but really if they just made the damage increase from minuet/gauss something like 30 you would be good to go.

[Jetstream_Fox]

Because the aspect of the class was mobility with tp/mp regens. If I need to move out of an aoe to keep in distance with my healers, Wanderer's is pointless, the new skills being locked behind it are then null since I can't use them effectively. Thus hurting my dps as a hole, if I can't keep using the new skills. The reason why BLM gets hit with a mobility lock is solely because they spit out huge damage, there isn't any reason for Bard to suffer from a mobility lock. Remove the mobility lock and Wanderer's restrictions then class is somewhat useful, this is without the return of our aoes and enhanced barrage, a core skill of the class.

[whiskeybravo]

That really sucks to hear I don't main bard but did enjoy playing it occasionally due to the mobility and being able to support the party (mainly like FC runs of stuff when we didn't have a bard). The changes to Holy and Lustrate are pretty silly too IMO. I don't know what all else got changed but it's pretty upsetting that they changed so many staple abilities of the existing classes.

[Jetstream_Fox]

I know other classes got hit with some changes, but believe me Bard isn't even a class anymore. I could very well change and play Paladin, Dragoon and Scholar in HW, but they be in a uphill battle considering I never really put much time into them as I did Bard. The Class is so confusing to play, it feels shallow with no use at all.

[SovereignAegis]

No offense but this is funny.
Cast times destroyed it?
Oh for a second I thought we were ignoring the MP/TP aura which is basically the major appeal of taking a bard over a horde of dragoons or ninjas or black mages.

[Sessurea]

Well actually, it would seem that wanderers minuet isn't worth using, so in actual fact, you play bard exactly as you did before.....

Expect wanderers minuet to receive some much needed fixes though.

[LoreChief]

Jetstream, Barrage is actually a very bursty skill now - seeing as how they remade the skill to be 3x the next physical weapon attack instead of additional auto-attacks. Its much nicer the way it is.

That said, the rest of the changes to WM and such are much in need of a review, repair, and probably overhaul.

[Jetstream_Fox]

Cast timers wouldn't be a issue if I wasn't a class that focuses on physical attacks. Like I stated the Bards selling point was mobility and regenerating the party. The cast timers are a small aspect of the class being destroyed, there is also the removal of a core trait and the modification to our aoes that have hindered the class. The cast timers are just plain ridiculous to have on this class when the damage isn't there to justify it. This would be like if they threw a cast timer on Flash or Transpose.