Bards viability now?

[Sessurea]

Ninjas! Goad ftw!Ballad is great, but all good healers know not to expect or rely on it for the simple fact that there's no guarantee there will even be a bard in the party. This goes double now that we have multiple ways to recover MP.

Coz "all good healers" will never die to content during progression. Sure we can wipe everytime a healer dies, or we can get the bard to battle voice ballad, and continue with learning the fight.

And did u srsly state nin for tp efficiency? Nins are the biggest culprits for tp drinking. Goad is ok to throw on the tank or the monk, but "all good" nins will need paeon.

[Wavaryen]

Well I meant when we're completely out of songs, etc. Sorry I consider WM as a song so I was just commenting on why we can't keep up out of song. My mistake Ms/Mr.Bideo, please disregard my reply if I misunderstood. ^^;

I guess I understand your point. There is a option to have the movement, and with them making it easier to switch in and out of. Moving and dps gives us a edge over what other dps has to do, but if that really is the case, should our damage be balance around other range dps, even with moving so it equals up? I don't think we are close to a balance because even with us being able to move on fights, we still are so far behind it seems on dps. That is not good for brd players or group mates.

[Luciano_Bozzelli]

I love bards, and I think black mages around the realm always hold a special place in their hearts.... I mean with a bard I can crit a fire IV for over 8k

It may be hard being a bard, but I have a good one at my side all the time, and it makes me stronger :P

Especially if they play songs through crucial add phases, or like someone else said, real big healing phases were healers need more MP. Just a great job to have on your team.

[Shhikasan]

brds still hold a place in endgame they do better dps then mch and song is far better then mch turret.
there is currently no place for a mch unless you seriously don't have a brd that has a brain.

and which is why the outcry for mch buff before alex is warranted. And I as a mch believe its needed very badly. As both bismarck and ravana ex favor no Gb on for most of the fight as avoidance is pretty much key to these fights. there are rare chances were you can hardcast GB back on for riciochet and Gauss round for backphase of bismarck.

[Lillia]

I guess I understand your point. There is a option to have the movement, and with them making it easier to switch in and out of. Moving and dps gives us a edge over what other dps has to do, but if that really is the case, should our damage be balance around other range dps, even with moving so it equals up? I don't think we are close to a balance because even with us being able to move on fights, we still are so far behind it seems on dps. That is not good for brd players or group mates.

Honestly, I'm not sure. I don't think that we're actually where we should be by a long shot but I'd never consider us really close to other DPS'ers to the point where we can compete with them outside of WM as a norm either.

[NamNem]

Oh, wow. I didn't mean to start an all out debate about the class being ruined or not. I was just wondering if people would want to bring them to raids. I do not care if I am not a glass cannon or top dps in the raid, but I do not want to be dead weight. I don't want my friends to bring me along to a raid, because they like me, and feel like they are having to carry my class through the raid, basically. That is what I am trying to avoid mainly. Seems like a lot of good discussion in here though.

[Gilraen]

The notion that a Bard is only as good as the damage it brings is beyond flawed. It completely ignores the Bard's utility through song. Yes, Minuet is a nod to increasing potential damage and the three new attacks designed to mesh with it. But one of the new abilities is also a support song in the form of a 30s debuff vaccination. You know, that support role people seem to want to gloss over. You will always have a place in any content because eventually you will have party members running low on MP/TP or needing a little boost to magic damage. No other class or Job can do this without having a lengthy cooldown afterward (except maybe Machinist, haven't unlocked it to know). If people are so desperate for a ranged DD that doesn't have a support role tagged on they have two options in the form of Black Mage and Summoner. I hear those can get some big numbers with the right skill.