Level 60 Bard Opener/Rotation Please

[Vivi_Bushido]

Hello, hi!

So I just got my Bard to level 60 and the change is very dramatic as most people are already aware of, so I'll get straight to the point. What is a solid or good Bard opener rotation at level 60? I'm hearing a lot of conflicting opinions about MW being useful and useless, and I'm very confused if I should leave it on all the time, or if I should be stance dancing.

Opinions and suggestions on how to play with the new skills would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Iz_Lemon]

I haven't got my bard to 60 so can't answer your main question, but no one is saying wanderer's minuet is useless. There are certainly lots of people that don't LIKE it, but it is definitely not useless. Your rotation will be based around having wander's minuet up whenever you're not moving, really.

[AskaRay]

Well I can tell you what I use when I'm not being a lazy bard. It's not perf but... it works for now.

WM prepull
IR + B4B + RS + HS (yes all at once)
Bloodletter
Windbite
Venomous Bite
Barrage + Empyreal Arrow
Straight Shot
Heavy Shot
right before the DOTs all fall off I use Iron Jaws for a bit more length to the buffed DOTs.

then it's wait for SS/BL/EA procs.
In there somewhere I cast Flaming Arrow, usually after the first SS. I tend to forget though (bad bard), but you should do it.
I only use Barrage w/EA...just, if you were wondering to do that or not...

EDIT: ah yes I just keep WM on for most of the time. I have Feint CC in case I need to move for a GCD or two... anything longer than that and I turn it off to run around or whatever happened, then turn it back on.
Some people like to turn off WM and stance dance between Empyreal Arrows but I haven't done a proper test of that myself yet...honestly I feel like it would be negligible with the amount of effort but hey, whatever.

[Choko_TS]

http://angered.guildwork.com/forum/t...ide-by-krietor

Your welcome, one of the best bards and guides out there. tho this is pretty much tuned to highest dps as possible, so u'll need some practice on a dummy

[rappa]

Another guide

One empyreal opener

Krietor's guide is double Empyreal, was posted by Choko_TS

A lot of theorycraft

[ruskie]

I use a slightly modified Krietor's myself - and relying on ~600 skill speed. For the most part though came up with it myself already while leveling.

I have WM up anyway so not adding an explicit on.
Warden's useless on our war since he pops beserk quite a fair way in - coordinate this with your wars if you want to use it

Foe Requiem - if I know healer DPSing or if any caster or at times even for a nin.
~5s pre pull - Quelling Strikes+Battle Voice
Blood for Blood+Hawk's Eye+Raging Strikes+Barrage - I could probably get a tiny increase here if I waited for a disembowel but without a nin for another bonus on it kinda want to get stuff on CD asap.
-> PULL Empyreal Arrow (need to hit when the tank does the first hit on the boss - you kinda need consistency for this from the tank sadly some pull on the dot, some pull randomly, some pull 3s earlier etc...)
Straight Shot
Rain of Death or Bloodletter (if healers are not dpsing)
Internal Release(usually a dragoon will pop battle litany near here as well)
Windbite
Blunt Arrow
Venomous Bite
Flaming Arrow
Heavy Shot(just padding a bit for the dots to be registered - in case I manage to place flaming arrow fast)
I will likely pop a potion here
Sidewinder
Heavy Shot
Empyreal Arrow or Iron Jaws - depending on timer - I rather reclip the dots to have a longer uptime on them while buffed rather then a buffed empy but generally can pull off both.

[AkashiXI]

^ That opener isn't optimized because you're blowing Barrage at the start. Wait further into your rotation so you gain the benefits of Trick Attack or Hypercharge.

[ruskie]

...

a) don't have a nin around 99% of the time so no trick attack(even DF tends to pair me with double dragoons or dragoon and monk a lot of the times),
b) don't have a mch around for that as well(and well in DF haven't seen any mch use it as well if I did have them around).

I do adjust it if I do get a nin around. But frankly in DF not worth it since nins are so inconsistent with applying it.

Unlike Foe Requiem which you can put up pre pull everything else tends to be inconsistently applied so unless you have a known team that you know how they do things it's pointless.

Yes I've had nin's that applied trick attack 20s into the pull... when all my CDs fell off already. And I did mention that it would need to be adjusted for that. It's optimized for not having a nin around and last I checked most teams prefer 1 physical ranged dps so relying on a mch around other than in DF kinda goes moot.

[AkashiXI]

You should still wait for Disembowel, which will be up in about 10 seconds.

[ruskie]

You should still wait for Disembowel, which will be up in about 10 seconds.

Yeah I need to check on that but have been considering delaying it.