Why people hate bard using songs?

[UNDEAD10000]

DELETED...

[DreamAngel-Ren]

I never get yelled at for playing songs because that's the BRD's job. I get in trouble if I don't play the songs at the right moment XD My guess the reason some get petty because they don't need the songs, they can manage their MP/TP just fine.

Just tell them, if you guys need the Mage's Ballad, Foe Requiem, or Army's Peon, give a shout and I'll play it for ya.

[MicahZerrshia]

MP and TP songs lower your dps and are almost never needed. The only time I use the MP song is in a crisis or during phase shifts (and even then I don't unless the healers are hurting so I have more mp for requiem) when there is down time and I do not think I have ever needed to use the TP song. Requiem and swift the most used of them all.

So it's best not to use your TP/MP songs unless you must so you don't take a hit on your dps output which for brds isn't the best to begin with.

[HyoMinPark]

Micah is right; the songs do lower your DPS, but only by 10%. It's not as terrible as some make it out to be. I think MCHs actually take a bigger hit when they promote their turrets to give TP/MP regeneration, since they lose that turret auto-attack, which I think is about 15% of their damage. I haven't dabbled with MCH too much though, so any MCH mains that for sure know the numbers, feel free to correct me if I am wrong.


That being said, I have mained BRD since I started playing this game (so, over a year because I started in Nov 2015, and played off and on until I started paying a sub in Feb 2016). I rarely have to use Army's. The only time I can remember using it was for a VERY Overpower-happy WAR that didn't have hardly any TP to even attack mobs and hold hate.

I've used Mage's quite a few times. Usually only in situations where the heals are doing a lot of healing/raising (SophEx comes to mind as the last time I used Mage's). Also, if a healer dies and is raised, I usually pop Mage's for about 30 seconds or so to help them get enough MP back to continue on as normal. I do occasionally see people asking for it when it's not necessary... I once had a PLD ask for MP song so he could continue to Clemency himself. Yet...we had a healer that was keeping him alive, so I don't know why he wanted to Clemency himself so much...and I one time had a DRK demand I play Mage's for him while he was in Darkside, and wouldn't believe me when I said it wasn't going to work... >.> Anyways!

Foe's should always be up if you have casters in your party. No if's, and's, or but's about that one. And I always do Swiftsong when running between pulls.

It's best to use your songs if you definitely see someone struggling. If I see a healer that is doing their best to keep people up, and starts running low on MP because they just had to raise two DPS that wanted to stand in the bad, I'm going to play them a song to help them out. Especially if I don't see them throwing up a Shroud of Saints or a Luminous Aether to start their own MP regen, because it may very well be on cooldown. Because, I can guarantee, if a wipe occurred, there would be those healers that would say "Well, I would OOM, and this BRD wouldn't sing for me, so..." I've never had someone complain about me using my songs. A BRD that doesn't sing isn't worth being a BRD, in my opinion. Important thing to remember is: while you are singing Army's or Mage's, DO NOT USE ANY BUFFS DURING THAT TIME. Once you toggle the song off, feel free to start popping your buffs again, but don't pop them when you're taking a DPS hit.

If someone were to complain about me trying to do my job as a SUPPORT DPS by singing for them, well. I'll turn off my Mage's/Army's then, and let you continue to struggle with your no MP/no TP. Have fun with that!

[Mirch]

but whhyyyyy?? why they no want you to sing??!! you sing anyway

[Lollie]

No songs, no coms. Preferably Foes though. Don't need tp/mp help outside of 4-5mins plus encounters or if something goes terribly wrong.

[Maero]

Only reason i could think of is when Bards leave a song active between pulls or while rushing to other areas otherwise i do not know what the issue could be.
TP is not a huge issue as there is invigorate which Ninja, Dragoon and Monk can all use along with Bard.
If you do activate a song when party members clearly are burning tp or mp and they yelling at you, ignore them.
Do not let some bad apples ruin a job that you seem to otherwise enjoy

[Erudito]

Because bard is just plain weak and giving other party members "support" does cover up these weakness. They hit like wet noodles outside of their openers or when their (long!) cooldowns are available.

Their songs are also lack luster.

Giving you back MP? Unless the healers are raising or DPSing like crazy, they should not need this. Casters have no issue either.

Giving you back TP? Unless major AoE madness is happening there should be no need for this. PLD/DRK suffer from TP but losing 10% DPS to keep a tank going is bad.

Boosting casting DPS? This one is good, no complaints. Ever better on battle voice.

Esuna + resist Song. Ha ha, outside of some very basic debuffs, this is downright insulting for a job to have for its level 50-60 arsenal. Any and all status ailments that actually matter cannot be cleaned! Not to mention that healers that know what they are doing should have no problem with cleansing and healing. We get more use out of this by using it on warriors' pacification than anything else!

Wanderer's Minuet? I don't consider this a song because it does not behave like a song, it behaves like an on/off buff with a drawbacks.

Swiftsong? The thing turns itself off when in battle! Its useful when solo but having to recast it every time you clear a mob in a dungeon is annoying. No uses in battles, downright terrible to recast in places like Palace of the Dead.

No song to boost melee DPS or haste. No songs for healing/regens. No songs to reduce damage. No songs with direct effects on enemies. Nothing good.

Lets just hope the new songs on the expansion have more to give than this.

[ChiiSoSeriouz]

Esuna + resist Song. Ha ha, outside of some very basic debuffs, this is downright insulting for a job to have for its level 50-60 arsenal. Any and all status ailments that actually matter cannot be cleaned! Not to mention that healers that know what they are doing should have no problem with cleansing and healing. We get more use out of this by using it on warriors' pacification than anything else!

Should be used on the warrior's pacification.

I only will IF I see the healer DPSing.
I wonder if increasing the Healer's DPS outweighs decreasing our though... >x>

Foe doesn't decrease your dps, theres no reason to not play it, healers count as casters too.

[HyoMinPark]

Should be used on the warrior's pacification

Want to also add that Warden's has saved my butt MANY times when the healer can't be bothered to Esuna a debuff off of me. I will also throw it on another party member if I see that they catch a debuff, or on a healer if they end up silenced (pretty useful in PotD with the Silence/Pacification traps...if the game is nice and removes the correct debuff, that is ;3).

So, the poster you quoted was wrong in saying that it's a useless skill and that bards should be insulted having it in their arsenal. I'm actually quite fond of it.

To the OP: You should always use your songs when they are needed. If people get "offended" or "upset" about you singing, kindly remind them that you are a BARD and it is your job AS A SUPPORT DPS to support the party.

That being said, there are still instances where you will need to use your songs. And you should always use them. 10% decrease in DPS is still a decrease, yes, but not singing means your not doing your job as a bard. And you shouldn't have to leave Mage's/Army's up for extended periods of time anyways.

Foe Requiem: use ALWAYS when you have a caster in the party, or when you see a healer contributing to DPS. I recommend playing it for bosses and large trash pulls. If the tank is only pulling small packs that will melt pretty quickly, there isn't a huge need to play it. Save your MP for the boss. But for large Big Daddy pulls, the extra debuff certainly helps make them melt faster. Don't leave it on between pulls though; you will pull mobs with it.

Mage's Ballad: if you see a healer struggling with MP, pop Mage's quickly to help them out. Especially if you don't see them pop any MP regens to help themselves. Also, if a healer dies and is raised, a few seconds of Mage's can help give them back enough MP to get back on their feet again.

Army's Paeon: not many instances where I've had to use this one, but could be useful for a melee DPS if they died and were raised. Just to give them an extra boost. Most melee cross-class Invigorate, and can handle their own TP. But if you see them sitting at 0-100 TP, and NOT popping Invigorate, sing a little to help them out.

Warden's Paeon: useful for cleansing a WAR's Berserk pacification, AND also useful for saving your own skin from debuffs. Don't let people tell you it's a useless skill, because it isn't. Can also be used on fellow party members to either help out a healer, or if you see a healer just ignoring debuffs/forgetting what Esuna/Leeches/Exhalted Detriment does. I've encountered plenty of healers that seem to forget that one basic skill.


I know you mention (and some others did as well) playing between pulls. Usually, the out-of-battle MP/TP regen ticks are more than sufficient to regenerate resources between pulls. Unless you've got a DPS sitting at near 0 or a healer nearly OOM. By all means, sing to help them regenerate faster, but it shouldn't be necessary to sing between every pull.