I wholeheartedly agree with the OP. Bowmage made me quit FF14 for two years; 4.0 BRD brought me back. No doubt, 4.0 BRD is the best iteration of this class to date, even outshining its previous pinnacle, the 2.0 BRD.

Bowmage will always be a piece of trash, and may it never come back ever. And to those very tiny minority asking for Bowmage back, don't worry! That kind of caster DPS playstyle is still available even in SB, and it's called BLM or SMN. Please feel free to reroll to those!