Since when is Bard an Archer?

[Wynn]

Because a bow is a harp with one string

I like this answer the best.

[Athaya]

Traditional bards in D&D leveled skills of fighters and theives so the use of a bow is not strange at all.

[Firon]

As I said before Yoshi-P must have got the bard/arc thing from DQ, and before now SE has had an pretty lame brd build until now fighting with a harp was always kinda....lame?

[neorei]

slappn the bass mon

[Isaveron]

Since SE needed another support class and ARC was the only one that even remotely made sense compared to what was left.

Would have made more sense to release Bard as a class, like how it was going to be.

[neorei]

they should have made a thief class and have the storyline as the "redeemed" thf that loves music and bam, BRD job is made~!

[Wynn]

Would have made more sense to release Bard as a class, like how it was going to be.

True. But they decided to go with what they already have rather than work on new classes at this time. c'est la vie.

Personally, I would have preferred to be a RNG but BRD it is. And if I don't like it, there is always BLM.

[Delsus]

In White knight chronicles the bow skill has songs to restore mp, a little hp etc, so its not a new idea for bard and archer to be linked.

Just thought I would throw that in here.

[DoubleEcho]

Wasn't Edward in FFIV able to equip a bow?

[Answa]

Since a week from now.