Thread: Any good guides for a starting Bard?

My wife and I just started playing the game. We just hit 30. I'm a WHM, and she has upgraded her ARC to be a BRD.

We are both MMO vets but she has never played a Bard in any game, she usually tanks and I heal. We're looking for any good guides for a noob to the class with definite opinions on what skills to use/avoid, good rotations.

Mostly we are duo-ing our way through the MSQ, and we have not joined any Free Company (we don't like to guild hop so we're waiting to get to know the community first), but we have been doing Duty Finder dungeons along the way. So it's mostly us as a duo and the occasional dungeon.

Thanks for any ideas and suggestions.

You generally won't find a job guide for any level other than the current level-cap (70). Luckily, Bard is one of the easiest jobs, so here's the gist:
This list is in rough order of priority, but that priority does change a little once you learn Iron Jaws [Lv56]

- Keep Straight Shot up
- Keep DoTs* up
- Keep a song up (when you can; you won't have enough songs to keep them up 100% of the time until lv52)
- Always keep your GCD** rolling (If your DoTs are up, and you don't have a Straighter Shot proc, then Heavy Shot, Heavy Shot, Heavy Shot)
- BRD gets a lot of oGCD** skills. Try to weave no more than two in between each GCD. Using more than two means you delayed using your GCD.
- If you're dealing with 3+ targets, Quick Nock is better than Heavy Shot (You could argue that it's better at 2+ targets, but it REALLY drains your TP quickly)
- If you're dealing with 2+ targets, use Rain of Death instead of Bloodletter (Obviously, only applicable after Lv45 when you learn Rain of Death)
(If it's easier to remember this as 3+ targets so it matches up with Quick Nock, that's fine too)

*DoT - Damage over Time. For Bard, that's Venomous Bite and Windbite. When these DoT effects crit, they trigger your song bonuses.
**GCD - Global Cooldown. These are your skills that share the same cooldown as Heavy Shot. (and oGCD is off-Global Cooldown, which is anything that isn't a GCD skill)


You'll be using Heavy Shot, like... a lot. The job starts out pretty boring and slow (most jobs do), but by the end you'll be pushin' buttons like a madman.

If you want to pick an exact level you'd like advice for, or have specific questions, I (or someone else) could probably go into more detail. Once you learn Iron Jaws [Lv56] however, you can basically reference any Lv70 guide, since the job doesn't change much after that point (sub in Straighter Shot whenever it says Refulgent Arrow [Lv70]).

Prior to Lv56, your single-target rotation will generally look something like this: (bolded the GCD skills, just in case that helps)
Pre-pull Foe Requiem > Straight Shot > Raging Strikes > Bloodletter > Windbite > Mage's Ballad > Venomous Bite > Heavy Shot a bunch
- Intersperse Bloodletters in between GCDs when it becomes available
- Combine Barrage with a Straighter Shot proc if available, otherwise use Barrage + Heavy Shot together before Raging Strikes falls off

After Lv56, you'll put your DoTs up first, then Straight Shot, then Iron Jaws. Also your starting song will switch to Wanderer's Minuet at Lv52. As mentioned earlier, when you get to this point, just look up a lv70 guide.

For a situation with multiple targets, put Straight Shot up first, then spread some DoTs around. On all the targets? Just some targets? All targets, but just Windbite? Ultimately, that depends on what songs you have available, how many targets are there, what level you are, etc. Really, in an AOE situation, try some stuff out and do whatever feels best to you. Once you've got your songs and your DoTs rolling, you'll be hitting Quick Nock a bunch.



Also, many Bards seem to forget about their support skills. Be sure to keep an eye on your party's TP and MP, and use Tactician [Lv32] and/or Refresh [Lv36] when appropriate. If you don't foresee needing Refresh for anyone's MP, you can also use it with Foe Requiem to extend how long it stays up. Palisade [Lv48] and Nature's Minne [Lv66] will also be appreciated by your tanks and healers. Wanderer's Paean [Lv58] and Troubadour [Lv62] are also support actions that are occasionally useful.


Keep in mind that some of this advice may become invalid once ShadowBringers hits, as it will bring changes to jobs, and TP is getting removed.