i barely see BRDs anymore and possible Utility fixes

[Hakuohsama]

Iam still playng BRD since its my fav and started as it in 2.0 but when I do Dungeons or Primals etc.. Its very rare to see any.. Most physical range dps slots are filled with dancer.

Did many of you switch because BRD lost almost all of his Utility?
If yes I hope Square can bring some peole back to play BRD and enjoy the class again.

In my Opnion they need to rework "The Wardens Paean" or give us something usefull for it instead because its useless outside of normal Dungeon Content. In EX Primals or Raids 90% of the Debuffs cant be dispelled.

"Natures Minee" is fine i gues but still a weak support abillity.

"Battle Voice" Should affect us as well.

"Apex Arrow" and "Pitch perfect" need different Sound Options.. If you play by hearing the Sound you are doomed to missfire.

Finally bring Foes back in a way or just give us the 3% Crit buff back.
Something like when u finished all 3 Songs all Party Member get 3% Crit for 20 secs.
So it wouldnt be "broken" and would at least give us some Party buffing back.

[pieholic]

Yesterday i had 4 Bards on my party so i dont know what you're saying.
Been Bard since 2.0 and forever will be.

[Cetonis]

The crit buff was not, never was, and never had any inkling of ever being 3%. And I have no idea what the origin of that misinformation was because it's freaking everywhere. It was 2%.

Annnnnnyway, people asking for this stuff is kinda old news by now. There's no reason for BV to affect us. Minne is a good button. Paean is nice, but sure reworking it wouldn't be a major loss. If they want to enhance the support flavor, the most direct route from where we are now would be to buff BV up to be more of a premier skill.

And yes, Soul Gauge sound effect is maddening. I doubt there's a Bard in Norvrandt that doesn't want it changed. Whether SE can or will is another matter.

[Kurando]

Dancer is supposed to fill the role of ranged utility now, so I don't see BRD getting anything back, although if it did expect it's damage potency to be nerfed in things you don't want.

[Zerathor]

There's still plenty of bards. They just aren't 100% required for each and every static group like they used to be in stormblood, so some people that were only playing it for the meta changed off to other things.

[Miminming]

I see less SMN by days... but BRD still plenty

[Connor]

Personally I did quit Bard because it lost all the interesting utility and got nothing in return but more damage.

That said, Bard is still very popular and always will be because it brings in the Archer/ Ranger players, regardless of whether it brings any utility at all

[Raldo]

Personally, I never played BRD because it offered "utility" so that getting cut didn't bother me. I always played for that big dick DPS. I've since swapped to MCH because it felt more active despite being a BRD main since forever ago.

As far as fixes go, I think this thread sums it up better: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...s-and-Requests

[Lenarr]

I love my "Ranger". I even choose gear to use for glamour that looks like an archer/ranger, and I like my bow to look like a bow, not a weird musical instrument.

[thrashette]

I hold the unpopular opinion that BRD utility was pretty boring, even if it made it an "auto-pick" in raid groups. I thought I would miss it, but I don't. A passive crit buff isn't exciting or interactive at all. Sure, it incentivizes song uptime so that your group can benefit, but now you're incentivized by Soul Voice. Outside of prog, Foe and Refresh were used at set times. Sure, there were little optimizations that could be made, but for the majority of players, they were just buttons to press during your rotation. The old Troubador had more variety, but there was rarely ever any decision-making, other than trying to squeeze it into a certain song and have the buff last long enough for when it's needed. Besides, MB Troubador was nearly useless and sometimes detrimental.

DNC, on the other hand, has a more active support kit, even if you're mostly just using stuff on cooldown in ideal scenarios. But when mechanics that displace yourself and the group happen, trying to optimize uptime on your buffs is a bit more interesting than just being there and pressing a button.

I agree that BRD could use more utility due to the "class fantasy" associated with the job... but I happen to enjoy playing my ranger this expansion. I support my group by doing a lot of damage with uninterrupted uptime, and I inspire them by jumping up and down like an idiot because I can.