My Bard is still very viable. People are freaking out too much. Our dps isn't that bad...it's still pretty much on par with where it's always been. In fact I think I crit a bit more than I used to. Also a Red Mage still does pretty good damage. It might not seem like it if you compare it to the damage a Monk does in a Raid but I can't solo lv. 70 dungeons on a freaking Monk the way I can a Red Mage. It's not all about Raid DPS. A lot of jobs bring different things to the table. If all you care about is pure dps then might as well run everyhting with nothing but Monks. People are also gearing up now so it's not near as big of a deal.