Bard or Samurai

[Shougun]

Personally I think bards are easier, I find the proc based system engaging and yet relatively easy to manage. Being able to run all over the place during a fight is a pretty big QoL.

I don't think Samurai are particularly difficult either but I feel Bard is easier to use. Samurai has positional (gently lol), rotation, a unique resource consumption system (dot vs aoe vs big damage single target, think a much easier version of Ninja's system), short casting times, and are melee.

Maybe the most silly way to bring them down besides imagery (keeping in mind Bard is more like a ranger who occasionally jams on their lute) is do you like BIG DAMAGE or do you like peppering the enemy while getting a sense of helping your team sometimes? Although barrage skill on bard is fun to see, as you get to see three attacks in short succession (can feel like 'big damage', but Samurai and Black Mage go on a different level of BIG DAMAGE lol).

Bard has a neat Esuna spell that is like an Esuna shield (bank an esuna if the target doesn't need it), and other team buffs. Samurai is known as a selfish DPS (still good for the team but if you wanted to have someone tip their hat to you for saving them, like if you used Paladin cover or whatever, then you wont get that really with Samurai).

[qaija]

Thank you all for your helpful posts. This game sure rocks with the quality and helpfulness of the players who read and post responses here.

I am not surprised to see some say one is better and someone else the other.... it really all depends on what one enjoys the most. But based on what I have read here, I am going to go with Samurai. I agree with the poster who described one of the attacks the bard has, and how there are a bunch of further possibilities and like that poster, I would become confused about when to use it.

With the Samurai it seems that there is a bit to learn how to do the procs correctly, but once you have figured them out, then the rotation becomes pretty straight forward.

None of the jobs I have played so far are "easy" at higher levels. It is necessary to get sufficient experience playing it before you will become good at it. And Samurai seems to me to be easier based on my playing style.

[Ariel_Valmont]

I’d take Bard over Samurai, but currently these are my 2 least favorite classes.

Bars is a bit of a bore at times, but it’s not the convoluted button bolted mess that samurai is.