Dancer or Bard

[Shiyra]

Good Morning,

I can't decide what's the better job for me - dancer or bard. Which is easier to play, and which job makes more damage? I don't have so much time to play, that playing both jobs is not possible for me.

[VorpalSpork]

I think neither are super difficult, but dancer is generally considered one of the easiest jobs to play. Right now, bard is in a much better spot damage-wise than dancer, with dancer being by far the lowest dps currently. That said, in most cases, you're fine with either one.

[ty_taurus]

I think neither are super difficult, but dancer is generally considered one of the easiest jobs to play. Right now, bard is in a much better spot damage-wise than dancer, with dancer being by far the lowest dps currently. That said, in most cases, you're fine with either one.

I would advise against playing something for its current meta or lack there of because the meta will undoubtedly shift over time, and if you're just looking for a job to enjoy in casual content, then meta doesn't matter at all. If you are looking to get into savage raiding and specifically want to stay at the top of the meta, then you'd just want to have all jobs leveled anyway so that you can adjust to meta shifts in the future.

[KokoroScarletArrow]

I would play which one you enjoy more. I'm a ranged main I have Bard at 90 and Dancer is still at 80 for now. As for the actual job themselves Bard is stronger now for the moment. Bard gameplay will have you playing 3 separate songs that cause your rotation to change slightly while being played. You have 2 songs that you will play for a majority of your rotation to maximize dps then switch to a song as a filler and end it early. It doesn't have defensive utility, just an esuna and healing pot buff. Offensive utility is all aoe. Dancer may not be as high on personal dps but has a strong single target dps buff and an aoe dps buff for your party. Your buffs on Dancer are activated by a Simon says mini game that you play when you perform a Step. Dancer also has mote notable Defensive Utility providing a aoe heal and barrier. Also has forward dash that allows you correct any bad positioning while learning fights. I prefer Bard but I would pick whichever you enjoy more to play or aesthetically find more appealing.

[Akava]

First, I'd suggest checking out the Action Job trailer for Endwalker if you haven't already and look at the Bard and Dancer sections. See if either one looks cooler to you based on that. Maybe check out a few videos from the media tour.

Both jobs rely on procs but Dancer has a bit more randomness to it than Bard does now. Dancer skills proc at a 50% rate while Bard skills proc 80% of the time. Bard also has to keep track of DoTs, so if you like or dislike having to do that, that might be a tiebreaker.

In terms of damage, it kind of depends on what you see yourself doing. If you're going to do solo content, Bard does a lot more damage than Dancer and always will. If you're going to do group content, as of now Bard does a lot more damage than Dancer but this gap will likely shrink with 6.08 but we don't know by how much. This isn't really all that important until you get to Savage and Ultimate content. As of now, both can clear all content but Bard will contribute quite a bit more damage to the group, so the group can make more mistakes and still succeed.

With all that said, I personally like Dancer more but I also fine Bard fun and it currently does a lot more damage.

[Shiyra]

I like the style and animations from both jobs. Because of my work I'm playing most in der early morning, so I will do a lot solo and startet now leveling bard.

Thanks a lot for your answers, they help me a lot

[Awarewolf]

The battle stance for Dancer looks so awkward and non-threatening. Bard is best.

[gumas]

i found dancer playstyle is much much more relaxing than bard, but i still cant get over how weird dancer attack animation look especially how the chakram fly by, it look slow.

and yes i agree with above post, dancer battle stance look weird, i mean i get it the light tap on the feet (like bruce lee) to prepare you to move around at any moment because you are dancer, but i wish the hand animation doesnt look like that.