Bard LB feedback

[Terhix]

I've been playing a lot of BRD in Diamond recently (ranked from Gold to Diamond on Bard), and while I think the Job is overall quite good, I feel like the LB is really holding it back.

The main issue I see is that LB charge mechanic only happens after everybody else has already dumped their LBs in the game. The other class I'm aware of that has such ridiculously long charge time for LB is PLD, and where PLD can stall enemy advance against the odds, for BRD LB to be effective your whole team has to be alive and around you, which means you were already winning or at very least deadlocked without the BRD LB, and casting it just there to help secure the win as you push the crystal forward. It's useful, for sure, but it hardly feels impactful.

Another job that has the same charge LB mechanic is AST with The Spire outside of LB. This means that, unlike BRD, a team with AST can have all of their LBs ready first, which is a massive advantage in early game, and it continues to be an advantage as the game drags on. Like BRD, AST also has an LB that buff allies, with a buff that's shorter but more impactful (30% damage and mitigiation that gradually fades over 15 seconds), making it better suited to the burst nature of the game than the more toned down 30s long buff that BRD provides.

I'd suggest that BRD as support dps should be able to charge party LB meters constantly like AST does (perhaps put the effect on Apex Arrow, or Blast Arrow to not have the same uptime), and have the BRD LB be just a shorter recharge rate, plain damage buff for the party that does more for the BRD itself, like grant faster charges on Empyrean Arrow, grant a free Repertoire every 5 seconds or so, or at very least let the BRD have the same damage buff it gives to everyone else.

[Darthgummibear]

Any LB that requires team coordination to utilize is conceptually terrible in a game mode where you can't properly communicate with anyone or queue with friends.

[HyperSMB]

BRD Ult feels underwhelming. BRD ITSELF is fine. Any class with a true silence is good. But that Ult...just feels, meh.

[Tobias_Azuryon]

A smaller buff with an aoe arrow rain, or a smaller buff and an apex arrow that pierces if anyone is between the target and you could be neat too.

I was thinking about it like GNB's limit break if their limit break wasn't crap. Basically you have a song cycling around you for 5 "ticks" that puts a stack of a buff on the party around you, so the team can see it easily, and at the end does a cast/move/etc so that way even if you're solo you're getting a benefit out of it.

With how imbalanced the teams are currently it's sort of hard to ensure that dps buffs don't skew things, with things like SCH Adlo being tied to shields and such. Then again as mentioned here the AST cards/LB exists and they have CC kit on top of that as well.

I know having every ult be "Big damage" is lame but without proper communication and team coordination it's a pain to utilize properly, which then becomes a pain to balance when/if we ever get duo/team/etc matchups. It's a tough spot.

Any LB that requires team coordination to utilize is conceptually terrible in a game mode where you can't properly communicate with anyone or queue with friends.

One and done really. It's why the WHM LB is often touted as the best in the game and constantly mentioned alongside MCH's. An LB that lets you DO the thing without extra obstacles in a mode where they have fought team play at every turn in every way is a boon.

[Ransu]

Ya BRD LB is really garbage. Unfortunately with the way the new pvp is designed, the jobs with the less impactful LB's have a hard time swaying the match and BRD is overly reliant on the rest of the team playing well.

[Terhix]

Any LB that requires team coordination to utilize is conceptually terrible in a game mode where you can't properly communicate with anyone or queue with friends.

Yeah, though BRD LB doesn't really require any coordination, many jobs will be able to do their burst rotation twice in the buff window with how long it lasts, which is kind of the problem. You just pop it and hope the rest of your team plays well enough to warrant the opportunity cost of it not being WAR/WHM/SAM/etc LB.

[Lammas]

I'd be willing to trade 10 or maybe even 15 yalms of it's huge 30y range to allow it to go through walls. It's extremely hard to get a halfway decent use of it in during Volcanic Heart map.

Alternatively or additionally, I'd love if it was changed to be a channeled effect around you so people who come into range later would also get the buff. For the record, this is how the Frontliner's march buff on BRD already works so it's kinda counterintuitive that the LB that even has the effect swirling around you is a snapshotted buff instead. Since your teammates already lose the buff if you die during it, making it a passively channeled one would give you a bit more leeway in where you're popping it to get some use out of it.

Either being blocked by walls needs to go or the LB being a onetime snapshot needs to go.

I think the buff effect itself is okay enough but I'd also consider if the strength of the effect is really strong enough to be held behind a 120 second charge timer.

[Aubrey_A]

Outside on the group LB regeneration, I would love to see the movement speed up to be a group buff. Currently it only works on the bard.

On the wild side of LB changes I would like Final Fantasia remove the cast time on Powerful Shot.

[Jettinson]

I am on board with the last 2 posts.
Bard's LB is fun because it is also not just a direct mega hit LB and encourages support but it feels lacking and counter intuitive with the rest of the kit.

Bard is very solid, great CCs and all but LB really could use some work. The amount of times I wasted because I thought it was channeling only to realise I only used for myself pre pull (just to keep the LB meter reset and going) hurt lol

[geminipestdeath]

Kind of agree. Switched from Warrior to Bard for CC Ranked and it was really fun to be able to actually have a moment to think tactically for once instead of getting lost in the chaos of melee. The LB itself is -really- underwhelming with how slow it charges and how little it actually offers. 10% really isn't worth it when Astro can just sling that out with cards (and even throw out 30% with their own LB). It'd make more sense if Bard was constantly giving team buffs but it's effectively just a much weaker version of what Astro can already do with a sprinkling of low-to-mid potency attacks and one (Bind is situational) really good CC.

It's also counter-intuitive since Bards' damage is primarily based on being at range (What with Pitch Perfect/Powerful Shot exclusively doing more damage at longer ranges). So once you have LB you basically have to throw yourself into danger to get the maximum value out of it and then hope you can use Repelling Shot to disengage before you get murdered during the animation lock. To rub salt in the wound, Repelling Shot doesn't even give you enough distance to capitalize on your damage bonus at range since it caps at 15y but Repelling Shot only puts you back 10y.

Bard's LB needs to be able to apply at range, imo. Maybe like... Making your next shot on target the source of the bonus rather than you. Just my thoughts though.