Quote Originally Posted by Akonyl View Post
I bring up the usage of the MP gauge for BRD pretty often, it's something I miss from the HW days. But I don't think just inserting MP into the rotation is the way to go (because rotations, even when they seem freeform, tend to arrive at an "answer" at which point the MP cost doesn't become very relevant), what I'd like to see is them delving more into the support side of the "support role" brd was supposed to be (rather than just +rdps), like how MP+TP songs used to be (+foe, but that was just +rdps).

For example, give BRDs extra OGCD utility buttons that cost MP, but also give some mediocre, non-rotation-defining MP-cost OGCD ability. That way, during prog, we can blow our mana on utility skills and support the group, but as the training wheels come off, we can funnel more of our MP resource into the extra damage ping ability as a reward for optimizing well.

I'm still steamed about how the "Ballad of Oblivion" questline was related to burial rites/soothing of souls and it wasn't a ressurrection or something (since we'd just had our healer LB3 taken away), and was instead just the boring sidewinder button. Maybe give BRDs a rez song that takes like 80% of the bar too or something, then you could have other things be a tiny heal, a tiny solo mit (palisade), etc.
I'd like to see Bard damage drop and group augmentation increase.

(random shower thought)
Imagine if while running a song; using your certain abilities at certain "windows" within the song would provide group buff effects - akin to a rhythm game - so say "Mages ballad 20-15 seconds left - Blood letter will trigger a small group heal; Ironjaw will trigger a 2% damage mit for all, etc etc" the idea of treating bardic gameplay more like musical playstyles of its namesake - different songs make attacks provide different effects at different times and eventually result in when you hit Radiant Finale being a powerful party buff depending on the "score" you had written up to that point.

Never happen but would be nice to see bard become a support class; hell I cannot recall the last time I used Wardens Paeon outside of a dungeon where the healer was asleep.