Bard Feedback

[AceofRains]

Hello,

I intend to present to you some of my observations with the Bard job, please feel free to join in with feedback.

What is a Bard?
A bard in plain terms is a RDPS/SUPPORT type. In ffxiv, bard is rather simply referred to as a dps. This is rather contrary to its true nature as well as the abilities it learns. So what does a bard actually do in ffxiv? Bard's true potential lies in extended battles. When allies fall short on MP and TP, a bard is their to lift up their spirits. Bards are able to keep swiftly attacking while mobile. Bards are able to quickly restore a fallen comrade.

Pugilist, Lancer, and Conjurer
Taking Conjurer away from this class was a real big mistake. This basically shredded all of the support aspects of this job. While lancer and pugilist maximize it's status as a DPS, I believe that only one of those should be chose and a subclass and for conjurer to be the other. The one best becoming of this is Pugilist. Pugilist will keep critical rate high [Internal Release] while adding to the bard's support capacity [Mantra] and to it's evasiveness [Featherfoot]. Also, spells such as [Stoneskin] [Protect] and [Raise] are really helpful to have.

Lancer as a sub almost feels like a waste. One of the best skills you can get from it is Invigorate and that is rendered less important considering your own TP song [Army's Paeon] can recover your TP. The other skills don't seem to make a ton of sense either.

Why is my limit break a heal if I'm dps?
One of the things that most stands out to me is bard is their limit betrays their role, especially a dps class. What I would recommend is adding a 4th role type called Support and place bard under it.
Archer [RDPS] = AoE Deamage
Bard [SUPPORT] = AoE Buffs or Heal

Am I playing my song?
While under the effects of a song it is easy to forget that my mp is ticking away. Please add particles that show what song I'm playing.

Rotation spam
It is easy to get bored with Bard's skill rotation, and what I noticed in large part due to a lack of deviation from single targe dps. Granted things may get more heated when it's time to AoE, however bard already puts out great dps with its range and mobility, so I figure it would be nice if bards can take a second from shooting to actually help their allies. When an ally dies in combat, as a bard I feel silly because unless I have a full limit break I can't revive allies, when my specialty lies in exactly doing that.

TL;DR
-Replace lancer sub with conjurer sub
-Make archer limit break into a RDPS limit break, keep bards as is.
-Make particles of the current song in effect, if possible a continuous sound effect of music would be nice as well.

[blessed]

Hello,
Am I playing my song?
While under the effects of a song it is easy to forget that my mp is ticking away. Please add particles that show what song I'm playing.

i get that the LB of Bard must be a damage type, but this? even the checking of your MP. seriously?

[Mogweed]

I know I wanted to play Bard specifically because it was a support role. As I learned in beta it has switched from that to a DPS it makes me want to reconsider it. I liked how bards were set up in XI and that was the experience I was mostly looking for. I am now 41 and while I don't mind playing bard I am not as wooohoooo bard as I was before I played the beta. I have been a magic caster for most MMO's and so wanted to try this out but now I would rather have the archer class go into Ranger or Musketeer. Bring back the support roles!

[AceofRains]

i get that the LB of Bard must be a damage type, but this? even the checking of your MP. seriously?

Yes, A it helps my allies see where a song is in effect and B It helps me manage my mp which I forget that I'm using a song I never usually pay attention to it considering thats the only way I spend MP.

[Viridiana]

-Replace lancer sub with conjurer sub

I've pointed out every time this has come up since OB, CNJ sub would be useless for BRD. We only had access to four skills: Cure, Protect, Raise, and Stoneskin. Only WHM can use Raise in battle, meaning at best we'd be saving someone a run back. The group healer will also have Protect, and if the healer is a WHM, we literally cannot cast our Protect, as you can't overwrite a stronger buff with a weaker one. That leaves Cure and Stoneskin. Cure on a class with no MND stat and no Magic Damage on its weapon is pathetically weak, not even worth the MP. Stoneskin you can almost make a point for, assuming that the healer isn't already using it on the tank. And once again, if the healer is a WHM, their Stoneskin will overwrite ours and make ours useless, because theirs is better.

Tell me again why we should have a CNJ sub?

[AceofRains]

Which is why they need to change raise in combat. If that were the case a reasonable take would be Internal Release, Featherfoot, Stoneskin, Raise, the last being a choice between Mantra, Haymaker, Second Wind, Protect, and Cure.
The whole point of this is to bring a job like bard in lines with it's support aspects
This way it would also make sense to base bard off of DEX and PIE, so they hit hard as well as have a larger mana pool to play songs and use magic.

Besides that its unreasonable that a dps like summoner is allowed to raise in combat while paladin and bard are unable to. If a healer goes down it automatically means certain doom unless the enemy is weak.

[ProphetMagnus]

Thank you for posting this, it's nice to get different perspectives on jobs from lots of different people. I levelled Archer in 1.0 and have been wanting to get back into it (may as well make use of all my Kokoroon gear) because Bard interests me as I prefer to play support roles (I'm currently a warrior tank go figure). I was hoping Bard would be a ranged DPS/FFXI Red Mage hybrid, but it looks like ill have to change my way of viewing the class.

Personally I'm ok with having a heal limit break as a backup (makes sense if we're a support role, we pick up the slack where it needs to be lifted including heals if necessary I guess).

[SteelyHermit]

I agree with Viridiana, any skills we could be gaining from conjuror are rendered useless in pretty much any party scenario, meanwhile, invigorate from the lancer tree is a great skill to have in any scenario. Bards already provide enough support with their ability to help party members through various situations by playing different songs. In addition, our LB3 allows us to resurrect the party while the healers can continue healing whoever is left alive. If bards were made any more supportive, they would need to lose a significant amount of DPS to balance things out which wouldn't really fit in with the fact that they are still archers, which are a ranged dps class.

[Leraje]

LIke all the comments before already implied it I agree too that BRB can't get any profits through cross-classing CNJ as his MP is too important for his own songs.
He already has some good buffs and support skills which no other class has. Many people don't even know or they didn't even checked it out, that although the skill description says all other party members the BRD himself/herself gets the buff too like TP/MP regen. Try it out for yourself you will see the difference
As you maybe completed the BRD jobquest for his/her jobskills you witnessed maybe, I don't know for sure, but a most likely lvl 55+ jobskill. Your teacher used in the last part of the jobquest a skill which is really useful and still isn't in the hands of any BRD .
But I won't spoiler anything See it for yourself or if you didn't paid any attention you have to wait xD

[pandabearcat]

They're not going to change the class.

I agree with all of you that I wanted bard to be support, but it clearly is dps.

Have any of you played Forgotten World? Yes it is super grindy and overall a terrible game, but it is by far the best bard class I've ever played. You play notes, which are also attacks...these three notes, played in different combinations, give your entire party chord buffs. You have a complex rotation involving keeping up as many chords as possible (they don't last very long), as well as situational chords, and healing chords...you also have long duration buffs called "movements", and oh my god I'm gushing but how can every other game get bard SO WRONG...while this one gets it so right. Please, check it out, see what bard can truly be as a support/dps class.

Also...not sure if you were serious, but a 1/2 second glance at your buff bar will tell you what song you're playing.