Bard advanced tactics

[svann]

I disagree with spreading buffs across dots especially if it's dmg bonus's i.e. raging strikes, eagle, blood for blood. Dots tick at 3 second intervals I believe and tick at the same time regardless of when you apply them. If you buff as you are your dot dmg will be less on the previously applied.

I lead with quelling/straight > BL > WB > barrage > VB > flames prioritizing BL/miseries, heavy on fillers.

Are you recommending putting all buffs up at once? I went to spreading them out because it felt like I was spending too much time buffing at the start of the fight. 4 buffs not including straight shot.

[Kroktar]

You use 1 buff everytime after one attack that use GCD.

***Of course...DMG buff will never be a priority over Bloodletter...

You have to think...You have attacks with Global Cooldown, And also other abilities that doesnt use this GCD...so you have to use them while GCD its on.

But you gotta be sure that the attack has been done, or some abilities can override your last action.

[Ohayo]

You want your dots to have their buffed dmg rolling and then fall off on your first set then apply a new set. When quelling is about to fall off your dots should be just about done which then you refresh with dots that don't have increased dmg. you want the benefit of crit bonus to increase the chance youll get a BL proc. As everyone is talking about in here you want to avoid clipping yourself, if you're having to recast dots twice on a single target before they have even falling off it's a waste of gcd/tp/uptime which could have been spent on a heavy shot. As the fight goes on your buffs will spread themselves out and you can work in the gcd. At the start I throw them up when the tank is running in to get the benefit from my bites.

[CatholicFan]

Well, I'm glad to see my rotation isn't too far off from what other people are doing. On boss fights, my rotation looks something like this:

- Quelling Strikes (while tank runs in to fight)
- Straight Shot (after first actual hit by tank)
- Internal Release on off-GCD (+20% crit chance)
- Windbite
- Bloodletter on off-GCD (I do this first one before the buffs so as not to miss any procs of Rivers of Blood)
- Venomous Bite
- Hawk's Eye on off-GCD (swap Bloodletter if procs)
- Heavy Shot (swap Straighter Shot if procs)
- Raging Strikes on off-GCD (swap Bloodletter if procs)
- Heavy Shot (swap Straighter Shot if procs)
- Barrage on off-GCD (swap Bloodletter if procs)
- Heavy Shot (swap Straighter Shot if procs)

At this point, I just keep working Heavy Shot unless Straighter shot procs (or needs a rebuff of Straight Shot), with Bloodletter/Misery's End on off-GCD. As the DoT's fall off, I refresh them. Then, as the fight progresses, I reuse the CD's as they come up individually.

I'd appreciate any critique of my opening volleys. For single target bosses, I'm not sure if it's worth working Flaming Arrow into the opening rotation because of the slightly longer setup time (i.e. not just a button press) or Rain of Death because of its high TP cost. These seem to me to be skills worth dropping in situationally, like if the boss isn't going to be moving much or if the healer needs a slight lessening of their burden.

One question I would have is, is there ever a time Battle Voice isn't particularly useful?

[SaveTheSunF1R3x]

I would like to know how much its the increase of your Damage with Foe Requiem...

10% damage increase goes a long way let's look at it this way: Wind bite deals 60 potency initially then 40 potency on each tic after for 18 sec. DoTs tic every 3 sec on a server timer so your potency of wind bite is 300 in total (give or take some)
using the formula: AVG WS DMG = (Potency/100) x [(0.0032 x DEX + 0.4162) x WD + (0.1001 x DEX - 0.3529) + (DTR – 202) x 0.035]
With my current stats the AVG WS DMG of windbite is: 302.4249 = (300/100) x [(0.0032 x 402 + 0.4162) x 35 + (0.1001 x 402 - 0.3529) + (240 – 202) x 0.035]
adding the 10% of Foe requiem = 332.66739 (a 30.24249 increase)
If 332.331 = (300/100) x [(0.0032 x 449 + 0.4162) x 35 + (0.1001 x 449 - 0.3529) + (240 – 202) x 0.035]
that means the damage increase of foe requiem on windbite is = 47 DEX (which is huge)
this isnt even factoring in crit and using battle voice

[CatholicFan]

It seems slightly dangerous to burn up your MP pool for Requiem when there isn't at least a BLM in the party. I would think that, unless you're in a static where you know and trust your party, it's better to save that MP for Ballad, especially in a DF group. It might be good for execution phase to get a little burst damage, but I certainly would advise against using Requiem early in a fight.

[Sajittarius]

use Rain of Death on heavy hitting bosses before they do their strongest attacks (like TItan before he stomps).

Your healers will want to party with you because they win more with you and dont know why...

[UBERHAXED]

Ok so lets get this straight. Foe requiem doesn't increase any moves for bard (haven't checked with other classes) so don't make assumptions without actually testing it. I submitted a bug report showing through tests that foe requiem is broken a few weeks ago and it has yet to move to another section. Check it out in the game yourself. Try just using windbite and record the initial damage and the DoTs. Then put up requiem and fire at a foe and record again. Requiem has no effect for bard's moves and probably has no effect at all (haven't tried with a mage).

[Tillia]

I know its been said not to ever clip a DOT, but what are your opinions on clipping them right before a buff runs out? For example, If I use Internal Release, apply dots, then right before Internal Release goes away, clip the dots so they retain the crit bonus for another 18 seconds?

[Viridiana]

Ok so lets get this straight. Foe requiem doesn't increase any moves for bard (haven't checked with other classes) so don't make assumptions without actually testing it. I submitted a bug report showing through tests that foe requiem is broken a few weeks ago and it has yet to move to another section. Check it out in the game yourself. Try just using windbite and record the initial damage and the DoTs. Then put up requiem and fire at a foe and record again. Requiem has no effect for bard's moves and probably has no effect at all (haven't tried with a mage).

Say not to make assumptions, then make bad assumptions yourself. . .Anyway, Requiem decidedly does work for BLM, as the BLM I regularly run with absolutely loves it when I use it, because he watches his numbers spike up. Some have claimed that it also boosts SMN damage, but I have no evidence for that either way.