Why do Bards have the highest DPS?

[Aramyth]

BRDs just have certain advantages that other classes don't have, but their hit per hit are lower than other classes. While a BRD is easy too play you also have to be good at it too. You have to make sure you don't eat your TP, when to apply songs, best times to use your damage boosts, keeping your DoTs up and sometimes position and AOE damage.

I'm not sure it's as face roll as people make it seem. While I agree it's easier.

[Kyriea]

A good bard doesnt just start playing a song at the beginning of a battle. You only need to start playing a song when it is needed. That is why they are just support rangers.

Which means at some point in the battle you will lose 20% usually half way through. It makes sense for SE to heighten BRD DPS without songs to make up for the time when they are using songs considering DPS counts for the whole fight and not just the first half. BRD comes from a DPS class so naturally BRD's will want to do DPS as well as songs and if they do considerably less because of songs then everyone will complain. Funny because now people are complaining for the opposite - can never win.

[Reika]

Which means at some point in the battle you will lose 20% usually half way through. It makes sense for SE to heighten BRD DPS without songs to make up for the time when they are using songs considering DPS counts for the whole fight and not just the first half. BRD comes from a DPS class so naturally BRD's will want to do DPS as well as songs and if they do considerably less because of songs then everyone will complain. Funny because now people are complaining for the opposite - can never win.

How often do you really think a bard song is actually needed? Its really not that often. If your healers aren't paying attention, overhealing, not recovering their MP with the skills they have, then you might have to have BRD use MP song. But even that should be up for more than like 12 seconds. In an 8 player dungeon, one job is going to be left out because there are 9 jobs to choose from. You definitely wont always have a Bard in a 4 player dungeon. Bard might be the one, but will that cause the dungeon to fail? not by a longshot, because those songs aren't constantly needed. If anything, those songs just make up for certain classes (the people behind them really) not controlling their actions.

And then when you do have a bard, that bard really never has to touch a single song.

[Soulscare]

They don't, they're just the easiest to play. A good BLM can do better... The problem is, there are so few good BLM's.

[Kyriea]

Reika I honestly think you are blowing the damage differences way out of proportion... The difference isn't significant enough to warrant such anger. So what if BRD sometimes comes out on top? BRD songs simply help the fight go smoother. Never should anyone just be focusing on their DPS but sadly that's all these games have become, a race to be the best on your own rather than in a group.

[Rolvag]

They don't, they're just the easiest to play. A good BLM can do better... The problem is, there are so few good BLM's.

I dont argue that bards are "easy to play" due to free movements, thats actualy why i love that class but , puting BLM on that side as hard to play seems little weird to me. their "rotation" are as easy as BRDs ( before complain that i havent one, my wife has summoner and BLM on 50th). I admit they have issue with proc on landing instead "end of cast"

[Zumi]

Any fight that has a lot of movement involved a Bard is going to out dps other classes like blm or melee. BLM has to stand still to cast, brd can always be on the move and dps at the same time. Hard mode titan you have to move a lot to dodge a lot of mechanics Bard out dps blm because of how often you have to move and casts get interrupted, cant finish your cast because you will probably die if you do.

[Reika]

Reika I honestly think you are blowing the damage differences way out of proportion... The difference isn't significant enough to warrant such anger. So what if BRD sometimes comes out on top? BRD songs simply help the fight go smoother. Never should anyone just be focusing on their DPS but sadly that's all these games have become, a race to be the best on your own rather than in a group.

Don't know what anger you are talking about. I'm just saying a bard never really has to suffer a 20% damage penalty since the songs aren't really needed. You won't see groups breaking apart because 8 of the 9 jobs available to them wasn't a bard, and you won't see them missing bards dps.

[Kyriea]

You seem very determined to make this a big issue lol, it's really not that bad if a BRD comes out slightly on top is what I'm saying. SE have most likely balanced it so that BRD makes up its DPS early in the fight to allow for songs to be cast and to prevent people complaining about lack of DPS from a job that stems from a DPS class. Most likely there will be content released that will require a BRD to reliably clear the content in the future.

As a tank I would much rather a healer had enough MP to heal me comfortably than a jumped up BRD who cares more about big numbers than whether the party will wipe. I agree there is content where you do not need songs at the moment, but bear in mind that these are still early days and not every job has to be used to its fullest. Even without using songs, I don't really see where the issue is here because the difference between classes is very minimal and depends on circumstance. The balancing in this game is a hell of a lot better than most MMO's and could be a lot worse.

[Rage89]

if you whail against an unmoving target with no abilities bards come last in dps. the only reason why bards can parse how they do is because they can continue to dps on the mobs while dodging AoEs/atks. on the flip side a geared summoner is pretty similar in that respect.