Thoughts on Bard

[Reg]

Archer Class Abilities

Heavy Shot
Delivers an attack with a potency of 150. Additional Effect: 20% chance next Straight Shot will deal critical damage.
Duration: 10s

Straight Shot
Delivers an attack with a potency of 140.
Additional Effect: Increases critical hit rate by 10%.
Duration: 20s

Raging Strikes
Increases damage dealt by 20%
Duration: 20s

Venomous Bite
Delivers an attack with a potency of 100.
Additional Effect: Venom
Potency:35
Duration: 18s
Additional Effect: When venom damage is critical, there is a 50% chance Bloodletter recast time will reset.

Misery's End
Delivers an attack with a potency of 190.
Can only be executed when target's HP is below 20%.

Shadowbind
Binds target.
Duration:10s
Cancels auto-attack upon execution
Target unbound if damage taken.

Bloodletter
Delivers an attack with a potency of 150.

Repelling Shot
Delivers an attack with a potency of 80.
Additional Effect: 10-yalm backstep. Cannot be executed while bound.

Quick Nock
Delivers an attack with a potency of 110 to all enemies in a cone before you.

Swiftsong
Increases the movement speed of all nearby party members as long as they remain within hearing distance. Effect ends upon reuse or when enmity generated. Cannot be used in battle or with other songs.

Hawk's Eye
Increases DEX by 15% and physical accuracy by 20%.
Duration: 20s

Windbite
Deals wind damage with a potency of 60.
Additional Effect: Wind damage over time. Potency: 45 Duration: 18s
Additional Effect: When damage over time is critical, there is a 50% chance Bloodletter recast time will reset.

Quelling Strikes
Reduces enmity generated by each attack.
Duration: 15s

Barrage
Increases the number of strikes per auto-attack to 2.
Duration: 10s

Blunt Arrow
Delivers an attack with a potency of 50.
Additional Effect: Silence.
Duration: 1s

Flaming Arrow
Sets the ground ablaze, delivering damage with a potency of 35 to enemies that enter the flames.
Duration: 30s

Wide Volley
Delivers an attack with a potency of 110 to target and enemies near it.
Additional Effect: 15% chance next Rain of Death will cost no TP Duration: 10s



Bard Job Abilities

Mage's Ballad
Refreshes MP of all nearby party members while lowering own damage dealt by 20%. MP is drained while singing. Refresh effect is lost if party members move out of hearing distance, and ends upon reuse. Cannot be used with other songs.

Foe Requiem
Reduces all enemy elemental resistance by 10%. MP is drained while singing. Effect is lost if targets move out of hearing distance, and ends upon reuse. Cannot be used with other songs.

Army's Paeon
Refreshes TP of all nearby party members while lowering own damage dealt by 20%. MP is drained while singing. Refresh effect is lost if party members move out of hearing distance, and ends upon reuse. Cannot be used with other songs.

Rain Of Death
Delivers an attack with a potency of 100 to target and enemies near it.
Additional Effect: Lowers target's damage dealt by 10%.
Duration: 20s
Additional Effect: 15% chance next Quick Nock will cost no TP.
Duration: 10s

Battle Voice
Doubles the effectiveness of all songs. Does not work with Swiftsong.
Duration: 30s



Cross Class Abilities

Feint - LNC
Delivers an attack with a potency of 120.
Additional Effect: Slow +20%.
Duration 10s

Featherfoot - PGL
Increases evasion by 25%. Duration: 10s (Effect 15% below level 14)

Keen Flurry - LNC
Increases parry rate by 80%.
Duration: 20s

Second Wind - PGL
Instantly restores own HP. Cure Potency 650. Cure potency varies with current attack power.

Haymaker - PGL
Delivers an attack with a potency of 170. Can only be used immediately after evading an attack.
Additional Effect: Slow +20%.
Duration 12s

Internal Release - PGL
Increases critical hit rate by 30%. Duration 15s (Effect 20% below level 36)

Invigorate - LNC
Instantly restores 400 TP.

Blood for Blood - LNC
Increases damage dealt by 20% and damage suffered by 25%. Duration: 20s

Mantra - PGL
Increases HP recovery via curing magic by 20% for self and nearby party members. Duration: 15s. (Effect 10% below level 48)



Archer/Bard Class Traits

Heavier Shot
Adds to Heavy Shot a 20% chance that your next Straight Shot will deal critical damage.

Enhanced Dexterity
Increases dexterity by 2.

Enhanced Dexterity II
Increases dexterity by 4.

Increased Action Damage
Increases base action damage by 10%.

Enhanced Venomous Bite
Extends Venomous Bite duration to 18 seconds.

Enhanced Raging Strike
Shortens Raging Strike recast time to 120 seconds.

Enhanced Dexterity III
Increases dexterity by 6.

Enhanced Quick Knock
Extends Quick Knock range to 12 yalms.

Increased Action Damage II
Increases base action damage by 20%.

Enhanced Barrage
Increases number of strikes per auto-attack to three.

River of Blood
Grants a 50% chance that damage over time inflicted by Venomous Bite or Windbite will reset the Bloodletter recast timer.



I love this class. It's not the typical support role that you found in FFXI. For anyone that played the first Square-Enix MMO, the class pretty much became a healer/support class who became a puller for XP grinds. Now not only do you have a few support songs, but it has been said that it is one of the top DPS classes, if not the top.

I really like the way they went with it, but I can see how it wouldn't be for some people. I know when I was getting my dragoon up, I never saw songs cast except Swiftsong between pulls. The problem is you take a 20% hit to your own DPS while the main songs are up. None of the fights I have done have really been about DPS races, so the sustainability of the Bard class is pretty great right now.

And to top it off, they are great for FATE grinds because of their AoE and tagging ability, especially in places like Northern Thanalan for the Dark Devices FATE.

What are your thoughts for the Bard job?


EDIT: Going to be updating this to perhaps make it a Bard Megathread

[Deleted]

I'm jealous of their mobility, personally. From what I've seen they can more or less do everything but start up a song on the move.

Dunno about DPS though. Not running any meters because I'm lazy. :x

[Reg]

I'm jealous of their mobility, personally. From what I've seen they can more or less do everything but start up a song on the move.

Dunno about DPS though. Not running any meters because I'm lazy. :x

I love the mobility. There have been times where a tank has gone down and I have been able to kite the boss long enough to get a Raise out on the tank. Normally this means I end up kiting the rest of the time since getting threat back isn't an easy task.

And for BRD dps to shine, they really need to get to 22 Lancer for Invigorate. It's a nice 400 instant TP regen.

[Kelimbror]

And for BRD dps to shine, they really need to get to 22 Lancer for Invigorate. It's a nice 300 instant TP regen.

Yeah that's kinda nuts....in aoe situations that's amazing. Between that and a pot you can aoe for days. Kinda dismayed now realizing I need to level so much just to get my character maxed ability wise. Uggh. Thought it was just a PGL to 15 and didn't want to think about anything beyond that as it's such a grind.

Oh well...going to keep sticking with it though because I want to see how a bard plays in the end. Definitely playing light years behind everyone else, but that's what happens when you have limited time and play two MMOs pretty intently.

[Riched]

My archer is 26 now and Pugilist 12. Getting close to Bard, so I like to hear all this good news!

[scriix]

Bards pretty fun and extremely useful, i only wish they let us use the single target dps limit instead of the healer limit, also soo many cd's to hit it can be quite annoying, if anyone has an efficient way of hitting cd's and not losing dps im all ears.

also if anyone wants to bard chat im usually streaming while playing twitch tv scriix

[Dragon Claws]

Honestly, I'm expecting Bard nerfs. They're just too good, too powerful, and too adaptable. I'm not crying and whining or anything.

From what I've seen'em do, given the right amount of time behind the player, they're *very* powerful.

[-aiko-]

Bards are pretty much vital for any group. They bring great support and high dps with insurmountable mobility.

I wish I had rolled BRD. XD

[Wilhelm137]

After getting up to coil so far(haven't started just yet) can definitely say invigorate(lvl 22 lancer) is pretty much required to not completely gimp yourself on longer fights by having to switch to the tp song. Noticed it first with the first boss of AK where at around 33% or so I was running out of tp and had to song, titan definitely gets use out of it too.

Invigorate is 400 tp btw until whatever lvl it is for lancer where you get the upgrade to 500.

[bejii]

Started out as a GLD/PLD but I've found that I just don't enjoy tanking. I'm currently leveling up my ARC, hopefully I'll enjoy that more.

Dumb question: where should I put my bonus points as an ARC/BRD? +30 dexterity?

[icausewipes]

Started out as a GLD/PLD but I've found that I just don't enjoy tanking. I'm currently leveling up my ARC, hopefully I'll enjoy that more.

Dumb question: where should I put my bonus points as an ARC/BRD? +30 dexterity?

DEX.

I ran a 2nd character to 30 (arc) and felt kinda down once I unlocked bard.

[Maggoo]

I've been tanking, but leveling Glad is awful and slow, I want to switch to an Archer. My question is when you go Bard do you still get to do damage? or are bards expected to channel songs the whole time? Or am I wrong and songs are a passive aura that drains mana?

[scriix]

bard songs reduce your damage by 20% and drain your mana, so you want to use them mainly when you wont be dpsing or when you absolutely have to, otherwise its straight dps and your limit id the healer limit which menas they can keep healing and you can drop a healing limit if absolutely necessary

[Delekii]

I love the mobility. There have been times where a tank has gone down and I have been able to kite the boss long enough to get a Raise out on the tank. Normally this means I end up kiting the rest of the time since getting threat back isn't an easy task.

And for BRD dps to shine, they really need to get to 34 Lancer for Blood for Blood. When the downside can be avoided, 20% damage for 20 seconds on an 80 second cooldown is an unmissable ability.

Fixt.

It really sucks having to level lancer to 34, because the class is dogshit, but that cooldown is far too good to pass up. It is much better on bard than it is on dragoon.

[Riched]

After getting up to coil so far(haven't started just yet) can definitely say invigorate(lvl 22 lancer) is pretty much needed to not completely gimp yourself on longer fights by having to switch to the tp song. Noticed it first with the first boss of AK where at around 33% or so I was running out of tp and had to song, titan definitely gets use out of it too.

Invigorate is 400 tp btw until whatever lvl it is for lancer where you get the upgrade to 500.

Definitely going to have to level a lancer after seeing that.

[Hanyuu]

I had started as a thau but I managed to create a second account and it took so long to get if fixed, I just started an archer on the second account and gave up. The bard hasn't disappointed at all though. I love the mobility compared to having sit in one place with spells with cast times.