You Spoony Guide! - A Troubadour's Libretto

Aside from Chironic augmented with +macc there's not really a lot of new pieces.
If you're really in need of more macc a good option is to go /NIN or /DNC and dualwield Kali, that's a *** of additional macc. (through macc itself, +CHR and +Sing)


Vanya hands path D are slightly better than Fili+1 when it comes down to macc, but it's a really small difference.

I think the cap of +macc you can get on Chironic is +30, correct?
So, without factoring +CHR, Body is the only thing that is an upgrade for debuffs, you need at least +25 macc for it to be better than Brioso+1, less than +25 if you get +CHR of course.
Sounds doable, but it won't be easy if the cap really is +30. If I'm wrong and it's +40 like for acc it's gonna be easier.

Might want Zendik Robe instead though, not easier to get maybe, but serves two purposes (could use Zendik Robe for precast as well, saving some inventory space!)



As for the DD stuff I'll make a post in the other thread.

Thanks! I will never be a Mythic/4 Song Bard, but I'd like to be as efficient as possible for the buffs and stuff I will be doing. Thanks ^_^

Chironic hands can go past 30. My SCH hands have 35macc/34mab on them

Well as I said in the previous page:

Head ==> Chironic needs at least macc+35 to beat Bihu+1
Body ==> Chironic needs at least +25 macc to beat Bihu+1 and Zendik Robe.
Hands ==> Chironic would need macc+40 (cap) to be equal to Fili+1. Vanya (D) is slightly better than Fili+1 iir anyway.
Legs ==> Chironic needs macc+29 to beat Fili+1
Feet ==> Chironic needs at least 34 macc to be the best.

Need even less than those numbers if you happen to get CHR augments. 1 CHR = 1 macc = 1 sing skill (approximately, of course)


If the cap is really 40 and it's as easy/hard as it is on other sets to reach it, then in my opinion:
Head ==> Gonna need quite some luck for what would be only slightly better at best.
Body ==> Good chances to get a better macc piece.
Hands ==> lolno, don't bother.
Legs ==> Quite good chances to get a better option than Fili+1 (not as good as body though)
Feet ==> Gonna be hard to get a better piece than perfaug Telchine, supposing you already have them. (If!)

In addition to the ongoing discussion about midcast macc options, I think it's good to reinforce the fact that every BRD should likely have at least 2 (if not more for steps in-between) sets for debuffs.
One focusing on every single point of macc you can get.
One focusing on song duration.

Different situations and different song debuffs will favour one or another, but I think both are useful, as showed lately by the Albumen and Vinipata fights.
If you have a good Macc set and are receiving Focus and Languor (even more if Frazzle is down on the target!) you'll likely going to stick songs unto every target currently in game.
For those few where that's not enough, a combination of NiTro, Soul Voice and Bolster usually does the job.


Altough in the end I'm afraid all of this talk is moot. BRD is practically dead in current end-game, aside from the NMs mentioned above, and for everything else you may want to use BRD it means that stuff is so easy you will hardly see resists even without perf aug Chironic pieces, sooooo... yeah.

I don't think Marsyas is gonna change anything in that regard.
Things might be different if Threnodies had a higher relevance and if we could do more than just marching/ballading/INTing the mages, but I don't see that changing anytime soon (if ever) either.

So basically, what you're saying...since I been gone all this time..(Been gone 4yrs roughly)

Its pointless to gear my bard, since over all the other REM BRDs out there, I would never be accepted into anything over another player.

I don't got the time to make a Mythic, Relic, and Empy...just to be viable to be invited to events that would help me gear my BST. (Which is my main.)

Had I bee here all these years, I could of got those. But now its seemingly pointless unless BRD becomes viable again when REMs are upgraded.

But I look at GEO and see that a GEO can do the same things BRD can do, but better. DEF Down on the mob, and attack+ on the player would be more potent than 4 attack songs. And so much more versatility than BRD could ever provide.

Trying to get a group with BRD would be the most non-supportive thing for my BST that I've come to realize, even though I like BRD itself as a class. Its just not worth it anymore.

Any Linkshell I've checked out, mostly has BRDs with all 3 REMs...not going to use my BRD for anything when its only a 3 Song Bard.

It would be hard with the state of the game now to get a invite to most things with a 3 song bard. Your best bet would probably be to get into runs with bst since it is popular right now. Focus on job points for it, and gear when you can.

That would be true if every single Linkshell on Carbuncle wasn't anti-Pet Job. Besides SMN. They want SMN or BLMs.

Getting a party on BST is just as hard as getting a party on BST before the EXP Penalty was removed on Jug pets here.

It's hard to answer, depends what kind of content you want to do.
I'm mostly talking about the tough stuff in Escha/Reisenjima.
For other content (Delve, maybe Skirmish, easier Escha NMs, High Tier battlefields etc) BRD can still be useful.
Basically in every content where you can safely and reliably deploy DD jobs, BRD is gonna be useful.
Not necessary, more often than not not the best either, but certainly useful.

In the rest of content 99% of the times you're setting up your group with tanks, healers and a combination of mage jobs to create Skillchains (SCH) and magic burst on those SCs (BLMs, arguably SCH too). Also you have buffer jobs who can nuke and buff at the same time (Mainly GEOs, arguably COR)


The question at this point becomes:
Is BRD useful in such a setup?

Short answer is: No.
Long answer is: BRD can surely bring some utility, it's not like the BLMs won't like some INT etudes and marches and/or ballads, but for that to happen you either have to leave a spot in the mage pt for the BRD or swap with someone else, which is very annoying.
Would the tank apreciate some march, scherzo, minne, madrigal or whatever else. Of course, but it's not necessary at all.
Likewise the healers with ballads.

You have to consider that the HP of these NMs scales with the number of players you pop them with. Bringing one more player ==> the monster (and his adds, if he has any) is gonna have more HP.
If you're with, say, 10 people in your group and want to bring a BRD you have to ask yourself: will the "bonuses" this job brings compensate for the additional health points?
More often than not, for BRD and for many other jobs, the answer is NO, especially if you're already struggling to kill that NM within the time limit.

Which is exactely why people tend to leave things they don't "need" outside of their alliances. This is the crucial factor, more than the fact that BRD is useless.
BRD is cool, but it's just not as useful as other jobs for mage-based setups, and game is very reliant on mage-based setups atm.



I consider myself a very dedicated BRD player, I love the job and I have Gjallarhorn 99, Daurdabla 99, Carnwenhan 119 and soon (I hope!) Marsyas.
Still, this doesn't change my opinion, as much as it hurts me I have to admit there's hardly a worthy space for BRD in the majority of this type of end-game content.
And even in the rest of the game (where BRD can be a meaningful help) other jobs often do a better job.
Take GEO. GEO is easy to gear up, and even with just basic gear, capped skills and Dunna, it arguably performs better than a BRD with 4 songs and Horn, which trust me requires A LOT of dedication.

Is that fair? No, but that's how things are atm, in my opinion.

I think it's kinda the same on Asura, altough some smaller pet-based groups still exist over here.

Thing is that a lot of people hate BST-based strategies, that's undeniable.
Whether that's fair or not, well, it's not for me to say since I'm guilty as well.

Terpander: 149 boulders later
(Type A/Rnk 11/RP: 410)
HP +22
Mag. Acc. +8
Damage taken -2%

I've got a question.

If I put my weatherspoon ring in my precast lua, and the "quick magic" buff triggers sometimes, will it still register my midcast set? <.< I remember having problems with it on spellcast a few years back. Not sure how gearswap works in comparison. Or perhaps I'm getting mixed up with "occasionally quickens spellcasting."

if you're using gearswap, you can have quickmagic go off and your midcast set will still activate.

Thanks Calipso!!

will even work with with vanilla macros too. :)

Skjalf has started playing BRD again recently and wants to get people's opinions / thoughts on which rings to use [during midcast?]...

-and-
-----------------------------or----------------------------- -and-	-----------------------------or-----------------------------

Or perhaps a different combination? Or a different ring? Hmmmmm.... :3

Metamorph Rings are basically a shitty version of Carbuncle Ring +1s. Double Carbuncle +1 or Carbuncle +1/Weatherspoon>

Situation depending? MP for sub job is nice... :3

unless you are full timing them (which you shouldn't be?) there are better options for every single aspect of metamorph.

:) Thank you.

Anybody remembers if Song Duration stat (Gifts and Gear) and 2x bonus from Troubadour are additive or multiplicative?
I think Troub gets added AFTER (and on a separate operation) all song duration bonus has been calculated, so that means multiplicative?

Also what about the +20 seconds from Lullaby JPs and +20 seconds from Troubadour? Are they a static value added after everything else?

I answered all my doubts furtherly refining the full and correct formula to calculate lullaby duration in this post.

bump~

What kind of augs are bards going after for the new JSE capes?

Was considering Fast Cast / CHR / Macc or replace Macc with MND? IDK

Thoughts? Opinions?

Thanks

I'm gonna go with CHR+20, Macc/MDmg+20 and either Fastcast+10 or Mab+10.
Leaning towards FC of course, mab would be just for Aeolian Edge and stuff lol
Gonna be a pretty nice cape for debuffs, better than Kumbira or anything else.

Whats today's best debuff gear set look like? Need to max out on HordeII sleepga time on mobs, doing T4 Albumen and need my hordeII to last 6-7mins.

Any input would be good. Thank you!

Would be helpful to know our current highest macc gear, but regarding Albumen, you don't actually need a dedicated Macc set to land Lullaby on his adds with Troub/Night. I just wear full duration gear and have never been resisted with T/N.

Edit: And what the hell, I just did some quick searching and came up with this. Relic119 head and Emp119 body/legs if you don't feel like going for Macc+40 augments on Chironic.

ItemSet 343307

Can you tell me how long does your HordeII last Llewelyn on Albumen adds?

I heard, with carn, perfect gear, and capped Clarion and Lullaby CP, it would go up to 7-7.5mins

So I just wanted to know the current gearset to maximize hordeII

Edit: thanks for the post, really appreciate it!

Mine only lasts 6 mins 58 seconds with full duration gear including 119 Carn, max CP and Clarion Call. I'm not sure how people are breaking 7 mins.

Can you show me your full duration gear please Llewelyn, I may have been missing something(i doubt, career brd here)

Edit: With /nin and equipping offhand Legato would it get more than 6.58mins?

It would, yes, but I sub /BLM in case we somehow can't kill it within a CC T/N lullaby and a Marcato T/N lullaby so I can Elemental Seal another 3rd NQ Lullaby.

My Lullaby duration buffs consist of:

Carn
Gjallarhorn
Emp neck
Emp119 body
AF119 hands
Marduk +1 legs
AF119 feet