Newbie BRD, Need Basic Advice. :/

Hello Everyone. I apologize for doing this, but I can't seem to find the answer anywhere!

I'm a brand new Abyssea burnt BRD and have never used BRD in a party before. Basically, I am having trouble stacking two songs (let alone 3 or even 4) I've read all over the web that the vast majority of songs stack, Like double Ballad etc etc. but whenever I cast two they just overwrite each other.

I can get spells to stack if I start with the two march's and continue to overwrite from there. :/

If anyone could let me know what I am doing wrong or point me in the direction of a guide that can. I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks in advance.

Are you sure you're using different songs? Ie: you can stacck Ballad 2 and 3, but not two ballad 3. Same for all other songs.

Ya like previous poster said you can't cast the same spell name twice. If you are casting different spells of same effect like Victory March and advancing March and still no second song than the only other reason would be the most noobish and that is not casting with an instrument.

You can only have 2 different songs up at.a time unless you have a 90 emp harp then you get 3 and 4 songs with the 99. I would imagine its what Seha said you are using the same song twice which dont stack.

For most stuff you will need to put up victory march and advancing march on the melees and mages ballad 2 and 3 on the mages. If its a rng pt you will want to put up archers and hunter prelude if they need the acc or minuet IV and V if they dont. Most of the time you will want to put elegy on the mob then use /whm for back up curing and status removal.

You will need all your instruments as well be will be needing x song +3 or +2 at least if you cant find a +3. Add them all into your song macros.

you can get 3 songs with jSE harp not just empy so make it.

Thanks for the Reply's! like I said I'm a newbie BRD and I haven't been in a party yet, so no one has had to endure my complete lack of understanding.

I think Ravenn42 has got it, I have one instrument so far, Iron Ram Horn, which explains why the March's are stacking and nothing else... sheesh, what a *** I must look like :D

again, Thanks all!

Thanks Josiahkf! I'm already working on a lot of those things, and I'm really grateful Abyssea is soloable now makes it a lot easier! I've got all the items for Terpander, just need to get that Oboro to stop thinking im a plebian so I can actually get it :/

Also until you have a Ghorn start collecting the best +song instruments you can find (check the brd sticky). You dont want to be sticking songs with one of the multi song harps like some ppl do.. To get a third song full potency cast a shorter duration song like Shining Fantasia as your third song and then cast the third song you intend to have up with the proper instrument. Unless you cast one of the same exact songs alrdy up, w.e you cast will replace the song with the shortest remaining time.

For buffs you actually only need a combined skill of 600 to reach cap for them. Which ever instrument type you are using at the time + singing. Debuffs however are a different story as skill there translates to magic accuracy.

He was referring to "SONG +X" instruments.

From your paste:

So when you have March+X equipment it a buff applied after it's natural skill cap. Also not all buffs cap at 600, Scherzo caps at 800 and Scherzo+5 adds another 5% DT over cap.

clearly you didnt read the first post...

Then why did you talk about skill when you were quoting Josiahfk when he was talking about SONG+X on instrument nothing to do with 600 skill cap for march.

It just sounds confusing.

Regardless my post holds merit because not every buff caps at 600 skill.

Pretty sure carol and scherzo are the only song buffs that need 800 skill to reach the skill cap. I should have wrote SKILL CAP, however anyone with common sense who reads to spoiler will draw this conclusion. Anyways I'm not gonna be a part of random raging that throws off a topic. Have a nice day.

Thanks all for the advice.

I've taken it all on board, made a bitching Macro set for everything, and just got Terpander!

I'll probably have trouble putting 3 songs up with that now :D

Thanks again!

The 3 songs thing is easy. You do march x2 then song say peon then sing minuet 5 straight after and you overwrite the peon song.

It is important when you sing your peon song you do it with no song duration equipped gear on and of ccourse you macrod Kb terpander.


Now since you have no ghorn like me atm you need to remember to ballad your whm first then go buff dd. Otherwise if you do marches and minuet then sing ballad your ballads will overwrite each other and not the marches.

So any one have a good order of songs to play in order to get the best out of a 3 song bard?

Recommended dummy songs and Basic melee 3 songs, Mage 3 songs, and tank 3 songs. Also best way to use soul voice and 3 songs and carion call for 4 songs? Yeah super nub just like to get the real deal.

You will need all the marches/preludes/minuets/ballads/madrigals/scherzo/carols/carol2s. For now just work on three songs. For whms, they want ballads 3,2,1, then avictory march. Most mages will want three ballads. Unless you are doing something that requires a sch to stun an nm. Then the sch/stunner should get both marches and a ballad's 3, also make sure to cast Haste on the stunner. Rngs enjoy both preludes and a minuet v. Plds usually get a scherzo, and any combination of minne(def+), minuet, madrigal, marches, carol. Melee dd usually get scherzo only if the mob has an aoe attack. Otherwise they get two minuets and a marches for fodder. For stuff that requires a lot of acc+, they get two madrigals and a marches. If we have a rdm, I skip the marches and give them a minuet V.

Buffing is the easiest part of being a brd. You just need to get the hang of it. When you are not sure what to buff them with, ask. Most people don't care. Others always need to have scherzo+madrigalx2 up. When you are a brd, do not forget to dispel debuffs on your party members. Debuffs the mobs, it requires having a decent to good magic accuracy+ set.

P.S. Eminent Flute and Terpander are cheap and easy way to be a 3 song brd with a +2 to all songs instruments. Good luck.

As a WHM, I prefer Ballad 2,3 March. When I play on BRD, I typically go with Ballad 2&3, March until the WHM's MP dips below ~500. but that's just personal preference. . I know some people like lower recasts on cures etc,.