BRD? Not required for great experience?

[Stanislav]

I am one of those people that can't do without a bard.. Infact every level 0-56 on THF I leveled with bard only.. Last 2 days there was no bards online and I was forced to PT with BLM.

Day #1 - Bard
PT - NIN MNK THF RDM SMN BRD
20000 Experience Points (5 Hours)
This party was okay.. But it was not fun at all becuase the kills felt slow but the mage MP was always near full which allowed me to pull as fast as I wanted.

Day #2 - No Bard
PT - PLD SAM THF BLM WHM RDM
9000 Experience Points (5 Hours)
This party was completely horrible not only was the PLD bad and took 100 damage from crabs (Ninja gets hit for 120..) but the BLM was unable to control his MP. I was unable to pull non-stop and that gets me bored.

Day #3 - No Bard
NIN RNG THF SMN BLM RDM
20000 Experience Points (4 Hours 30 Minutes)
This party was great.. Before you say it was becuase of the ranger.. Let me say he was 2 levels below everyone and the RDM was melee and the BLM nuked non stop. the MP was always above 300+ and the SMN even had Fenrir fight (Lagged my Fuidama sometimes). I pulled non stop we even sometimes didnt have enough monsters. The BLM nuked (Sometimes stole aggro) and still managed to keep MP at 50% (We even had some double MB sometimes). Overall this PT was great.

The point of this thread is to those people who say that "Without bard it is not possible to get massive experience". The reason people say that is becuase almost every BLM either nukes to the point of death or no mp or doesn't nuke at all. A good BLM can easily replace a bard. Personally after last night I am no longer going to stress if I can't find a bard.. All I have to stress over is if the BLM is good or not

[LawDawg]

any party that uses a NIN tank does not need a BRD because you will be saving a butt load of MP from not having to heal. That said, even with a PLD, you can make a buttload of XP because instead of a THF, you can have a BRD or another BLM or RDM or whatever. But because of a NINs natural ability to take less damage, less healing => less MP used => no need for 2 refreshers.

[Stanislav]

Originally posted by LawDawg
any party that uses a NIN tank does not need a BRD because you will be saving a butt load of MP from not having to heal. That said, even with a PLD, you can make a buttload of XP because instead of a THF, you can have a BRD or another BLM or RDM or whatever. But because of a NINs natural ability to take less damage, less healing => less MP used => no need for 2 refreshers.

THF and RNG are the highest damage dealers at that level.. What would you want to take THF out for ? lol

And I been with PLDs before.. Some PLDs require no healing becuase they take minimum damage and are always able to heal themselves allowing the mages to do somehting else.

Its really not a matter of NIN or PLD.. The only different is NIN does more damage and NIN will take a min for 200-400 damage every fight. PLD just makes it look harder cause his HP goes up and down. (I like it when it all stays the same the whole fight)

[LawDawg]

in a PLD party, i rather have another RNG or BLM ... but thats just me. I don't need the THF for hate control, and RNG and BLM are better damage dealers, and RNG is a better puller. And it really is an issue of what your tank is. Even with refresh, a PLD does not have enough MP to heal himself the whole battle (even if it did, it would not be smart to)

[Stanislav]

Originally posted by LawDawg
in a PLD party, i rather have another RNG or BLM ... but thats just me. I don't need the THF for hate control, and RNG and BLM are better damage dealers, and RNG is a better puller. And it really is an issue of what your tank is. Even with refresh, a PLD does not have enough MP to heal himself the whole battle (even if it did, it would not be smart to)

It really depends on your THF I guess... My 700 Viper Bite I was doing (Havn't tested Edge yet) is a sure hell lot of damage and adds more damage to distortion.

[LawDawg]

just because you can do a single high powered attack doesn't mean its more damage over time .... I don't feel like explaining, but over the course of the battle, a RNG or BLM will do more damage than a thief.... although nothing against THFs, but if I had my choice of BRD, RNG, BLM, THF, the THF would usually be last pick

[Stanislav]

Originally posted by LawDawg
just because you can do a single high powered attack doesn't mean its more damage over time .... I don't feel like explaining, but over the course of the battle, a RNG or BLM will do more damage than a thief.... although nothing against THFs, but if I had my choice of BRD, RNG, BLM, THF, the THF would usually be last pick

Judge by your level you don't seem to know unless you have 3 melee 3 mage party you will have some trouble in the 60+ areas.

Ranger and THF make the strongest Light chain
Monk with Asuran will make a chain just as strong with ranger but thats 6 levels later.

And believe it or not.. the chain RNG and THF do litterly brings the monster down to 30-50% HP and then BLM MB gets it down to like 5-20%. So I don't see where its better? Without a good chain how will your BLM MB?

[LawDawg]

i thought we were talking about the pre level 60 parties... post level 60 thf with dancing edge is ownage.... but I was referring to pre-60.

[Stanislav]

Originally posted by LawDawg
i thought we were talking about the pre level 60 parties... post level 60 thf with dancing edge is ownage.... but I was referring to pre-60.

Heh i was talking about both.. I prefer a 3 mage 3 melee party after level 23+ (After done fighting Worms in Korrokola and Qufim)

And Shark Bite is far better becuase it makes Light Chain

[LawDawg]

hmmmm i dunno post level 41 PLD, RNG, RNG, BLM, BLM, RDM (or BRD 55+) is pure ownage....

[Mikasa]

THF and RNG are the highest damage dealers at that level.. What would you want to take THF out for ? lol

DRK/THF > THF post 66

[Stanislav]

Originally posted by Mikasa
THF and RNG are the highest damage dealers at that level.. What would you want to take THF out for ? lol

DRK/THF > THF post 66

DRK does do around 300 more damage.. But guess what? DRK gains TP slower then a BRD melee and most darks are that level are just finding out about Spinning Slash (NA DRK) and using all their time skilling GS.

DRK is good damage from WS.. When they can actually get TP.

I am not sure if RNG and DRK can do Arching Arrow > Spinning Slash but if they do then maybe dark is useful :spin:

-- Edit --
MNK/THF doing Dragon Kick is just a strong.. and Monks get TP fast =P And Asuran Fists is even more damage :spin:

MNK > DRK

[evilution]

dude, DRK's gain TP just fine just avoid the gimp AF wearing DRK's with +dex rings. afer 66 i would take a DRK in my grp as the light closer over a THF any day of the week with both a NIN or a PLD as tank. A good ninja (esp post 70) doesnt need a thf to hlep with agro any more. a DRK does more damage with his WS, he does CONSISTANT damage (no 1 hit vs. 2 hits) and does good damage outside the WS to boot.

[Stanislav]

Originally posted by evilution
dude, DRK's gain TP just fine just avoid the gimp AF wearing DRK's with +dex rings. afer 66 i would take a DRK in my grp as the light closer over a THF any day of the week with both a NIN or a PLD as tank. A good ninja (esp post 70) doesnt need a thf to hlep with agro any more. a DRK does more damage with his WS, he does CONSISTANT damage (no 1 hit vs. 2 hits) and does good damage outside the WS to boot.

I am not sure if you chceked my level but I have leveled with higher DRK.

DRK with Thick set sniper rings etc..
Was getting TP slower then my NIN I was at 200% when he was only at 100%..

Monsters after 62 (Torama etc) have higher evasion by far and DRKs just can't handle it.

[Macht]

Ultimatly in the end it isn't the Jobs you have that matter a great deal. It's how the parties tactics and strategies are planned and carried out. You properly use each jobs strengths and cover their weaknesses with another job from a party member you end up becoming far more powerful then anyone would expect.

My combination I've been using is RNG/DRK, to my surprise when I partied with a RNG/NIN and a RNG/WAR I had successfully outdamaged them and continue to do so threwout the parties lifespan. On top of that just about every Barrage I used was nearly twice that of the other two RNGs (They are suppose to be the best combination, so goes to show combination alone doesn't make you powerfull you actually have to of spent time and effort to get that power as well).

I even had a little fun with it since the PLD that was in those parties never before had the RNGs successfully draw hate off of him without him being able to get back right after. The RNG/NIN actually succeeded pulling it off but the PLD only had to use provoke after his initial "Hate Hold" setup and it would go back to him. I however had not only pulled it off him, but his provoke failed to draw hate back as well. I had to disengage in order for my hate to windle away so he could get it back (This was intentional, we had made a bet that I could draw and hold hate from him).

So really it isn't jobs used in parties, it isn't job combinations, or even race to jobs. It all really boils down to the players skill itself, their ability to properly setup their gear and their ability to pace their powerful attacks so that it isn't to slow or to fast. That's what it ends up boiling down to the players skill.