Are Bards POOR????

[Aniga]

High sixties I guess, I started at the low 70's... but I'm a Taru, have a bit tougher time soloing than most other races.

[Xerlic]

Originally posted by Aniga
but I'm a Taru, have a bit tougher time soloing than most other races.

I understand the truth behind these words all too well.

[Nataka]

Originally posted by Xerlic

I understand the truth behind these words all too well.

I dont really. Yeah, we take a bit more damage but we also have more MP. I've farmed as an elvaan as it was my first race, and there isnt much of a difference, not worth noting anyways. You still have to sit a lot and still have a hard time killing things XD Plus, you run out of MP quicker so you have to sit really just as often as a taru does. If anything I died more as an elvaan then I did as a taru because I had less MP to cast cure with.

I think it really is just your class and what you're farming. A theif will have an easier time farming then a bard 'cause of their evasion. Red mage will have an easier time farming then a theif because of refresh and regen (if they're post 41). It's really your class, not your race that determines the ease of farming. And even then, there isnt THAT much of a difference unless your talking about totally different classes (like, a bard to a dark knight or a thief to a white mage, that kind of comparison).

[Vilurum]

When I fight challenging things, I put up Ballad (soon to be double Ballad), use Lullaby, Elegy, Regen, and start smacking. (I'll add Stoneskin when I can use it again.) When I need to cast a cure or refresh a buff, I unlock target and turn around, then use Lullaby to give me time to do those things without interruption (assuming it lasts full duration, you have just barely time for Cure II + two bard buffs, assuming Mary's Horn and no Fast Cast).

If my only MP need is for Regen, I generally don't have a problem maintaining MP. If my MP is needed for cures as well, then when my MP runs low-ish, I just use repeated lullabies (this time moving away so I have time to resleep before it reaches me because I don't plan to re-engage when it wakes up) and wait for MP to regenerate.

Point being in all this, a taru's MP pool would only help in that I would be able to use more cures before I had to stop and let my MP fill up. Other races would have to stop and refill MP a little sooner, true, but they would also be able to take significantly more smacking in the HP department (throw in VIT as well), *and* they would hit harder, elvaans in particular provided they don't miss. (All this is assuming identically equipped of course.)

As a hume, I can dish out melee damage faster than a taru (with identical levels, skills, and equipment), meaning the enemy dies faster, meaning I don't have to stop and heal so many times - so it kind of makes up for the smaller MP pool when I do have to cast those cures.

Of course, since I'm not a taru, I don't have as much MP for backup healing potential in a party as a taru would, and I'm aware of that. I do have advantages in other ways ... probably less overall useful advantages, but it's not like I never get hit and it's not like I never solo anything. So the advantages aren't useless either. For pure exp grind purposes, of course, tarus are the best. For soloing purposes, they're not.

Considering that many many bards are tarus, it's a good thing we bards have a nice big fanbase and don't have to solo much, eh?

[FFXI-FREAK96]

Ok the guy with the chocobo avatar.. that just made me laugh my ass off

[kaply]

BST sub works wonders for a soloing bard. However that said, if you had a BST sub that's up to snuff, you may as well be leveling with the BST since you'll probably be just as strong if not stronger as your brd/bst in the right hunting areas at 70+.

Example. I had a 65 BRD/ 15 BST at one point. Went to sea serpent grotto and charmed the vampire bats there. The bats were able to do roughly 1.5-2x the damage I could do as a BRD. Granted I'm only using a crimson blade at that point but it's still quite a big difference.

[forze]

Well i finally got tired of drk..so i'm switching to brd....
So....
Drk/thf=Farming Machine
Brd/whm=Exp Machine

The way i see it..lol..Peace out.

[Rekiem]

Right now I use Maiden Virelai when I solo and its helping me alot. Total damage output is great with a pet and Im able to solo monsters I couldn't before. Its just a bit tricky to use and you have to be carefull x_x

[Seeker_Onos]

Taru BRD soloing is what I like to call a "sleep marathon"

Ballad I & II / Protect / Shell / Stoneskin / Blink / Lullaby / Paralyze / Elegy / Elemental Threnody (usually Wind Threnody for Cyclone if clear of other possible adds, or Dark Threnody for Viper Bite) / Draw Weapon...

Lullaby and re-apply stoneskin as needed...

And that's just for the TW (too weak) mobs just below my level range.

EP (Easy Prey) will almost always hand me my ass on a platter with a smile... :sweat:

I'll have to try leveling BST somewhat and see if that makes a difference for me.