AF Usefulness

[Icemage]

Re: AF Usefulness

Ok so errant is the main body, if its not too hard can someone please give a list of good equips for end game bards

Weapon: HQ elemental staves
Head: Opo Opo Crown or Trump Crown*
Body: Dalmatica*
Hands: Shi'ar/Shiekh Gages
Legs: AF2*
Feet: Rostrum Pumps*
Instruments: All HQs where applicable
Back: Jester's Cape+1
Waist: Gleeman's Belt
Rings: +CHR or +MP, Tamas Ring*
Earrings: Melody+1, or I'll go against the common wisdom and recommend Healer's Earring
Neck: Wind/String Torque, Republic Gold Medal, Fenrir's Torque, and/or Star Necklace

* You might have extreme difficulty acquiring these items


Icemage

[grunion]

Re: AF Usefulness

i wouldn't waste tamas ring on a bard, especially if you ever plan to level a non-mage job to 75. not that it's a bad suggestion but not what i would personally do.

for head, AF2 isn't bad (not as good as his suggestions though). trump crown is kind of crap though. +27mp, +27hp, +2CHR at 75.

for legs, byakko haidate is better i think, or JSE are ok too.

gigant mantle is great for back if you dont need CHR

[Icemage]

Re: AF Usefulness

i wouldn't waste tamas ring on a bard, especially if you ever plan to level a non-mage job to 75. not that it's a bad suggestion but not what i would personally do.

Well, it's not like the other CoP rings are better for bards at end-game, and at least you can use the MP and -enmity.

for head, AF2 isn't bad (not as good as his suggestions though). trump crown is kind of crap though. +27mp, +27hp, +2CHR at 75.

I did the math a while ago. Opo Opo Crown +7CHR +50HP +50MP all stats +1 while using Pamamas as food. Trump Crown +27HP +27MP +2CHR without food effect. This gives you the option of eating anything you like:

Trump Crown + Tuna Sushi: HP+47 MP+27 +7CHR +15%ACC DEX+3 Resist Sleep
Trump Crown + Carbonara: HP+202(max) MP+37 +2CHR STR+4 VIT+2 INT-3 ATK+18%(70)
Trump Crown + Rolanberry Pie: HP+27 MP+77 INT+2 AGI-1

As long as you're willing to buy useful food, Trump Crown is a LOT more flexible than Opo Opo Crown.

for legs, byakko haidate is better i think, or JSE are ok too.

Haidate are nice for Haste 5%, but I'm not sure I agree that it's better than 42MP 17HP 7CHR 7MND 7INT from AF2 legs (or you could split the difference and swap them per the circumstances). JSE is pretty meh unless you want the extra HPs; even HQ Shiekh Seraweels give only +2%MP, which is like... 2-6MP. In extended fights like Wyrms, Errant/Mahatma Slops aren't a bad pick either for the -enmity.

gigant mantle is great for back if you dont need CHR

Yep, but generally only need the HPs if you're taru. I'm becoming fond of using Gramary Cape in the back slot after loading up on CHR elsewhere; might just be my imagination, but it feels like my songs stick better. Who knows, heh. For long fights where I think I'll get hit due to enmity accumulation from songs, I use Cheviot Cape.


Icemage

[grunion]

Re: AF Usefulness

MP: serket ring is better
enmity: not the most important stat for a bard
MND and INT: useless for bard

store TP and subtle blow not available on any other ring. so if you ever plan to level a non-mage job to 75, i wouldn't get tamas ring. just my opinion

[Icemage]

Re: AF Usefulness

Maybe we disagree on what's important, but for me, for short fights:

MP > MAcc/CHR > Haste/Fast Cast/-recast > everything else

For longer fights:

-Enmity > HP/Phys. Resist > MP > MAcc/CHR > Haste/Fast Cast

Honestly the only recast timer that Haste/Fast Cast/-recast is going to significantly impact is Carnage Elegy. While that's important, 1-2 seconds isn't going to make or break you on Elegy. It IS more of an issue for Lullaby in Dynamis, so for that one specific case I would upgrade speed mods over everything else on the priority list, but generally speaking you don't use lullaby around HNMs anyway.

---

Not to say that Rajas Ring isn't a great piece of gear, but from a strictly bard perspective(which is the point of this thread) it's the most useless of the 3 CoP rings at end-game.


Icemage

[Sepukku]

Re: AF Usefulness

Icemage is one of the only people I won't try to argue with. He's one of the only people I've met in 3 servers and 21 months of FFXI that knows more than I do and can prove it.

[Cesaria]

Re: AF Usefulness

I have Tamas Ring and I tend to wear it when I'm not in CHR rings (I carry a set of MP and CHR around)... not a ring I would have chosen strictly for bard (why oh why oh why didn't SE put some CHR on it as well as variable MND and INT if they were intending on making a godly mage ring), but one that I have because my main job is RDM and I intend to take BLM to 75 next too.

I think the only AF I actually wore were the legs and feet (ugly shoes!) and I occasionally wore the body around town because I liked the look of it. I had the worst luck ever getting the Zvhal coffer key to drop though - took me six trips out there, so I didn't have hands until long after I started wearing shair gages. Add to the fugly shoes look with the ugly evil green justaucorps, and the silly girlie sized opo-opo crown... and I looked a right freaking mess. I refused to wear the hat on the grounds that I'm not taru, I'm not cute, and so looked incredibly, unbelievable stupid.

Now it's all on the AF storage NPC and unlike my RDM AF, which gets taken off there every time I swap to the job (can't live without my AF1 body), the bard stuff is staying on there!