New to BRD and have some Questions

[Cynaster]

Hello, I have just recently started playing FFXI (about a month now) and I have advanced a Warrior to level 30. It was my intention at first to level a DRK or SAM, but I have decided to level a WHM and BRD at around the same time.

Anywho...

I am really enjoying Bard so far even tho i'm only level 2 >.<

But there are a few things I am unsure of...

1. What is the deal with the three types of Magic? String, Wind and Singing... I can prolly guess String and Wind, but I dont understand Singing.

2. What are the differences with String and Wind? Are they just for the +SoandSo later on, or are there differences between them? (i.e Area, Different Songs etc.)

3. Should I level both Wind and String?

4. What type of weapon should I be using? Best stats or specific type?

5. Are all songs worth getting, or are there some I should just avoid?

6. How long do songs last? When do I know I need to recast on the meele or casters?

I think thats really it for now... Thanks for taking the time to read ^^

Cynaster of Garuda

[Tirrock]

Re: New to BRD and have some Questions

Leaving the more technical explinations to the experts... String and Wind skills work together with singing. The higher your wind and singing skill, the less likely you are to be resisted when you cast a song on a monster while using a wind instrument. It also makes some songs more potent when played by a wind instrument. Same goes with String + Singing, only replace "wind instrument" with "harp".

Stringed instruments have a longer range. The higher you have string leveled, the further your songs go. Higher level versions of songs will go a shorter distance than their lower level versions with a harp (although it still seems at least as long as wind instrument range). You can compare this pretty well when you get minne II if your harp skill is high.

Many people are a bit behind on their string instrument skill because most of the time, you want to use an instrument that compliments the song you're playing. Like a cornette +1 has "+2 to minuet", which means increased duration and potency of minuet while using that instrument. Almost all of the common songs you'll sing are best done with a wind instrument. However, at high levels bard's get a harp with bonuses to lullaby songs (sleep songs), and by then, I'd say it's very useful to have string leveled up.

For your weapon... Sword or dagger. Maybe even staff if you feel like leveling it. If you're looking to do a bit of damage between songs, sword is probably your best bet. At higher levels you'll probably have to stop meleeing and put on a weapon with +CHR or an elemental staff matching the element of the debuff you're playing. I personally never meleed in my parties as BRD, and nobody missed it either.

There's a few songs that are fairly worthless, but they're also fairly cheap. Usually you won't find yourself using stat resist songs. (Like scop's opera, for example.) But it never hurts to have it, just incase.

I'm not too sure on how long the songs last exactly. It feels like two minutes, give or take 30 seconds. An instrument with +2 to that song seem to make the song last about 10 seconds longer. Most bards either being singing when something wears and begins their pattern from there or they just keep going in a perpetual cycle of songs, never letting anything wear.
(I won't go into how high level bards pull and keep songs up, because I'm honestly unsure how it's done without experiencing it in a party myself.)

[Cynaster]

Re: New to BRD and have some Questions

WOW! Thanks a lot that answered all of my questions... But I have a couple more now >.<

1. So I think I get the string/wind/singing magic types... But let me put it like this...

So say my Wind magic is at level 5, along with my singing... Now say that my String is at 0, when I begin to level it will it naturally be more effective because of my Singing skill being at 5?

2. So I am level 5 now, and I have three Songs..
- Knights Minne
- Armys Paeon
- Valor Minuet

Now what I am wondering is that when I get higher level and purchase new instruments, when they have +(Song Type), will there be one for Minne, one for Paeon, one for Minuet etc.? Or are there Instruments that just benifit certian songs?

I hope that kind of makes sense... I look forward for you next reply Tirrock ^^

[Icemage]

Re: New to BRD and have some Questions

Hello, I have just recently started playing FFXI (about a month now) and I have advanced a Warrior to level 30. It was my intention at first to level a DRK or SAM, but I have decided to level a WHM and BRD at around the same time.

Anywho...

I am really enjoying Bard so far even tho i'm only level 2 >.<

But there are a few things I am unsure of...

1. What is the deal with the three types of Magic? String, Wind and Singing... I can prolly guess String and Wind, but I dont understand Singing.

It's not well known how these skills actually impact songs, but String and Wind only apply when using the appropriate types of instruments, while Singing affects songs played with with either one (and is the default skill if for some strange reason you choose not to equip an instrument when singing a song).

2. What are the differences with String and Wind? Are they just for the +SoandSo later on, or are there differences between them? (i.e Area, Different Songs etc.)

This is an excellent question. Besides the differences in song boosts, songs played with String instruments have a longer range and area of effect, but lose some accuracy (if using offensive songs like Requiem, Lullaby, Elegy, or Threnody). Wind instruments have shorter range and effect area (not always a bad thing since you don't always want all party members to be hit by specific songs), and the four song types listed above are more likely to land when using Wind instruments.

3. Should I level both Wind and String?

Wind yes. String only matters at those points when you have an instrument that gives a defensive boost (i.e. Ebony Harp's bonus to Etude, for instance). String is also useful in the single case of using a Nursemaid's Harp (Lv60, so you've got a long way before you have to worry about it), which gives +3 to Lullaby, which increases the area of effect for Horde Lullaby (area effect sleep) at the cost of accuracy (less likely to put any given enemy to sleep, but base duration of +30 seconds).

4. What type of weapon should I be using? Best stats or specific type?

Until you start partying (level 12+ since that's when you get Sword Madrigal), equip your best available sword when solo. After you start partying, you can still melee for a while up through maybe level 25 to 30 but your offensive output becomes increasingly lower as you rise in level, and basically vanishes beyond that point since you'll usually be too busy to hit anything.

For lower levels, before you get any offensive songs (particularly Foe Lullaby at 16), swords are your best bets, as bards have decent skill with them and they have the best damage rating over time of your available weaponry. After that, focus on any weapon and gear you can find with +CHR stats to improve the potency and accuracy of some of your songs until level 51, at which point Elemental Staves become your staple weapons of choice (particularly Earth Staff and Light Staff).

5. Are all songs worth getting, or are there some I should just avoid?

You can theoretically get by all the way through level 75 with only the following (all versions of each) and never feel incomplete:

Paeon(HP regen), Ballad(MP regen), Madrigal(+Accuracy), Minuet(+Attack), Etude(+Stat), Mazurka(+RunSpeed), Prelude(+RangedAcc), March (+Haste), Finale (Dispel), Lullaby (Sleep), Elegy (Slow), Threnody (-ElementResist).

The rest of the songs basically never get used. I think I'm still missing one song (Herb Pastorale) as BRD75 if only because I can never remember to buy it when I pass by the Windurst Chocobo Stables.

6. How long do songs last? When do I know I need to recast on the meele or casters?

Songs last 2 minutes, +10 seconds for each +1 bonus to that song from your instrument. You'll see a message that says:

"Xxxx's effect of Yyyy wears off."

That's your cue that you need to recast a particular song (offensive or defensive).


Icemage

[Cynaster]

Re: New to BRD and have some Questions

Thanks alot for your input Icemage... Its all even more clear now ^^

[Melita]

Re: New to BRD and have some Questions

To answer your question about what songs to get. As ive been lvling whm ive found spells that i thought were useless to be extremly helpfull in certain situations. I dont know if that helps you at all, i just want to be a brd so i browse section of the forums.

[Drolio]

Re: New to BRD and have some Questions

You can place up to 2 songs on your party. You can also choose to place 2 songs that are the same song, but different rank, and they will stack.

For example you can sing Valor Minuet I, and Valor Minuet II, if you so choose. And the effect will be cumulative.

The most commonly stacked songs like this are the Army Paeon and Mage's Ballad line of songs, for more regeneration of hit points or mana.

On monsters, you can place 1 Requiem, 1 Threnody, and 1 Elegy. But you couldn't place, say, 3 different Threnodies. So no stacking on monsters.


You probably figured this already, but placing 2 songs in your party really means, you'll probably be placing more like 4-6 songs in your party. 2 songs for the melee members, 2 songs for the casters, single target songs for rangers...