DRG/BRD, better than DRG/WHM?

[stormz]

Well, i actually got around to testing this as 65DRG/32BRD soloing Tough robber crabs in cape teriggan. Let us just say, I went non stop killing these, I did come close to death sometimes tho considering I am a taru and it can do a special move for 200+ dmg. My equip was pretty much all out +STR gear. Considering I don't miss as much against toughs, accuracy gear wasn't a huge issue.

I think this combo is potentially if not better than the DRG/WHM combo. Let us face it, SURE, whm sub gives you stoneskin and blink.... but that is a lot of MP wasted, and more time resting, and less exp per hour. Invisible and sneak... just buy the powders, you're a DRG, money should come easy to you with easy farming and NM soloing. So the only edge this has over the BRD that I can see is hmmm maybe casting a Cure III when you're in trouble deep trouble.

BRD is the better sub job for Dynamis or HNM cause you can do more to help the PT. The songs, even though only half effective, are still effective. You can sing ballad and paeons, and these help a lot, even at half effectiveness.

BRD is better for soloing. Why? You use no MP, and you ALWAYS keep hate. You pretty much just keep singing Threnodies at the crab. You build so much hate singing threnodies that the crab will be stuck on you. You also do not get interrupted when singing, another plus, you don't have to worry about being interrupted like whm sub.

I found DRG/BRD a better combo for soloing and big LS events because it was just more useful. Also, with no MP use, I can keep healing people just by singing threnody.

Here are the points restated:
-No MP Use, can constantly heal
-Cause a lot of hate with threnody after threnody, don't have to worry about losing hate to the Wyvern
-Can sing songs to PT, hey, It's better than throwing in 3 Cure III's and resting like a minute to do it over.
-Can sing yourself a paeon song before battle, even better.


I would like to hear my fellow dragoon's thoughts. I've tested this DRG/BRD combo and it is quite viable.

[Lahfiel]

I've heard that the HP percentage in which you can use healing breath is lower with BRD sub, or any non-mage sub. If that's true then that is a benefit for WHM, if it isn't then oh well.

The reason I'd want WHM is ports at 72. If you're farming rolanberry 881's having tele-holla makes it much easier to do turn ins.

[Rubik]

Wyvern does HB when, on song?

[stormz]

yes, each time you sing below 1/2 health it will HB you.

Plus, threnodies only take like 2-3 seconds to sing, so after each one, just keep singing a different threnody.

[GSDragoon]

How does the AF helm affect the HP you need for healing breath to go off?

[Turlisius]

Feh

Don't flame me for this, but I'm pretty sure Drg's shouldn't be trying to hold hate. They're not the most canTANKerous of classes when it comes to armor and such. And I don't care how many paeons you're humming, it wouldn't be healing you nearly fast enough to call yourself a tank.
The HB comes in at 1/3 health, or 1/4 if you're /pld. Dunno if it's 1/3 or 1/4 for Bard sub, but yeah the helm would make it 1/2 or 1/3.

[Turlisius]

My bad, I read your post wrong I thought you were trying to say you'd hold hate in party, didn't realize you were soloing. Right on, brother.

[Rainsford]

I tried, with af helm brd won't trigger the heal breath at 1/2, makeing it useless.

You need it to trigger at one half, or have fun farming an ice elemental, and right after you ws you see "Ice Elemental starts casting Freeze"

[Suntan2]

And run out of its spell range?

[Rainsford]

but thats annoying and even the higher up -ga spells as a better example

[Navia]

Originally posted by Rainsford
I tried, with af helm brd won't trigger the heal breath at 1/2, makeing it useless.

You need it to trigger at one half, or have fun farming an ice elemental, and right after you ws you see "Ice Elemental starts casting Freeze"

Or farm ice elementals in beucadine instead of xarcabard where they dont cast freeze

[Malefas]

BRD isn't a mage sub, so it doesn't trigger the Healing Breath at orange HP/below 50%.

That being said, since Wyvern's delay on casting is slow (it literally stands there for a brief moment), I wouldn't put my faith in a lower percentage of health being needed for healing breath. Thats just me though.

Unfortunately, that period in the mid 60s is basically the last time you'll get the chance to test around with soloing exp. The mobs are too strong late game to pose as viable solo-exping targets for DRG. In fact, if you're not a NIN/RDM/BST, you'll most likely die fairly easily.

You can solo other mobs as well, but not for exping purposes. Level your staff up to 215 and use Spirit Taker, and you shouldn't need to worry about MP at all. If Spirit Taker connects, you'll get all your MP back, no worries at all (Since MP pool isn't overly large, and Spirit Taker is a very good skill). Also, when soloing for items that you couldn't normally get with a /WAR sub, I think SID helps alot, and its free too.

In Dynamis.... Hm.... it doesn't really matter really. The mages and tanks do all the work. But one thing I notice is that being able to heal someone passed 50% is essential. Even at 75, Healing Breath III is still pretty weak (even though it can be as low as like 5 MP), it'll only get someone out of orange HP for a very short time, like 250 HP or something. Divine Seal + Curaga or Cure III is much more practical than Paeon in that situation.

Not saying DRG/BRD isn't viable, I remembered seeing a Galka DRG/BRD solo robber crabs in Boyahda Tree when I was levelling in the late 60s. He did pretty well, but in reality, those robber crabs are the last easy things you'll fight. Waiting for something like 1/3 HP with /BRD sub is kind of risky too, don't ya think?