[maytrix]

How are they? I think they may be the best in the game.

[Vilurum]

They're generally too busy to pull. But if they're *not*, they can pull pretty decently. If it's not linking, you can go out, Lullaby something, then make your way back and start buffing, and it'll wake up and courteously come to the party to be killed around the time you're landing your second buff. It's always fun to watch it show up to be killed, just to try to get back at you for putting it to sleep.

If it's linking, that can be dangerous, because friends may show up on the way, which weren't there before. If so, you can try pulling with Elegy (and Blink on yourself). Elegy also has quite nice range, and it'll slow the enemy so it'll get fewer hits in en route.

Usually, however, BRDs are too busy between battles with one thing or another to pull, while insert-melee-with-range-attack-here has nothing better to do. Besides, the melees usually have more practice pulling than BRDs do, and are better able to judge whether nearby enemies will link (or aggro), and how long they can wait on a pull (for mages to get MP) while still getting the next exp chain.

I enjoy pulling, but I don't for a minute think that I do it better than a melee who's had way more practice at it than I have.

[maytrix]

Thanks for the response Vilurum.That's the thing though. With practice i think that a bard can be a better puller than a ranger. Magic seems to have a greater range than ranged attacks and could also start the debuffing process on the monster.

Also I don't think that bards are all that busy between battles. You wouldn't want to put a melee buff on between fights since some of its use would go to waste. Mages ballad would be missed but not so much at later levels. Clear Mind III & IV + Dark Staff brings back a sick amount of mana while resting.

The bard could pull pretty much when the monster's about to die when a melee has to wait until the monster does die. This helps with assuring longer experience chains. I wouldn't worry about linking so much because it's pretty much the same thing as dealing with a link while fighting a mob.

Don't get me wrong though there are some risks. Your equipment needs to be in tip top shape and you need to be pretty sure that your debuffs are gonna land. If you have good equipment I wouldn't worry about it though. Before going to an area have someone else pull and if you're buffs are landing pretty well during a battle then I would really consider having a bard pull.But I think that at later levels especially when you can pretty much drop a mob after a renkei and a burst that bard can potentially be the best puller in the game.

[Sebazy]

Bard puller works great when your fighting stuff thats weak to light (So you can just keep a monster queued and ready by the party). But it can be a little risky, however it worked incredibly well in places like Garliage citadel. The xp was definately worth the risk.

[maytrix]

bump

[grunion]

i love pulling - i use elegy, it has a surprisingly long range with +2 horn and i always cast it anyway. the only prob is that if you're pulling pots or skeletons or other BLMs if they sleep or bind you, you're screwed. also does not work work for stuff that runs fast (e.g. manticores) because it will catch up to you and kill you before you get back. but tbh in the most efficient party, a RNG or some other combat class will pull so i can recast something.

i was in a pt in cape terrigan once and i pulled at the fastest rate i could manage - i tried to have the monster get back exactly when the previous monster died, literally 0 seconds of downtime. it was fun but some of the people in the pt were getting annoyed lol

[maytrix]

Annoyed? Why? For getting too much experience? The only people in the group that i can see having a problem with a bard pulling is greedy mages.

[grunion]

eh they were wimps who wanted to rest. BAH!

[Layoneil]

i've been pulling a lot lately, since Robber Crabs in Kuftal.

as BRD, WHM and BLM are the jobs i have over 20, i basically have never done it before than.

this is the basic process

- Elegy on Mob
- Run Back
- Threnody
- Minuet/March
- Prelude
- Madrigal
- Ballad
- Ballad II (use to be Etude)
- Get a few swings in
- Prelude
- Go pull again

my pulls were good in Kuftal, when there were pops on my way back from pulls i handled them easily, Lullaby on the mob, sneak myself than go back to camp, i can walk right pass the mobs on my way back without trouble and since robbers don't link that's a perfectly good strategy.

i misjudged the linking range of the Mourioche the other day in Boyahda Tree and ended up linking 3 of them, Horde Lullaby didn't stick so i died really fast. the BLM than proceeded to tell me how that's why RNGs and THFs should pull as if they have a better chance to survive 3 linking onionheads than i do. RNGs and THFs might have more experience and not linked them but the biggest mistake was with impatience trying to keep the chain going (which anyone of any job can have).

i think BRD/WHM have good tools to pull. but since most BRDs have no experience doing it they are understandably hesitant to.

[Reaperx90]

Hehe, I pulled Exorays for my Genkai 1 party. I used Elegy and they rarely had a chance to lay a hand on me. The secret is to use the geography to confuse the enemy...they take this HUGE radius to run around obstacles, so just whip around one real fast and you'll get a huge jump on 'em.

I also went out early and slept a mob while the current one was still alive...nobody ever noticed that I did it though, so the first few times I did that they asked me what I was doing...I sat there for a few seconds then /pointed at the Exoray charging me. It was pretty fun