Bard Foods.. So damn expensive!

[Olorin401]

I've been using Flint Caviar since the Dunes and while the effects are great, it's so expensive! And I can't make my own yet since my cooking skill isn't high enough yet.

I've looked into a few other alternatives (Healing Tea, Tav. Salad) and it's even more expensive. Anyone have some suggestions, or are we entertainers limited to "only the best"?

[Jei]

You don't really need food as bard. Once you're the main puller you might want to eat some CHR food, but you won't be pulling until 50 or so.

I make Taco for a living so I just spare some for my own use lol.

[Olorin401]

You don't really need food as bard. Once you're the main puller you might want to eat some CHR food, but you won't be pulling until 50 or so.
I make Taco for a living so I just spare some for my own use lol.

I'll get to that point.. eventually. I'll be happy if I can get my cooking to 64 by the end of the week! I'm almost to level 50 now though.. I suppose I can save some cash for a while and go with the colored eggs I've been synthing..

[Jei]

I meant Tavnazian taco by the way.

A really cheap CHR food that used to be pretty popular for bards a year ago was San d'Oria tea.
http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/San_d%27Orian_Tea

[Illuen]

If anything, since I'm assuming you're subbing WHM, I'd eat pies, to boost your MP. It lets you send out a few more cures, which is always useful.

[Mhurron]

I would have thought that most Bards would use MP+ food as MP is going to run out before your singing voice does.

[Yeargdribble]

CHR foods are all but pointless. You can get more than enough CHR in gear at any given level. Outside of the dunes I wouldn't even use pies. If your MP is being counted on enough that you don't have enough max MP, the PT needs a better primary healer. From 25+ your ballad should keep you in enough MP that you'll be able to cast helpful utility spells (primarily -nas and at 32 DS+Curagas). When you start pulling, then is a good time to worry about food (Tav. Tacos ftw).

Post 51 you should have almost 0 trouble landing songs with a balanced build and your trust elemental staves. There are a few resistant mobs pre-51 they may have you wishing to use food (I'm looking at you Anticans), though I'm skeptical as to whether the extra CHR would make enough of a difference in your landing ability to be worth it.


It's hard after playing other jobs (and wishing to play them well) to get used to the fact that BRD doesn't really need food. You may even feel gimp for not using some, but eventually you'll get used to it and you'll also have some extra gil in the bank for more useful things ^^

[Icemage]

I agree with Yeargdribble. CHR foods are a placebo - you don't really need them even with only "decent" gear once you hit level 40+. Up until then, it's somewhat useful to reduce resists, but even then the effect is only marginal.

For pulling, defense foods like Tavnazian Taco are great. For long HNM battles like Tiamat, I prefer -enmity food like Roast Mushroom. Other than that, use whatever - I like using Carbonara for the +HP when squaring off against Dynamis Lord.

P.S. I tried overstocking CHR against Antica in the late 40s. Didn't do much - not even after using Enchanting Etude. Once 51 rolled around though, everything smoothed out with elemental staves.


Icemage

[IfritnoItazura]

If your MP is being counted on enough that you don't have enough max MP, the PT needs a better primary healer. From 25+ your ballad should keep you in enough MP that you'll be able to cast helpful utility spells (primarily -nas and at 32 DS+Curagas).

Care to share your secrets? >_>; (Bard 30 on hiatus here; will return to the job some time around April.)

I often found myself short on MP while playing Bard; I always performed the melee songs before Ballad at the start of fight, but mid fight I often find myself dumping cures on people, at times to the point of getting beat up by the monster. =/

What's the right way to make the party to replace the undergeared tank and the WHM who's melee'ing mandies, goblins, and everything else in the jungles?

(Well, that would have been impossible in my last party--Mr. gimp tank was leader, and the idiot WHM his girlfriend or something--but suppose my luck changes the next time I mule over my BRD gear?)

* * *

I wonder, in the jungles on the mandie levels, would it make sense to eat ginger cookies and just stand in front of the critter (behind the tank) and face it down? I solo'ed half a level on DRK33/WHM16 outside of Kazam, and the Plantoid Killer trait from the cookies proc'ed fairly often, which saved me a lot of MP.

With BRD's higher CHR to enhance the killer trait, would it be worth getting slept for the damage reduction to the tank, if the killer effect works on IT monsters?

[Icemage]

Care to share your secrets? >_>; (Bard 30 on hiatus here; will return to the job some time around April.)
I often found myself short on MP while playing Bard; I always performed the melee songs before Ballad at the start of fight, but mid fight I often find myself dumping cures on people, at times to the point of getting beat up by the monster. =/

My recommendation: Pineapple Juice + Roast Mushroom. The former keeps your MP up, the latter keeps you from being beaten to a pulp.

What's the right way to make the party to replace the undergeared tank and the WHM who's melee'ing mandies, goblins, and everything else in the jungles? (Well, that would have been impossible in my last party--Mr. gimp tank was leader, and the idiot WHM his girlfriend or something--but suppose my luck changes the next time I mule over my BRD gear?)

You're the bard. Threaten to leave if people don't do their jobs (I'm serious, this really does work if you run into an extreme case). While I'm not terribly fond of the way people worship Bards even before they're really "amazing", I'm certainly not above taking advantage of the situation in a good cause.

I wonder, in the jungles on the mandie levels, would it make sense to eat ginger cookies and just stand in front of the critter (behind the tank) and face it down? I solo'ed half a level on DRK33/WHM16 outside of Kazam, and the Plantoid Killer trait from the cookies proc'ed fairly often, which saved me a lot of MP.
With BRD's higher CHR to enhance the killer trait, would it be worth getting slept for the damage reduction to the tank, if the killer effect works on IT monsters?

I'm pretty sure Killer effects don't kick in unless you're the target of an attack.

You're not going to have time to stand anywhere specific as a Bard in any case. If Dream Flower is a concern, then your best bet for food might be Tuna Sushi:

Dexterity +3
Charisma +5
Resist Sleep
Accuracy +15%
Ranged Accuracy +15%
HP +20


Icemage

[Deeman]

Tav Tacos ftw.

[Yeargdribble]

Yes, juices will work wonders if MP really is a problem. If you're pulling hate regularly, the tank and the WHM are likely not doing their jobs. At 30 I have a few suggestions fo that.

Talisman Cape has enchantment of MP+12 and enmity-2. I use it on my SMN currently, though my wife used it on BRD. Enmity-2 is pretty hefty at low levels where so little of it is available. This cape onl level 18. Another piece is the Healer's Earring (level 30). It's one of the subjob activated latent effect earrings. Latent is enmity-1 activted by /WHM. The only other options at 30 are things like maybe Energy Earrings, but meh.


For the OP, since you have cooking at 60+, I'd buy stacks of materials for Yag Drinks before leaving. If you have mules that can buy ingredients exclusively from NPCs, Yag are very cheap to make and you can keep 2 or 3 synthed at all times in case of emergency. I'd say they are far more effective than pies, and since you can make them it's all the better.


And like Icemage said, if your PT is sucking, you can leave. I'm not always a fan of being a prima dona about it, but sometimes you can either be assertive about it or end up suffering a miserable PT.

[Jei]

My bard hardly have to cure at all from 20-60. But I guess it depends on your party balance. I always have at least a whm, smn or rdm in my party and they cover the healing need of my party very well.

I started pulling around 53 or so fighting crabs in kuftal. And all my MP went into curing myself and blink/stoneskin.

[Aanya_Ramuh]

I've been using Flint Caviar since the Dunes and while the effects are great, it's so expensive! And I can't make my own yet since my cooking skill isn't high enough yet.

I've looked into a few other alternatives (Healing Tea, Tav. Salad) and it's even more expensive. Anyone have some suggestions, or are we entertainers limited to "only the best"?

pretty soon you should be leveling up on the Sandorian Tea - you can use this to your advantage and save a few since it is considered a food.

As mentioned - you can stack the ingredients for juices as well which help alot - Yagudo drinks are nice and do help out with MP, if you find you are taking a few too many hits, keep a fw of the AuLaits you will be skilling up on for your own regen. By using the food you save your MP for other party members (not to mention you are skilling up cooking too)

You can have a food + juice + milk/aulait on at the same time - and this could also save your mage a small amount of mp since you are regenning and their mp is going for the melee members of the party. Just because the food isnt "the best" doesnt mean it isnt good for your job - if you are skilling up on it.. use it!! cause apparently if you are selling it someone else is too.

And at least you are caring enough about the job to even consider a food.. I still need to look up the newer foods and their effects as well. Maybe there is a better food.

(besides - once you get your burger king crown all your brds happy meals will be pamamas)

[Olorin401]

Post 51 you should have almost 0 trouble landing songs with a balanced build and your trust elemental staves. There are a few resistant mobs pre-51 they may have you wishing to use food (I'm looking at you Anticans), though I'm skeptical as to whether the extra CHR would make enough of a difference in your landing ability to be worth it.

Touching on Elemental Staves for a moment.. I just hit 51 last night and immediately threw on my Apollo's Staff since most of the BRD spells are light-based. Only thing is.. I noticed a big reduction in the amount of time my Elegy and Requiem would stick AND stay stuck (I was fighting crabs in Kuftal). Does the hidden elemental boost really help with BRD's songs, or should I go back to my CHR+ equipment?