[Callisto]

As I'm nearing 60 COR, I have to put it down for a bit to farm/do assault rankups, and I'm planning on finishing off my BRD, which is just about 68.

I currently have a Minstrel's Coat, and at 72 I have AF2 hat, Sha'ir hands, Dance Shoes, and Mahatma slops ready to go.

My question is, when I hit 72+, would I be better to stick with the Minstrel's Coat for the skill+, or switch to Errant body for the big CHR boost. My BRD isn't exactly hurting for CHR, at 67 I'm like +36 or something like that. At what point does packing on more CHR stop making a difference?

And an unrelated question, just something I've been wondering: Does Minuet enhance ranged attack as well?

[KingOfZeal]

I think, in your case (with 103 CHR) you don't need an errant. From everything I've heard, CHR doesn't really help much past 100, so stick with the minstrals unless you plan on charming everything you see when you hit 75 and Virelai like I plan on doing.

And, I don't think Minuet effects ranged, but most rangers prefer to have Minuet/Prelude anyway. You can test it if you want, though, and let us know what you find out :D

[Callisto]

Yeah, that's why I've been confused as to why RNGs always want Min over Prelude. I would think a STR etude would be better, but I don't know for sure.

[Olorin401]

Skill Levels!!

Calli next time you get a chance take a gander at some of the gear I've got for my BRD. About the only thing I really need right now is a Minstrel Coat.

Of course, getting the pieces to upgrade to Choral Cuffs +1 would do wonders too!

And getting that Gjallarhorn finished too..

[Callisto]

Haha, yeah I saw your BRD set, I recall making fun of you for not having a Minstrel's yet! I need to get to 70 so I can start bidding BRD sometimes.

[KingOfZeal]

Well, the problem with Etudes, namely the tier 2 etudes (for strength, it would be Herculean, which you get at 74), is they they degrade over time. They start with +15 (with capped skill and merits, and +17 if you have a Rose Harp+1) and degrade by one point every 10 seconds. So after 1 minute (or half the song duration), the tier 1 Etudes (which cap at +9 skill) would be better.

On top of all this, +9/+17 STR doesn't do much for attack: as a general rule of thumb, 2 STR = 1 ATK (both melee and ranged attack are effected). That's a max of +8 attack at 75 will full singing/string merits and the Rose Harp+1. Compared with Minuet IV, which has a soft cap of +54, hard cap of +66 (with capped wind/singing, full merits in both and full merits in Minuet, and a Cornette +1). No contest, even if it doesn't effect ranged, as many rangers I've worked with melee anyway (which annoys the HELL out of me personally).

[Jei]

minuet had an obvious effect on range attacks. The damage can go up around 10-30 per shot, and a ton more damage when WS. At least that's what I felt when I played my rng. It's been too long.

[Icemage]

Last time I checked, Minuet still affects Ranged Attack. The only change that I'm aware of was that some foods only add to melee or ranged, but the Minuet song series remains unaffected.

Minstrel's Coat is roughly equal to Errant/Mahatma as far as potency goes. 10 or 11 CHR goes a long way towards reducing offensive resistance, and 3 points of skill isn't going to do much for your buff songs that rely on skill level for potency. If anything, the Errant/Mahatma is slightly superior since it has a significant amount of -Enmity (good thing when things are beating on you after you've cast Lullaby on them a few times).

EDIT: At +36 CHR and in the context of XP/merit parties, you're free to do whatever you like. Personally, for XP parties I prefer Vermillion Coat/Dalmatica over all other pieces when I'm /WHM. If you're /NIN, you'd probably want Shi'ar Manteel to buy yourself more time for pulling.


Icemage

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally Posted by KingOfZeal

And, I don't think Minuet effects ranged, but most rangers prefer to have Minuet/Prelude anyway. You can test it if you want, though, and let us know what you find out :D

...


Minuet does affect Ranged Attacks. Always has, always will. If I had I chalkboard, I'd make you stay after BRD class and write that 100 times.

And what RNGs are you PTing with that want Prelude in EXP? Prelude is an insult to RNGs. Even on Mamool Ja.

[Icemage]

Originally Posted by Omgwtfbbqkitten

And what RNGs are you PTing with that want Prelude in EXP? Prelude is an insult to RNGs. Even on Mamool Ja.

Agreed. Even on Mamool Ja, the song Rangers want to see most often is Magic Finale to get rid of their Evasion+.


Icemage

[KingOfZeal]

Hey, I don't ask them if they want, they ask me to give it to them. Half the time they don't realize when I don't land it on them anyway...

And if you had a Bard class, I wouldn't be attending in the first place.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally Posted by KingOfZeal

Hey, I don't ask them if they want, they ask me to give it to them. Half the time they don't realize when I don't land it on them anyway...

You should be open to opinions on what buffs could be used but ultimately, a BRD should know what songs are best to do based on PT set up and observing food/gear used. BRD isn't a request line, BRD is the DJ.

And if you had a Bard class, I wouldn't be attending in the first place.

That's a shame, I left the best crib sheet ever for BRD and RNG play. It's not even moved off this front page of this forum in months.

I usually don't issue passing grades to the ToA generation BRD anyway.

[KingOfZeal]

ROFL

And don't, for the love of God and all things good, call me a ToA generation anything. I despise everything that ToA has done to the game, and the obsessive attitudes people have taken since it came out.

It's gotten so bad I've had people harass me for not wanting to go to Caedarva Mire.

Then again, if your course is a mandatory requirement, I'd attempt to test out of it as soon as I can. Remember: Credit by Exam is almost always open book!

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally Posted by KingOfZeal

I despise everything that ToA has done to the game, and the obsessive attitudes people have taken since it came out.

You think that began when ToA came out?

[KingOfZeal]

I think it became much more pronounced with ToA. One thing to keep in mind is that I stopped playing shortly before the chocobo raising update, due to computer problems, and only recently came back... I was away for about 6 months.

When I got back, things were a LOT worse then before I left. I distinctly remember that people would actually try to AVOID overcamped areas instead of rushing headlong into them. I remember that people used to actually be NICE to each other majority of the time. In 6 months, the game had degraded more than it had in the 2 years I had been playing prior...

Look, I may have done most of my career (50-whenever to 74) in ToA, but I still try to hold to the values that were around before, values which many people have forgotten. I jump at the chance to level somewhere other than ToA, but at the same time, I won't push it all the time.