Bard Gear Question...

[Tomato_Kai]

So, I'm coming up on 30 again, and I'm looking to BRD to be my next job. However, I'm not sure what sorts of gear I should be playing with.

For this, consider money to not be a huge deal. I can farm easily enough, and have many good lower level item options.

The only problem is, having not have personally played bard.. or really experienced too many of them in a PT setting... I really have no idea how to gear them outside "CHA ONRY PLZ"

Perusing the forums, I found this quote from BBQ.

If you're doing IT++ mobs, CHR is always a neccessity. CHR gear really opens up in the 40s and you should always try to carry 1/2 your natural CHR in gear when facing IT++ mobs. When mobs skew down to Very Tough and Tough is when CHR becomes a lesser concern for BRD.

By the way, regardless of what I may have said about CHR, the Monster Signa with +8 CHR is a an overpriced piece of trash. Various stats cap out early at low levels and when you get it, it does less good than it advertises. By the time its useful, Light Staff outclasses it handily.

I'm willing to accept that there are some things I don't need. That's cool. I can handle that.

However, later on, I hear that there's maybe a dozen different instruments that I will need.

Among that, I also would like to know what sorts of gear I should be looking at for say, rings... earrings... weapons... etc.

As I see it now, there are a couple of ways of doing this: Going with good CHA and assisting with melee by subbing DNC and this setup...


MAIN - Small Sword
SUB - Empty
AMMO - Empty
RANGED - Instruments, various.
HEAD - Red Ribbon +1
NECK - Bird Whistle
EARRING - Bone Earring +1
EARRING - Bone Earring +1
BODY - Lizard Jerkin
BACK - Traveler's Mantle
RING - Hope Ring
RING - Hope Ring
HANDS - Kingdom Gloves
LEGS - Black Slacks
WAIST - Warrior's Belt +1
FEET - Leaping Boots

While this setup seems fun, it doesn't seem to be most capable of fully taking advantage advantage of everything a bard could do, though admittedly - I haven't seen a DNC sub used as effectively for a BRD as I have a WHM, which leads me to...

Subbing the traditional WHM and assisting with curing/status effects with this setup.

MAIN - Republic Staff
SUB -
AMMO -
RANGED - Instruments, Various.
HEAD - Noble's Ribbon
NECK - Bird Whistle
EARRING - Energy Earring +1
EARRING - Energy Earring +1
BODY - Baron's Saio
BACK - Mist Silk Cape
RING - Hope Ring
RING - Hope Ring
HANDS - Zealot's Mitts
LEGS - Black Slacks
WAIST - Friar's Rope
FEET - Baron's Pigache's

That setup seems more in line with what I'd expect a traditional bard to wear. One question though, in this level range, is +10 CHA enough, or should I be looking elsewhere for more?

And also: I'm sure there are better pants to wear than Black Slacks - but I really just like the look of them >.>;

So sue me :P

[Icemage]

Frankly, I found that stacking tons of CHR at level 39 or below on Bard to be mostly placebo effect. Not that you should ignore the stat, but there's a limit beyond which it simply doesn't help you. I'd say a good rule of thumb is shoot for perhaps 1/3 of your current job level in bonus CHR, perhaps a shade more if you're a Galka or Mithra.

Even if you can't make it to that point, I wouldn't sweat it. The biggest influences to song potency are:

Instrument/Singing skill
Instrument quality (normal vs. +1)
Wind versus String (wind instruments tend to be more accurate for offensive songs - strings are just fine for buffs)
Elemental staves at level 51+ for offensive songs (explicitly Apollo Staff and Terra Staff for Lullaby, Finale, and Elegy).

Everything else aside from these factors is negligible, and for the first 50 levels, you basically have little to no way of influencing any of the above, aside from the relatively minor CHR factor and the odd instrument.

Speaking of which, the only instruments that really make all that much difference in the low/mid levels are the Traversiere +1, Cornette +1, Faerie Piccolo, and Mary's Horn. You can safely skip just about everything else nearly all the way to level 75 - the performance adds from the other instruments won't see much use since you won't be using the other songs nearly as often until/unless you do endgame.


Icemage

[Pavlyn]

I say that charisma gear doesn't matter until you get your first Elegy, which i think is at 29. Before 29 the only songs you are going to be casting on mobs is threnody, requiem and the occasional Lullaby. Of all those the only one that is worth worrying about is Lullaby, but the number of times you need it should be low at the point in your bard career. However, i can't stress the importance of +1 instruments enough. You can use Cornette +1 from a very early level and it improves your already awesome Minuet for the rest of your career. Next to that the most important buff instrument is Traversiere +1 for Madrigal, but you can't use that until 31 or 33... somewhere in there.

That being said all +1, or the best non-crafted you can get, are important. With the most important one not mentioned above probably being: Horn +1 for elegy, Mary's Horn for Lullaby, Rose Harp +1 for Etude. I think a lot of people will say the Rose Harp +1 is not so important, but i like it a lot for when i had to buff rangers with +str and archer's prelude. It made overwriting all the melee songs they accidentially picked up a lot easier. Some parties want different combinations of songs like Mambo or March, but until you are near merit levels most parties will just need Minuet + Madrigal, which is why i prioritize those +1 instruments above all else.

As far as your armor goes i think that is entirely up to you. WHM sub doesn't give you a lot of MP early on so if you want to/ can afford to significantly boost that it's probably the biggest way you can support a party. However, loading up on melee gear and swinging a sword at the enemy between songs until ~25-30 or so is also acceptable. It isn't until around that level that you'll have enough songs to play to keep you busy through most of the fight anyway. After 30 i think the acceptable formula for amount fo charisma you'll want is about half your base charisma from items.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

As I see it now, there are a couple of ways of doing this: Going with good CHA and assisting with melee by subbing DNC and this setup...

The others touched on other points, I'll hit on this one.

/DNC really offers nothing to BRD. Regardless of how small your MP pool might be as /WHM, you're going to give a lot more to the party by using that. /WHM will give you access to status cures early while /DNC won't give you any status cures until 70. Simply put, melee oriented classes make far better use of DNC than casting-intensive jobs like RDM or BRD do.

but i like it a lot for when i had to buff rangers with +str and archer's prelude.

/twitch

Prelude is useless to a RNG, they have three Accuracy Bonus Traits by 50 and four at 70. If they want prelude, then somethings's wrong with them. Give them minuets. Its all they'll want or ever need. STR Etudes are nice, but really, just play minuets. I don't care if the other melees cry about it, until BRD gets it single target ability, BRDs should think about what benefits the WHOLE of the melees and not just a couple members of it.

BRDs really need to stop playing the Request Line DJ and study what other jobs need and consider the whole of the group when they buff. If you give a RNG haste, gee thanks, you've helped my Utsusemi recast and that's it, provided I'm even subbing /NIN at all. Haste buffs do not affect Ranged attacks.

BRDs who Prelude or March RNGs make RNGs ditch /NIN and go /WAR + meat.

Think out of the box a bit, check out what benefits other jobs, just as an example, you'll learn that MND affects MNK's Chi Blast (along with attack) and RNG's Holy Bolt damage. So if you have a MNK pumping Chis a lot, might be good to consider MND Etudes, and RNGs may welcome it in places like Limbus.

/end rant

[Icemage]

The others touched on other points, I'll hit on this one.

/DNC really offers nothing to BRD. Regardless of how small your MP pool might be as /WHM, you're going to give a lot more to the party by using that. /WHM will give you access to status cures early while /DNC won't give you any status cures until 70. Simply put, melee oriented classes make far better use of DNC than casting-intensive jobs like RDM or BRD do.
I'd consider /SCH to be viable at level 20+, as well, due to the presence of Addendum: White.

Otherwise, though, yeah. /WHM or /SCH until 74, unless you're reaaaaaally good at pulling and want to pull as BRD/NIN.


/twitch

Prelude is useless to a RNG, they have three Accuracy Bonus Traits by 50 and four at 70. If they want prelude, then somethings's wrong with them. Give them minuets. Its all they'll want or ever need. STR Etudes are nice, but really, just play minuets. I don't care if the other melees cry about it, until BRD gets it single target ability, BRDs should think about what benefits the WHOLE of the melees and not just a couple members of it.

BRDs really need to stop playing the Request Line DJ and study what other jobs need and consider the whole of the group when they buff. If you give a RNG haste, gee thanks, you've helped my Utsusemi recast and that's it, provided I'm even subbing /NIN at all. Haste buffs do not affect Ranged attacks.

BRDs who Prelude or March RNGs make RNGs ditch /NIN and go /WAR + meat.

Think out of the box a bit, check out what benefits other jobs, just as an example, you'll learn that MND affects MNK's Chi Blast (along with attack) and RNG's Holy Bolt damage. So if you have a MNK pumping Chis a lot, might be good to consider MND Etudes, and RNGs may welcome it in places like Limbus.

/end rant
Prelude is pretty pointless for RNG these days, I agree. Corsairs can still use the boost though, as can SAM/RNGs, depending on what you're fighting.

If I accidentally (or intentionally) hit a RNG with March, I'll usually do something like March > Minuet > STR+ etude for the RNG, since that seems to add the most damage per shot aside from Minuet III, which isn't always an option.



Icemage

[Pavlyn]

i've never played ranger and see one in a party once every 3 months so i don't claim to be an expert on what rangers need. all i know is what i was asked for each time i ended up seeing one in a party. so, i'm sorry that i don't live up to the high standard that everyone must adhere to at all times on these boards.

i'll go back to lurking.

[Sevv]

i've never played ranger and see one in a party once every 3 months so i don't claim to be an expert on what rangers need. all i know is what i was asked for each time i ended up seeing one in a party. so, i'm sorry that i don't live up to the high standard that everyone must adhere to at all times on these boards.

i'll go back to lurking.

Dont worry about BBQ and ranger he still is a little (r0.0)r when it comes to preludes. Some rangers will ask for prelude and some will want double attack/Str. It really depends on the ranger, most people will simply be pleased to tell you what songs they want if you ask. They may not give you the right choices for songs but it is easier to let them gimp them selves then try ans argue.

[Jaice]

I love looking at the forums and seeing the answer for a question I havent posed yet, thanks everyone! I just started bard this week and I'm having a blast with it, looking at the list here with a brd/whm at early levels I could get by with one +chr ring and an astral for a bit more MP boost, I forgot about the +1 ribbon for headgear at early levels but found myself a bird whistle while looking for Kazahm keys.

The responses here are just fantastic, thanks again all ^^

[Olorin401]

I've been toying with the idea of making a new max-skill build for a few weeks.. With the new rings maybe there's an uncharted skill plateau above the known & suspected hard caps.. I'm thinking it'd look something like this as a first draft:

Chanter Staff
Bard's Roundlet
Minstrel's Coat
Choral Cuffs +1
Choral Cannions
Bard's Slippers
Wind/String Torque
Nereid Ring x2

I'd probably need to get an Astute Cape too, and there's always the elusive Gjallarhorn.