Archer and Bard

It's pretty obvious what my favorite job in XIV is, based on the title of this blog. I wanted to play COR in XI before I start XI, just like I want to play BRD and main BRD in XIV, before BRD job released. I'm a really support/DD hybrid player at heart, after a few days of playing as tank, I realized tank is not the job for me at all.

However, I'm not too sure whether I'm happy with ARR BRD or not.

BRD in ARR is very different from XI BRD, XI COR and XIV 1.0 BRD even.  It's classified as DPS role, since ARR has no "support" role. And it's A LOT more DD than 1.0 BRD or XI COR ever can.

Basically, Archer/Bard is one of the top DPS in ARR atm, one main reason is because they can run around dodging AoE moves and DD while moving.

Based on info on ARR(since my BRD isn't 50 yet), there are 3 type of songs, only 2 songs are buff songs, which is less than 1.0 if I remember correctly.

Further more, putting up MP refresh or TP refresh song reduce BRD's output by 20%.

Basically, you're asking a top DPS job to lower it's own output by 20% just to buff other DD.

No matter how I see it, it sucked D:

Further more, BRD can no longer use Conjurer abilities, BRD's subjob is now all DD ability: Lancer and Pugilist.

From what I've seen, now it's a very DPS focused job, while having a healing limit break, which I don't understand why.....probably to balance it's OPness.

While BRD being DPS focused, I see Archer being more support hybrid with more defensive ability access from Gladiator and Marauder.

BRD has higher stat, 3 songs, 1 of them is debuff song on enemy, that does not lower DPS, and probably the song worth using.

BRD also has 1 more AoE move.

Archer has more defensive ability such as Bloodbath, foresight, eye for an eye, mantra, and spells.

Applying FFXI sense, BRD is probably better choice for endgame raid and archer good choice for lower lv pt with smaller pt size.

Note that Archer at lower lv dungeon is extremely OP. I had pretty lame experience playing as GLA in lower lv dungeon. Almost every DF pt I went with, they have serious kill speed issue.

Ifrit Normal: Can't kill the nail before Ifrit use special attack, took 100000 try but nail just won't die. I can't help much on GLA cuz GLA so bad at DDing D;

Mines pt: DDs just can't kill adds fast enough on boss, and fail 1000000 times due to way too many adds.

All dungeons fodder takes 1000 years to die, if I'm not on archer. The fact that GLA took slightly more dmg at that lv doesn't help much.

But doing Mines pt on archer:

All fodder dies much faster, all adds die fast enough. 1/1 on boss and adds never pop more than 1~2.

Pretty much every run I did on archer, it went much faster on every fodder and boss.

Note that I play extremely aggressively in lower lv dungeon, since there's no way I can die on fodder. I usually pop foresight + internal release+ raging strikes + hawk's eye then go quick nock spammy spammy. If I get aggro, just pop bloodbath, which recover quit a bit of HP with quick nock spam. Links and adds usually die fast before mages run into any problem anyways. Never have issue with dying too fast in lower lv dungeon. Instead of attack mobs one by one and kill slow, may as well AoE all the way if dying isn't an issue.

I'm not sure if straight shot effect is up, I should do heavy shot+ heavy shot for 150 potency attack x2, or heavy shot+ straight shot for 150 potency+ 140 potency, with 20% chance to crit on 140 potency one.

However, I do key spam like crazy so I don't waste cool down time on offensive JAs and lose DPS as soon as they're up :)

Afania = DPS fanatic as usual :D Kinda sad that in XIV DPS isn't as important as tank/healer though, as everyone plays DPS.

Or rather, this game just has way too many DPS jobs.

2 tank class, 5 DPS class, 1 healing class, with 1 extra healer job after 30. Lack of healer made Yoshi-P hand special mount to Conjurers.

Can only fate chain all the way up for DD job and keep tank lv up if I want to progress in story it seems. Since lv 1~49 content is already dying due to "your life start at 50" design.

But I guess I no longer have to play the job I like, and ended up not being treated as a DD job. Every time when other FFXI players treat BLU COR as none DD job, my heart dies a little. Parsing last in Tojil run on BLU/WAR with 2 R15s and lots of spread sheeting/gear set optimization doesn't help :<