Princess Bards

[Intense]

Sept has the right idea. Dont care about the melees get the wrong songs because of their bad positioning.

When the SAM cries because he has ballad, tell him to move~

p.s. Before, while I was leveling BRD, I hated PLD tanks. This was pre-shield, pre-auto refresh, chain 5 was OMFG tight. Hated them, stuff was sooo slooowwww

[Faranim]

Ahh, my most favorite rant in all of FFXI :3

First, we need to assume that this is with a pickup group. I tend to always party with friends / LS Members if possible, regardless of what jobs (unless it's something silly like 2x WHM).

1. A Pickup PLD sucks more than a Pickup NIN. In fact, I can't even recall joining a pickup party ever with a decent PLD. Granted there is also the possibility of a shitty NIN, but overall I think you have a better chance with pickup NINs than pickup PLDs.

2. Putting a BRD into a gimp party won't fix anything. BRDs have a right to be "princess" when the melees in their Party are using DEX rings (or whatever other crappy gear/food/SJ choices).

3. While having a RDM + BRD is ideal, you definately don't need both. But you need at least 1 (For Dispel/Refresh).

4. WHMs should enfeeble with Dia/Slow/Para if there's no RDM in the party. WHM is also a job where 90% of the people playing it have no fucking clue what they're doing (Haste please, Haste please)

[Tekki]

/seacom "Excalibur/Justice" /NIN

everyone wants to try to outparse a relic! I finally found a way to justify the bazillion gil spent, instant exp invites on my PLD!

[Scorp]

/seacom "Excalibur/Justice" /NIN

everyone wants to try to outparse a relic! I finally found a way to justify the bazillion gil spent, instant exp invites on my PLD!

So I'm guessing you position to avoid ballad then

[Jeryhn]

I can understand the "princessy" attitude. As an RDM, I refuse to party if there's no Bard. Not really in the interests of being lazy, but in the interest of making the melee fighters not suck.

Oh ffs you're just acting spoiled. You're not going to get the perfect party all the time but you can build something decent and work out a party that can make a decent amount of exp per hour.

Being too picky about PT setups is being lazy and while I agree some kind of mana regen is needed for any major PT setup, you can function with just an RDM and no BRD if need be.

~S N K

You obviously did not read what I posted.

As I said before, I don't ask for Bards for Ballad. I can cast Refresh, and oftentimes don't even need Ballad in a merit party. It's not about the MP regen, I'm often the only one in parties that has any MP. I want a Bard for Minuet/March/Madrigal/Elegy.

No amount of casting Haste and Dia will make up what a Bard can do for a melee job's efficiency. Period.

[Sady]

The simple fact remains that even a decent ninja tank is still much much MUCH more efficient (mp wise) then a good paladin tank. Not only do they tank more effectively, but on average they also can put out better dps. Ask your self: "Why are all the hardcore endgame paladins now subbing ninja?" and you just might have the reason. In this game, blink tanking is simply superior to blood tanking. If you're still unconviced, just compare the mobs a NIN can solo to those a PLD can solo...

As far as elitist RDMs and BRDs are concerned, I believe they have every right to be. RDM is not an easy job to play well, you have to be focused at all times on several things such as curing, buffing and debuffing. A good BRD will litterly make or break a merit party, recall that they are not only the primary buffer, but they also act as pullers and add control. Even the best equiped melee job is nothing without proper support.

[Vedder]

Any job has the right to be choosy about who they party with... it's just that everyone wants BRDs.

I don't know a DRK in his right mind that would turn down a party invite because there wasn't "this job" or "that job" accounted for.

So I guess the real complaint here are BRDs that are "princessy" to an extreme and don't care. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

[Burginator]

Oh ffs you're just acting spoiled. You're not going to get the perfect party all the time but you can build something decent and work out a party that can make a decent amount of exp per hour.

Being too picky about PT setups is being lazy and while I agree some kind of mana regen is needed for any major PT setup, you can function with just an RDM and no BRD if need be.

~S N K

Sounds like Thief angst to me. Couldn't resist -- But anyway, yeah. I'm a snob when it comes to merit parties - I won't merit without a bard unless it's a linkshell party. If I'm wanting to merit, I'm wanting to get the most xp/hour I can pull. I'd rather wait an hour and pull 16k/hour than get an invite instantly and make 8k/hour.

And being "too picky" about PT setups is what usually winds up getting me the most merits. And trust me, I like my merits.

[Sonomaa]

whats a good level to stop on bard and red mage so your HNM linkshell wont make you come on it to events

[Jeryhn]

whats a good level to stop on bard and red mage so your HNM linkshell wont make you come on it to events

40 for RDM, 54 for BRD.

lol

[bebeci]

The simple fact remains that even a decent ninja tank is still much much MUCH more efficient (mp wise) then a good paladin tank. Not only do they tank more effectively, but on average they also can put out better dps. Ask your self: "Why are all the hardcore endgame paladins now subbing ninja?" and you just might have the reason. In this game, blink tanking is simply superior to blood tanking. If you're still unconviced, just compare the mobs a NIN can solo to those a PLD can solo...
[/b]

There is a slight difference between leveling PLD, and end game PLD (equipment and strength of mobs). Not to mention you don't get Ni until lvl.74

[Tordall]

For meritpo, I'm actually kind of a fan of inviting plds for a DD/healer role. E.g. I ask pld/nins to come geared for DD, invite a ninja, war or monk to tank, and have the pld do main healing rather than the rdm or whm. Properly geared Plds arn't that bad in terms of DD, and it takes a lot of the pressure off the 'pure mage' in the back.

Oh, with regaurd for support job choices in meritpo, I'ld vote for:

Bard x however-many-support-job-slots-you-have.

Of course that breaks down a little bit when there's only 1 melee that they're supporting, but dear god will that be one hard-hitting, fast-attacking, evasive, accurate, melee.

Also, Bardx6 doesn't work so well, you keep loosing xp chains b/c everyone stops to sing at the same time.

------edit--------

If I'm LFP on ninja I'm actually pretty happy with a 'meh' party b/c I'm really after parrying skill ups, and a good party will have looser hate so I won't have hate as much.

If I'm LFP on bard, I'll tend to kill off weaker parties b/c I pull pretty much as fast as I can keep songs up, and am not very tollerant of parties that can't kill that fast.

[Bardlet]

whats a good level to stop on bard and red mage so your HNM linkshell wont make you come on it to events

BRD: 54, all you can do is Ballad 1. Even a 55 BRD is useful thrown into a BLM party to be the Ballad whore.

RDM: Can't answer this yet, as mine is currently 47 and gets levelled about once every 2 months or so. :3

[Scorp]

whats a good level to stop on bard and red mage so your HNM linkshell wont make you come on it to events

If you are looking for a lazy endgame experience, bard has no decent claiming ability, is cheap to maintain, can move around quick and is always in the main alliance.

[Stromgarde]

Having leveled both paladin and bard to 75, the only paladins I'll merit with are from the LS, and they all have better jobs they could be on for meriting anyway... if it's for buffer, I'll tolerate it. As far as exp from 1 -> merit range, it's wasn't worth the headache trying to get people to position when I have 3 other parties with better setups beating down my door. PLD + THF or /THF post 60 was instant no due to inevitably one of the members getting gimped half the time with ballad.

[Fng]

40 for RDM, 54 for BRD.

seconded

[Sonomaa]

I think Im going to level both to 70, I sortof want a maats cap I think

[aurik]

Stop at 66.

[Devek]

Been leveling my first job(whm) post the round of pld buffs and I am of the opinion that pickup ninjas are a joke.

Plds take almost no damage and many times require no healing.

With plds in the party you are free to whatever you want and not worry about getting killed. I love being able to rest for full MP and let people get damaged by puk AoE and throw out a DS+Curaga III when I get up and not have to worry. I hate watching a nin die because I am down to 200hp from the last time I cured him and if I throw another cure out I'm going down..

Even mediocre plds are great today but a mediocre can't deal damage or hold hate off anything.

[Sylphet]

63 BRD will give you Minuet IV and Victory March which means that you can sucessfully XP from 63-75 in level 75 merit parties.

It's kinda scary that it works so well.

RDM isn't like that because though you can refresh, you can't land enfeebles and probably don't have the base MP to keep up with healing.


P.S. PLD + THF parties on BRD are the biggest headache ever.