Bard equipment

[Obev]

Light/Minstrels for buffs/debuffs. The 20 HP helps my HP down/up macro, and there's not much better than 5 Charisma for the second ring. The Omega Ring from Therion Ichor purchases may be better with 3 Charisma/3 magic accuracy though.

MP/Tamas for curing (Need to get Trooper's).

MP/MP for HP down.

[Delekii]

HNM Debuff: CHR/CHR
HNM Buff: Tamas/Troopers (although my tamas recently became a rajas.. )

Merit Debuff: Minstrel/CHR
Merit Buff: Minstrel/Jelly(/Terra/Cheviot)

Anyone who says minstrel's doesn't make life easier in Merit parties either doesn't have one or hasn't used it very much. Or merit's with really fucking slow melees.

[Valyana]

Debuffs: Angel x2
Buffs: Minstrel's/Bomb Queen(/Gigant Mantle/Genbu's Kabuto)

I have equipment swaps to put me between 75% and 76% of max HP for buffs so I get Minstrel's latent without going into yellow HP and making healers panic.

[evilpaul]

Debuffs: Angel x2
Buffs: Minstrel's/Bomb Queen(/Gigant Mantle/Genbu's Kabuto)

I have equipment swaps to put me between 75% and 76% of max HP for buffs so I get Minstrel's latent without going into yellow HP and making healers panic.

Is the Minstrel's Ring really that different from the Sorcerer's in how people use it?

[Carnusty]

Sorcerer's seems to be more job-enhancing than Minstrel's, in my opinion, since it doesn't really enhance any effects...just makes them cast faster.

Really only useful in merit parties, which isn't really necessary at all anyways.

[Valyana]

Gearing for Minstrel's is different from gearing for Sorcerer's because gear doesn't make much difference for BRD buffs, so I'm free to use a bunch of +HP gear to get the latent, whereas a BLM would be giving up damage in the other slots.

[Obev]

Debuffs: Angel x2
Buffs: Minstrel's/Bomb Queen(/Gigant Mantle/Genbu's Kabuto)

I have equipment swaps to put me between 75% and 76% of max HP for buffs so I get Minstrel's latent without going into yellow HP and making healers panic.

Is the Minstrel's Ring really that different from the Sorcerer's in how people use it?

Kind of the opposite. To get the -25% song casting time, you only need it equipped (or the latent active) at the start of your cast, unlike the Sorcerer's which I believe needs to be equipped at the end of the cast.

For example you could start at under 75%HP, start casting the song, and either swap gear or be cured over 75% during the casting process, and still gain the ring's benefit. Something to do with casting speed being calculated at the start, and effect calculated at the end.

[Phla]

Just a question thats been bugging me since i thought of it
does MAB help songs land like elegy / requiem / threnody? if it does would it be worthwhile to hunt a moldavite? I don't have sea so getting a musical is kind of out of the question right now, thank you for any info

[akarikamigishi]

In response to the Sorc ring, I can attest to that. I'll start a tier4 cast, then hit my windower macro (swap 7 gear, wait 2, swap 7 back), and many times I'll still be vanishing when the spell goes off (but my HP is still at 78%), and I'll get the bonus. I don't much like the lag on the HP bar at the bottom though, that's what I usually go by to know if my macro went off correctly.

[Viq]

Just a question thats been bugging me since i thought of it
does MAB help songs land like elegy / requiem / threnody? if it does would it be worthwhile to hunt a moldavite? I don't have sea so getting a musical is kind of out of the question right now, thank you for any info

MAB != Magic Acc.

[Fng]

Just a question thats been bugging me since i thought of it
does MAB help songs land like elegy / requiem / threnody? if it does would it be worthwhile to hunt a moldavite? I don't have sea so getting a musical is kind of out of the question right now, thank you for any info

Elemental Seal is almost guaranteed land and works even better with Troubadour (I cant spell that)

[Xerlic]

Heavens Ringsx2 for Debuffs and Trooper/Tamas for Buffs. I stopped using +MP rings a long long time ago. If I need MP, I throw on Relic Pants and Tamas full time. That + Dalmatica gives me all the MP I need.

Like other ppl said before me, Minstrel's is nice but hardly necessary for keeping a good chain in a merit party. I learned to burn back in KRT then moved to Uleguerand and then to the various ToAU areas, and I never needed the ring. So, I'd rather keep my 650k. =x

[Sylphet]

Just a question thats been bugging me since i thought of it
does MAB help songs land like elegy / requiem / threnody? if it does would it be worthwhile to hunt a moldavite? I don't have sea so getting a musical is kind of out of the question right now, thank you for any info

1: no
2: You don't need sea to get a musical earring, just 75 ancient beastcoins. Trade them to her and select the earring, et voila.

[Septimus]

Just a question thats been bugging me since i thought of it
does MAB help songs land like elegy / requiem / threnody? if it does would it be worthwhile to hunt a moldavite? I don't have sea so getting a musical is kind of out of the question right now, thank you for any info

1: no
2: You don't need sea to get a musical earring, just 75 ancient beastcoins. Trade them to her and select the earring, et voila.

I thought that the NPC wouldn't talk to you about beastcoins and gear upgrades if you didn't have sea access. (I remember a bunch of people complaining that it was unfair way back when.) If you can, I know a certain Galka who needs a Musical Earring and Loquacious Earring...

[Phla]

Just a question thats been bugging me since i thought of it
does MAB help songs land like elegy / requiem / threnody? if it does would it be worthwhile to hunt a moldavite? I don't have sea so getting a musical is kind of out of the question right now, thank you for any info

1: no
2: You don't need sea to get a musical earring, just 75 ancient beastcoins. Trade them to her and select the earring, et voila.

I thought that the NPC wouldn't talk to you about beastcoins and gear upgrades if you didn't have sea access. (I remember a bunch of people complaining that it was unfair way back when.) If you can, I know a certain Galka who needs a Musical Earring and Loquacious Earring...

yeah i didn't think you could either, lol that'd be great if ya could

[Sylphet]

Hmm I could have sworn you could but I guess not.. I just checked on my level 1 jeuno mule and she won't talk to me and all my other mules have sea access D:

[Charlemagne]

I almost got a Light ring the other day till i realized it had -20 mp...

lol i dont have much of a problem with mp but people would flat out laugh at me when they see a galka with -20 mp lol

[Septimus]

I almost got a Light ring the other day till i realized it had -20 mp...

lol i dont have much of a problem with mp but people would flat out laugh at me when they see a galka with -20 mp lol

Wouldn't be bad for times when you go as /NIN though.

[Charlemagne]

your right. but i mostly wear trooper's ring and jelly ring on /nin.