Brd question

[Neosutra]

Just got brd 75 last week and have been focusing primarily on wind skill, then chr, then other jazz. I have enough skill to break the tiers i want to break of march, however I am uncertain what the best gear set is for landing lullaby and elegy.

Do I focus on wind skill or chr for that?

Currently using:
HQ staff/earth grip
ixion cloak (could swap to demon+1/errant or osode).
Jesters cape+1
Gleemans belt
Marduk pants
AF+1 hands
Oracles feet
Neireds Rings X2
Musical earring
Misc earring 2 (loq, etheral, etc)
wind torque.

Should I swap out neireds for chr rings and/or get omega ring?
Should I use goliard feet over oracles for lullaby/elegy?
Swap in 2 chr earring for 2nd earring or skill earring?
Keep jesters or get astute?
Wind torque or hop onto the piper torque?
Currently have 70+46 chr w/o food in current setup.

[Ultimagi]

Elegy and Lullaby tend to benefit more from skill than charisma, but on enemies with high charisma you also need to match them. For buffs you already mentioned you have your March capped so there's no need to consider it.

Omega Ring and Nereid Ring.
Oracle's Pigaches.
Singing Earring.
Ixion cloak is better until you can get a Marduk's Tiara and pair it with Mahatma Houppelande.
Jester's Cape +1.
Piper's Torque.

Unless I'm mistaken, this gives you the highest combination of stats, and if you really need more charisma, there's always Etudes.

[Andri]

Other bards may differ, but personally I go with Singing/Wind Skill over Chr, especially for sleeps.
(i use mary's horn... I have a friend that swears by harp and +string skill but I think he's crazy.)

I do not have any problem elegying or sleeping anything I want, except the ocassional Mamool ja stabler (bst - i imagine the high +chr on this mob is the reason) while meriting but i can get him with the second song after a rare resist.

I use Nereid/Balrahn (havent decided if i want to get Omega or gotten off my butt to get it)
Oracles feet
Wind earring/Musical earring
Astute (but Jester's is fine until you have the time to get it and even then debatable)
Wind torque

(I do have Marduk's Tiara, Jubbah and Shalwar that help me out with +chr and various skill)

[Ultimagi]

The extra 6 seconds of duration really helps if you're not too lazy to use a String build, but it's certainly not worth wasting time, money, and inventory space over if you don't want to.

[Neosutra]

Ya I have the items for marduk Q.Q. I just worked out the math, and Ixion cloak gets me about the same chr/macc/refresh for 1/5th the price, + has regen >.>. Not sure I want to dump 12mil into a minor bonus. Not to mention I get the same benefits from just body cell as I get with body/head in salvage.

Edit: As for string skill: I thought it just increased the range? Duration as well? Also heard it was alot less accurate.

[Niki]

Edit: As for string skill: I thought it just increased the range? Duration as well? Also heard it was alot less accurate.

Mary's horn is lullaby+1 and Nursemaids harp is lullaby +2.

[Ultimagi]

It's less accurate in that there's less possible String skill you can equip. Harps by default have a larger range, not only from you to your target but also Horde's range between targets. Also every point of song enhancement on any instrument increases its duration by 10%. Lullaby is 60 seconds, so Mary's Horn gives 6 seconds and Nursemaid's Harp gives 12.

[Andri]

Ya I have the items for marduk Q.Q. I just worked out the math, and Ixion cloak gets me about the same chr/macc/refresh for 1/5th the price, + has regen >.>. Not sure I want to dump 12mil into a minor bonus. Not to mention I get the same benefits from just body cell as I get with body/head in salvage.

It's all personal preference I love my body and head. Don't really care for the look of the Ixion. (edit: to add salvage experience: I do salvage on bard with ranged cell, weapon cell, and back and waist almost all the time. Only in Bhaflau would i get more than that. or perhaps the large amount of body drops in Mt.z)

Edit: As for string skill: I thought it just increased the range? Duration as well? Also heard it was alot less accurate.

I aggree with you on the accuracy part, this is my experience. Like i said I think my friend is crazy, but he swears by it and I have never seen him have a problem, when he needs his bard (which isnt that often, admittedly)

[Niki]

It's less accurate in that there's less possible String skill you can equip. Harps by default have a larger range, not only from you to your target but also Horde's range between targets. Also every point of song enhancement on any instrument increases its duration by 10%. Lullaby is 60 seconds, so Mary's Horn gives 6 seconds and Nursemaid's Harp gives 12.

Wiki says its 3 seconds

[Skjie]

I've always gone with 110~120CHR (I think I have 116 right now) and the rest in skill/macc.

[Ultimagi]

My mistake, the base duration is 30 seconds not 60. Lack of coffee...

[Mafai]

Personally I use haste on Lullaby. Honestly, nothing comes to mind where I need to sleep and I cannot do it in haste gear.

Elegy Set (Wind instrument skill +30 / CHR +64)
Terra's Staff
Earth Grip / Bugard Strap +1
Bard's Roundlet
Mahatma Hpl.
Wind Torque
Musical Earring
Wind Earring
Omega Ring
Balrahn's Ring
Goliard Clogs
Gleeman's Belt
Chl. Cuffs +1
Marduk's Shalwar
Jester's Cape +1
Gjallarhorn

Lullaby Set (Wind instrument skill +22 / CHR +24) | If I ever have problems (usually never, I will switch to the Elegy set, with the correct staff of course)

Apollo's Staff
Bugard Strap +1
Walahra Turban
Dusk Gloves
Minstrel's Ring
Omega Ring
Musical Earring
Loquac. Earring
Velocious Belt
Sha'ir Manteel
Jester's Cape +1
Wind Torque
Gjallarhorn
Byakko's Haidate
Rostrum Pumps

Should I swap out neireds for chr rings and/or get omega ring? I use Omega / Balrahn's, M.acc and CHR (in omega ring case)

Should I use goliard feet over oracles for lullaby/elegy? Goliard feet hands down, Oracle's for tiering PT buffs.

Swap in 2 chr earring for 2nd earring or skill earring? Skill

Keep jesters or get astute? Jester's, if you can, break the last march tier with a full skill set (requires relic)

Wind torque or hop onto the piper torque? No idea here, I personally use wind, never tested a piper's.

My sets:
Base CHR 74? ( according to http://ffxi-stat-calc.sourceforge.ne.../ffxistats.cgi ) not at home atm so cant check.
Elegy Set (Wind instrument skill +30 / CHR +64)
Lullaby Set (Wind instrument skill +22 / CHR +24)

[Niki]

Got myself a Alkalurops few days ago and im using that for debuffs.

For mobs with higher resist I use shadow coat and normal mobs Sheikh manteel (spellcast target detection ftw)

So i have either +37 macc and chr +58 or +27 macc and chr +66.

I can't really tell a difference between HQ staffs or alkalurops, anyone knows a good mob to test resist rates on? Because either i have no problem landing elegy at all on normal mobs or only with luck on high resist mobs like khim with both staves.

[Mafai]

Cerb and Khim only come to mind, some days I can't land without ES, other days I don't even need ES.

[Euphoriaw]

As far as I know, 2CHR is like 1 skill and m.acc is like 0.9 skill after 200.

I'd say go always for skill where you can put it, and where you can't, go for CHR.

[Valyana]

Well, if BRD enfeebles work like the recent test results for BLM nukes, then 1 CHR = 1 skill = 1 macc up to mob CHR+10, and 1 CHR = 0.5 macc above mob CHR+10.

So, if you can get 1+ skill/macc instead of 1 CHR, do.
If you can get 2+ CHR instead of 1 skill/macc, do.
If you can get between 1 and 2 CHR instead of 1 skill/macc, what's better depends on what you're fighting and how much CHR you have elsewhere. 120 CHR is probably a good number to shoot for on HNM.

Omega > Balrahn ~ Heaven's > Angel's ~ Nereid (4 CHR vs 3 skill)
Piper's Torque > Wind Torque
Marduk's Tiara ~ Bard's Roundlet +1 > Bard's Roundlet
Marduk's Shalwar > Choral Cannions +1
Roundlet/Osode > Ixion Cloak > Demon+1/Osode
Skill+3 Earring > CHR+2 Earring
Jester's +1 > Astute
Goliard Clogs ~ Oracle's Pigaches (4 CHR vs 3 skill)

[wop]

Lullaby Set (Wind instrument skill +22 / CHR +24) | If I ever have problems (usually never, I will switch to the Elegy set, with the correct staff of course)

Apollo's Staff
Bugard Strap +1
Walahra Turban
Dusk Gloves

Sheikh gages >>>>>>>>>>>>> Duskgloves+1 on recast, hands down. You need about +14% haste from gloves to even equal the gages for recast.

With maxed lullaby merits, you take your recast to 5 seconds lower. Absolutely ridiculous to lullaby in turban and haidate if you have sheikh gages and maxed merits.

There's so many wrongs in your build I don't know where to even start.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for speed build for my brd but trading off powerhouse slots like head and legs for haste is not worth it. period. I trade waist slot instead, Vbelt ftw.

Following this guy's build is like enfeebling in loladvocate pigaches instead of morrigan, retardism.

[fishstix]

Well, if BRD enfeebles work like the recent test results for BLM nukes, then 1 CHR = 1 skill = 1 macc up to mob CHR+10, and 1 CHR = 0.5 macc above mob CHR+10.

Yeah I was thinking about this, but I don't know how well it applies to bard enfeebles. Also for bard, there's the singing and wind/string skill that determines song accuracy, so that would put things at a 400-500 skill tier? >.> idk really

For feet though, I'd definitely use Goliard Clogs over Oracles, you forgot to mention the 2 m.acc ^^

Also for testing resist rates of specific gear, you can always just go naked and test on regular mobs

[Valyana]

for bard, there's the singing and wind/string skill that determines song accuracy, so that would put things at a 400-500 skill tier? >.> idk really

Yes, that difference could mean that BRD debuffs work differently.

For feet though, I'd definitely use Goliard Clogs over Oracles, you forgot to mention the 2 m.acc ^^

I subtracted the 2 macc from the 5 skill on Oracle's.

[Bakthi]

String is less accurate than wind to begin with, not just because there's "less skill available". There's a ton of string you can get, but I have nearly capped Stoneskin, HP lowering gear, and like...other jobs. My BRD is 63/70 as it is, and I want a few more pieces yet; I own string gear, but I don't really have the space or the need. Nursemaid's Harp will give you 3 more seconds of lullaby than Mary's Horn...if it lands. If it matters, someone else should have cast Sleep II or Repose over your mob already. The extra range could be nice on Horde Lullaby, but I can think of about 1% of situations where I might care.

I read something on Kaeko's blog about +singing having a greater impact on debuffs than +wind. I believe it was linked from the SCH Part IV section, some JP testing. I need to look at that more.

When choosing gear, you also have to keep in mind what tiers you can hit for Victory March and Blade Madrigal. Minuet IV is easy; you just need +12 over capped skill at 75, and that's pretty trivial. As an example, a Piper's Torque might be "better" for debuffs than a Wind Torque, but the gear I have, including a Wind Torque, lets me cap Madrigal and hit a tier for March perfectly. If I got a Piper's Torque, I'd either have to keep the Wind Torque anyway, or lug something like AF+1 legs or Minstrel's Coat off of a mannequin, and carry that around too. And at this point, nothing resists me unless it's something like a sky god with a horrible resist rate in the first place.

For reference, my Elegy macro gives me 109 CHR, 503 skill, and 7 m.acc (plus whatever from Terra's Staff). I do use Astute Cape for everything, except /NIN or when stuff is locked in Salvage, but I think Jester's +1 is very difficult to give up depending on what other gear you have.