I'm re-posting my guide, since I've seen a few threads lately about people who are getting frustrated with those who don't know how to party with a Bard, and even in-game, I'm running into people who still don't know what the job entails!
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http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/uf/Kaibelf/Barding.jpg
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Note - this illustration is ONLY to show ranges, NOT to say which songs to play, so calm down to all you bards who FREAKED OUT about it.
This is a little informative thread I'm posting to help those who haven't partied with a BRD before to understand how to make it more helpful for all involved. I have been playing this job for a couple of weeks now, and have run into a slew of people who didn't understand the nature of the songs, or what they do, or how they work, so here goes:
When a bard "sings," they are basically casting a spell on themself, and this spell affects all party members within a certain RADIUS around the bard. With the exception of the etudes, and Hunter's Prelude, you can't target a party member from a distance with a certain song.
The reason that this is important is, certain songs are more beneficial to certain jobs than others. For example, BRDs have a Ballad, which refreshes MP a little at a time, and a Paeon, which regenerates HP. There are other songs that improve Defense, Attack, Accuracy, Dexterity, and just about every other stat. The problem is, there is a limit of TWO at a time. (One is from the instrument, and one is from the "singing." A bard with no instrument equipped only can have one song active at a time.)
That being said, the reason bards like to have melee people stand a distance away from the mages is simple. The bard runs to the mages and sing a song to refresh MP, and maybe another to boost Intellegence or Mind. Then, the bard can run over to the melee people, and sing a song that boosts, say, Accuracy and Attack Speed. Then, in effect, you have four songs going (even though the bard sang a different song on the melees, since the mages were far enough away, they retained THEIR song effects).
If the two groups stand TOO close together, however, you run the risk of having MP regenerating on Monks, and WHMs with hard-hitting wands. Not very effective.
It's absolutely important to also understand that the monster should be kept near the melee people, and if it runs for the mages, DO NOT RUN AFTER IT. Just voke it, and wait for it to come back. Otherwise, little by little, you inch closer and closer to the mages, and then the songs get all wrecked as soon as one group or the other needs the song sang again.
Also, there's the question of stacking. Paeons can stack, yes. Paeon I and Paeon II can be the two songs that are active, and you get their combined powers. Learned/Sage Etude increases INT. Spirited/Logical Etude increases MND. If I sing one, then sing the other, the second one DOES NOT cancel out the first. This is important in case there are TWO bards in the party. In addition (to calm down the bards freaking out) you can cast a low level and high level etude on the same person, but that's really not anything you're likely to encounter. Most players prefer to keep it simple and stick with madrigal/minuet/prelude.
Perfect example:
Melee - BRD1 = Madrigal (Accuracy Bonus) + Minuet (Attack Bonus), and BRD2 = March (Speed Bonus) + Paeon (HP Regen).
Then they run to the mages, and - BRD1 = Minne (DEF Bonus) and Etude (INT/MND/etc. Bonuses), and BRD2 = Ballad (MP Refresh) and Carol (Elemental protection).
See? Melees have 4 buffs on them, and mages also have four, and you basically have a supergroup. In addition to ALL of this, the BRDs also have offensive songs to use against the monster! (Again, 2 active at any one time, for each bard....).
That said, I hope that this clears up confusion over how the BRD stuff works, and the dynamics of it. Yes, it's complicated, and yes, the BRD runs around like a Choco with his head cut off a lot, but the benefits can really be amazing. If I left anything out or there's something incorrect, hey I tried, and I'm sorry.
EDIT: Tweaked a few things to calm down the rude, obnoxious emails sent to me by people who take their game a little too seriously, to the point where they feel the need to attack others for playing differently. FFS, get a life!
Edited, Mon Dec 27 15:14:34 2004 by Kaibelf