Recommended Level: This guide will assume you are at least 74 for Utsusemi Ni.
Everyone has a system when it comes to pulling as a bard in merit parties. Some do it with white mage sub, most will do it with ninja sub. As a Taru bard, I perfer to sub ninja to have shadows protect me while I’m casting lullaby.
Here’s a look at my setup (works for me, your setup is probably different):
Wind Skill Merits: 8/8
Singing Skill Merits: 8/8
Lullaby Merits: 5/5 (I had them at the time the article was originally written)
Apollo's Staff/Terra's Staff
Light/Earth Grip
Walhara Turban
Wind Torque
Musical Earring
Loquacious Earring
Sha'ir Manteel
Bard's Cuffs
Minstrel Ring
Balhran's Ring (I switch to nereid for buffs)
Jester's Cape +1
Swift Belt
Byakko's Haidate
Rostrum Pumps
Some people will pull a mob (pull with elegy, if its not up, finale works), buff both sides of the party (melee then mage) then pull another mob. What works for me is pulling a mob, buff the melee (minuet/march/madrigal) then go and pull a second mob (while they are fighting the first one) sleep it, ballad the mages (by this time, second mob is being killed) then pull another mob while second while is being killed. By this time it will be time to buff the melee again. Rinse, repeat, do it all over again.
With the gear listed above, songs are casted at around 50% when I have minstrel’s ring active (hp in the yellow, small price to pay for an great piece of gear). The only pieces of gear that changes are the instruments for the corresponding song, and the staves. Terra’s staff to make elegy land better, and Apollo’s for lullaby. If you don’t have Sha’ir Manteel, you can use Yigit Gomlek instead and macro in errant houppelande for sleeping (enfeebles are based on singing skill, wind skill and CHR, hence the sing/wind skill merits). Capped Lullaby merits = 5 sec off the recast time, helps alot in a bind.
This guide is designed to point you in a general direction should and not be taken as the only way to play the job.
Changelog:
July 16 2008 – Update gear.
Oct. 30, 2007 – Guide created.
