So, things have been busy at work, and my time in FFXI has been extremely limited.

Since I knew this was going to be the case for awhile,  I put Paladin on hold and took up Bard, thinking I’d slowly level it to 25 (for Mage’s Ballad) while real life shook out.  With only an hour (maybe two) per week, I figured I’d be set.

So last night, inside of 70 minutes, I went from 24.9 to 26.5.  So now what?

Actually I have lots of other things to do when/if I play the game, but I was a bit surprised at how fast I went up in levels.  I was also amazed at how much Bard can influence the way a party works.  That is not to say the job can make or break a party — that simply isn’t true.  A party that will fail without a Bard will most likely fail with one.  Likewise, a party that will succeed without a Bard will probably do well with one.

However, put a Bard into a good, balanced party, and things can go amazingly fast — as I found out.  Likewise, put a Bard into a balanced party, and the bard is kept busy.  I’ve settled on a routine where mages get Ballad — no surprise, and an etude if applicable.  All front-line jobs get Madrigal for accuracy.  Pure DD’ers get Valor Minuet for the Attack bonus.  Ninjas (if tanking) get Mambo. Paladins are the wild card; they get Knights Minne for Defense, but if MP is an issue then I sacrifice their Madrigal for Ballad.  That’s up to five songs per fight.

I’ve also found I prefer to pull as Bard.  That allows me to land a Threnody or Requiem on the monster without having to try to fit those songs into my routine of buffing the rest of the party.

On a side note; when did players become incapable of leveling without the assistance of a PL?  I ended up putting “PL {No, Thanks}” into my search comment from Qufim Island on, and still had to turn down parties (because the player couldn’t be bothered to read).  I find this ridiculous.  If you want an easy-mode MMO, go play something other than FFXI.