This is good stuff but I'd like to add some comments. One of the things people don't understand about bard is the ONLY things that increase the strength of your buff songs are singing skill, wind skill, and the + to songs on your instrument (Yes string skill too, but that's pretty niche, and downright inconsequential once you get your g horn). Debuff songs are strengthened by all that and CHR. To put the point directly, CHR only matters for lullaby, elegy, requiem, threnody, and finale. As for buff songs, they all reach max potency given a different amount of singing/wind skill. The only one you can't max out with the available gear is minne. I recommend you build yourself several gearsets depending on the amount of skill you need to max the song. The slots you don't need to put skill in can go towards things like fast cast, -enmity, and making yourself less squishy.
The_Carrot wrote:
Minstrel ring and a set to proc it, is nice. on 4 out of 8 days can use avatar rings to get really close without too much gear. The hp drop you need depends on what your hp is naked, just -25% hp.
Other than minstrel ring, a chatoyant or iridal staff is nessecary.
If you can't afford a chat staff, iridal+terra's+appolo's is nearly as good.
The_Carrot wrote:
If you have are doing dynamis the afv2 hat is nice, otherwise a demon helm will work, but if ur just doin merits a walahra turban is more useful.
Demon Helm+1 is BiS for buff songs.
The_Carrot wrote:
Errant body is fine.
Kirin's Osode is just as good if you can get it, with the added bonus of less likelihood of spending time with your face in the dirt.
The_Carrot wrote:
Jesters cape is fine.
Truth. Jesters+1 is even better, and if you're super lucky, the skill on the Astute Cape is equivalent to the CHR on jesters+1 with the added benefit of being BiS for buff songs too.
The_Carrot wrote:
Gleeman belt is good, but if ur just doing merits swift belt or speed belt is more useful.
Truth. For BiS performance though, swift/speed for your buff song gearsets and gleemans for your debuffs.
The_Carrot wrote:
Errant pants is fine.
Yep. Also Bard's Cannions are just as good as well as free. For buff songs, BiS is Choral Cannions+1.
The_Carrot wrote:
Af gloves.
Yep, fulltime these, and +1 them ASAP. The jump in stats you get is huge.
The_Carrot wrote:
Wind torque is nice, star necklace is ok.
Star necklace also does for your minstrel's ring set, gotta love multitaskers. If you can't afford a wind torque, temperance torque is your biggest whack of chr on the neck.
The_Carrot wrote:
Loquacious earring is great, musical earring is good, melody earring is ok.
Gotta clarify this. BiS for buff songs is undeniably musical/loquacious. BiS for debuffs is musical/melody+1.
Also, sorry for the wall of text, I've put a lot of thought and experimentation into this.