User:Woe Is Me
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About me
(Well actually, about my Bard)
PvM Battle Support Bard
Level: 87/45
Stats
Dex: 90+20 >>>> (Primary, affects damage output because of your Archer roots)
Agi: 78+6 >>>> (A very close secondary, affects attack speed and damage slightly)
Int: 20+3 >>>> (The tiny bit needed for all the song-spamming, helps add some extra SP and SP regen)
Vit: 10+2 >>>> (10 base Vit was just the magic number, and it worked for me)
Str: 3+2 >>>> (Not needed whatsoever, doesn't affect damage, points in this just add weight capacity)
Luk: 2+3 >>>> (Not needed whatsoever, doesn't affect damage, points in this just add critical hit chance)
Skills
First Job Skills (Archer Skills)
Basic Skill: 9/9
First Aid: 1/1
Double Strafe: 9/10
Owl's Eye: 10/10
Vulture's Eye: 10/10
Improve Concentration: 10/10
The Breakdown
Maxing First Aid and Basic Skill isn't a choice, it must be done to job advance. From there after you finish up getting the prerequisites, switch off between adding a point to Double Strafe and to Vulture's Eye. This will give you the range to shoot monsters before they get near you which is incredibly useful as an archer. In addition to that, it will give you something to do with your SP, which assuming you can't afford blue potions, you will be regenerating naturally anyway. You will also need Double Strafe to help train, and for situations where monsters needed to be taken down sooner rather than later. Leave Double Strafe at level 9 however, max Vulture's Eye, and then move on to also maxing Owl's Eye and Improve Concentration.
Unless your plan is to be a Bard that uses a bow and plays more of damage-dealing role, (which is NOT what this build is meant for whatsoever) start thinking about which skills will be useful exclusively as a Bard. For instance, a passive-dex boost from Owl's Eye is incredibly useful, the exact same goes for Improve Concentration. Buffs help you regardless of what style of weapon you hold, so these will both help you while you use an instrument. Whereas Double Strafe becomes useless the second you become a Bard and pick up an instrument.
This build for your 1st job skills assumes you job advance to a Bard at job level 40, hence the reason Double Strafe is left at level 9/10. The way I justify this is that I didn't even need the skill more than level 5 or so anyway, so 1 point missing from it doesn't bother me at all. If you have OCD and feel the need to get to job level 41 to max it, and THEN advance; go for it.
Second Job Skills (Bard Skills)
Amp: 1/1
Music Lessons: 10/10
Unchained Serenade: 3/10
Encore: 1/1
Melody Strike: 5/5
Song of Lutie: 10/10
Magic Strings: 10/10
Impressive Riff: 4/10
The Breakdown
This part will be more ongoing, and updated frequently as this is where my character is as of right now. This is a good thing however because I will have advice on what works and what doesn't work VERY quickly. For the first few job levels though, as much as I hate it, you WILL be smacking monsters with your instrument. It's not effective, you don't hit enough damage to make it worth it, nor the defense, but you will have to do it. There's two ways to combat the agony though, the first one would be to party with a friend that could carry you until you get to around job level 10 when you will have something to support them with. And the second method being pick up your bow and act like an archer for just a few more levels. The second method is what most people choose, however die-hards (such as myself) will want to get rid of their archer role entirely A.S.A.P and will just tough it out smacking things with an instrument and partying with friends.
As far as skills go, Unchained Serenade level 3/10 is a prerequisite for almost every major song, and to get it you'll need at least 1 point in Amp and Music Lessons. After this is done you have a world of choice upon a sea of versatility at your sweaty fingertips. I chose to go the "try a little bit of everything" route, and picked up 1 point in each Song of Lutie, Magic Strings, and Impressive Riff before deciding what I wanted to max. Then you immediately run into the problem of walking at a hefty .3 mph while your playing a song, so I went back to max out Music Lessons to pick up some attack and more importantly some faster walk speed.
After what seems like a long time of being a semi-worthless class, you'll find a new dawn. Magic Strings will have every single Mage class begging you to party with them, Song of Lutie will make ANY class want to party you, but even more so for melee classes, and Impressive Riff will have any melee class without an attack-boost type skill want to party with you as well. The songs are entirely situational, if you usually play with your friend who is a Grand Cross-built Crusader and he wants a faster cast speed, you will become worth your weight in gold in his eyes with some points in Magic Strings. I find that regardless of what combination of classes I party with, Song of Lutie is an instant-favorite, so I maxed that much faster than the other songs. It's all up to you however, and thats the beauty of it.
As a side note, you WILL NOT be able to attack while your performing a song, it is worth it to get at least 1 point in Melody Strike right off the bat to fix this. No matter how well off you seem singing a song with a party of four of your friends, that moment WILL COME where 6 Harpies swarm your ass after they silence your Wizard friend, and you will need to step up and attack them. Melody Strike fixes this problem, and with a Mandolin provided to you free of charge upon job-advancing, you'll do a hefty 1k damage when Melody Strike is maxed.