BRD + (Companion Job(s))Follow

Hello BRD forum!

I have a question I would like to ask and I want as much input as possible from all of you please. I have not participated in very much endgame before in FFXI (My main is a PUP... xD) However I have recently taken a liking to leveling BRD in my mule. Obviously BRD is highly sought after and used in lots and lots and lots of situations, but I don't want to "put all my eggs in one basket" so to speak. So I am asking all of you two questions.

A.) What situations have you been in where BRD was not welcome or mostly useless?

B.) What jobs would you recommend as a second/third main job alongside BRD that compliments it or makes up for places it lacks. (And give reasons why if you can.)

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Here is what I have been thinking so far for part B anyway.

BRD Main + BST + THF

BST and BRD are both CHR based jobs so I could merit CHR guild free and use it on both, plus BRD is probably not as good of a solo job as BST. THF is in there because it never hurts to have a Treasure Hunter job. xD

BRD Main + WHM + SMN

SMN is another pet job, that can be useful in different places, WHM just for fun and because they all share similar endgame armor like Salvage and Nyzul armor.

I have no other ideas. I appreciate all of your input as real BRDs though! <3

Almost none. Arguably maybe some of the early CoP missions. Otherwise it's more of looking at what you actually need in addition to the folks already present. It's usually less that a BRD wouldn't be welcome, and more that another job would be even more useful.



This really depends. In general, I would say RDM, but that's partly because I think of it as a great job to have period. Yes, it's annoying to get stuck on healing/support jobs 90% of the time, but about the only reason you aren't useful on one or the other is if those bases are already covered.
RDM is also very nice in that it's very self-reliant and versatile. It doesn't tend to seem that way in XP/merits, but it's a job that can solo most of what can be soloed in the game, support, heal, tank, and to a point, DD, depending on the situation at hand. In short, a great job to have in your repertoire.

While you can push BRD, it's not usually one of the most self-reliant jobs out there. Support-wise, it lacks healing outside of trickling HP back with Paeon. In a way, RDM is capable of buffing/enfeebling to a greater degree than a BRD too (though the whole point is to stack those things). It's less of being the polar opposite of BRD, more about having the second part of a great pair open to you. Play whichever one isn't already present.

'course, like I said, it depends. Your particular group/shell may have other needs. They could have 10 BRDs and no PLDs during the times you play. Or, though unlikely, lack good DDs even. There's also the point of playing something you like.

My opinion on the jobs you listed...

BST is extremely niche. Meriting CHR is a poor choice, as CHR is easily come by. It's not as critical to either job as people tend to think anyway. You will almost never be wanted on BST for any endgame events, unless you join a pet shell.
THF can be good, but it takes a high level of gear/merits to make it so, and even then...usually only wanted for Feint and TH.

Both tend to be the kind of jobs that mage "main" type players tend to have, tend to put all sorts of effort into, and rarely ever get to use outside of solo/duo. Not just my own experience, but others I've seen too.

SMN is a generally niche job too. There aren't many times you'd want a SMN over a BRD. Sometimes...ACP final fight, Astral Burn of course...but not often.

WHM is a solid all-around alt job, especially if your shell doesn't have a lot of them.


The trick is finding jobs that you like + that fill a need in your LS so that you can actually play them. I'm on RDM, or to a lesser extent BRD or BLM, for almost everything I do in a group. Nothing else I've leveled has changed that, regardless of how well I do at it.

Thank you! Thank you!

I am quite a fan of pet jobs so that is one reason I suggested BST and SMN along with BRD. I have already leveled PUP to 75 so I understand when you say level a job you enjoy, however the job I enjoy is a job I never get to do anything on at this point in the game. I enjoy main healing on SCH and WHM though neither of them are 75 yet. I will take this information and figure out where I am going as I level up and maybe get a LS. Thanks again!

Bards are generally among the less useful jobs for kited fights. That's not to say they don't/can't serve a purpose, just that they're not as indispensable as they are for straight-tanking scenarios. Fortunately for you, PUP is great for kited fights so you're basically covered.

But yeah, don't worry. Bard is still the #1 most loved job and the only reason you'll regret levelling it is because (as others have mentioned) you can get locked into it by others. Find good friends who will let you take breaks and bring your other jobs because bard is also pretty boring to play in endgame. Once the "Everyone loves me!" endorphins wear off, it's pretty easy to burn out.

On merits -- you can merit CHR if you want, but it's an unusual choice. I did it because I had nothing else to put the points in. The point behind fully meriting bard is to be able to wear other gear sets or to have more gear options, which is what I did with it. I tend to fulltime mp gear and am almost exclusively the /WHM tank party bard where /BLM isn't an issue (Odin in Einherjar, Ouryu, Jailers, etc.).

I'm fully merited in the BRD sense, though I have RDM leveled. Many people will rightly tell you that this is unwise because RDM merits are so useful (and they are!). However, merits allow you to be much more flexible in your choice of gear.

I once asked my ls leader if there was another job I should be lvl'ing (I only have two jobs at 75) and was flatly told that no, having just bard was fine. I tend to be unusual in preferring doing that job to any other I play and having an effectively retired RDM because my BRD is too valuable during LS events. Capped Nightingale/Troubadour is rare, for instance -- but having it capped will allow you to nearly solo-elegy Cerberus and Khimaira (7:30/10mins will be your elegy, alone!).


The job you focus your merits and time on should be your main job. I'm exclusively an endgame bard and I like it that way. If I break out my RDM, it's a sure sign of the impending apocalypse. ^^;

It's not that BRD can't be used for just about everything, it's just more likely that you won't get to use anything else if you end up being a good bard. That's not a problem if you like bard ... but ... yeah.

Of course it's not required. it's not required for anything. However it's almost always more useful than any other job.