See also: Bard and Guides

Raid and Personal Rotations

This is how I personally handle Bard Rotations. Everyone plays a little bit differently so feel free to edit to your own playstyle.

Set up your DoTs first and foremost.

Put up Straight Shot first thing, that critical damage boost it gives all your other attacks, especially for you your other two DoTs are very important. Once it reaches about 4 seconds left, you want to throw Straight Shot back up to keep it going.
- Sometimes Straight Shot will go into Straighter Shot. You are Guaranteed either a critical hit with Straight shot or you'll have a chance to use Refulgent Arrow if you're level 70 and above. You'll always want to take advantage of this.
After Straight Shot is up, you'll want to throw up Venomous Bite and Windbite next if you're below level 64. Above Level 64 they turn into Caustic Bite and Stormbite.
- Once the first one you put up hits about 4 seconds left, you want to start recasting them both, or if you're level 56 and higher, you'll want to use Iron Jaws to reset the timer.

Play a song.

They all get their abilities/lights/progs off of your DoTs getting a critical hit. When one song ends, start another and loop between the 3.

The Wanderer's Minuet is normally the first one I start with if I'm in a raid of if I'm dealing with one big enemy. The critical hit bonus it gives my party members is valuable. Plus the Pitch Perfect attack is pretty powerful when all 3 of the lights are lit.
- I always wait for the lights to stack 3 times before I pull off Pitch Perfect, either that or I will pull it off with about 3-4 seconds left. Try to get as much out of this as you can.
Mage's Ballad is the second one I pull off in raids, or the first one I do if I have a group of enemies by myself. Again it gives the critical hit bonus which is nice, but it resets the timer for Bloodletter and Rain of Death allowing you to sort of spam the attacks depending on how many critical hits your Caustic Bite and Stormbite are racking up.
- Neither Bloodletter or Rain of Death are as powerful as Pitch Perfect if you get two or three light on The Wanderer's Minuet which is why this goes second 99% of the time.
Army's Paeon is always 3rd. It's extra ability of reducing cast time isn't noticeable even at 4 lights. I will Always cut this song off and Recast The Wanderer's Minuet or Mage's Ballad over it as soon as one of them becomes available.

Use Foe Requiem at every chance you can.

Usually I'll play this right after I select what song to do for the first time, then wait for my mana to get to a respectable amount before triggering it again. This might change with 5.0 and the combination of the MP and TP bars.

Use your other weaponskills and abilities

Mostly to get extra abilities/lights/progs off on my songs and use the song abilities as they come up

I'll start with Bloodletter or Rain of Death while spamming Heavy Shot depending if single or group, then I will stop spamming Heavy Shot and do Barrage into Empyreal Arrow or Refulgent Arrow if available, and lastly do Sidewinder and start spamming Heavy Shot
- I will do Barrage for Refulgent Arrow over Empyreal Arrow anyday based on how much harder Refulgent Arrow will hit for.

PVP Rotation

Coming coon

Bard Guide/Stormblood

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