Community Bard Guide

General Information

Bard is one of the premier support classes in FFXI, providing a wide variety of powerful buffs and - when well geared and armed with a Naegling or other fancy weapon - a reasonable melee damage dealer as well.

Capable of singlehandedly capping a party's Magic Haste and/or granting hundreds of Attack or Accuracy - with the option to use niche defensive buffs like Elemental Resistance or Defense instead - a Bard is basically mandatory for any serious endgame content. They also have Lullaby (AoE Sleep) for big packs and a mediocre movement speed buff in Raptor Mazurka that hopefully you will never have to use.

Job Abilities and Traits

Abilities

• Soul Voice: 1-hour ability. Doubles either the potency (for most buffs and debuffs) or the Magic Accuracy and/or Duration (for things like Lullaby, Finale, Virelai, Hymnus, Mazurka, and Scherzo) of your songs.
• Clarion Call: 1-hour ability. Allows you to sing an additional song. (Providing a fifth total song when used with "two additional song" instruments.)
• Pianissimo: Limits the area of effect of the next song you sing to a single target. (Also reduces base song casting time.)
• Tenuto: Makes the next song you sing on yourself impossible to overwrite with other songs. (Just for yourself.)
• Marcato: Increases the potency or Magic Accuracy and Duration (same list as Soul Voice) of your next song.
• Nightingale: Merited ability. Reduces the casting and recast time of songs. Typically used in tandem with Troubadour.
• Troubadour: Merited ability. Increases the song casting time and doubles song duration. Typically used in tandem with Nightingale.

Traits

• Con Anima: Merited trait. Reduces physical damage taken beyond PDT cap by up to 10% while under the effect of a song. (Don't merit this.)
• Con Brio: Merited trait. Reduces magical damage taken beyond MDT cap by up to 10% while under the effects of a song. (Don't merit this.)
• Resist Silence: Increases your resistance to silence. Caps at 30% at levels 81+.
• Critical Defense Bonus: Reduces the chances that an enemy will critically strike you. Caps at 8% at levels 91+.
• Fencer: Grants TP Bonus and critical hit chance when wielding a single one-handed weapon. (A Shield is also allowed.) Caps at 300 TP bonus and +5% Critical Hit Rate at levels 95+.

Merits

Group I	Effect
Lullaby Recast	Reduces recast time of Lullaby spells by 1 second per merit level.
Finale Recast	Reduces recast time of Magic Finale by 1 second per merit level.
Minne Effect	Increases defense granted by Minne spells by 2 per merit level.
Minuet Effect	Increases attack granted by Minuet spells by 1 per merit level.
Madrigal Effect	Increases melee accuracy granted by Madrigal spells by 1 per merit level.

Group I Merit Recommendations:

• 5/5 Minuet Effect - You will often have 2 to 3 Minuets on a DD party. This translates to 10-15 additional attack for your party, which becomes 20-40 after COR and GEO buffs.
• 5/5 Madrigal Effect - When you need accuracy, you need accuracy. And Madrigal is the way to get it.
• Alternate: 5/5 Minne Effect - Minne merits with COR and GEO buffs can result in around a hundred extra Defense. Situations where you're using Defense buffs are incredibly rare, so default to Madrigal and respec when needed.

Note: Lullaby and Finale recast merits are deceptively bad, because you already have other sources of significant recast reduction.
Unmerited, they have a 24 second recast. With capped recast speed gear in your midcast set, the recast is cut to 4.8 seconds.
With 5/5 merits, that reduces the base recast time to 19 seconds. With capped recast speed gear in your midcast this is reduced to 3.8 seconds.
Using 5/5 merit slots for 1 second of recast speed is almost completely ineffective when considering casting times and animation locks.

Group II	Effect
Nightingale	10 minute recast - Reduces the casting time and recast time of songs. Offsets the negative aspects of Troubadour.
Troubadour	10 minute recast - Increases the casting time of songs, but doubles their duration after additive bonuses.
Con Anima	Reduces physical damage taken after PDT calculations when under the effects of songs.
Con Brio	Reduces magical damage taken after MDT calculations when under the effects of songs.

Group II Merits Recommendations:

• 5/5 Nightingale
• 5/5 Troubadour

Note: Nightingale reduces the penalties of Troubadour - the combintion of both abilities is typically referred to as "NiTro".
Relic armor, when worn during ability activation, increases the duration of each ability by 4 seconds per merit rank. With best-in-slot duration gear, your song durations exceed the recast timer of NiTro by over one minute, meaning you only need to stop and sing every 10 minutes. This allows the bard more freedom to contribute in other ways, like off-healing with /WHM, /SCH, or /DNC or spending more time meleeing as /NIN with less singing downtime.
Song duration exceeding 10 minutes and proper NiTro timing lets you maintain a full-time Marcato song, too.

NiTro is the bread and butter of Bard contributions to parties.

Support Jobs

• White Mage - Excellent support option, particularly when the party has a SCH to sustain HP with Regen. When done right, BRD/WHM can main heal a party for most lower-end content. In addition to Cures and status ailment removal, having Raise and Reraise can be valuable in situations where getting multiple people up quickly is more important than maintaining their Master Levels. (Hopefully, this will never happen to you, but never say never.)
• Scholar - Like White Mage, but with the ability to make some spells AoE through Accession, like Sneak or Paralyna. SCH is also an excellent subjob for any content where you want access to Tier 1 Elemental spells (usually to help proc an enemy) while still keeping access to White Magic spells that remove debuffs like Erase, Poisona, or Cursna. If you want it, you'll know - or at least someone in your party will!
• Dancer - Kind of like White Mage, but you get to Dual Wield, and in return your healing options require spending TP. Gives access to useful abilities like Haste Samba and Box Step that benefit a Dancer-less party. Job Ability Haste is capped separately from Magic Haste, so you can stack Haste Samba on top of the capped Magic Haste you provide for your party via Marches.
• Ninja - The subjob of choice for a well-geared damage-dealing Bard. Dual Wield lets you offhand a Centovente for 1,000 TP Bonus and deal respectable damage with Savage Blade, Mordant Rime, or Rudra's Storm. Ninja gives more DW than Dancer, hitting the cap with two items easily thanks to your own capped Magic Haste from Marches. Dual Wield also lets you put a weapon with +song duration in your offhand, which is helpful whether or not you have Carnwenhan's massive +50%. (Also, you get Utsusemi for those rare situations where something's hitting you in the face. Don't laugh, it works.)
• Warrior - You could do this for extra ranks in Fencer, but Dual Wielding instead lets you offhand Centovente. Its 1,000 TP Bonus augment results in far more total damage dealt. Don't bother.

Job Points

Obviously, if you're serious about playing Bard (or any job), you'll end up mastering it. Even if you don't explicitly farm Capacity Points, they add up over time and never decrease!
This means you're going to have all of these eventually, it's just a question of when. A rough priority order isn't particularly helpful, but also can't hurt, so:

Job Point Category	Effect	Total Value	Priority
Soul Voice Effect	Reduces the casting time of songs while under the effects of Soul Voice.	40%	6
Clarion Call Effect	Increases the effect duration of songs while under the effects of Clarion Call.	40 sec	3
Minne Effect	Increases physical defense granted by Minne.	20	5
Minuet Effect	Increases physical attack while under the effects of Minuet.	20	1
Pianissimo Effect	Reduces the casting time of songs while under the effects of Pianissimo.	40%	9
Song Accuracy Bonus	Increases song accuracy.	20	2
Tenuto Effect	Increases the effect duration of songs while under the effects of Tenuto.	40 sec	10
Lullaby Duration	Increases the effect duration of Lullaby.	20 sec	4
Marcato Effect	Increases effect duration of songs while under the effects of Marcato.	20 sec	7
Requiem Effect	Increases damage over time of Requiem.	60	8

Songs

• Duration
• Potency
• Re-singing

Instruments

Starter

Terpander

"Daurdabla Lite"

• This harp is available from Oboro for 150 Plutons, along with a Cehuetzi Pelt, an Ebony Harp, and a Shofar.
  • An additional 300 Plutons are required to augment the Terpander. While not necessary, the stats are useful for avoiding damage while singing.
  • Don't use Beitetsu, which are much more expensive. Check the price on Riftborn Boulders, but they're probably still more expensive than Plutons.
• This expansion of song slots is immensely important for Bard. The value of 3 songs over 2 cannot be overstated.
• If you're playing Bard, even as a pocket Bard, this is an absolute necessity.

Linos

"Gjallarhorn Lite"

• This flute drops in the Cirdas Caverns (U) Alluvion Skirmish.
  • More commonly, you can also purchase it from Lorissa with Mellidopt Wings, either obtained as a reward from Yorcia Alluvion Skirmish or from other random places like the Adoulin Dial Campaign.
• The augment you want on your first Linos is All Songs +2 from Snowdim Stones - regular, +1, or +2 as you can afford - to bring the total bonus to All Songs +3, only 1 behind the beloved Gjallarhorn.
• Even long after making Gjallarhorn, you'll be carrying carrying around multiple Linos (at least 3, if not more) for their useful augments, currently unique in the Instrument slot.
  • Expect to make at least one Linos for idling and casting (Magic Evasion, Fast Cast)...
  • ...one for TPing (Accuracy/Attack, Quadruple Attack, Store TP/Double Attack)...
  • ...and one or more for Weapon Skills (Attack, Weapon Skill Damage, STR or other primary stat).

REMAP

Gjallarhorn

Relic: We're Number Four!

Bard is one of the few jobs that actually wants to use its Relic Weapon in the modern day. (Partially because it's not a weapon, so you can swap it in and out freely.)
Gjallarhorn has a whopping "All Songs +4", the highest in the game.
This grants a large boost to every song - typically +40% duration and +40% potency, though it varies by song - and is an essential part of every Bard's toolkit. (But see Loughnashade below.)

Daurdabla

Empyrean: Bla Bla Bla Bla

Bard's Empyrean Weapon is another Instrument, because SE figured out what we really wanted. (Well, okay, one of Bard's Empyrean Weapons...)
Daurdabla allows you to sing an additional two songs, one more than the Terpander.
A staple of any bard's arsenal, literally making them 33% more powerful. (But see Loughnashade below... again.)

Marsyas

Aeonic: It Does One Thing

The whole point of Marsyas is Honor March.
Luckily for it, Honor March is one of the two best Songs in the entire game. (Probably the best, but Aria of Passion is similarly unique and valuable.)
Unlike the other two Marches, Honor March gives Magic Haste and also boosts Attack, Ranged Attack, Accuracy, and Ranged Accuracy.
Marsyas also gives +50% Song Duration, useful in niche cases (like Foe Lullaby) where you don't care about potency.

Loughnashade

Prime Cut Miggity-Mo' Macdaddy Gizzabang Doggy Dog Dog (voiced by Cee Lo)

Much like no MC has ever survived that went up against Prime, the newest fancy Instrument Loughnashade carves a swath through the previous options.
When fully upgraded - at a cost of 8.5 million Gallimaufry - it gives +4 to all songs like Gjallarhorn, +2 additional songs like Daurdabla, and access to its own unique song, Aria of Passion.

Aria of Passion is great in any situation where your party is highly buffed and running into the Physical Damage Limit - for example, when they have a Bard with a fully upgraded Loughnashade.

Loughnashade nearly obsoletes two of the above instruments:

• Gjallarhorn still has maximum Wind Instrument Skill for debuff songs, but that's it.
• Daurdabla still has 20 String Instrument skill, solely useful for Horde Lullaby II AoE (see the gearset below), but that's it.

Special Note

Miracle Cheer

A Very Good Place to Start

For those with an unused Kupon W-MOGB, the Miracle Cheer is an interesting one.
It sets song duration to 15 minutes, overriding literally everything else - both gear and Troubadour - which means it's actually a downgrade for a fully geared best-in-slot Bard, but a significant upgrade for for a new Bard.
It "only" gives All Songs +3 (like Linos) and "only" gives one additional song (like Terpander)... but it does all that simultaneously, and if you still have a Kupon you probably don't care about a Diamond Aspis or whatever instead.

Highly recommended for a second or third character that wants to hit the ground running and be an acceptable pocket Bard. Not so much for a main character that actively wants to play Bard long-term.

Weapons

Starter

Homestead Dagger

"Gotta Start Somewhere"

• When you hit level 99, purchase this from Craggy Bluff inside the Peacekeepers' Coalition at Eastern Adoulin (F-7) (Waypoint #1) for 3,000 Bayld.
  • Next, go to a Domain Invasion, hit at least one thing or sing at least one song, and get 100 DI points.
  • Tomorrow (IRL), do it again to get another 100, then upgrade to Kali and throw this in the garbage.

Kali

"Carnwenhan Lite"

• Brand new players can purchase this from Zurim in Norg for 200 Domain Invasion points.
  • That's 2 days at the maximum 100 points per day cap.
• Normally drops from Kammavaca, a level 125 Geas Fete fight in Escha - Ru'Aun.
  • This fight can be relatively easily farmed with one (or more) friends who are already geared, or on another geared job you already have.
• Not a melee weapon to write home about, but far better than the Homestead Dagger.
• The main attraction here is the Song duration +5, but the Path D augments are also useful.
  • Specifically, those augments are Magic Accuracy +15, String Instrument Skill +10, and Wind Instrument Skill +10.
  • Keep one of these forever, because it's the best offhand source of song duration when Dual Wielding.

REMAP

Carnwenhan

Mythic: It Just Keeps Going...

Bard's Mythic Weapon - and it is a proper weapon, not an Instrument - gives a whopping +50% Song duration. It should be equipped whenever you're singing.
Also, Mordant Rime is competitive with Bard's other Weapon Skill options. Having a WS that no other job can use is great when you want unique WSes for each member of the party, like in Dynamis - Divergence, Sheol, and Sortie.

Twashtar

Empyrean Two: The Squeakquel

Bard actually gets two Empyrean Weapons! Make Daurdabla first. And possibly only.
If you already have this because you made this for Thief or Dancer, or if you really want to be able to make a solo Darkness Skillchain, go for it.
Otherwise, you can just bring Carnwenhan and/or Naegling and no one will ever notice, much less complain.
Your total damage might end up marginally higher with this, but only marginally, and it requires farming Glavoid, one of the least fun Abyssea NMs.

Mpu Gandring

Prime Two: Big Numbers, But...

For Bards, this is absolutely Prime Weapon Two. Much like Twashtar, make the Prime Instrument, Loughnashade, long before making the actual weapon. (If you ever bother.)
I don't have any firsthand experience with Ruthless Stroke. It's probably very good, like all the other Prime Weapon WSes, and this probably obsoletes every weapon other than Naegling once you get it.
If you're a serious full-time Bard, here's where you put your second 8.5 million Gallimaufry. If not, don't grind this out just for your Bard, though obviously use it if you made it.

Special Note For New Players: If you don't have another levelled combat job, spend your first 20,000 Gallimaufry to make Mpu Gandring (Incomplete)!
You can't enter the final fight of The Voracious Resurgence without a Prime Weapon of that stage or higher equipped. And it's only a "Weapon" - neither Loughnashade (Incomplete) nor Duban (Incomplete) qualify!
It isn't fun to waste "two Fili Attire Set +2 pieces" worth of Gallimaufry, but in return you get Cornelia's Ring. Think of it as buying a best-in-slot ring for 20k Gallimaufry to lessen the blow.

Other

Naegling

The Elephant in The Room

Bard can wear Naegling. Easier to make than a "real" REMA, and more useful than some of them too.
There's very few enemies you can't handle with enough Savage Blades, even if you'll often prefer Piercing damage or WS variety.

New players who don't already know about Naegling: Make it, use it, love it. You'll see a huge damage increase immediately.

Daybreak

Sing Softly and Carry a Big Stick

Since BRD isn't on Maxentius, this is the best blunt weapon option available. Fortunately, it's a very good one.
Dropping from Maiden of the Dusk II at a relatively generous rate (far better than the armor, at least), it's not too difficult to acquire once you have Naegling and corresponding engaged/WS sets.

Daybreak provides 30% Cure potency and 1 Refresh for situations where you're healing. along with access to Dispelga for situations where the single-target Magic Finale won't get it done.
Also, sometimes you need blunt damage for Sheol or A Shantotto Ascension or whatever.

Offhands (Shields and Dual Wields)

Disclosure: Frankly, I don't know how to rank all the offhand weapons. So go with what works for you, or find someone smarter than me (easy), get their advice, and then edit it in here so I look less stupid. Thanks!

Shields

Culminus

• This is a Shield. Bard can equip it. Since there are a total of three item level 119 Shields that Bard can equip, that's actually noteworthy.
• The Spell Interruption Rate -10% is nearly useless for Bard because Songs can't be interrupted by physical attacks.
• You can spam One to be Feared II at a low difficulty with Trusts until this drops - which could take a while - or team up with friends and do a higher difficulty to hopefully get it faster.
  • If Cessance Earring doesn't drop before this, consider continuing the farm session until you've got both. There are better TPing earrings, but not many, and none this easily acquired.

Genmei Shield

• -10% Physical Damage Taken is very nice if you're not PDT capped (-50%) from other gear.
  • This also has a higher shield block rate and more Shield skill than the other options, so it's the best idle defensive shield in general by a slim margin.
• Drops from the level 140 Genbu Geas Fete fight in Escha - Ru'Aun.
  • Bring friends. It's a sturdy one.

Ammurapi Shield

• Enhancing Magic duration +10% does not apply to bard songs, sadly.
  • ...but the Magic Accuracy does! (I personally prefer this to Genmei Shield and only bother to carry one. It's good enough when you're PDT capped from your other idle set gear.)
• Drops off Kei in Omen.
  • Please don't die to Dancing Fullers.

Dual Wield - Offhand Weapons

Kali

• Until you get something better, just Dual Wield another good old reliable Kali.
  • The mainhand one should use Path A or B augments for another 15 base damage.

Centovente

• Don't be fooled by the base stats. Completing the Magian Dagger Trials on the "TP Bonus Path" (ending with Trial 3201) creates a Centovente with a TP Bonus +1000 augment.
  • Unlike all other augments, Magian Trial weapon augments and Sheol Gaol weapon augments work in the offhand.
• This has no native accuracy (as opposed to, for example, 242 from the Dagger Skill on the Kaja Knife + 35 more from its actual Accuracy stat)
  • This means it's best-in-slot for a huge increase in Savage Blade damage on any content where you're not worried about Accuracy...
  • ...but leave it in your Wardrobe, not your offhand, when you're doing high-end content.

Kaja Knife and Tauret

• For when you need more accuracy than Centovente and don't have anything better. There's no shame in a good old Kaja Knife.
  • I wouldn't bother upgrading this to Tauret solely for Bard, but if you already have it you'll obviously be fine using it.
  • To be crystal clear: Your first Pulse Weapon goes to Naegling. You can live with Kaja Knife until you have another Pulse to spare, at which point you will likely have one of the below options instead.

Barfawc

• You can't spell Barfawc without "barf". For a ~60 million gil crafted Su5 weapon, this thing's laughably useless.
  • The "Song effects: damage taken -3%" only applies to you, and only when it's in the mainhand. If it worked on your party members, I'd at least be a little interested.
  • Same goes for the Path C "Song effects: Double Attack +4%". Since it won't work offhand, you're definitely not interested in this.

Blurred Knife +1

• Unlike Barfawc, this crafted weapon is actually good. (And much cheaper - a few million gil on Asura, your price may vary.)
  • Note that this is Superior Level 2, so you need 100 Job Points invested in Bard to be able to equip it!
• You're not here for the Haste proc, but rather the Occasionally Attacks Twice. It's good enough for now.
  • ...okay, you might be here for the Haste proc if you're in the vanishingly rare no-Trusts, no-other-players situation. Maybe you can swap a March for a Madrigal or something at those times.

Gleti's Knife

• Buyable for somewhere between 450,000 and 4,500,000 gil after defeating Ngai. (Probably the low end. Asura's definitely maxed out the discount.)
  • You'll have to unlock Sheol Gaol and then either pay someone to kill it for you or climb your way up to Tier 3 with friends.
• Even at Rank 0 (no augments), this has 6 Triple Attack, plus 2% Gear Haste that sometimes comes up, given Bard's lack of TP gear options.
  • At R30, it gains 11 base damage, 45 Attack, 15 Accuracy and 10 Subtle Blow II.
  • You probably don't want to farm RP on this solely for Bard, but if you're using it for Thief or something you'll benefit from the investment here too.

Crepuscular Knife

• A vanishingly rare drop (like all the Crepuscular weapons and armor) from The Wyrm God II.
• Don't go out of your way to farm this for Bard alone - Gleti's Knife is more than good enough - but if you've got it, flaunt it.
• Quadruple Attack +5% is obviously great. The stealthier nice part of this pointy friend is the Weapon Skill CHR +3% mod. This adds 3% of your CHR as base WS damage, just like the other stats the WS uses.
  • See Weapon Skill Secondary Attribute Modifier for more information, but to oversimplify, just expect +3% damage, ish.
  • It's actually more for Mordant Rime, because your MR set is already stacking CHR for its preexisting modifier and that's what you're getting +3% of. (You go from 70% to 73%.)

JSE Equipment

Ambuscade Sets

Relatively easy to get from Ambuscade, and containing at least one piece you'll use literally forever.
This should be your first stop after hitting level 99 and completing some of the Fresh 99 Guide and/or Endgame Progression Guide's recommended tasks.

Bard has two options for Ambuscade armor sets: the Inyanga Armor Set and the Ayanmo Armor Set. The former is mage-focused, while the latter is melee-focused.

Inyanga Armor Set +2
Worth Buying?	Item Image	Main Uses and Reasoning
No		Better than wearing nothing, but it doesn't have any bonuses a Bard truly cares about. Its best use is activating the Refresh set bonus for an idle set on a BRD/WHM. You can do better.
Yes		The highest Fast Cast Bard gets in the body slot. You will use this basically forever - there are very rare options ( Zendik Robe and Volte Doublet) that sacrifice a few points for other stats, but the Jubbah is unmatched in raw FC. (I personally prefer the raw FC, and make up the defensive stats elsewhere.)
Yes		Don't be fooled by the phrase "All magic skills" - it includes all three of your Singing, String Instrument, and Wind Instrument skills. These eventually lose out to Fili Manchettes +2 and/or Brioso Cuffs +4, but you'll use them until then.
Yes		One of the earliest, and one of the best, song duration pieces you'll ever get. You will use these literally forever. If you're not wearing these, it's because you made a conscious decision to change your song durations to control what gets overwritten.
No		These aren't for you. They're not really for Summoners either, but they're even less for you. Much like the Tiara, the best use of these is the set bonus. You can do much better.
No		A resounding "meh". 6 Magic Accuracy is as good as anything else you can get right when you hit 99, but the Ayanmo Ring right below this has the same amount, and you can get an Etana Ring with better performance more easily.

Ayanmo Armor Set +2
Worth Buying?	Description Image	Priority + Reasoning
Yes		A reasonable meleeing hat until you get something better. For a new player, that will likely be a while - TP sets are thin on the ground for Bard! For an established player, if you happen to have a Volte Tiara or an augmented Bunzi's Hat, you can jump straight to that... but that's a big if, and I know it.
Yes		Much like the Zucchetto immediately above this, the Corazza is a perfectly functional meleeing piece until you get something better. New players, don't hesitate to make and upgrade this, it'll last you a long time! Established players, you're looking for Ashera Harness or possibly Volte Harness... so again, big asks there. DD Bard is a real investment.
No		This one's for the Red Mages who want to maximize Enspell damage output. Not for you.
Yes		6% Fast Cast is only beaten by a few leg pieces, all of which are much harder to get. The less time you spend singing, the more time you can spend doing other things!
No		Critical hit rate can be a useful thing for some Weapon Skills, but not any of the ones Bard focuses on using. This doesn't really have any other appeal to it.
Yes		Better than the Inyanga Ring - for the -Damage Taken for an idle set, if nothing else - and will suffice as a second Magic Accuracy ring when you're just starting out.

Artifact

Reforging your Artifact Armor to +3 requires Omen cards, most easily farmed during the Omen Job Card Campaigns... but don't let that stop you.
Going from nothing to a full set of +3 requires 76 P. BRD Card and 5 Kyou's Scale (which can drop off any trash mob in Omen, along with Kyou, the obvious source.)
It's always better to get some when you're nearing the Mystical canteen cap (1 held on the player and 3 in reserve at Incantrix) rather than waiting for the Campaign and getting none.

From there, a full set of +4 reforges costs 100,000 Apollyon Units from Limbus. (This can't be done in less than two weeks, thanks to the 50,000 Units per area per week cap.)
When fully reforged, 4/5 of the AF +4 is best-in-slot for Magic Accuracy, so you definitely care about upgrading those four pieces. You're not much use as a Bard if your enemy can't hear your debilitating singing!
The set bonus for these items is +15 Accuracy, Ranged Accuracy, and Magic Accuracy per piece equipped from 2 to a maximum of 5. This set bonus also counts the Regal Earring from Ou.
This lets you get away with not reforging the legs, which don't have as much to offer as the other four pieces - though they're still the best Magic Accuracy piece in the slot, so think about it.

While this set is only best-in-slot for MAcc at +4, it's perfectly usable at +3, only losing 10 Magic Accuracy per piece.
The +2s continue that downward trend of -10 per piece, so I wouldn't want to swap these in until +3, but if they're the best piece you have, go for it!

Brioso Attire Set +4
Item Image	Additional Notes
	Also best-in-slot for String Instrument skill for Horde Lullaby II AoE.
	Also best-in-slot for String Instrument skill for Horde Lullaby II AoE.
	This has Lullaby +2 even if it lacks String Instrument skill, so it's best in slot for Horde Lullaby II as well for a much more obvious reason.
	8% is good Damage Taken for the leg slot, tying Nyame Flanchard! ...Unfortunately for these, their real competition is Fili Rhingrave +3 with -13% DT. Strictly a Magic Accuracy piece, sacrificing Inyanga Shalwar +2's Song Duration buff against enemies with very high Magic Evasion. Think about whether or not to reforge these - while they're best-in-slot for Magic Accuracy, you lose a Wardrobe slot to have them available. In return, you gain 13 MAcc by swapping from Fili Rhingrave +3 and Regal Earring to this and Crepuscular Earring. The choice is yours!
	This is the only foot slot item with song duration. I'd make this first for that reason.

Relic

Reforging your Relic Armor to +3 requires either killing 100 trash mobs in each of the four zones of Dynamis - Divergence or killing each zone's corresponding Wave 1 boss.

From there, a full set of +4 costs 100,000 Temenos Units from Limbus. (This can't be done in less than two weeks thanks to the 50,000 Units per area per week cap.)
However, the only piece truly worth taking to +4 is the excellent Bihu Justaucorps +4, Bard's strongest Weapon Skill body. So you really only need 30,000 Temenos Units.

Since these pieces get the relevant Job Ability-boosting augments when reforged to item level 109, and those don't change with higher reforges, feel free to leave the legs (and possibly also the feet) at +1.
Note: You should definitely upgrade the good-augment pieces to +1 (item level 119) for the increased base stats and evasion. You can never rule out getting hit with a nasty AoE at the worst time.

Bihu Attire Set +4
Item Image	Additional Notes
	Don't even bother reforging your original Bard's Roundlet. This has a lot of raw stats at +4, and might beat a Nyame Helm with low augment levels for Weapon Skill sets. Once you have augmented your Nyame Helm, this is useless. Since you should never merit Con Anima, you don't care about the augment.
	A fantastic weaponskill piece. 12 Weapon Skill Damage nearly matches Nyame Mail's maximum of 13, but this also has substantially more attack and slightly higher base stats. Upgrade this ASAP and use it for every (nonmagical) Weapon Skill. Also, the augment extends the duration of Troubadour, combining well with the feet extending Nightingale.
	Don't even bother reforging your original Bard's Cuffs. Since you should never merit Con Brio, you don't care about the augment. Since the stats are Enmity- and Wind Instrument skill, you don't care about them either. Nyame Gauntlets beats this in Damage Taken and Magic Evasion, making it fully useless.
	Augment grants an extra 30 seconds of duration to Soul Voice. Reforge this to i119 (+1) for the great augment, but don't waste further resources on it. Empyrean legs may have 10 less Magic Evasion (this is best-in-slot for that single stat), but they also have -13% Damage Taken. Easy choice for idle sets.
	Best-in-slot for string skill for Horde Lullaby II AoE. If you don't need the points here or care about that at all, you can leave this at +1 for the augment. Augment extends the duration of Nightingale to match the body enhancing Troubadour duration. Don't let your bird finish early!

Empyrean

The first step of reforging your Empyrean Armor to +1 is best done through the use of Kupon I-Seal from the Additional Seal Battlefield Spoils Campaign.
Trust me, it's significantly better than farming Abyssea - which you'll still need to do go from +1 to i109 barring a lot of Sacred Kindred's Crests spent during the Macrocosmic Orb Campaign.

From there, a full set of +3 costs 400,000 Gallimaufry, 5 Ra'Kaznar Sapphires, and 5 Ra'Kaznar Starstones, all from Sortie.

When fully reforged, Bard Empyrean +3 (like most jobs' Empyrean +3 sets) is great. All five pieces are useful, though some more so than others.
Highlights include bonuses to Madrigal, Minuet, and March, and a whopping -35% Damage Taken across three pieces.
The set bonus, cryptically written as "Augments Songs", makes your buffing songs also give a base stat boost determined by the song's element. It's nice, but not what you're here for.

Fili Attire Set +3
Item Image	Additional Notes
	Madrigal bonus is excellent, and the highest -Damage Taken you can get in this slot is just as good. While you may prefer Null Masque for the idle Regen/Regain, an additional 30 Magic Evasion (and -1% DT) is a powerful argument in favor of this specific silly hat.
	Minuet bonus is great. Song duration bonus in the body slot is even better, and unique to this piece.
	The March bonus on this enables a single Bard to cap Magic Haste with Moonbow Whistle +1, Marsyas for Honor March, and Gjallarhorn for Victory March. These also have the highest Damage Taken in this slot, by quite a lot. Nyame Gauntlets has only -7%, though it does have higher Magic Evasion.
	Ballad bonus is nice, but costs you the song duration from Inyanga Shalwar +2. Watch your duration gear carefully, or you'll overwrite a different song than you expect! Not to sound like a broken record, but these have the highest Damage Taken in their slot, too, beating Nyame Flanchard by -5% DT and 7 MEva.
	Scherzo bonus is meh and Movement Speed can come from Shneddick Ring. You may think I'm going to say, "they can't all be gems", but these absolutely blow every other Fast Cast option in the foot slot out of the water. They have more than double the next best option ( Volte Gaiters at 6%) - and for Bard specifically, a job that lives and dies by its casting, that's more than enough to justify the Wardrobe slot.

Accessories

The old Abyssea sub-level-99 accessories are functional but quickly outclassed by "real" Fast Cast gear. Grab them if you want them, but don't expect to use them forever:

The Sortie earring for Bard looks like it has mediocre raw stats for an already-mastered Bard:

But its guaranteed NQ augment is Magic Accuracy - making it best-in-slot for debuff songs even at the minimum value of +6 - and its +1 augment is -Damage Taken. Hang onto the best one you manage to open.

The real winner for this section, as for every job, is Ambuscade Capes (plural):

While the base stats are unexciting, the various augments make a properly customized cape the best in slot for basically any purpose. Note that, while "Ex" (untradable), they are not rare - you can have as many as you want! And you'll want many. In roughly this order:

1) A cape to wear while engaged for dealing damage.

• Abdhaljs Thread: 20 DEX (Recall that 1 point of Dexterity translates directly to 1 point of Accuracy.)
• Abdhaljs Dust: 20 Accuracy + Attack
• Abdhaljs Sap: 10 Store TP or 10 Double Attack (You can also put 10 Dual Wield on this when starting out, and use an Abdhaljs Needle to change it later.)
• Abdhaljs Dye: 10 DEX (That's 10 more Accuracy.)
• Abdhaljs Resin: 5 Damage Taken (or 10 Physical Damage Taken, which is more valuable than MDT thanks to Shell giving direct MDT, unlike Protect which does not give PDT)

2) A cape to wear while using your preferred Weapon Skill.
First, pick your favorite Weapon Skill, and go to its page on this wiki. Using Wasp Sting as an example: its "Stat Modifier" is "100% DEX". This stat modifier is one of the strongest determinants of weaponskill damage. You should always pump the appropriate stat as high as possible for maximum damage! Therefore, a "Wasp Sting cape" should look something like this:

• Abdhaljs Thread: 20 DEX (While this gives accuracy, the goal here is solely to boost damage.)
• Abdhaljs Dust: 20 Accuracy + Attack
• Abdhaljs Sap: 10 Weapon Skill Damage
• Abdhaljs Dye: 10 DEX
• Abdhaljs Resin: 5 Damage Taken (or 10 PDT, as above. It's not uncommon to get hit while in your weaponskill set, and Resin doesn't give offensive stats so there's no tradeoff here.)

3) A cape to wear while singing. You can use this as your Fast Cast cape as well, without sacrificing anything:

• Abdhaljs Thread: 20 CHR (This affects Magic Accuracy for songs.)
• Abdhaljs Dust: 20 Magic Accuracy + Magic Damage
• Abdhaljs Sap: 10 Fast Cast is the most critical stat here.
• Abdhaljs Dye: 10 Magic Accuracy
• Abdhaljs Resin: 5 Damage Taken (see above notes again)

4) A cape to wear while idle, if it's not your singing cape. This can be a place to tweak your Damage Taken to hit 50% PDT/MDT, or for more Magic Evasion... or, honestly, I just use my singing cape. Inventory space is too precious!

5) Any number of additional weapon skill capes as desired.

• Typically Savage Blade, Rudra's Storm, Mordant Rime, and/or Exenterator.
• These are similar to the previous WS cape, but with different primary stats on them.

You can completely ignore the Reive-dropped Rhapsode's Cape.
It loses in every augment to just making another Intarabus's Cape.

Equipment Sets

Engaged (TP)

Well-established Bards can have a TP set to put them on par with other support/damage dealer hybrid jobs, making them a valuable contributor to total party damage.
Brand new Bards... won't. Without the top end options, Bard is not much of a damage dealer. That said, there are options that will at least let you solo the occasional NM for drops, and you do bring your own powerful buffs.

Generally, Bard's biggest problem is getting to 1,000 TP. With Madrigal you'll have reasonable Attack. With March, you'll be capped on Magic Haste. But unlike COR's Samurai Roll and Fighter's Roll, Bards can't increase TP gained per autoattack. Bard melee gear should focus on Double Attack/Triple Attack/Quadruple Attack and Store TP to try to remedy this.

There are a few augment-based workarounds for Bard's total lack of good midrange TPing gear:

• The customizable augments on the Telchine Attire Set lets you augment melee stats onto not-very-melee-focused gear.
  • Our old friend Linos can take even better melee augments, and is best in slot for that purpose forever.
• Similarly (though not used in these gearsets), the random daily Dark Matter Augments available from Oseem in Norg can turn the Chironic Armor Set into serviceable melee pieces.
  • These augments are totally random. And I do mean totally random. Far too random to categorize and rely on in these sets.

Edit December 10, 2025: With the addition of the new Limbus armor set, Bards are going to have better midrange TP options... but it's all crafted, and we can't even farm up the materials on patch day.
This section won't be updated to include those for a few months until NQ/HQ1/HQ2 gear supply (and prices) stabilize and augment details are known.
Edit December 14: Augments are better than the actual set. The BiS set below will definitely change, if the NQ's cheap enough it's a midrange option, wait for actual supply and we'll see.

Starter i119 Solo Farmable     Dual Wield optional Kaja Knife Kaja Sword Linos 15 Attack+Accuracy, 4 Store TP, 3 Quadruple Attack Aya. Zucchetto +2 Ayanmo Corazza +2 Telchine Gloves 15 Attack+Accuracy, 6 Store TP, 7 STR+DEX Telchine Braconi 15 Attack+Accuracy, 6 Store TP, 7 STR+DEX Telchine Pigaches 15 Attack+Accuracy, 6 Store TP, 7 STR+DEX Asperity Necklace Brutal Earring Neritic Earring Rajas Ring Hoard Ring Cetl Belt Intarabus's Cape 20 DEX, 20 Attack+Accuracy, 10 Accuracy, 10 Dual Wield, -10% Physical Damage Taken Notes: 20 Accuracy or 20 Attack on the Telchine pieces is fine. The combined Accuracy+Attack augment is rare. The same is true for Linos. You don't have to literally dual wield Kaja weapons. But you can if you want to. Midrange Set Mostly Soloable     (Eventually) Naegling Centovente TP Bonus +1000 Linos 15 Attack+Accuracy, 4 Store TP, 3 Quadruple Attack Aya. Zucchetto +2 Ayanmo Corazza +2 Bunzi's Gloves Zoar Subligar +1 Rank 15 Telchine Pigaches 15 Attack+Accuracy, 6 Store TP, 7 STR+DEX Lissome Necklace Brutal Earring Cessance Earring Rajas Ring Petrov Ring Sailfi Belt +1 Rank 15 Intarabus's Cape 20 DEX, 20 Attack+Accuracy, 10 Accuracy, 10 Dual Wield, -10% Physical Damage Taken Notes: Bunzi's Gloves aren't soloable, but you don't need any RP for augments. They're best in slot even at R0 and worth specifically grouping up to get. If you can afford a Bard's Charm +1, that's a great place to put your extra gil for now. After that, consider some Chirich Rings. Best in Slot Approximately     Circa Nov. 2025 Naegling Centovente TP Bonus +1000 Linos 15 Attack+Accuracy, 4 Store TP, 3 Quadruple Attack Bunzi's Hat Rank 30 Ashera Harness Bunzi's Gloves Rank 30 Volte Tights Volte Spats Bard's Charm +2 Rank 25 Telos Earring Cessance Earring Moonlight Ring Moonlight Ring Sailfi Belt +1 Rank 15 Intarabus's Cape 20 DEX, 20 Attack+Accuracy, 10 Accuracy, 10 Dual Wield, -10% Physical Damage Taken Notes: Only -42% PDT, so consider Alabaster Earring. Crepuscular Earring is fine over Cessance. Volte Harness can sub for Ashera, but has no -DT. This set is Haste capped before Sailfi Belt +1.

Weapon Skills

Bard is in the same boat as most other light armor jobs for WS sets: the Nyame Armor Set fixed everything, providing high Weapon Skill Damage augments and a bunch of raw stats. There's also the obligatory reforged piece, Bihu Justaucorps +4, that's superior. (And like most similar jobs, there's only one of those pieces that beats Nyame.)

Before you have access to Nyame augments, there's not a lot of good Weaponskill gear, but there's a few things to farm up:

• The easiest win is a good Ambuscade cape.
  • See the notes in the "JSE Gear" section above for some details - generally, it's relevant primary stat, Attack, and Weapon Skill Damage ("WSD").
• Pick up another set of Telchine Attire and augment them with WSD, Attack, and Double Attack.
  • Don't waste effort chasing WSD Dark Matter Augments on the Chironic Armor Set. Nyame's not that hard to get.
• Completing the various Magian Dagger Trials on the "TP Bonus Path" (ending with Trial 3201) creates a Centovente with TP Bonus +1000.
  • Unlike almost all other weapon augments, the augments on these Magian Trial weapons do function in the offhand
  • Dual Wielding this Centovente will be an enormous boost to Savage Blade damage, and thus your total DPS, in any content where you don't need to worry about Accuracy.
    • Even the humble Kaja Knife gains 242 accuracy from its "Dagger skill +242" that any Centovente is completely lacking. If you can't hit the enemy, use an item level offhand!
• While Fotia Gorget and Fotia Belt are not relevant for every WS, they're never going to go out of style.
  • Farm up the eight subcomponents of each, then shout for Synergy help (or learn this opaque subsystem yourself for this single purpose) to get them assembled.

Starter i119 Solo Farmable     STR-Focused Kaja Sword Centovente 1000 TP Bonus Linos 20 Attack, 8 STR, 3 WSD Telchine Cap 20 Attack, 3 Double Attack, 3 WSD Telchine Chas. 20 Attack, 3 Double Attack, 3 WSD Telchine Gloves 20 Attack, 3 Double Attack, 3 WSD Telchine Braconi 20 Attack, 3 Double Attack, 3 WSD Telchine Pigaches 20 Attack, 3 Double Attack, 3 WSD Fotia Gorget Kuwunga Earring Corybant Pearl Ifrit Ring Gaiardas Ring Fotia Belt Intarabus's Cape 20+10 STR, 20 Accuracy + Attack, 10 WSD, -10% PDT Notes: Ishvara Earring is likely not far out of reach. Rufescent Ring is a little farther, but still reasonably obtained with Trusts. You can just buy two Ifrit Rings instead of one. You don't have to do that much Legion. Established i119 Midrange Savage Blade     Before Nyame Augments Kaja Sword Centovente 1000 TP Bonus Linos 3 Weapon Skill Damage, 8 STR, 20 Attack Telchine Cap 20 Attack, 3 Double Attack, 3 WSD Telchine Chas. 20 Attack, 3 Double Attack, 3 WSD Telchine Gloves 20 Attack, 3 Double Attack, 3 WSD Telchine Braconi 20 Attack, 3 Double Attack, 3 WSD Telchine Pigaches 20 Attack, 3 Double Attack, 3 WSD Rep. Plat. Medal Moonshade Earring 250 TP Bonus, 4 Attack Ishvara Earring Rufescent Ring Karieyh Ring Fotia Belt Intarabus's Cape 20+10 STR, 20 Accuracy + Attack, 10 WSD, -10% PDT Notes: Cornelia's Ring is an obvious upgrade when you finish The Voracious Resurgence. Savage Blade (BiS) Savage Blade     50% STR / 50% MND Naegling Centovente 1000 TP Bonus Linos 3 WSD, 8 STR, 20 Attack Nyame Helm R30 Bihu Just. +4 Nyame Gauntlets R30 Nyame Flanchard R30 Nyame Sollerets R30 Rep. Plat. Medal Moonshade Earring 250 TP Bonus, 4 Attack Regal Earring Cornelia's Ring Epaminondas's Ring Sailfi Belt +1 R15 Intarabus's Cape 20+10 STR, 20 Accuracy + Attack, 10 WSD, -10% PDT Notes: Linos can roll 6 STR+DEX as an all-in-one for SB/MR/Rudra's to save Wardrobe space. If you need PDL, swap to Bard's Charm +2. -46% PDT. To cap, use Murky Ring or Alabaster Earring Moonshade Earring stays forever, but the other jewelry slots change with your circumstances: Sroda Ring at very high Nyame ranks. Alabaster Earring at high enough augments is better and caps PDT. Hoxne Earring is BiS at Mastery Rank 7+, even over Alabaster. If you have Ephramad's Ring over Cornelia's, update appropriately. Mordant Rime (BiS) Mordant Rime     70% CHR / 30% DEX Carnwenhan (Level 119 III) Crepuscular Knife Linos 3 WSD, 8 CHR, 20 Attack Nyame Helm R30 Bihu Just. +4 Nyame Gauntlets R30 Nyame Flanchard R30 Nyame Sollerets R30 Bard's Charm +2 R25 Regal Earring Ishvara Earring Cornelia's Ring Metamor. Ring +1 R15 Kentarch Belt +1 R15 Intarabus's Cape 20+10 CHR, 20 Accuracy + Attack, 10 WSD, -10% PDT Notes: TP Bonus increases Movement Speed decrease :( Swap in Hoxne Earring at Mastery Rank 6+. I have no idea what the correct offhand here is.

Fast Cast

The Fast Cast cap is 80. Having it capped will give you 80% faster casts and 40% faster recast time. (Going over 80 does not further decrease recast times!)

Gear that gives "Song Spellcasting Time" reduction, like Fili Calot +1, gives you faster casts but not recast reduction.
Therefore, the optimal set has 80 actual "Fast Cast", but you can make up any shortfall with Song Spellcasting Time.

Starter i119 Set 54 FC + 9 Song Spellcast     Solo Farmable Kali Kali Linos 6 Fast Cast Inyanga Jubbah +2 Aya. Cosciales +2 Telchine Pigaches Aoidos' Matinee Loquac. Earring Prolix Ring Intarabus's Cape 10 Fast Cast Notes: You can farm all this yourself. Without Dual Wield, -7 FC from the second Kali. Starter -80% Fast Time Set 55 FC + 25 Song Spellcast     Mostly Soloable Kali Kali Linos 6 Fast Cast Fili Calot +1 Inyanga Jubbah +2 Leyline Gloves 3 Fast Cast Aya. Cosciales +2 Bihu Slippers +1 Aoidos' Matinee Loquac. Earring Prolix Ring Naji's Loop Embla Sash Intarabus's Cape 10 Fast Cast Notes: Without Dual Wield, you'll need higher reforges on the feet or head (or other pieces from the next set). BiS Fast Cast Way Over 80 FC Cap     Fill Slots With -DT Kali Kali Linos 6 Fast Cast Bunzi's Hat Inyanga Jubbah +2 Leyline Gloves 3 Fast Cast Volte Brais Fili Cothurnes +3 Orunmila's Torque Loquac. Earring Enchntr. Earring +1 Prolix Ring Kishar Ring Embla Sash Intarabus's Cape 10 Fast Cast Notes: Neck = Baetyl Pendant or Voltsurge Torque, if you want to avoid grinding Meeble Burrows. Legs = Kaykaus Tights +1, if you don't have Volte.

Singing

Bard is unique in having multiple Magic Skills that simultaneously apply to a single action.
Everything you sing is affected by Singing Skill, and the type of instrument you have equipped determines whether you add your Wind Skill or your String Skill to that.
This means that Bard effectively benefits twice from some systems - receiving twice as many Merit Point skill boosts, 2 points per Master Level rather than 1, and so on.

The song with the highest skill cap is Honor March, which caps at a total skill of 900.
A Bard with 2100 Job Points and 8/8 skill merits has 425 in both Singing and Wind Instrument skills for a total of 850.
Add another 22+22 from Fili Manchettes +3 (worn for the March +1 bonus anyway) to reach 894.
A Master Level 3 Bard will have 900 skill with those two items equipped and every other gear slot empty.
Once you have even 3 MLs, you never have to worry about wearing skill gear specifically to hit caps. (There's one special case - see the Horde Lullaby II sets below.)

Since skills are not a consideration when gearing, song sets look a little different than most casting jobs' sets. There are some general priorities:

• Song+ effects. These are the rarest and the highest-impact bonuses. If you can be wearing a song+ piece, you should be. This is why Moonbow Whistle +1 is so good. (And so expensive.)
• Song effect duration. This may seem like just quality of life (less total time spent singing), but Soul Voice and Marcato buff songs in a way nothing else can duplicate. Extending the duration of those songs means you're getting more total benefit.
• Song accuracy. (For debuffs only.) Accuracy is determined by CHR, Singing and Instrument skills, and Magic Accuracy. The relative values of these four are debated, but wear more of all four and your debuffs will land more often.
• The Fili Attire Set bonus makes your buff songs also give additional primary stats. (For buffs only.) While the buff is small, it's a tiebreaker in any slots that wouldn't otherwise be specifically occupied.

Beyond that, put -Damage Taken or Magic Evasion in unused slots, because you can always get caught in an AoE in midcast gear.

Song+ Effects

Generally, +1 to a Song type will give both +10% duration (additive) and either a boost to Magic Accuracy (for debuffs) or a boost to the stats granted (for buffs).

• Some songs only get one or the other - for example, the Reraise effect from Goddess's Hymnus can't really get a numeric boost, so it only gets duration.

Two equipment slots have "All Songs" equipment, which you want to wear for basically every song unless there's a specific reason you can't:

• Gjallarhorn and Loughnashade give +4 to all songs.
  • Until you have either, use a Linos augmented with Snowdim Stones for a total of +3 to all songs.
• Moonbow Whistle +1 also gives +3 to all songs.
  • The NQ Moonbow Whistle only gives +2, but is typically substantially cheaper. Consider buying one if you're short on gil, then reselling it when you get the HQ.

As of 2025, there are currently no other "All Songs" items, but other pieces have boosts to specific song types:

• Fili Calot +3 gives +1 to Madrigal.
• Fili Hongreline +3 gives +1 to Minuet.
• Fili Manchettes +3 gives +1 to March.
• Fili Rhingrave +3 gives +1 to Ballad.
• Fili Cothurnes +3 gives +1 to Scherzo.
• Brioso Cuffs +4 gives +2 to Lullaby.
• Mousai Turban +1 gives +2 to Etude.
• Mousai Manteel +1 gives +2 to Threnody.
• Mousai Gages +1 gives +2 to Carol.
• Mousai Seraweels +1 gives +2 to Minne.
• Mousai Crackows +1 gives +2 to Mambo.
• Intarabus's Cape gives +1 to Madrigal and +1 to Prelude.

Always wear these when casting the appropriate song

• ...except Fili Rhingrave +3 / Mousai Seraweels +1, which require sacrificing the duration bonus from Inyanga Shalwar +2. Be careful when putting these in your sets.
• Absolutely still wear them, just be aware that your Ballads/Minnes will lose 7% duration relative to your other songs, so be careful with song overwriting!

Song Duration

The second most relevant thing you can be doing for buffs. It's great for debuffs too, but it's more important to land the debuff than have it last forever, so prioritize accordingly depending on your target's level and stats.

Best in Slot +151% Duration   Carnwenhan (Level 119 III) Kali Marsyas Fili Hongreline +3 Inyanga Shalwar +2 Brioso Slippers +4 Notes: Aoidos' Matinee omitted, since you should always be wearing a Moonbow Whistle +1 in that slot. Until Carnwenhan, use a second Kali for 5%. Until Marsyas, use Daurdabla for 30%.

Song Accuracy

Song accuracy is determined by the singer's CHR, Magic Accuracy, Singing skill, and Instrument skill corresponding to the instrument they're playing. The relative value of these four is not entirely nailed down, but wear as much as possible of all of them and you can't go wrong.

Starter i119 Set Solo Farmable     Dual Wield not required Kaja Knife Kaja Sword Linos All Songs +2 Inyanga Tiara +2 Inyanga Jubbah +2 Inyan. Dastanas +2 Inyanga Shalwar +2 Inyan. Crackows +2 Sanctity Necklace Enchntr. Earring Saviesa Pearl Inyanga Ring Etana Ring Ovate Rope Intarabus's Cape 20 CHR, 20+10 Magic Accuracy Notes: Use Kali until Kaja weapon(s). The "All Songs +2" on Linos affects debuff accuracy (by an unknown amount) and also duration. Best in Slot See Notes     (about the legs) Carnwenhan (Level 119 III) Ammurapi Shield Gjallarhorn (Level 99) Brioso Roundlet +4 Brioso Just. +4 Brioso Cuffs +4 Brios. Cann. +4 Brioso Slippers +4 Mnbw. Whistle +1 Regal Earring Fili Earring +2 16-20 Magic Accuracy, 7-15 CHR Stikini Ring +1 Metamor. Ring +1 10 Magic Accuracy, 10 CHR Acuity Belt +1 15 Magic Accuracy Intarabus's Cape 20 CHR, 20+10 Magic Accuracy Notes: If you already have a second Stikini Ring +1 for another job, that's good enough. Even minimum augment NQ Fili Earring is 6 MAcc + 10 Singing Skill, beating Crepuscular Earring / Dignitary's Earring. You're probably wearing Inyanga Shalwar +2 for legs. (Thus the Regal Earring for the set bonus.)

Horde Lullaby II

Horde Lullaby II has a unique AoE: circular, centered on the caster, with radius determined by the caster's String Instrument skill (but not Singing) at cast time.
Its radius increases by 1 yalm at fixed skill breakpoints of 405, 486, 567, and 648 String skill.

FFXI is a wonky game and I personally never want to rely on mobs being a specific distance from me. So I advocate aiming for the highest realistic breakpoint, the 567 String skill breakpoint.
As of December 2025, 648 requires sacrificing both Moonbow Whistle +1 and Brioso Cuffs +4.
Even 567 requires a combination of giving up Brioso Cuffs +4, having high Mastery Levels, or a few pieces of old gear that impact your overall Magic Accuracy.
Honestly, if you're not sweaty tryharding it, you won't notice the difference between 6 yalms and 7 yalms very often. Just wear your normal MAcc set, plus Brioso Cuffs +4 for Lullaby +2, and call it a day. But if you care, here you go:

Max String Skill +177 String Skill     +0 Lullaby :( Kali 10 String Instrument Skill Kali 10 String Instrument Skill Daurdabla (Level 99) Brioso Roundlet +4 Brioso Just. +4 Fili Manchettes +3 Bihu Slippers +4 Hoxne Torque Gersemi Earring Darkside Earring Stikini Ring +1 Stikini Ring +1 Harfner's Sash Erato's Cape Notes: There truly are no leg pieces with string skill. Yes, Kali's augment functions in the offhand. This does hit the 8' breakpoint (648 skill) at ML40, but it current can't ever fit either of the Lullaby+ pieces. ML 0, 567+ Skill (7' radius) +137 String Skill     +3 Lullaby, no Dual Wield Kali 10 String Instrument Skill Daurdabla (Level 99) Brioso Roundlet +4 Brioso Just. +4 Fili Manchettes +3 Bihu Slippers +4 Mnbw. Whistle +1 Gersemi Earring Darkside Earring Stikini Ring +1 Stikini Ring +1 Harfner's Sash Erato's Cape Notes: Welcome back, Moonbow Whistle +1. At ML0, you have 425 base String skill. The important missing piece here is Brioso Cuffs +4. With Dual Wield, you can swap for better Back and Waist. But see the next set... ML 18, 567 Skill (7' radius) Dual Wield required     +5 Lullaby :) Kali 10 String Instrument Skill Kali 10 String Instrument Skill Daurdabla (Level 99) Brioso Roundlet +4 Brioso Just. +4 Brioso Cuffs +4 Bihu Slippers +4 Mnbw. Whistle +1 Gersemi Earring Darkside Earring Stikini Ring +1 Stikini Ring +1 Harfner's Sash Erato's Cape Notes: Welcome back, Brioso Cuffs +4. Improvements with more Master Levels: ML22: swap back to Intarabus's Cape. ML32: swap mainhand to Carnwenhan. ML37: swap waist to Acuity Belt +1. ML42: swap ear to Alabaster Earring. ML50: swap ring to Murky Ring, if you want.

Healing

The potency of Cure spells is determined by the caster's MND/VIT/Healing Magic Skill and subject to both soft and hard caps. This doesn't leave a lot of room for player intervention (other than capping your Healing skill).
What you do have control over are the multiplicative bonuses from the "Cure Potency" and "Cure Potency II" stats, which cap at 50%/30% respectively. (See Cure Potency and Cure Formula for full information.)

Bard has access to one of the best Cure Potency items in the game, Daybreak.
Its only sources of Cure Potency II are the set bonus on the Kaykaus Attire Set +1 and Naji's Loop.
Conveniently, any two pieces of the Kaykaus Attire Set +1 combined with Daybreak will cap Cure Potency.

The only other White Magic spell to gear for is Cursna. Since Doom puts a fast clock on someone's lifespan, boosting your success rate matters!
The success rate of Cursna increases with your Healing Magic Skill, which is very low when it's only from your subjob. Therefore, multiplicative increases to Cursna sucess rate from gear aren't as helpful as for a main-job healer, but still good.
When Doomed yourself, equip "Cursna received" or "Enhances Holy Water" gear.

Best in Slot 11 Cure Potency II     Over Cure Potency cap Daybreak Kaykaus Mitra +1 Kaykaus Bliaut +1 Kaykaus Cuffs +1 Kaykaus Tights +1 Kaykaus Boots +1 Nodens Gorget Mendi. Earring Naji's Loop Lebeche Ring Solemnity Cape Notes: 2 Kaykaus +1 pieces + Daybreak hits cap. Extra Kaykaus +1 pieces give 2 Cure Potency II each likely aren't worth the inventory slot. The rest of this is things you may already have, in case you want to go even lower on Kaykaus +1. Cursna (Targeting Others) +75% Success Rate     +35 Healing Magic Skill Kaykaus Mitra +1 Hieros Mittens Gende. Galosh. +1 Debilis Medallion Meili Earring Beatific Earring Menelaus's Ring Haoma's Ring Bishop's Sash Oretan. Cape +1 Notes: ML0 BRD/WHM has 168 Healing Magic skill. Therefore, this set's success rate is (1.75) * (10+(168/30)) = 27.3% without skill+ gear. With skill+, it's (1.75) * (10+(203/30)) = 29.34%. Don't waste inventory slots on Healing Magic Skill gear if you aren't using it for another job. I didn't even bother listing Nabu's Shalwar. Doomed (Self-Removal) Holy Water/Cursna Received     (...wear matching rings.) Nicander's Necklace Eshmun's Ring Blenmot's Ring +1 Gishdubar Sash Notes: "Cursna received" only works on actual Cursna. "Holy Water effect" only works on Holy Water. So wear a pair of correct matching rings. Nicander's Necklace works for both.

Pulling

Requiem has a 20' range.

Pulling set should have -50 DT, then optimize Evasion/Magic Evasion after that.

Idle

In general, your idle set should first aim for -50% Damage Taken, then some combination of Magic Evasion/Elemental Resistance, Status ailment resistance, and Regen or Refresh.
Magic Evasion is more valuable than Physical Evasion, because the worst outcomes are getting slept, petrified, or one-shot - and that's usually via a magic AoE or conal.

A few things to know:

• There are two pieces with a chance to outright nullify magic damage ( Warder's Charm +1 and Shadow Ring). These are valuable once you've hit the DT cap, as an additional layer of protection.
  
  • The Ring's twin for physical nullification is Shadow Mantle, which you should never wear because Intarabus's Cape exists.
• Having nonzero positive Elemental Resistance unlocks an additional beneficial "resist tier", giving you a chance to take 1/8 damage from an elementally aligned attack.
  • With zero resistance, you can't take less than 1/4. With negative resistance, you can't take less than 1/2.
  • This means the first point of resistance to each element is disproportionately valuable. Consider Carrier's Sash even if you're already wearing Warder's Charm +1.
• Bard should avoid Staunch Tathlum +1. Wear an inferior Linos instead to avoid losing TP on swaps.
• Bard's only idle Regain piece is Null Masque.
• Shell V provides -29% Magic Damage Taken. Since the caps are -50% Physical Damage Taken and -50% Magic Damage Taken, you only "have" to wear -21% MDT to cap if you can rely on having Shell up.
  • This is why you often see -10% PDT over -5% DT on Intarabus's Cape.
  • As a coward and an inveterate min-maxer, I personally aim for 50 MDT as well, just in case. This is not necessary, but feel free to join me.

Starter i119 Idle Solo Farmable     34 PDT, 21 MDT Linos 15 Magic Evasion, 5 Physical Damage Taken / 6 Fast Cast, 8 VIT Aya. Zucchetto +2 Ayanmo Corazza +2 Inyan. Dastanas +2 Aya. Cosciales +2 Bihu Slippers +1 Flashward Earring Eabani Earring Ayanmo Ring Flume Belt Intarabus's Cape 20 INT, 20 Evasion+Magic Evasion, 10 Fast Cast, 10 Physical Damage Taken, 10 Magic Evasion Notes: Don't buy the other Ambuscade piecesAya. Manopolas +2 description.png just to idle in. You're reforging more JSE soon enough. The Linos can just have Fast Cast forever. It's fine. You can farm a Defending Ring if you really want to, but time has finally passed it by. Midrange Idle Not Solo Farmable     50 PDT, 38 MDT Linos 15 Magic Evasion, 5 Physical Damage Taken, 8 VIT Bunzi's Hat Bunzi's Gloves Aya. Cosciales +2 Warder's Charm +1 Alabaster Earring Eabani Earring Murky Ring Shadow Ring Carrier's Sash Intarabus's Cape 10 PDT (same cape, really) Notes: Warder's Charm +1 is easier to get than Loricate Torque +1, and also more useful long-term. Your first two Limbus runs guarantee a Matter each for Murky Ring and Alabaster Earring. If you want to fully cap MDT without Shell V, add Bunzi's Robe and Bunzi's Sabots. The Linos can also keep Fast Cast with that. Endgame Idle -50% DT     (then MEva) Linos 15 Magic Evasion, 6 Fast Cast, 8 VIT Fili Calot +3 Nyame Mail Fili Manchettes +3 Fili Rhingrave +3 Nyame Sollerets Warder's Charm +1 Eabani Earring Fili Earring +1 3-5 DT (unnecessary) Shneddick Ring +1 Shadow Ring Carrier's Sash Intarabus's Cape 5 Regen?! Notes: This is -51% DT (capped) in the five main slots alone. Adamantite Armor exists, if you're lucky. I have ever seen someone wearing Gurebu's Ring. Shneddick Ring +1 doesn't need to be fulltime if you do fancy Gearswap things. I never have. Idle Regen Options 29 HP/tick     (All i119) Linos 2 Regen Null Masque Fili Hongreline +3 Fili Cothurnes +3 Bathy Choker +1 Infused Earring Dawn Earring Paguroidea Ring Chirich Ring +1 Null Belt Intarabus's Cape 5 Regen (0 DT) Idle Refresh Options +9 MP/tick     (+1 latent) Null Masque Kaykaus Bliaut +1 Volte Gloves Assid. Pants +1 Volte Gaiters Sibyl Scarf Stikini Ring +1 Stikini Ring +1 Fucho-no-Obi Notes: Linos doesn't get Refresh, even though weapons and shields do. Fucho-no-Obi latent is only active under 50% MP. Before Volte, use the Inyanga Armor Set. Status Resistance Options Some Pieces     (Not Nearly All) Volte Cap Volte Jupon Volte Bracers Volte Hose Volte Boots Warder's Charm +1 Hearty Earring Etiolation Earring Warden's Ring Shadow Ring Carrier's Sash Notes: Insomnia Earring and Shrieker's Cuffs exist... But honestly, stack MEva. Anything beyond Death resistance / "all ailments" is going too far.

Miscellaneous

Don't be tricked into wasting precious inventory space on gear aimed at any of:

• Waltz potency
• Elemental Magic damage
  • If you need raw damage for low-end content, Naegling and the Nyame Armor Set / Bunzi's Attire Set you have for other purposes will do.
• Enfeebling Magic (non-Song) duration
  • ...okay, you have the Kishar Ring for Fast Cast anyway.
• Dark Magic
  • You literally don't get anything but Drain, Aspir, and Klimaform from /SCH. Don't bother.
  • If /BLM or /DRK for Stun, use Magic Accuracy.
  • Special note for /DRK strategies for Aminon/Sheol Gaol: Absorb-TP is unaffected by everything except Erra Pendant and Heathen's Gauntlets +3, neither of which Bard can wear. Sorry!
• Divine Magic
  • Banish II is great to cast every 30 seconds against Undead - especially in Apollyon! - but don't bother with Fenian Ring and so on.

Playability

• Casting dummy songs and using Clarion Call

Gearswap notes

Changing weapons sets your TP to zero. However, this is not always true with Instruments, and knowing the exact nuances will help you not shoot yourself in the foot:

• You keep your TP when you:
  • Go from "nothing in either of the two Ranged/Ammo slots" to an Instrument.
  • Go from "nothing in either of the two Ranged/Ammo slots" to an Ammo.
  • Unequip an Ammo.
• But you lose your TP when you:
  • Unequip an Instrument (emptying out your "Ranged" slot)
  • Equip a Ranged Weapon (like a Bow)
  • Unequip a Ranged Weapon (emptying out your "Ranged" slot)

• Macro examples
  • TBD

Summary

"haha Bard go doot"