Leveling Rotations and Tips for Bard — Dawntrail 7.1

When leveling up, you should always choose the piece of gear with the highest Dexterity. Aside from gear you buy for gil at vendors, this will always be the Dexterity gear with the higher item level.

Once you are level 50/60/70/80, you can trade Allagan Tomestone of Poetics for gear of the highest item level available for that level. Get these from Rowena's Representatives near the aetheryte of each expansion's major city.

Bard's rotation does not change substantially after level 56. Most of the skills and traits after that point are upgrades to existing skills. The ones that are not upgrades are skills you slot in once every minute or two, or support abilities.

Remember to do your class and job quests! There are skills locked behind those up to and including Refulgent Arrow at level 70. The levels here assume you have all quests complete.

Move the slider below to make the guide update to your level!

1. Stormbite → The Wanderer's Minuet → Empyreal Arrow
2. Caustic Bite → wait → Battle Voice
3. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Radiant Finale → Raging Strikes
4. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Heartbreak Shot
5. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Barrage → Sidewinder (if able)
6. Refulgent Arrow → Sidewinder (if not used yet)
7. Resonant Arrow → Empyreal Arrow
8. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow
9. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow
10. Iron Jaws → Heartbreak Shot
11. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Pitch Perfect

1. Stormbite → The Wanderer's Minuet → Empyreal Arrow
2. Caustic Bite → wait → Battle Voice
3. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Radiant Finale → Raging Strikes
4. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Heartbreak Shot
5. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Barrage → Sidewinder (if able)
6. Refulgent Arrow → Sidewinder (if not used yet)
7. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Empyreal Arrow
8. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow
9. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow
10. Iron Jaws → Heartbreak Shot
11. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Pitch Perfect

1. Stormbite → The Wanderer's Minuet → Empyreal Arrow
2. Caustic Bite → wait → Battle Voice
3. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Radiant Finale → Raging Strikes
4. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Bloodletter
5. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Barrage → Sidewinder (if able)
6. Refulgent Arrow → Sidewinder (if not used yet)
7. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Empyreal Arrow
8. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow
9. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow
10. Iron Jaws → Bloodletter
11. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Pitch Perfect

1. Stormbite → The Wanderer's Minuet → Empyreal Arrow
2. Caustic Bite
3. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Battle Voice → Raging Strikes
4. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Bloodletter
5. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Barrage → Sidewinder (if able)
6. Refulgent Arrow → Sidewinder (if not used yet)
7. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Empyreal Arrow
8. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow
9. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow
10. Iron Jaws → Bloodletter
11. Burst Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Pitch Perfect

1. Stormbite → The Wanderer's Minuet → Empyreal Arrow
2. Caustic Bite
3. Heavy Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Battle Voice → Raging Strikes
4. Heavy Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Bloodletter
5. Heavy Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Barrage → Sidewinder (if able)
6. Refulgent Arrow → Sidewinder (if not used yet)
7. Heavy Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Empyreal Arrow
8. Heavy Shot or Refulgent Arrow
9. Heavy Shot or Refulgent Arrow
10. Iron Jaws → Bloodletter
11. Heavy Shot or Refulgent Arrow → Pitch Perfect

1. Stormbite → The Wanderer's Minuet → Empyreal Arrow
2. Caustic Bite
3. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Battle Voice → Raging Strikes
4. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Bloodletter
5. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Barrage → Sidewinder (if able)
6. Straight Shot → Sidewinder (if not used yet)
7. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Empyreal Arrow
8. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot
9. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot
10. Iron Jaws → Bloodletter
11. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Pitch Perfect

1. Windbite → The Wanderer's Minuet → Empyreal Arrow
2. Venomous Bite
3. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Battle Voice → Raging Strikes
4. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Bloodletter
5. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Barrage → Sidewinder (if able)
6. Straight Shot → Sidewinder (if not used yet)
7. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Empyreal Arrow
8. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot
9. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot
10. Iron Jaws → Bloodletter
11. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Pitch Perfect

1. Windbite → The Wanderer's Minuet → Empyreal Arrow
2. Venomous Bite
3. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Battle Voice → Raging Strikes
4. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Bloodletter
5. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Barrage
6. Straight Shot
7. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Empyreal Arrow
8. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot
9. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot
10. Iron Jaws → Bloodletter
11. Heavy Shot or Straight Shot → Pitch Perfect

1. Raging Strikes
2. Windbite → The Wanderer's Minuet → Empyreal Arrow
3. Venomous Bite → Bloodletter
4. Heavy Shot → Battle Voice
5. Heavy Shot → Barrage
6. Straight Shot

1. Raging Strikes
2. Windbite → The Wanderer's Minuet → Bloodletter
3. Venomous Bite
4. Heavy Shot → Battle Voice
5. Heavy Shot → Barrage
6. Straight Shot

1. Raging Strikes
2. Windbite → Mage's Ballad → Bloodletter
3. Venomous Bite
4. Heavy Shot → Battle Voice
5. Heavy Shot → Barrage
6. Straight Shot

1. Raging Strikes
2. Windbite → Mage's Ballad → Bloodletter
3. Venomous Bite → Barrage
4. Straight Shot

1. Raging Strikes
2. Windbite → Mage's Ballad → Bloodletter
3. Venomous Bite

Notes:

• Use Bloodletter as able.
• Use Bloodletter as able once Raging Strikes is up.
• Use Pitch Perfect at three stacks as able.
• Use Pitch Perfect at two stacks if the next song tick will overlap with Empyreal Arrow.
• Use any Pitch Perfect at stacks you have before Raging Strikes expires.

1. Use Mage's Ballad for 45 seconds.
2. Use Army's Paeon for 45 seconds.
3. No song for 30 seconds.

1. Use The Wanderer's Minuet for 42-44 seconds.
2. Use Mage's Ballad for 42-44 seconds.
3. Use Army's Paeon for 33-35 seconds.

Always have a song up while in combat!

You cannot get a repertoire proc in the last three seconds of a song, so once the timer is at three or less, you can move to the next song. If in The Wanderer's Minuet, make sure to use any remaining stacks of Pitch Perfect before doing so.

When exiting Army's Paeon, try to use The Wanderer's Minuet late in the off-GCD window to best leverage Enhanced Army's Paeon.

1. Windbite → Venomous Bite if DoTs are not up or about to run out
2. Windbite → Venomous Bite if DoTs are not up
3. Stormbite → Caustic Bite if DoTs are not up
4. Iron Jaws if DoTs are about to run out
5. Apex Arrow if 100 gauge
6. Apex Arrow → Blast Arrow - at specific times*
7. Barrage-buffed Refulgent Arrow
8. Resonant Arrow during buffs
9. Refulgent Arrow
10. Straight Shot
11. Burst Shot
12. Heavy Shot

*For Apex and Blast Arrow, you want to use them under two-minute buffs. To make sure you have them available, use Apex at or before 18-16 seconds left in Mage's Ballad, or when the gauge fills if that happens first. Then wait until Battle Voice is up before you use it next.

In Wanderer's Minuet (after buffs):

1. Pitch Perfect - at three stacks
2. Pitch Perfect - at two stacks, if you are about to Empyreal Arrow at the same time as a song tick
3. Empyreal Arrow
4. Bloodletter
5. Heartbreak Shot

In Mage's Ballad

1. Bloodletter - if at full charges (try to avoid this)
2. Empyreal Arrow
3. Sidewinder
4. Bloodletter
5. Heartbreak Shot

In Army's Paeon

1. Empyreal Arrow
2. Bloodletter - do not use if the song timer is 20 or less
3. Bloodletter - do not use if the song timer is 35 or less
4. Heartbreak Shot - do not use if the song timer is 35 or less

You can wait until level cap to fully perfect your burst sequence, but it is good to get familiar with the general idea as you level.

Every two minutes, you should aim to have your buffs ( Raging Strikes and Battle Voice) active in tandem, and use your biggest damage dealing skills ( Barrage , your DoTs, Iron Jaws , Resonant Arrow , Sidewinder, Apex Arrow and Blast Arrow , and ideally some saved up Bloodletter Heartbreak Shots) during that window. You will also want to be in Mage's Ballad The Wanderer's Minuet.

When in dungeons, feel free to use your songs the same way you would on single target.

Against two or more enemies, you want to use Quick Nock Ladonsbite and Wide Volley Shadowbite instead of your single target GCDs. Use Apex Arrow when the soul gauge is full. Use Apex Arrow and Blast Arrow at any soul gauge between 80 and 100.

Use Rain of Death as able. Do not neglect to use your single target abilities in AoE. They are free damage - try to put them on higher HP enemies if you can. Note that Barrage enables and buffs Wide Volley Shadowbite.

Be careful of Pitch Perfect and Wide Volley Shadowbite's limited hit area. It is smaller than your conal or Rain of Death, so make sure you target a central enemy when possible.