Bard PvP Guide for FFXIV

With the addition of Crystalline Conflict in patch 6.1, the PvP abilities of all jobs have seen a full rework. Bard's PvP abilities focus on buffs for itself and the party, while shifting crowd control in your team's favor from a distance.

This overview will focus on Crystalline Conflict. While some of the info may help in other game modes, it is not aimed at them.

Your first goal as a Bard in Crystalline Conflict is to keep the Frontliner's March buff from Apex Arrow running. The buff lasts 30 seconds, while the cooldown of the skill is 20 seconds, so you have some time to use it when it comes off of cooldown.

The follow-up Blast Arrow only grants a 10-second Frontliner's Forte buff. This means you can only have it running a maximum of half the time. Try to cover a burst with it if possible. If Blast Arrow Ready is going to fall off though, go ahead and use it.

Both of these buffs persistently affect party members within 30 yalms of you. If you stray too far from your group, the buffs will fall off, so keep that in mind. Also note that these buffs increase your attack speed - make sure you keep up!

Your final buff is your Limit Break, Final Fantasia. It lasts for 30 seconds, providing twice the damage bonus as your other buffs. It also increases your movement speed for the duration.

Because it lasts so long, it can be wise to use it before a team fight starts instead of trying to time it in the midst of battle. However, the limit gauge component of Final Fantasia is a big benefit. Try to balance using it for good uptime while also using it when most of your party could use some meter.

When not bursting, do your best to keep firing off Powerful Shot. Aside from damage, it builds up your Empyreal Arrow charges. That makes getting those shots in important for setting up your next burst.

If you have full uptime, you will on average generate four Empyreal Arrow per 20.4 seconds. This means you do not need to be too scared of spending a stack between bursts, provided you can keep shooting at something. But if your uptime is more broken up, try to save your charges unless there is a high chance of a kill.

Remember that Powerful Shot and Pitch Perfect have some damage falloff if you are close to the target. You do not need to be at max range, but try to keep some distance. Between these range considerations and the slowed movement while casting, Bard can be awkward at pushing the crystal along. Let teammates handle moving it when possible.

And of course, do not stop attacking when close. It is still better to deal damage than not. Apex Arrow and Blast Arrow can fill a GCD or two with no falloff, and Repelling Shot can help get you away.

Try to be mindful of your target selection for sustained attacks. 6,000 potency per shot with your buffs on top is pretty strong for ranged filler damage. If an enemy is low on MP, you may even be able to get them to fall without a big party burst. Otherwise, you can soften the MP bar of an enemy to be bursted soon.

Silent Nocturne is a powerful ability, disabling an enemy for 3 seconds while your team focuses them down. You can do your part with a good chunk of damage in that small window thanks to Empyreal Arrow. A basic example burst might look like:

1. Apex Arrow or Powerful Shot
2. Silent Nocturne
3. Blast Arrow
4. Empyreal Arrow
5. Pitch Perfect
6. Repelling Shot

This is not set in stone. For instance, if timing dictates it you might silence the target before Apex, or after Blast or similar. The main goal is to have both buffs up as well as the silence for your Empyreal Arrow and anything else you can muster.

When trying to finish someone on the fly, do not forget that Silent Nocturne and Repelling Shot deal a little damage. Those can be the difference in closing out a kill. You can also use Nocturne or The Warden's Paean as a "Swiftcast" to deal a little more GCD damage, and faster, via Pitch Perfect.

Repelling Shot is a powerful crowd control tool with a short cooldown. Aside from using it to get away, look to find aggressive uses as well. It can pin an enemy to get bursted down, or keep them off of the crystal, for example.

Lastly, The Warden's Paean is a unique tool that can save you or a party member from crowd control. It takes experience to find the best uses for it on the fly. To start out, try to notice if the enemy team prioritizes one member of your party. That will often be a good choice.