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Ranged DPS Role Actions Guide
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What are the Archer -> Bard Cross Class Skills? Here, we will be strictly discussing the cross-class skills Bard can get.
How many cross-class skills can I get as a Bard? Any job class may only equip five (5) cross-class skills.
From what other classes does Bard get skills from? Pugilist and Lancer.
What are the best Bard cross-class skills? This is discussed below.
Full list of Bard (BRD) Cross-class skills
| Name | Icon | Level | Description | From Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feint |  | 2 | Damages and slows enemies | Lancer (LNC) |
| Featherfoot | | 4 | Increases evasion | Pugilist (PGL) |
| Keen Flurry |  | 6 | Increases parry rate | Lancer (LNC) |
| Second Wind |  | 8 | Instantly restores own HP | Pugilist (PGL) |
| Haymaker |  | 10 | Delivers an blow after evading an attack | Pugilist (PGL) |
| Internal Release |  | 12 | Increases critical hit rate | Pugilist (PGL) |
| Invigorate |  | 22 | Instantly restores 300 TP | Lancer (LNC) |
| Blood for Blood |  | 34 | Damage dealt +20%, Damage taken +25% | Lancer (LNC) |
| Mantra |  | 42 | Increases HP recovery via curing magic by 5% for self and nearby party members | Pugilist (PGL) |
Bard (BRD) Cross-class skills discussion
Feint – Useful for more difficult pulls for reducing enemy DPS and cast times. depends on the encounter/s, and the presence of a lancer or dragoon.
Featherfoot / Haymaker – Ideally taken together, but these two are pretty sub-par. Featherfoot can help, but it’s very unlikely these are going to be of any use in any serious encounter.
Second Wind – Self-heal on demand. As always, a must have.
Internal Release – This is absolutely nuts on Bard. More crits means more Bloodletter.
Invigorate – An obvious take for any TP class.
Blood for Blood – the best DPS increasing skill, but comes at steep cost. The 25% damage could mean death in some difficult encounters.
Mantra – Another great skill for raiding. Every little bit helps!
Ideal Bard (BRD) Cross-class progression
- Archer to 15 for: Unlocking other classes.
- Lancer to 2 for: Feint
- Archer to 30 for: BRD Requirement.
- Pugilist to 15 for: BRD Requirement, Internal Release.
- BRD to 50 for: Maximum level.
- Lancer to 34 for: Blood for Blood
- Pugilist to 42 for: Mantra (All Cross-class skills obtained)
Bards progression is pretty straight forward. The road to 50 is quite easy using just the Bards skillset. However, LNC to 2 for Feint can help make your PvE life easier.
Summary
- Bards use skills from: Pugilist and Lancer.
- Almost all Bard cross-class skills are great. Offensively, Internal Release and Blood for Blood are solid.
- Keen Flurry, Second Wind and Mantra are all useful defensive skills.
- Recommendations: Second Wind, Internal Release, Invigorate, Blood for Blood, Mantra.
More Info: Archer | Bard | ARC BRD Stats