This is a baseline guide for BRD. I'll be working with Raven to make sure all the information is up to date.

Information will show up as edit the thread. I will also clean up and format this at a later date.

Also, post up any rotations you guys have!
I'm doing a deep down analysis to show which rotations need work.

My current rotation:
––––- Burst Rotation –––––-
Straight Shot
Internal Release
Bloodletter
Venomous Bite
Raging Strikes
Blood for Blood
Windbite
Dexterity Potion
Heavy Shot
Hawk's Eye
Barrage
Heavy Shot
Blunt Arrow
Repel Shot
Heavy Shot
Flaming Arrow
––––- PROC Rotation –––––-
+ Bloodletter Proc (Only if available otherwise start at Heavy Shot)
Heavy Shot / Straight Shot / Venomous Bite / Windbite
+ Bloodletter
Heavy Shot / Straight Shot / Venomous Bite / Windbite

Throughout my Standard Rotation, there is roughly 22 seconds worth of abilities which I've squeezed down into 12 seconds. This is an important detail in that most BRDs burst come from those 12 seconds.

The only thing that can be changed is the Dexterity Potion. If you choose not to use one, you place Blunt Arrow and Repel Shot in that slot, which would change this rotation from 12 seconds down to 10.

If you look at the PROC Rotation, this is another huge deal and it's also one that determines how well you do in sustained damage over time.

Always, ALWAYS use your lockout abilities first before an instant ability. For example:

Heavy Shot + Bloodletter = 2 seconds
Bloodletter + Heavy Shot = 3 seconds

Say we assign damage to these abilities.
Heavy Shot = 300 damage
Bloodletter = 300 damage

Over the course of 3 minutes using these abilities over and over again and pretending that Bloodletter is ALWAYS up at least once in between each Heavy Shot.

Doing Heavy Shot + Bloodletter in the 3 minutes will allow you to perform those actions roughly 90 times for 54,000 damage.

Doing Bloodletter + Heavy Shot in the 3 minutes will allow you to perform those actions roughly 60 times for 36,000 damage.

It's such a small thing, the order in which you perform abilities, but if you look at the damage variance, noting that you proc every time, you can see how over a long fight, just using your abilities in the right order will allow you to do significantly better.

While you won't do 18,000 better than someone else who is doing this wrong, it's just an example of how much of a difference it makes.

Simply put, when given the option to use your Bloodletter when your Heavy Shot, Straight Shot, Venomous Bite or Windbite is available, ALWAYS chose every other ability over Bloodletter. Once your main shots are on cooldown, THEN use Bloodletter. It will guarantee that you will do more damage over time.

This goes for ANY instant cast abilities you have which includes Blunt Arrow, Repel Shot and Flaming Arrow.

You can always squeeze Blunt Arrow and Repel Shot in between every main shot.

The Legendary Raven Shinigami's BRD Secrets

When I first came back to the game in April of 2014 my BRD rotation was something like.

Bloodletter
Straight Shot
Hawkeye
Blood for blood
Heavy Shot
Ranging Strikes
internal release
Wind Bite
Dexterity Potion
Barrage
Venomous Bite
Flaming Arrow
Blunt Arrow
Heavy Shot
repelling
then continue….

But over time I've evolved and met many other great players inside and outside the FC and read many things online striving to become the best Bard I could become. Before I continue their is a few people I want to give a special thanks to. Shian Kiri, Kokonoe Mercury, Kota Foxfrey, Vasage, Oro Oro, Rai Chu. without these players I wouldn't be as good as I am today.

Now that were done with that nonsense let me continue. ^ ^

Rotations

The Krietor Highwind

Popping Dat Foe and I'm ready to go
Quelling Strikes
Battle Voice
Hawk's Eye
Raging Strikes
Bloodletter
Straight shot
Blood for Blood
internal release
Wind Bite
Dexterity Potion
Barrage
Venomous Bite
Flaming Arrow
Blunt Arrow
Heavy Shot
around this time your internal release should have 4-5 secs clip Dots
Wind Bite
Venomous Bite

No pre-buffing Highwind
Bloodletter
Straight shot
Blood for Blood
internal release
Wind Bite
Hawk's Eye
Raging Strikes
Venomous Bite
Dexterity Potion
Barrage
Heavy Shot
Flaming Arrow
Blunt Arrow
Heavy Shot
Repelling Shot
Wind Bite
Venomous Bite

The B.G/Rai

Bloodletter
Straight Shot
Raging Strikes
internal release
Wind Bite
Hawk's Eye
Blood for Blood
Venomous Bite
Dexterity Potion
Barrage
Heavy Shot
Flaming Arrow
Blunt Arrow
Heavy Shot
around this time your internal release should have 4-5 secs clip Dots
Wind Bite
Venomous Bite

The Happy Aura Kurai(I've seen Mr.Happy do this rotation)

Straight Shot
Bloodletter
internal release
Wind Bite
Hawk's Eye
Venomous Bite
Raging Strikes
Blood for Blood
Heavy Shot
Dexterity Potion
Barrage
Heavy Shot
Flaming Arrow
Blunt Arrow
Wind Bite
Repelling shot
Venomous Bite

I follow a certain set of rules to maximize my DPS.

The Krietor Highwind's rules to maximize your BRD DPS

Rule #1 - Bloodletter needs to be on cooldown (although it might be reseted while casting a song).
Rule #2 - If you have any of the following buffs activated, do NOT use songs:

Hawk's Eye
Raging Strikes
Blood for Blood
Internal Release
Barrage
X-Potion Of Dexterity
Vulnerability Up (Ninja Debuff)

Songs:

The Paeon Struggle

Something I do is if my DPS need Army`s Paeon and I realize their going to be running low soon I'll put it up when their TP is around 240-300 to feed them. So when my buffs come back I can drop the song and not worry about them becoming dry. If a DPS doesn't tell me their TP is low till their at 90-120 TP and I have buffs up they can then wait for all my buffs to wear off. Next time they should decide to open up their mouth so I don't have to let them suffer till my buffs wear off. That's life of a DPS.

Why you gotta be so thirsty girl?

When to play mage's ballad? The thing that destroys a Bard's DPS.
This is a test of Bard to healer synergy I like to play a game to see how low I can let my WHM's MP get till I play them ballad. Generally I'll play ballad between 500-1200 MP in less I know a heal intensive part of the fight is coming up.
WHM have you heard of X-Ether? WHM what do you know about that shroud of saint's life? Those are two tools WHM's have in there disposal to decrease Bard's ballad up time. There is times ballad should be up 100% of time and those are times when the boss/enemies are invulnerable. The healer are also responsible for calling out that they need ballad not when they need the MP but before they need it so the Bard knows that their going to have to play ballad shortly. That's it and the struggle continues.








To be continued.

Controller Settings for Shi

Right Bumper Setup
Down - Raging Strikes
Up - Blood for Blood
Left - Venomous Bite
Right - Windbite
––––––––––––––
A / X - Bloodletter
X / Square - Heavy Shot
B / Circle - Straight Shot
Y / Triangle - Invigorate

Left Bumper Setup
Down - Barrage
Up - Hawk's Eye
Left - Quelling Strike
Right - Second Wind
––––––––––––––
A / X - Misery's End
X / Square - Blunt Arrow
Y / Triangle - Flaming Arrow
B / Circle - Repel Shot

Left Bumper->Right Bumper
Down - Mage's Ballad
Up - Foe Requiem's
Left - Army's Paeon
Right - Swift Song
––––––––––––––
A / X - Battlevoice
X / Square - Wide Volley
Y / Triangle - Rain of Death
B / Circle - Quick Nock

Right Bumper->Left Bumper
Down - Raging Strikes
Up - Blood for Blood
Left - Hawk's Eye
Right - Barrage
––––––––––––––
A / X - Bloodletter
X / Square - Heavy Shot
Y / Triangle - Internal Release
B / Circle - Straight Shot