Bard starter guide
Bard starter route: role identity, unlock notes, gear basics, and source links for current Final Fantasy XIV job information.
On This Page
- Bard at a glance
- Unlock and early route
- Gear and equipment
- Role basics
- Current-patch caution
Bard at a glance
Bard (BRD) is a Disciple of War job unlockable at level 30 as an upgrade from the Archer class and is a Physical Ranged DPS job.
- Role: Ranged DPS
- First Appearance: *Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn* (Patch 2.0)
- Unlock Level: 30
- Weapon: Bows
- Armor: Aiming
Unlock and early route
Guild: The Archers' Guild is in New Gridania. Guild: Archers must specialize into bard once they reach level 30, and complete the quests Sylph-management and The One That Got Away.
- Keep the job quest tracker current while leveling.
- Use the official job guide for the current action list.
- Do not treat opener or rotation advice as final unless it is current-patch reviewed.
Gear and equipment
The bard is a disciple of war and wears armor and accessories "of Aiming". They use bows as weapons.
- Prioritize item level while leveling.
- At endgame, check role gear names and materia priorities against current resources.
Role basics
Bard belongs to the Physical Ranged DPS role. Learn the role responsibility first, then refine job-specific optimization after you understand encounter movement and cooldown timing.
- Tanks lead pulls, position enemies, and plan mitigation before incoming damage.
- Healers balance recovery, mitigation, and damage uptime.
- DPS jobs focus on uptime, burst windows, party buffs, and avoiding avoidable damage.
Current-patch caution
Job Gauge: Song Gauge Job Gauge: Soul Voice and Coda Gauge
- Use the official job guide for live action names, levels, and tooltips.
- Use expert community resources for high-end rotations only after checking their patch date.
- Treat this page as a starter guide and source hub, not a Savage optimization sheet.
Related on TJPedia
Sources
Auto-draft eligible, human review required for volatile guide updates.