| Bards are an indispensable member of any hunting | | | | end where you will find a secret passage. Inside is |
| party. A Bard is also nearly like a White Mage in the | | | | another Song Rune, click on it to receive the Bard |
| sense that it aids the party. Bards sing songs that | | | | job. |
| improve skills, cure ailments and deal damage to | | | | Shifting to the Bard job for the first time (just like |
| enemies. | | | | changing to any other job for the first time) means |
| One of the unique features of the Bard job is that | | | | that you start at level 1 in the job. |
| their songs (spells) do not require Mana Points (MP) | | | | There are many spells available to Bards; most of |
| to use - they can be sung for indefinite periods of | | | | them increase a certain statistic for the party. Some |
| time. Bards are the magical vocalists and musicians of | | | | heal, others deal light damage to monsters. The great |
| Vana`diel. | | | | thing about a bard compared to a white mage is that |
| The Bard is an Extra Job, a job that requires a quest | | | | performing songs does not require magic points |
| to be accomplished to get into it, upon reaching level | | | | compared to white magic that consumes Mana. So |
| 30 before it becomes available to your character. As | | | | you can always be assured that you would never run |
| such, you will have a good working knowledge of the | | | | out of songs. |
| FF XI world by the time you are ready to attempt | | | | Bards are also loved in parties, as almost all of their |
| the Bard Quest (see below for information on the | | | | songs affect everybody in a party. The Bards have a |
| Bard Quest). | | | | variety of songs with different effects, from statistic |
| To become a Bard, go to Lower Jeuno and talk to | | | | improvements, status change resistances to the very |
| Mertaire and all the inhabitants at the INN (I8). Then | | | | popular healing song. Other than these supporting |
| proceed to Mhaura and buy a piece of paper from | | | | songs for the party, they also have different songs |
| Pikini-Mikini (G9). Leave Mhaura and head to G9 on | | | | that can do harsh things to monsters and enemies. |
| the map, use the secret passage from the beach on | | | | The only active ability of the Bard is Soul Voice which |
| the east. Look for the Song Runes and trade the | | | | increases the effectiveness of songs for 3 minutes |
| paper you bought to the runes, then return to Lower | | | | although Soul Voice can only be used every 2 hours. |
| Jeuno and give it to Mertaire. Next travel to Selbina | | | | The passive abilities of the Bard are Resist Silence |
| where the dunes are and go towards the Northwest | | | | which it gets an extra level of at levels 5, 25, and 45. |
