Itazura's Bard Puller Guide/A Word for Old Timers

== A Word for Old Timers ==
Why have so many seemingly skillful Bard players at nearly all levels taken up the job of puller and abandoned the role of co/backup healer that seemed so natural and helpful before? The answer is that FFXI has changed, and partying skills have improved, so the better Bard now plays puller.
The biggest change is the improvement in MP recovery. It's not a single alteration, but a multitude of improvements. 
* Paladin: Auto Refresh added.
* Summoner: Elemental Siphon added.
* ToAU: Sanction's Latent Refresh.
* Corsair: Introduced with ToAU; Evoker's Roll, stackable with Refresh and Ballad.
* Blue Mage: Introduced with ToAU; another curing capable job with Auto Refresh.
* Lesser Colibri: Introduced with ToAU; staple exp target that has MP for Aspir.
* WotG: Sigil's Latent Refresh.
* Dancer: Introduced with WotG; Gain Aspir Samba.
* Scholar: Introduced with WotG; Sublimation added shortly after introduction, which is usable from /SCH.
The second is improved curing, which is partially a natural result from the improvement in MP recovery, as well as other additions and changes:
* Dancer: Introduced with WotG; able to cure and remove status ailments with TP, and help melees regain HP with Drain Samba.
* Blue Mage: Introduced with ToAU; Blue Magic has the most MP efficient cure spells in game.
* Scholar: Introduced with WotG; Light Arts improves cure speed and lowers MP cost (also usable from /SCH), and Accession makes it possible to make Cure, Regen, and status ailment removal AoE for party members.
The third factor is the improvement in damage mitigation, which is a combination of player style shift and game mechanism changes:
* Widespread adoption of /NIN and Utsusemi for the front line jobs.
* Paladin: Multiple improvements to shield blocking, as well as the addition of Shield Mastery and Reprisal. Shield Bash's rate of stun was also increased.
* Thief: Gained Accomplice and Collaborator to take the heat off of party members who the monsters are not supposed to be pounding on.
* Blue Mage: Introduced with ToAU; another job with AoE Stoneskin effect via Diamondhide, and Head Butt for short recast stuns.
* Dark Knight: Gained Absorb-TP to reduce frequency of enemy TP moves, and improved stun rate for Weapon Bash.
* Scholar: Introduced with WotG; the latest and strongest source of AoE Stoneskin with Accession when on /WHM or /RDM.
* White Mage: The April 8, 2009 Update added the Afflatus Solace, giving WHMs' Cure (I-V) targets a short duration Stoneskin.
Combining better MP flow, better curing, and better damage mitigation, in most parties there is less need for today's Bards to cure than back in the RoZ era. While it doesn't mean a curing Bard isn't helpful--or even essential in some situations--it does mean Bards have more time on their hands than ever, and should make better use of it.
Thus, pulling becomes more important to Bards, and represents an evolutionary improvement as a response to changes in the game and in the play style--and it helps Bard players to help their party gain even better exp/hour.