Guides for ffxiv tank optimal AOE

Optimal AoE rotation for a bard in a dungeon depends on how good the group is, but beyond that it's a bit of personal preference.In an extended AoE situation (bad groups, enemies with a lot of health), you want to dot everything up first (as many mobs as you want, usually it's 3 for me unless I start dotting new things after the initial IJ reapplication of my first mob's dots, for specific large pulls in bad groups I've gone up to 5 mobs before). Once dots are up, quick knock and rain of blood spam from the dots. Make sure to pop Internal Release before the initial DoT applications so that you can get the extra RoB procs.

For most normal-to-bad groups I only go up to dotting 3 enemies, but if it' a situation where quick knock spam after 3 dots would make me run out of TP too early, I go the route of mega-dotting stuff so that I can rely on RoB spam procs to do AoE without blowing through my TP too quickly. Specifically, I've had to dot up to 5 targets or so in antitower on the last pull, if the other dps was terrible AoE damage.

In a good group however, you won't have time to dot everything up, and may just do one or two dots (or none) before going to quick knock spam. It'll net you less DPS than you would in a slower group where you can get dots up, but it's still more than you'd get if you tried to get your dots up right before everything falls over.

You have the general idea. Don't forget Flaming Arrow, or Internal Release or your damage buffs. Unless it's the pull before a boss, you should be free to use any of that stuff without consequence.

Also, on some level your job is to help keep HP values even so that damage is dealt as efficiently as possible. When cycling around targets, try to put your Straight Shots and Empyreals, or even a fresh pair of DoTs, on enemies who are higher in HP.

While the tank is gathering stuff, I turn wm off and refresh ss / dot stuff up as I'm running, if the tank has enough initial aggro. 5 or less targets, I use both dots on each, refreshing with IJ as I cycle through and RoD. More than 5 is a judgement call depending on how fast stuff is dying, but I like to use venomous bite only, if the dots aren't going to last their full amount of time.

I only use empy arrow with barrage, otherwise it's not worth it unless you're finishing something off. Consider that you can use that same gcd to apply another dot, which gives you damage, but more importantly, more chances of a proc for the full duration of the dot's time.

Don't forget to use buffs before flaming arrow because the damage that it does is extremely high. I don't really use quick nock much, unless stuff is melting.

Don't forget foe's for your healer. :)

It's worth looking at bard math to see where the breakpoints are for each situation, like where your dots become more powerful depending on their duration etc - like wind has a higher total potency, but venom has more of an initial burst.