History Sandbox / UselessUsefulClass

* In the TurboGrafx-16 game ''Dungeon Explorer'', the Bard has weak stats and even worse spells. His white magic teleported you back to the castle, and his black magic just changed the background music.

Basically a class-based version of UselessUsefulSpell. It may look useful on paper, but it's instead dragged down by the game's mechanics. A subtrope of MechanicallyUnusualClass. May result in a TierInducedScrappy. MasterOfNone could be considered a subtrope where the "gimmick" is being well-balanced.

** As far as types go, for a while, the Grass and Poison types shared this niche. Neither type has many Pokémon designed to score huge amounts of direct damage the way types like Fighting and Normal would, nor do they have a lot of moves for such a purpose. Instead, the Grass-type is more designed to inflict a variety of status effects, and the Poison-type is meant to erode away the opponents' HP, at the expense of the Grass-type having [[KryptoniteIsEverywhere a lot of types that can deal super-effective damage against it]] and the Poison-type not having many options to deal super-effective damage itself. This was undermined by how Grass Pokémon, being based on plants, tend to have low Speed and would often get knocked out by said super-effective attacks before they can do much, as well as the inability to stack most conditions; and Pokémon battling progressing too quickly for the Poison Pokémon to effectively use their strategy. [[note]]One particularly damning drawback being the fact that [[ExtraOreDinary Steel-types]], already one of the most useful defensive types as it is, being outright immune to Poison-type attacks[[/note]] The Grass-type situation has been slowly getting remedied with each generation, however, with fast Pokémon like Shaymin-S, pairing it with types that negate its super-effective weaknesses like with Ferrothorn[[note]]except for Fire damage, which is super-effective against Grass *and* Steel, making Fire damage [[UpToEleven quadrupled]] against it[[/note]], and increased accuracy for status moves, most notably Spore, a guaranteed Sleep move. The Poison-type, on the other hand, climbed out of the pit all at once in [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Generation 6]] when another type weak to Poison attacks was introduced.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' plays this straight with the two bards [[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Elphin and Nils]], neither of whom can attack. However, they can give other units another turn.

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** Prince Edward Chris von Muir from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' is [[JokeCharacter singularly useless]], employing a ''[[MusicalAssassin harp]]'' as a weapon and possessing the special ability of [[MusicalAssassin "singing" at enemies]] -- a skill that's supposed to inflict [[StandardStatusEffects status ailments]] but [[UselessUsefulSpell which frequently does nothing at all]]. Edward's other special ability, unsurprisingly, is to run away and hide for a turn. As Game Informer so aptly summarized, "His special command is Hide, which allows him to run away and leave a twelve year old girl to take his lumps for him. Classy, Edward." In "hard-type" he's ''slightly'' more useful because he can also spread potions amongst the whole party. Slightly.

%%* ''InazumaEleven'' gives us Handa Shinichi, a JackOfAllStats. In a [[LazyBum really negative]] way.

* Any of the Bards of the ''VideoGame/RomancingSaGa'' trilogy. [[spoiler:The first was actually the CrystalDragonJesus [[TheReveal in disguise as the bard.]] The second one retold the tales of your empire at the start of the game, and had 5 important instruments needed to acquire a character class, and the last was recruitable and was pretty decent in all stats, only problem was that you could only ditch him after clearing one of the Abyss Lords.]]

* The Bard follower Sven in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' isn't very useful, mostly being good for being a meat shield. However, it's actually [[JustifiedTrope justifiable]] - he's a Bard. He makes his money by standing in an inn and entertaining people, what combat proficiency does he have? The most use most players ever get out of him is [[VillainProtagonist sacrificing him to Boethiah for the Ebony Mail]] [[PragmaticVillainy to avoid losing a more useful follower]].
** The Bard's College is also rather odd compared to the other factions you can join, like the Companions, the College of Winterhold, or the Thieves Guild. They only have one trainer (for Speech) and three quests other than the initial quest to join up. In exchange, however, each quest gives you a substantial increase in skill points, so it's not entirely pointless to join up.
* Ricardo in ''VideoGame/ShadowHeartsFromTheNewWorld'' is a bard but not only does he have ballistics inside his guitar, but he is one of the best mages in the game and plays a great support since he plays songs that buff allies. (Sadly, he is near-useless against the FinalBoss due to its ability to instantly dispel any buffs ''and'' get a free turn when it does so.)
** His spiritual predecessor, Lucia in ''VideoGame/ShadowHeartsCovenant'' is the same, substituting songs for aromatherapy. However she also has a tarot card system as she's a fortune teller.
*** Though her aromatherapy requires a lot of experimentation to find which mixes have any effect, let alone a useful one. When you do, or [[GuideDangIt head to GameFAQs]], it turns out that some of her higher level perfumes have [[GameBreaker completely game-breaking]] effects, like duplicating the effect of a Third Key (a rare item that triples the number of physical attacks a character gets) on all party members for one turn.
* The Bard-like class in ''VideoGame/GuildWars'' may not play music so much, but they shout and support allies (or debuff enemies) while putting pressure on enemies with their ranged weaponry. They have about as much armour as a ''warrior'' (And by default use shields) so they can certainly take several hits.
** They tend to be...different when it comes to PvP though. People often ignore paragons and save them for last in Random Arenas, but in different PvP modes (such as alliance battles) Paragons are much better.
* ''InazumaEleven'' gives us Handa Shinichi, a JackOfAllStats. In a [[LazyBum really negative]] way.
* Yurist in ''VideoGame/LufiaTheLegendReturns'' joins when you already have nine members (the max you can have in your combat party), and his mediocre stats make him seem unimpressive. But he's more of a JackOfAllStats than a MasterOfNone—he's one of only three members who can use multi-target healing spells, he's the second of two members who can the martial-arts IP abilities (including Energy Punch), and he can equip the [[LethalJokeItem Bunny Sword]] to make up for his sub-par attack.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' plays this straight with the two bards [[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Elphin and Nils]], neither of whom can attack. However, they can give other units another turn. Completely averted with [[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Lewyn and Homer]]; their Bard class is essentially a mage class. They also happen to be GameBreakers once they promote.

* Gamzee of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' subverts this. Despite being a [[TheStoner Stoner]] LoveFreak and having the title of Bard of... Something (exactly what it is, he forgot), he takes down the [[FinalBoss Black King]] of the Trolls' session with ''[[BewareTheSillyOnes frightening]]'' efficiency and brutality. Subverted even more when we find out that he's actually the Bard of [[spoiler: ''[[AxCrazy Rage.]]'']]
** Turns out that all Sburb Bards are a subversion of this. The Bard class is described as one that allows others to destroy their Aspect or one who invites destruction through their Aspect, as if by the will of the Aspect. (e.g. [[spoiler:Rage]]) Seems unintuitive from the name, but useful.
** However, this makes the Bard class a WildCard who often single-handedly causes improbable victory or spectacular downfall (or both), so it's played straight in that the person who tells us all of this is of the opinion that the kids are probably better off without a Bard.

* Elan from ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' is as CloudCuckooLander as they come. His bard songs are pretty much useless, his motivational speeches have a tendency to horribly backfire, and the only weapons he can use can be [[BreakableWeapons Sundered by someone cursing too loud.]] However, his real talent is a result of his bardic training: he's as GenreSavvy as they come, and sees damn near everything coming. Whenever he works close enough with the smart leader Roy, he exploits it too. And that training perfectly synergizes with the Dashing Swordsman PrestigeClass he literally [[TookALevelInBadass took a level in]] -- which turns entertaining quips and drama into {{Bad Ass}}ery. His [[TookALevelInBadass leveling up]] hasn't drowned out the endearing aspects of his character: optimism, ''extraordinary'' loyalty to his friends, and a certain bumbling charm that makes him what he is. [[CharacterDevelopment Elan's progression]] from a simple Bard to Dashing Swordsman isn't just about getting more/useful class powers, but him developing the chops to be a genuine hero. As part of this growth he also is slowly shown to be [[HowDoIShootWeb learning how to properly use his regular bardic spells]]. It's also worth nothing that Elan is the only member of the party who has a [[MinMaxing smart class build]]. Everyone else in the party made some of the worst possible character class choices.

* The Bard Class in ''VideoGame/EverQuest'' is stated as a "Jack of All Trades, Master To None" in that it's sort of like multiple classes combined together. Unlike normal buff spells, the bard had to constantly keep "singing" almost non-stop and keep refreshing the songs over and over again every few SECONDS. Most players can successfully juggle 4 song buffs up at once. They can also wear Plate armor, and dual wield weapons (but not Double Attack.) Among the song types they have, they can increase run speed to being the fastest in the game (faster than the most powerful mounts), charm enemies, stun them, deal damage over time, and heal over time.
** Bards have been changed in ''[=EverQuest=]''. They no longer have to press the singing keys every few seconds (this led to wrist problems for some players). They also have some pretty awesome abilities. A well played bard can be one of the most powerful classes, they can solo many mobs at once and in groups they can boost damage output by a huge amount. They also can single mobs from a pack of them with ease.
** The Bard classes in ''VideoGame/EverQuestII'' are broken down into "Orderly" and "Chaotic" versions. The Troubadour and Dirge, respectively. Each class has different types of buffs. The Troubador focuses more on defensive buffs such as raising defense and health, while the Dirge class is more offensive, who's buffs enhance attack speed and double attack damage, among others. Due to the game's Archetype system, both bards are classified as Scout classes, who are restricted to wearing Chain armor (unlike plate in the first game), but are designed to deal significant damage when facing behind an opponent. Literally backstabbing them. Also unlike the first game, however, they don't need to constantly "sing" their buffs for the group. Once you activate them, they stay that way until canceled.
*** Dirges are considered especially useful, as their ability to increase melee attack speed and power, which half the classes in the game and all of the pets benefit from, guarantees them a slot on almost any raid or group. When there are 24 different classes in the game and the largest raids in the game have 24 people with typically a few repeating classes, being pretty much guaranteed a slot is a big deal.
*** Among the 6 scout classes (Ranger, Assassin, Swashbuckler, Brigand, Troubadour, Dirge), the two bard classes are supposedly the "weakest" of the 6 in terms of sheer damage output, but when comparing the bards to classes outside the Scout archetype, that's not saying much. They still do more damage than most fighter, priest, and a couple of mage classes.
* Accordion Thieves are probably the weakest class in ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing''. They have the least number of combat skills, meaning you mostly just hit them with [[MusicalAssassin music]], where a muscle class does a better job of basic weapon attacks. They mainly rely on buffing themselves with some marginally useful songs. As a plus, they can sneak into the League of Chef-Magi and the Brotherhood of the Smackdown, letting you shop at all 3 guild shops and, if you have permed the skill, let you use the Wok of Ages and Malus of Forethought.
** Ironically, once you've permanently learned most of the other classes' skills, Accordion Thieves become the ''best'' class for speed-ascending. They're the only class that can use all the guild shops and special guild tools, many of which are extremely useful, on top of being able to [[VideoGameStealing pickpocket]] and having other handy advantages associated with Moxie classes.
* ''Dungeon Explorer'' has a bard class which is considered one of the most useless classes in the game.

*** Aegislash is the GlassCannon to end all Glass Cannons, with massive Attack stats but very poor defenses. Its signature attack, King's Shield, reverses this, causing it to sheath its sword and become a StoneWall. In this particular case, despite its quirk, Aegislash is not weak by any means and sits comfortably in the [[PurposelyOverpowered Uber tier]] together with legendaries!
*** Amaura and its evolution Aurorus have Freeze Dry as their signature attack; an Ice-type move which does Super Effective damage to Water-types, which normally resist it.

* MMO Lineage 2 has Sword Singer and Blade Dancer classes, both are absolutely necessary in a competitive 9-man party. Except for their bard-related buffs, they are low-tier tanks. Annoying, but mostly harmless, they have low to mediocre DPS and can shift targets to themselves to disrupt focus fire.

!!Examples

Basically a class-based version of UselessUsefulSpell. It may look useful on paper, but it's instead dragged down by the game's mechanics. A subtrope of MechanicallyUnusualClass. May result in a TierInducedScrappy. MasterOfNone is a subtrope where the "gimmick" is being well-balanced.

Basically a class-based version of UselessUsefulSpell. It may look useful on paper, but it's instead dragged down by the game's mechanics. A subtrope of MechanicallyUnusualClass. May result in a TierInducedScrappy.