Just get rid of Protect.

[ADVSS]

I mean its a perfect opportunity to give WHM some barrier abilites, so a rework would be nice
I mean, even in ARR i wondered why the duration, but it was nice to have applied doing outside world stuff as well as a dps or whatnot after the dungeon.

[Duskane]

considering they are moving away from this shield healer pure healer thing it will probably be reworked to just be succor for WHM

[ADVSS]

considering they are moving away from this shield healer pure healer thing it will probably be reworked to just be succor for WHM

Makes sense, or something in that vein. Then again, stoneskin used to be a thing too, so theres no telling if/what they do

[Shurrikhan]

When Stormblood was being released and the role actions were being implimented, this was a possibility. But, Yoshi-P made the case that it's an iconic FF spell and should stay.

Its traditional, "iconic" form amounted to more than a negligible amount of mitigation. XIV's version is not that. It is neither iconic, as it presently stands, nor good design.

If he's going to use that excuse, he needs to rework the skill, either giving it some niche separate from typical shielding (such as by providing bonus Defense/Magic Defense that is reduced with damage thereby prevented) or providing synergy with said shielding (such as through an actual significant percentile mitigation, usable much less frequently).

[Seraphor]

Protect is an iconic skill and should absolutely stay… as a WHM mitigation skill, along with Shell.

[Truen]

Please.... It's a pointless shoved-in spell. Has no gameplay interactivity.

thx

No, don't please.

[Derio]

Protect is an iconic ff skill. They could rework it to be a role action healer shield or just keep it as is.

[Gemina]

It might be an iconic FF spell, but it's use in PvE is somewhat antiquated. For many of the console FF games, a protect barrier would typically cut physical damage in half and was always separate from Shell, which provided magic defense. In FFXI, it directly boosted your DEF stat in an amount depending on the tier; along with that, it's duration was reduced if a high tier was used on a player lower than the level it is required to be learned. Once again, it was also separate from Shell.

In FFXIV, I honestly don't know what it does. I just know that I am expected to cast it if anyone doesn't have it up. The tool tip says it increases physical and magical defense, but by how much? Does it even matter with healing as powerful as it is? I suppose you can say that if a player takes damage that leaves them in critical HP opposed to killing them, protect is doing its thing; I guess.

In this game, failing a mechanic in relevant content tends to hit you really hard and places a vuln stack on you. Pretty much insuring that you will not survive another hit be it a telegraph or an unavoidable unless topped off. Even then, enemy Crits are a thing. I remember all the one-shots from Diabolos' Shade Trust in Dun Scaith when the Crit damage would hit the player for well over their max HP. I see players with over 50% HP and protect up still get zapped all the time, and ask myself, "What the hell is protect even for?" Seems to me that a true protect in this game comes along with a higher ilv.

Perhaps that's what it should do, and give you actual survivability so I'm not dumping a ton of MP on rezzes instead of piss-poor damage mitigation that doesn't even matter. If it's iconic status is important to the devs, then update this skill to something so it lives up to its name. Right now, during battle, it is a waste of a GCD.

[Lemuel81]

I do not see an issue with PRotect or shell. It would be great if it was a bit more engaging. Rather not see it gone, but it can be improved as others have said.

[hijifa]

Would prefer a redesign, not removal. Pvp version is really good, like a interactive skill you put on that lasts a little while.

What I’m thinking is something like 10s duration x% reduction on all or members. 2.5s cast time, no cd. You use it when you need it.