Thoughts on the FFXI Job Adjustment Manifesto

[Eric]

Until we start getting invites for the unique aspects of the class (I'll skip on naming them all), those unique aspects are underpowered. The empirical evidence speaks much louder than the loudest subjective opinion anyone has.
It doesn't really matter how "unique" something is if it's not useful, and if no group really cares if they have it or not.

One of the saddest facts about the game when it comes to what people choose for their parties/alliances/LSes: people don't care for jack-of-all-trades jobs.

Look at the census: http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/gui...nsus/10/2.html
The 4 least popular jobs are jobs that are unique because of their versatility; however, people don't care about that, because they only care about jobs that specialize in what they do.

In the case of SCH, if people want a nuker, they'll invite a BLM; if they want a healer, they'll invite WHM; if they want someone to enfeeble & buff their party, they'll invite a RDM.

The same could be said about COR, PUP, and BLU, who can all fill different positions in a party. The only reason I would say BLU is at the top of this list is because people require BLU for grellow procs in Abyssea, and even then, according to the census, it's still not a terribly popular job.

So if we can't rely on SCH to be more accepted by the population based off of the job's versatility, SE can do one of two things:

• 1) Make it a truly unique job that can bring something USEFUL**** to the party that no other job can do.
• 2) Simply make it much more better at what it currently specializes in (MP conservation, AoE buffing/debuffing, and using the elements strategically (to buff party & nuke enemies)).

It seems like SE's introduction of Libra and the Animus spells was a half-baked attempt at #1, because not only does the manifesto completely lack any reference to any sort of enmity control, but previous to the 80 cap increase, SCH had not seen any sort of indication that it would play a role in controlling party enmity.

#2 is pretty straightforward, and SE seems to be taking some initiative in that direction with some of the stuff we've heard (increasing the effect of Light/Dark Arts according to levels), but I would really like to see some more storm/helix type spells that rely on the power of the elements. I want SCH to be able to pinpoint an enemy's weakness and use it to their advantage (more so than just using a spell that an enemy is weak to).

[georgcantor316]

Was in a campaign battle and for the first time in a long time I felt like I had an advantage to being a sch exclusive to sch. The NM was casting breakga frequently and my lil stonaga was saving the day. >.> ! Which lead me to think a simple buff to help make sch exclusive and useful and what not is to make ascension capable of buffing the alliance. It wouldn't be too powerful cuz people can sub it and do it. I know someone has probably had this idea before but I'm just seconding(x) that. Just had to share that I felt good being on sch for once lol. >.>b

[Merton9999]

Was in a campaign battle and for the first time in a long time I felt like I had an advantage to being a sch exclusive to sch. The NM was casting breakga frequently and my lil stonaga was saving the day. >.> ! Which lead me to think a simple buff to help make sch exclusive and useful and what not is to make ascension capable of buffing the alliance. It wouldn't be too powerful cuz people can sub it and do it. I know someone has probably had this idea before but I'm just seconding(x) that. Just had to share that I felt good being on sch for once lol. >.>b

I'm too lazy to look it up right now but I remember this specifically from the community rep post as the (last item?). They said no. I'm filing it in the "would be nice" bin but have also always had it in the "not going to ask because I think it's too far fetched" bin.

I always loved stonaga specifically in campaign too. It's not really exclusive to SCH. WHM/SCH can do it too, but of course with less strategems available. Maybe you were referring to the frequency/reliability with which SCH can do this?

I don't really find a problem being useful on SCH outside Abyssea, or many complaints when I insist on coming SCH. We all scoff at Adloquium's lolPotency but it's pretty nice to start out the tank/dd party in BC alliances outside Abyssea with full TP, and people do actually appreciate this. I also get some nice smiles from WHMs with Korin Obi in and out of Aby. With that and Twilight Cape on the target SCH can give a pretty potent boost to cures. These couple things aren't game breaking, though, and mostly just useful outside Aby, so I'm not downgrading my insistence that SCH be a viable healer for new end game. We still have the MP efficiency card, if that is made relevant again. Honestly, though, I'd rather that not continue to be an excuse for gimping unique contributions.

I can't figure out where the WS arguments are coming from. I couldn't have cared less for this job. I understand the desire to have a useful role in Abyssea, but I really don't find a lack of WS coverage happening when I'm on SCH.

It did get me thinking, though. I want to finish a Yama's for Merton. I'm guessing it will be dark element, not just dark magic. From what I understand Cataclysm is the best way to do this, and I really don't want to do it on WHM or /WHM. I don't know why, maybe just because I hate WHM outfits so much, and really don't want to stare at it for the duration of a magian trial! Oh well, they are planning to adjust how WS's work, so I'd be pleasantly surprised if SCH got native access to it.

[Merton9999]

Incidentally, has anyone thought about what double weather capabilities would mean for SCH cure potency vs. WHM? We'd push Korin Obi up to 25% on a single piece alone. Together with Twilight cape that's a 30% bonus that is not subject to the 50% gear cap, right? If I have all the pieces right it's 68% cure potency bonus to SCH cure spells (without Rapture), where WHM would be stuck at the 50% cap without a SCH or the ability to sub Aurorastorm.

My solution would just be to remove the cap. I haven't done a whole gear evaluation for WHM but I think 70% is possible without weather.

[TimeMage]

Obi bonus is multiplicative with "cure potency" bonus and cloak bonus. So, a basic 15% potency set for SCH (staff + serpentes set) plus obi plus cape, on single weather is 1.15*1.05*1.1 = 33% extra amount of HP healed, and with double weather is 1.15*1.05*1.25 = 50% extra amount of HP healed.

[Merton9999]

Nice, yeah I see that now in the Wiki formula, thanks. So if you had the max available cure potency gear for SCH, you'd get:

1.38*1.1*1.05 = 1.59 or 59%

and with double weather:

1.38*1.25*1.05 = 1.81 or 81%

lol@ 81% cure potency with double weather.

EDIT:
Would the cape and obi be applied together as one percent? The formula has day and weather applying separately after gear, but it's not clear what happens with the cape. In other words is it gear * 1.1*1.05 or gear*1.15? I don't think it matters for single weather but for the whopping 25% double weather bonus it would only be 79%, not 81%.

[sigma_star]

Nice, yeah I see that now in the Wiki formula, thanks. So if you had the max available cure potency gear for SCH, you'd get:

1.38*1.1*1.05 = 1.59 or 59%

and with double weather:

1.38*1.25*1.05 = 1.81 or 81%

lol@ 81% cure potency with double weather.

EDIT:
Would the cape and obi be applied together as one percent? The formula has day and weather applying separately after gear, but it's not clear what happens with the cape. In other words is it gear * 1.1*1.05 or gear*1.15? I don't think it matters for single weather but for the whopping 25% double weather bonus it would only be 79%, not 81%.

You should really multiply that double weather 25% bonus by the (in)frequency of it occurring to get a more realistic overall percentage. In my experience with sch when I hear the words "in double weather", I pretty much ignore it as too circumstantial.

[Raksha]

Nice, yeah I see that now in the Wiki formula, thanks. So if you had the max available cure potency gear for SCH, you'd get:

1.38*1.1*1.05 = 1.59 or 59%

and with double weather:

1.38*1.25*1.05 = 1.81 or 81%

lol@ 81% cure potency with double weather.

EDIT:
Would the cape and obi be applied together as one percent? The formula has day and weather applying separately after gear, but it's not clear what happens with the cape. In other words is it gear * 1.1*1.05 or gear*1.15? I don't think it matters for single weather but for the whopping 25% double weather bonus it would only be 79%, not 81%.

Cape is a seperate term, so (single weather, no day) obi + cape would be 1.1 * 1.05.

[Economizer]

You should really multiply that double weather 25% bonus by the (in)frequency of it occurring to get a more realistic overall percentage. In my experience with sch when I hear the words "in double weather", I pretty much ignore it as too circumstantial.

He was proposing a situation where Scholar would get new weather spells that add double weather.

Speaking of which, Scholar can cap cure potency inside Abyssea. Meaning that with full cure potentcy, and the appropriate gear to help with weather, 73% potency, and if they got double weather, a 96% potency. With the reachable 73% you could toss out ~700 damage Cure IV, or Rapture for ~1000 damage, depending on MND and VIT. Double weather effects would mean that total cure potency would beat out a White Mage including fully buffed cureskin, in terms of potency. Getting Cure V at any time during this would obsolete White Mage outside of procing Holy and Banish III, assuming you or someone else in your party is /WHM.

[sigma_star]

Thanks for the clarification.

In my experience your strategems go fast if you try to main heal on a big boss, so Rapture is nice but not always there. Sometimes you would have to be healing cure iv + Rapture every time or you will fall behind without more support. Also, whm has aoe heal without needing strategems.

Additionally, whm has cure vi now, and there's no way a sch can beat that.