Abyssea: Useful jobs and Useless jobs. Your opinions on why.

[Andylynn]

Tier 1 importance - MNK WAR NIN BLU BLM WHM
Covers most, if not all elemental triggers, blunt procs, red triggers, and basic party roles of DD, tank, support, etc.

Tier 2 importance - THF DNC BRD
Offers Auxiliary support, and can fufill tank or DD if needed to.

Tier 3 - (Anything with a crit ws that can DD for exp group)

Tier 4 -not important at all- PLD SAM DRK RDM
These guys need the buffs badly, or at least something to make them fufill another role while maintaining their job identity.

And I disagree with OP, WAR and DRG compete for top DD spot, but that is rather irrelevant.

[Hoshi]

BRD is most assuredly not useless in abyssea. First and foremost march. I'm astounded by the number of people who don't seem to think reaching haste cap is useful. Carol and even scherzo have their uses on some fights. Mazurka is VERY nice considering how much traveling you do in abyssea. I think the thing that's NICEST about bard in abyssea is finale though. The number of mobs that spam absorbga and need to be rapidly dispelled and/or resist dark based dispel is rather significant.

In terms of jobs we always bring for anything less lol than seal farming: WHM MNK NIN BRD BLU BLM WAR THF. If we have more than enough people we usually bring a COR for the tank party. I realize their buffs vary with roll but they have some great buffs: mdb, eva, fast-cast, store-TP, regain for idling (or helping a tank mage get tp), bolters roll.

As far as other jobs go... we usually have a SAM in the ally since they have a few procs. We sometimes bring DNC but they're only useful for time extensions and trash mobs since they're not the tank and they add no procs to our ally (we minimize TP fed to NMs until after red has been triggered). RDM sometimes gets a spot in ally but so often we're fighting mobs that are highly resistant to slow and paralyze. SMN gets a spot in ally if we're planning to blm burn trash mobs (yay perfect defense). We might bring a SCH from time to time but it's very rare. RNG, DRK, DRG, BST, PUP, lolPLD don't get to come to abyssea as they add nothing... although at least DRK and DRG could have useful atmas if they wanted to come... atmas for RNG suck.

[Mrbeansman]

You people are so misguided PLD is a useless job everywhere not just in abyssea.

[Andevom]

I'm a Lv. 90 MNK and I'm still trying to figure out how MNK is this supreme tank job.

Okay, so I'm a little nervous about tanking because I feel like I'm going to screw it up majorly. No one's really explained to me why we're so much better at it. Is it the gear? Is it only with /NIN? Is it massive HP and VIT?

Also, to quote the OP

Even Bard-specific songs to trigger weaknesses can be gotten by anyone with a Bard subjob.

Yeaah, but with subjob skills, landing the songs can be a real bear.

[Bubeeky]

but plds are shiny! that should count for something!

Tbh, I think all the jobs have their uses...I for one have yet to have an Aby pt with a brd...but that doesn't make them useless on the other hand, I've got a couple friends that are pld and drk and have been invaluable to my success sometimes when duoing or trioing, so I can't say that any jobs are completely useless, especially when someone put work into them.

[Andylynn]

I'm a Lv. 90 MNK and I'm still trying to figure out how MNK is this supreme tank job.

Okay, so I'm a little nervous about tanking because I feel like I'm going to screw it up majorly. No one's really explained to me why we're so much better at it. Is it the gear? Is it only with /NIN? Is it massive HP and VIT?

Also, to quote the OP



Yeaah, but with subjob skills, landing the songs can be a real bear.

Wear something like Gnarled Horn, Ebon Hoof/Impenetrable Tower, and Razed Ruins. You'll have ridiculous HP, Counter, and decent damage output, it's a lazy mode tank, while you auto attack, you can pretty much AFK, while the healer throws an occasional cure VI to top you right off.

[Flunklesnarkin]

I almost want to play pld now.. so i can be a hipster :<

[Alhanelem]

Wishful thinking

Not really. I'm not going to say every job is 100% equal, but every job is certainly capable of being in a successful group.

At any rate, if you want to tier it out, SAM needs to be up there in the top.

And I disagree with OP, WAR and DRG compete for top DD spot, but that is rather irrelevant.

You've obv. never seen a victory smite PUP in full DD mode.

That said, I'm just happy PUP and DRG aren't being crapped on.

[Didgist]

OP I agree, however I feel FFXI has always been about niche playing.

PLD is currently the best box burner on the market. Run around in Fear Dearga by yourself. RDM can do this too, but RDM isn't going to go tank Orthrus or an Ironclad by itself afterwards either (chill out Avestas). At least not as well as a PLD can.

RNG I have no idea about. Wildfire is disgusting but it seems COR has a lot more MAB options due to Quick Draw. Sounds a lot like why people don't like FFXIV. You can't autoshoot, and that's all you really do, so I quit.

COR has Wildfire. Just wow. See above.

BRD uhh, it's nice to have elemental resists that can break 300 with brd+whm+atma, but not really needed. Both Itza and Orhtrus are a joke once you break 200.

DRK can stun. I know mages can, but whm has to give up sch sub to gain access to stun. I just WAR/DRK if a WS has the potential to knock me out. DRK also gets a considerable amount of reds, it's kind of early but DRK has all the same reds as WAR right? Event Pitchfork etc.

As was stated, it used to be SAM/RDM/BRD only and now people have the option to play other jobs they like productively.

[Mrbeansman]

PLD is currently the best box burner on the market. Run around in Fear Dearga by yourself. RDM can do this too, but RDM isn't going to go tank Orthrus or an Ironclad by itself afterwards either (chill out Avestas). At least not as well as a PLD can.

Useless job is useless did you even read my post?