Ward updates needed

[Malamasala]

if you take the time to hit 420 skill(not hard) which pushes most of the buffs up to 5 minutes with a few at 3 and 4 minute durations.

That is part of the thing. Why aren't all 5 min? Why do they differ? Especially when the shortest duration pacts are the weakest as well. Would be pretty odd if Ballad was 1 min, minne 4 min, and march 2 min. Just a set amount of duration would make much more sense.

Not to mention it would be nice if Summoner was a job for players before level 90 and with full endgame gear. A BRD for example functions already in the dunes at level 11ish. Sure BRD doesn't do much else than sing there, but a SMN hasn't even gotten buffs by then.

Nothing in old world needs more than Hasteha and Diamond Storm. I can't thing of anything old world that's actually needs more intensive BP: Warding.

It is less about needing (nobody needs BRDs and CORs, but that doesn't make them help a lot in kill speed) but more about them having some use.

You did however remind me of one point I missed.

5. Wards should stack with other jobs buffs. It just is a shame that if you have a WHM or RDM, your hastega is less interesting (saves MP, but that is all it does). Your aerial armor does not stack with utsusemi and becomes obsolete. Your nocto shield does not stack with a SCH's AOE phalanx or RDMs phalanx II. If they could stack, you'd be a much better complement to a party since you'd boost your other mages buffs even further.

[Zetonegi]

SMN isn't a buff job, don't expect to buff with it. BP Wards aren't meant to make SMN this super buffer + damage dealer, almost all of them filled in gaps that mages AT THE TIME couldn't. Yes, there's Sleepga and Nightmare but really they're minor exceptions to an overwhelming majority Lunar Roar is a dispel, yes, but it dispels 2 effects at the same time AND is AoE with no consequence if you link something. You won't find a mage today that can do that. The new BP Wards continue on this, they have unique effects that other mages can't emulate right now, a powerful add effect(all things considered, 40 damage before resists is pretty good), a movement speed boost, reduction of severe damage, evasion down, attack down. These are effects that mages can't really do right now just like how all the old BP Wards were things mages COULDN'T do then. If SMN was meant to give BRD-like buffs then all our BP Wards would have always been crazy good. They're not though, they filled and continue to fill niche rolls. Thats just how BP Wards are. Just like how you usually only use 2 Blood Pact: Rages, Predator Claws and whatever you 5/5'd, there are few situations where you use something else. The rest are bad, they just are. I don't see you complaining about Rush, Mountain Buster, Chaotic Strike, Spinning Dive, Flaming Crush, Night Terror, Lunar Bay, or Holy Mist for being bad. Why should BP: Wards get this special treatment. We use whats good just like how BLMs don't use Stone spells because they're generally bad and most BLMs merited Ice and Thunder because they're better. You never see BLMs complain about the Stone spells sucking and how they should be buffed so they can use more than 2 spell lines.

[Smokenttp]

Not to mention it would be nice if Summoner was a job for players before level 90 and with full endgame gear. A BRD for example functions already in the dunes at level 11ish. Sure BRD doesn't do much else than sing there, but a SMN hasn't even gotten buffs by then.

i agree with smn getting a buff at mid level (i even made a topic about it http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/th...Abilities-idea =X) but dunes lvl isnt a very good parameter for things as jobs are still very look alike at that time at qufim(18-19s) tough they start to really change apart by alot(blus get bludgeon, thfs get SA & dncs get waltz (ok those 2 are 15),wars get sturmwind berserk and defender,nins get utsusemi etc).