Suggestions for improvements to Geomancer

[Quetzacoatl]

I realize that improvements to Geomancer are already underway, but with my anxiety growing in concern for the job's future, I'd like to put in my thoughts on the matter.

Like many players, I see a lot of potential for Geomancer as a versatile support job, in the unique way it performs its tasks. As observed over the years, Japanese and Western playerbases tend to have somewhat differing viewpoints in how parts of the game are to be played. Being from North America, I would like to show a western player’s point of view, where there is currently very limited use for Geomancer outside of an experience points group.

The issues lie within the strong specializations Corsair and Bard already possess to be placed in high-level content, and are deemed irreplacable by today’s endgame standards. This is typically what the playerbase normally expects from a Support Job role is such:

Bard: Minuet, Madrigal, March for Melee Damage Jobs. Ballad for Mage Jobs. Paeon for HP recovery. A party with multiple bards may stack more than 2 songs on the party as long as they are not the same song.

Corsair: Chaos Roll, Hunter’s Roll, Tactician’s Roll for Melee Damage Jobs. Evoker’s Roll, Wizard’s Roll for Mage Jobs. Healer’s Roll for HP Recovery. As with Bard songs, the maximum number of Phantom Roll effects permitted from one Corsair is 2. Multiple Corsairs in the same party can each apply two rolls.

And now we have a 3rd Support Job which can do the following:

Geomancer: Indi/Geo-Fury, Indi/Geo-Precision, Indi/Geo-Regain (to be included in future updates) for Melee Damage Jobs. Indi/Geo-Acumen, Indi/Geo-Refresh for Mage Jobs. Indi/Geo-Regen for HP Recovery. While Multiple Geomancers can each apply two Geomancy spells as long as they are not the same effect, they affect one party only, and cannot carry over from one party to another, and a Luopan cannot follow its target as it moves.

We have already found one or two problems: They can only cast two Geomancy spells in one party, and cannot keep their enhancing Geomancy applied to each party. What solutions could we provide for this problem? I would propose a few things:

1. An ability to cast your next Indicolure spell on a target party member. For now, let’s call this “Inoculation.” This perk would provide your party member to be the vessel for your most important Indicolure spells to be surrounded within the target’s party range, especially when you and your party member are at a distance. It would relieve the restriction of having to be able to cast only one Indicolure Spell, and can offer a dynamic that is exclusive to GEO. I would recommend this as a Merit Ability with a recast of 5 minutes, and each merit point could either increase the Indicolure Spell’s potency or duration.

2. An ability to retrieve a Luopan, but leaves behind the Aura of the effect from which the Luopan was pulled from, as a “Spirit Clone.” This is a way for GEO to be able to use two Geocolure spells at once, but the Aura’s consumption will be be quicker. It also solves the issue of having the inability to cast two Geocolure spells at once from one GEO, because of the Luopan being considered a Pet. It would essentially involve turning the Luopan into an NPC which would be called a Luopan Remnant, and with this ability, the possibility of either applying two enfeebling effects on the enemy, two enhancing effects on your party members, or a mix of one of each comes into play. The ability presents offers a wide dynamic and a variety of complexity to the job, and can enhance GEO’s role in various ways. This should be looked at as another potential Merit Ability that could be implemented, with a recast of 5 minutes, and each Merit Point could either decrease the Aura’s HP consumption, or increase the potency of the effect.

3. As a Pet, a Luopan should be able to naturally follow the target of the Geocolure spell. This is more of an issue than an actual adjustment to GEO. However, having a Luopan to have mobility would certainly relieve various issues involving Geocolure spells, especially in endgame content where you must have enhancements on a moving party, such as Limbus, Nyzul Isle Uncharted, Salvage, Meeble Burrows, and the like.

4. While I did not mention this sooner, I feel this should also be addressed: several Geomancy spells, such as the higher level spells like Indi/Geo-Frailty, Indi/Geo-Fade, Indi/Geo-Wilt, Indi/Geo-Paralysis, have extremely high MP costs. While it is understandable that this is the purpose for their Conserve MP trait, it is often a 25% chance for the effect to activate, and casting such spells takes a toll on GEO if they require multiple casting. Whether or not it should be considered for GEO to change into Conserve MP gear while casting Geomancy, perhaps we could see an increase in tier for Conserve MP. A second tier of Conserve MP resulting in 30% or 35% chance for the effect to activate I believe is a fair increase. Implementation of Clear Mind as a Job Trait should also be added to GEO.

As a further examination into how Geomancer today is often utilized, let’s look at some of the advantages and disadvantages to having a Geomancer in groups, using Voidwatch as an example:

Advantages:

• Geocolure spells will keep NMs enfeebled or Party Members buffed if NM is kept in one spot
• Irresistible Enfeebling effects from Geomancy, unless naturally resistant
• Decent Mage Party Support with enhancements to Magic Attack, INT & application of Refresh+Regen
• For the future: Regain is highly useful, especially when stacked with Tactician’s Roll from Corsair
• Ability to deal additional damage through Elemental Magic

Disadvantages:

• Bard and Corsair are often preferred for groups with Melee Damage Dealers
• Indicolure spells are limited by the range between Damage Dealers and the Geomancer
• Having a Bard, Corsair and Geomancer in one party for support, and White Mage for healing, limits space for Damage Dealers

In summary:

In order for Geomancer to be offered a space in a party or alliance, the fundamental issues presented with the job should be implemented with solutions, whether exact or similar in comparison to what is currently being planned for Geomancer, to prevent it from being completey excluded from the game’s content.

While Geomancer has already very strong debilitation capabilities, the ability to manage enhancements with Geomancy needs to be reevaluated and adjusted through means of relieving Geomancer’s limitations of using only two Geomancy spells each.

In situations and events involving mobility or distance with Geocolure spells, a Luopan not being able to follow its target to maintain enhancing or enfeebling effects creates some inefficiency as a Support Job.

Including Geomancer with a native Clear Mind trait, as well as a secondary tier of Conserve MP as a small increase to the effect could also help Geomancer’s effectiveness on the field.

Thank you for reading! I hope SE has the same concerns as I do, and wish to see this fresh new job I've found interest in to thrive as a reliable asset towards what SoA has to offer. =)

[Quetzacoatl]

C'mon guys, don't you all want to see more GEOs being shouted for? :O

[Alhanelem]

Honestly my main issue right now is just the long cast time and high MP cost of geocolure spells (luopans). I would not be bothered that much having to dispel them and summon them again if the party moves, but the fact that it takes so long and takes a huge amount of MP for the debuffs makes usage of the job very difficult in events where parties move around a lot.

Buffs should affect alliance members- since the affect is applied/removed as you enter/levae the aura radius and the radius is rather small, I think this would be a fairly harmless change.

[Damane]

Honestly my main issue right now is just the long cast time and high MP cost of geocolure spells (luopans). I would not be bothered that much having to dispel them and summon them again if the party moves, but the fact that it takes so long and takes a huge amount of MP for the debuffs makes usage of the job very difficult in events where parties move around a lot.

Buffs should affect alliance members- since the affect is applied/removed as you enter/levae the aura radius and the radius is rather small, I think this would be a fairly harmless change.

Flaws of GEO in a nutshell for you:
- MP cost of geo spells (as you mentioned), this makes it almost impossible to do any form of support cureing or anything else, because you will run out of MP even as /RDM.
- no crowdcontrol spells (adding sleepRA I + II, dark magic skill based sleep)
- no flexibility in moveing/dynamic partys (luopans that dont follow mob/players, indi-spells not castable on other pt members)
- potency of buffs is lackign compared to brd cor

things GEO has going for itself:
- unresisted debuffs.

Fix the things above and you have a golden job.

[Leatherman]

Ok here's my input on GEO improvements:

Add spells:

Indi-Repatriation
Geo-Repatriation (Warp to Nation)

Indi-WarpJeuno
Geo-WarpJeuno (Warp to Jeuno)

Indi-WatchTower
Geo-WatchTower (1tp 1mp 1hp /tick)

Indi-PhoenixDown
Geo-PhoenixDown (grants Reraise Effect)

Indi-Swiftness (Increases Mov. Speed)
Geo-Stop (binds enemies caught in area of effect)

****a Bell that allows the cast of 2 ind and geo spells, second indi castable on 1 party member.

[Zagen]

Indi-PhoenixDown
Geo-PhoenixDown (grants Reraise Effect)

To keep this idea from being "overpowered" if implemented I see it wearing off if the GEO dies (logical after all) meaning it has no effect on them.

[Leatherman]

To keep this idea from being "overpowered" if implemented I see it wearing off if the GEO dies (logical after all) meaning it has no effect on them.

***Yea the effect disappears with the death of the Geomancer, very useful during Boss fights where more than one person dies and the WHMs are too busy healing to get people up.

[Duelle]

Honestly my main issue right now is just the long cast time and high MP cost of geocolure spells (luopans). I would not be bothered that much having to dispel them and summon them again if the party moves, but the fact that it takes so long and takes a huge amount of MP for the debuffs makes usage of the job very difficult in events where parties move around a lot.

As much as you may hate me for it, GEO needs this. *runs*

[Alhanelem]

As much as you may hate me for it, GEO needs this. *runs*

We already have that. It's called Full Circle. But it only returns part of the MP spent, based on the remaining HP of the luopan.