FFXI Job Direction?? Dev Team, Please Respond.

[Malamasala]

I think blood pacts should implement a charge system to give you more freedom over their timing.

No! Charge system is a terrible idea. Charges only allow you to zerg things in 1 minute time. Charges do nothing for a job if you are constantly fighting something over a large period of time.

Play COR if you want to experience it. You just end up shooting twice, then waiting 56 seconds on one QD and 1:56 on the second.

Knowing SE developers though, that is exactly what SMN will get, and it will be yet another failure that makes all SMNs complain about lack of updates. Don't waste more time on crap SE.

[Malamasala]

SMN has found its place in my opinion. You're a defensive support job that throws out supplemental damage. Earthen Armor with Scherzo is an amazing combo and is extremely effective for new NMs and Voidwatch. The fact you can solo well and have strong bursts of magic and physical damage types is a blessing people need to take advantage of.

It hasn't, because a WHM has en-stoneskin on cures so additional stoneskin is not needed, and BRD has their own Scherzo song. And for some reason WHM+BRD is a lot more common than SMN in a tank party. Most likely because they want haste + march, and a SMN wouldn't be able to add that to a WHM+SMN party.

Solo is also pretty moot when there is nothing worth soloing. NMs in abyssea needs triggers, and you don't have them. Normal exp mobs you solo slower than almost all other jobs. (BRD might be slower at soloing). The job is fine for soloing things outside of abyssea where you got kiting room.

Honestly though, I was happy I managed to solo the chigoe NM for shiva's boots (0/30ish when AF3 feet came), but it took me generally 15-30 min, while a SAM can just waltz over there in their awesome gear and 2 hour it to death in 20 seconds. (I've had a friend do that for me occasionally). And I must say that if it takes 90 times as long time to solo on SMN as on SAM, it isn't really a good solo job. (Sometimes it is good of course, but in general it is terrible)

[AyinDygra]

Well, that's nice, they added a "version update teaser." (it may not sound like I'm happy, but it's a good start)

Very interesting updates on the way for some jobs in the short term. With a roadmap on the way for other jobs, we now have something to look forward to. (It's still not really the "thinking and direction" that the Dev Team has in mind for WHY they're doing certain things. We still have to guess about the "future" of the jobs.) However, those are some solid topics to talk about now.

It would be nice if people would stop filling this thread with their opinions about what they think the Devs are thinking. To completely honest, I really don't care what other people think the Devs are planning... "Your guess is as good as mine." in this instance. The only thing that really matters as an answer to this thread, is communication from the dev team.

(In my view, the only "guesses" that fit in THIS thread are absurdities that provoke real answers from SE. My apologies if that was what anyone was trying to do!)

[Malamasala]

It would be nice if people would stop filling this thread with their opinions about what they think the Devs are thinking.

I'm pretty sure it has already been proven that they do not think at all. It always seems to be more like they sit at their coffee break and go "Oh, I just had this great idea about letting PUP have throwing weapons." Only a year later they'll remember that PUP uses animators in that slot and the whole update was a waste.

[Return1]

It hasn't, because a WHM has en-stoneskin on cures so additional stoneskin is not needed, and BRD has their own Scherzo song. And for some reason WHM+BRD is a lot more common than SMN in a tank party. Most likely because they want haste + march, and a SMN wouldn't be able to add that to a WHM+SMN party.

Solo is also pretty moot when there is nothing worth soloing. NMs in abyssea needs triggers, and you don't have them. Normal exp mobs you solo slower than almost all other jobs. (BRD might be slower at soloing). The job is fine for soloing things outside of abyssea where you got kiting room.

SMN + BRD is becoming popular for the difficult new mobs because of the way Scherzo and Earthen Armor stack to great effect. BRD, WHM, SMN, PLD fits in tank PT. It also offers you 2 DD slots. My current Voidwatch group has a core of RDM, SMN, BRD, PLD for the most part.

Also, my friend, the aforementioned PLD, likes to solo plates for his Ochain when no one else is around. The option is there.

[Duelle]

I'm pretty sure it has already been proven that they do not think at all. It always seems to be more like they sit at their coffee break and go "Oh, I just had this great idea about letting PUP have throwing weapons." Only a year later they'll remember that PUP uses animators in that slot and the whole update was a waste.

This, as well as the whole "sticky notes on a dartboard" approach they've taken to Red Mage.

[Malamasala]

SMN + BRD is becoming popular for the difficult new mobs because of the way Scherzo and Earthen Armor stack to great effect. BRD, WHM, SMN, PLD fits in tank PT. It also offers you 2 DD slots. My current Voidwatch group has a core of RDM, SMN, BRD, PLD for the most part.

Also, my friend, the aforementioned PLD, likes to solo plates for his Ochain when no one else is around. The option is there.

Well, SMN has been useful for tank parties since it was added. The problem is that it isn't useful enough to not be replaced by some safety net. Like replace the SMN with another WHM, or another PLD. I believe my LS usually had the fool proof tank party of WHM, WHM, BRD, RDM, PLD, PLD. Always cured, always hasted, always refreshed. And either two tanks, or one in spare.

The only exception was in Einherjar, where they threw in a BLU for crowd control. (Not that you want to be SMN in Einherjar. Release causes all yellow mobs with hate on alliance to attack you. An old bug SE never fixed... not that they EVER fixed SMN bugs.)

[Soundwave]

While a change system can be a bad or good idea it depends on how its used/implemented.

Charge system can be talked about in this thread for smn
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/th...em-to-summoner.

[Return1]

Well, SMN has been useful for tank parties since it was added. The problem is that it isn't useful enough to not be replaced by some safety net. Like replace the SMN with another WHM, or another PLD. I believe my LS usually had the fool proof tank party of WHM, WHM, BRD, RDM, PLD, PLD. Always cured, always hasted, always refreshed. And either two tanks, or one in spare.

SMN really wasn't that useful in the past for tank parties. That AA rotation crap was always garbage, the Hastega was inferior, and AoE SS didn't reduce enough to be much more than a joke. SMN used to be hate free, tpless damage ensuring the tanks could keep hate easy and the mob may never use a tp move if it didn't have regain. Changes to the playerbase understanding of enmity really hurt SMN as it killed half the reason people wanted them.

Now Earthen Armor paired with Scherzo makes it so you really don't have to worry about being one shot by particularly bad TP moves, which is nice considering mobs are growing stronger and stronger outside abyssea. This is far more valuable than a second tank. The addition of Favors makes SMN good to keep around mages as well. So now they protect the frontlines against severe damage, give the backlines support refresh, and can deal controlled Physical or Magical damage as the situation calls for it. That's a flexible and unique role that they can fulfill.

SMN is in a great place right now to be perfectly honest, it's just that SMNs all whine because they want to be broken like they were in past FF games, which really doesn't fit into an MMO.

[Neisan_Quetz]

SYNTAX ERROR: Avatar Favors + Offensive Bloodpacts, does not compute.