FFXI Job Direction?? Dev Team, Please Respond.

[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)

[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.

[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.)

[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.

[Malamasala]

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.

I think you got that backwards. What SMN does, is exactly like in past FFs. We just deal damage. What we complain about is that all other parts of the job is not working. I can't debuff, because it isn't worthwhile. I can't buff, because they are all useless. I can't heal, because the recast is too long. I can't give out refresh, because I need to assault my pet to build TP for nukes. And spirits are not even worth mentioning.

What we whine and complain about is that we want these new things to work. Spirits that never existed before would have been nice... if they worked. Wards is a new and fresh thing... which serves no point. We got utility rages, that share our DD pact timer so they can't be used. For every thing new to FFXI Summoner, something prevents it from being used.

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.

While it is nice, my Earthen Armors have never saved anyone. Either it is on, and they never get any high damage TP move, or it wears off and they get hit right after. And it can't be denied that spending 120 MP over and over again on something that "may" help is a complete disaster in game design. You could as well make RR last 5 minutes, and have all mages constantly re-applying RR "incase I die".

I'd agree with you if SE changed Earthen Armor to 15 min duration. Until then you are just sponging MP while playing the lottery that your tank should end up 1-shot suddenly. I might be insane, but I don't think it should cost you 2000 MP to save a tank from death. Look at BRD, it pays ZERO MP for the same thing, which is vastly superior in support.

You can play classic SMN just fine though, because if all you do is 70BP it over and over, the blood boon and elemental siphon will let you keep going far longer than any other BLM. But I doubt anyone has complained about the damage output of SMN. It is everything else, spirits, wards, low level rage pacts, perpetuation, mana cede, etc. that needs adjustments. Paying 100 MP for 100 more damage is just ridiculous. I'm not touching mana cede unless I'm in Abyssea these days.