FFXI Job Direction?? Dev Team, Please Respond.

[Soundwave]

Dear SE, I was wondering if you can tell us what direction the ffxi jobs are heading in?

A link to great examples you given us in the past.

http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/top.../060330_1.html

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

**Edit**

SMN: really needs ALOT to make it comparative to any other job atm, and SE seems to be giving it nothing but trash and niceties that aren't really needed.

[Leonlionheart]

I'm sure this will come in update notes like they always have.

That being said, I think it's safe to assume that they will continue the current trend:
WAR: heavy hitting and unbelievably high tp gain, no real defense and stupid high enmity gain.
MNK: high dps but slower tp gain, defensive.
WHM: cure better than thou
BLM: nuke better than thou
RDM: debuff better than thou
THF: TH better than thou
PLD: lol
DRK: I assume they'll continue to try to buff both sides of DRK, damage and magic, although probably to no avail.
BST: hard to say since nothing has really been added to bst but stronger jug pets
BRD: can't go wrong with capping haste, so no matter what SE does unless RDM gets Haste II for 40%+ haste SE doesn't really need to give anything to BRD to be able to keep it's place in parties.
RNG: increase damage output to offset the loss of no haste. rng TH shot was unforseen, maybe they will add more to that
SAM: increase SC and MB damage from their SC i assume. Maybe native regain?
NIN: hard to say, they've had some pretty substantial upgrades since 75. Reduce TP gain more maybe.
DRG: more heavy hitting but no defensive side. updates to the forced breath abilities maybe
SMN: really needs ALOT to make it comparative to any other job atm, and SE seems to be giving it nothing but trash and niceties that aren't really needed.
BLU: this job has a lot already, heavy nuke damage, heavy physical spell damage, and more MP efficient (and more powerful) cures than both RDM and SCH atm. It could use a new head butt though.
COR: has gotten quite a bit since 75, although it's still nothing compared to BRD.
PUP: lol
SCH: has gotten a lot since 75, a lot more buffing and nuking power but has strayed away from the curing side. this might be it's direction
DNC: needs waltz recast reduction. Maybe SE will help them out in that department D:

anyway speculation based off of how SE has handled things since 75.

[Seriha]

Asked for similar a bit back, but it pretty much went ignored. The fact we're supposed to get some kind of 'Job Adjustments' in June according the plan would suggest something is in the pipes, but for all we know that just be a few minor tweaks while some jobs need many and major. I'm still waiting for them to make on their promise to overpower some jobs to emphasize their vision of them. We arguably got a hint of that with WHM and its current curative prowess, while other jobs like MNK and WAR could be open for debate depending on how you consider the availability of Emp WS, which from my perspective, are still kind of rare on Sylph.

[Soundwave]

B B B B B B B BUMP

[Eeek]

- SAM, MNK, and WAR will receive ridiculous DD buffs.
- PLD will receive more seemingly-random buffs as SE desperately tries to find a way to make it the only 'real' tank.
- NIN will be somehow adjusted and 'discouraged' from tanking.
- THF will be nerfed by accident. Repeatedly.
- RDM and BRD scare SE and they will not receive a substantive adjustment.
- PUP and BST confuse SE too much to receive a substantive, relevant adjustment.
- BLM will continue to receive new nukes that cap their enmity and drain 1/2 their MP pool in one nuke.
- WHM will continue to exclusively receive new and higher-tier curative spells and abilities.
- BLU and COR will wait and hope that they strike gold and their new spells/rolls are actually useful. It's always hit or miss for them.
- DRG will receive another jump or two. Why? Just because.
- SE will consider introducing a Level 49 level cap on SCH and DNC.
- DRK was scheduled to receive an adjustment, but SE kept missing the deadline.

[Nebo]

- SAM, MNK, and WAR will receive ridiculous DD buffs.
- PLD will receive more seemingly-random buffs as SE desperately tries to find a way to make it the only 'real' tank.
- NIN will be somehow adjusted and 'discouraged' from tanking.
- THF will be nerfed by accident. Repeatedly.
- RDM and BRD scare SE and they will not receive a substantive adjustment.
- PUP and BST confuse SE too much to receive a substantive, relevant adjustment.
- BLM will continue to receive new nukes that cap their enmity and drain 1/2 their MP pool in one nuke.
- WHM will continue to exclusively receive new and higher-tier curative spells and abilities.
- BLU and COR will wait and hope that they strike gold and their new spells/rolls are actually useful. It's always hit or miss for them.
- DRG will receive another jump or two. Why? Just because.
- SE will consider introducing a Level 49 level cap on SCH and DNC.
- DRK was scheduled to receive an adjustment, but SE kept missing the deadline.

You forgot about RNG DD. That's ok. So did SE.

BAZINGA!

Edit:

THF will get a new useless steal job ability that shares a recast timer with Mug.

FTFY

All joking aside though, I am quite interested an optomisitic about some of these job adjustments. Many of the things that have gone into the game recently have come directly from suggestions and conversations on these boards.

And while there are some completely ridiculous ideas flowing around, they seem to only go with the good ones, and it has been an improvement overall, imo.

Edit 2:

Oh wow, just reread that link...I almost forgot that they promised to fix perfect dodge back in 2006 lol.....yeah. Here's hoping. Mind you the idea they listed there is full of suck. Maybe that's why they scrapped it.

[Malamasala]

SMN: really needs ALOT to make it comparative to any other job atm, and SE seems to be giving it nothing but trash and niceties that aren't really needed.

Can we just sticky this at the top of the forum so the Developers don't accidentally forget it like every single update?

The job is just utter failure.

1. It has almost exclusively defensive wards, but they are all so terrible that in 10 years playing, I've been in the tank party 3 times.
2. You have(had) access to all high level BLM spells, but attached to spirits with the limitations of random spells every 30 seconds after you engaged a monster. (Statistically speaking the only thing living longer than 30 seconds is NMs). Majority of NMs use AOE moves that either kill the spirit, silence the spirit, stun the spirit, or interrupt it.
3. It has ALL debuffs the game has to offer, but never use them because they share the same timer as either the DD pacts or the buff/cure pacts.
4. It shares almost all armors except job specific with BLM. It doesn't use ANY of the shared armors because they don't help SMN.

And that is just the 4 most obvious design flaws. (Why make a defensive support job that nobody wants? Why add nukes that you can't use? Why the gigantic global recast on stuff other jobs have split recasts? Why add new armors without purpose?)

Someone should just rename the job to Masochist Mage. (Alternatively Predator Claw mage)

[Glamdring]

Can we just sticky this at the top of the forum so the Developers don't accidentally forget it like every single update?

The job is just utter failure.

1. It has almost exclusively defensive wards, but they are all so terrible that in 10 years playing, I've been in the tank party 3 times.
2. You have(had) access to all high level BLM spells, but attached to spirits with the limitations of random spells every 30 seconds after you engaged a monster. (Statistically speaking the only thing living longer than 30 seconds is NMs). Majority of NMs use AOE moves that either kill the spirit, silence the spirit, stun the spirit, or interrupt it.
3. It has ALL debuffs the game has to offer, but never use them because they share the same timer as either the DD pacts or the buff/cure pacts.
4. It shares almost all armors except job specific with BLM. It doesn't use ANY of the shared armors because they don't help SMN.

And that is just the 4 most obvious design flaws. (Why make a defensive support job that nobody wants? Why add nukes that you can't use? Why the gigantic global recast on stuff other jobs have split recasts? Why add new armors without purpose?)

Someone should just rename the job to Masochist Mage. (Alternatively Predator Claw mage)

lol, watched a 72 smn/blm once trying to raise with light spirit (yes, it does have raise). Guy kept the thing out for a few minutes, it just buffed itself and he eventually ran out of MP. so he rested, warped, /whm, came back, raised the corpse, resummoned the light spirit and the 2 of them just sat there belittling it in shout until it depopped. one of the funniest moments I've ever seen playing this game.

[Nebo]

I noticed the link you posted was from 2006.

They did one of these in 2010 as well, in case you haven;t seen it?

http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=21769

[Glamdring]

as to job direction...

pup: the only things we can be absoutely certain of; whm AI will never be fixed, scanner will never be made to function, rdm pup will remain capped at level 72 and harlequin at 50.

Beast: all depends on where the majority of new content is placed. If it's in Abyssea then all we'll get is new jugs, outside then we might get a tame or charm upgrade

Bard: a new tier to haste and elegy, if we are lucky, threnody II; oh, we'll also get another tier of requiem... that every mob over level 65 is still immune to.

Thief: Mug II, essentially Mug with shield/weapon bash included. Gil Finder II, very handy since nothing in Abyssea HAS gil.

Dancer: honestly? expect a nerf.

Paladin: expect some type of JA that allows it to absorb hate from the party or else suppress hate gain by other party members; it won't work and DD will just use it as an excuse to go all out on damage... kinda like they do now in abyssea.

monk: JA Grapple, causes a bind effect with DoT-on par with Bio II, reduces enemy evasion on par with gravity

ranger: lots of needs, but I would only expect some new ammo recipies, with relatively easy ingredients. Oh, and maybe a new end-game level X-bow

corsair: SE has no idea how to make this a loved job. expect reduced price on cards and maybe something that allows you to barrage.

scholar: raisega, warpga

red mage: just another tier of elemental nukes and 1 more level of cure, MAYBE an enhanced stoneskin

white mage: a JA that allows you to remove weakness from 1 party member... by taking it on yourself. Usable only when you don't have weakness, so 5 minute recast

ninja: Utsusemi: San, 'nuff said

warrior: some type of tier 2 defender

black mage: Curse, kinda like break (a 15 second earth-based sleep), this'll essentially be like a 15 second Bad Breath

blue mage: some type of revampped 2 hour, otherwise just some heavy-duty spells, maybe 1 for much higher defense.

dark: a native refresh trait, a couple of dark based debuffs

sam: regain, prolly 1/tic

dragoon: upgrade to wyvern defense, magic defense and melee damage, nothing for the master

summoner: expect something on your bloodpact timers. Since it won't be instantaneous, expect the summoners to still bitch about it. also, expect a new avatar, prolly bahamut, at 99 only, and he'll be along the lines of Odin/Alexander- a 1 and done.