What jobs are we hoping to see in the next expansion?

i get a feeling they might introduce 3 new jobs: a tank, ranged dps, and either a healer or introduce a magical melee?

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Originally Posted by Shurrikhan

That's a really good point, and one I'd neglected, for sure.

I can only offer further that the best job for any given expansion will depend on that expansion's settings and novelties. On that note, though, I'm a bit at a loss as to what settings or novelties would really fit a Dancer now that Stormblood -- which between both Kugane and Ala Mhigo had some of the most obviously suitable locales -- has passed without it, especially if that expansion is short on reforms and/or novelties. I'd assume it'd be on the edges of the Garlean empire, likely to give us the likes of a Chemist healer, Soldier DPS, and/or some manner of Magitek tank. A Garlean setting just doesn't shout "Dancer". Something more fringe, with more of a cultural study of places with long-held ties to the empire that has nonetheless held onto old roots, however, might well allow for a Dancer, a Blue Mage, or even some manner of Van Hellsing sword-and-gun class. Maybe? Depending? Who knows?

I hope they do take that ace card, and that they make the most of it. I just hope the community will be willing to deal with a healer that, even while holding the same value in being taken, does not necessarily hold the same toolkit parity -- broadly or specifically -- as the others, and openly and loudly encourages newer, more interesting design, rather than shutting it down before it can begin.

Granted, I could say the say the same of a Dancer tank, of course; there's just as much it can add uniquely to that role's spread of arsenals. Or, the way I imagine it, a DPS. Or a true hybrid. My largest interest is in the change to the design philosophy itself.

But I'll agree that the healer role is probably the most lucrative role in which to make improvement; it's held the most contention, even more than tanks, and the most open discontent. And Dancer is a great candidate for that.

My apologies; I neglected what is practical to an given addition at the time it's added... which I regrettedly only now remember is distinctly not right now, but in the following expansion, or even the one thereafter. My thanks.


On a related note, though:

How would you like Dancer to play?

Not in something as shallow as its role, but, the gameplay? What might be special about it? What kind of pacing? What would Dancer uniquely be mindful of?

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Oh there is no need to apologize at all. I respect your views a great deal, and I'm only offering an additional perspective from which to see things. You offered an additional perspective as well, and I had not even considered the setting in which 5.0 would take place. I still have yet to get caught up in Stormblood (haven't actually started it yet), so I have no clue what direction the game is headed, especially in terms of area. It definitely makes sense that the theme match the job which FFXIV has done a pretty job with. But what about Thavnair? From what I know about it, it has a strong theme to it that is quite similar to our Middle Eastern culture as we know it. If this was the setting, I think it would be an absolute perfect stage for both DNC and BLU. I would imagine that like our current expansion, the next will have us leave the old area completely to explore another part of Hydaelyn, but perhaps it is not time yet.

When it comes to how I would like it play, I really can only mention how I envision it and have no idea if such concepts would even work. However, I like the idea of it being a healer/ranged DPS hybrid that focuses on combo execution both with weapon skills and various dances as its gimmick. Offense is primarily through weapon skills, but dances can be performed to enfeeble the enemy. Dances can be performed to also provide utility to the party. These are significant and require the execution of combos in order to make them available to use, however. I like the idea of dance combos and weapon skill combos to function individually. So for example, the DNC would start with a simple dance that provides a buff to the tank (could be a regen, mitigation, skill speed up etc), this then opens the next dance in the rotation, but does not break should the DNC use a weapon skill, and like wise should the DNC have a weapon skill sequence going but chooses to use a dance.

When it comes to how they heal, this is what requires some thought to not make it look like just another caster. ogcds are not an issue here, as all are already quite unique. As a healer though, they still need fundamental utility such as cure, cleanse, raise, etc. On average, a healer cast is about 2.5 seconds. I believe this is plenty of time to give them a dance animation (that differs depending on what is used - I won't say "cast") and then it fires it off.

As far as weapons, I've likened many possible arms such as fans, chakrams, weaponized ribbons, and even whips. Another thing I would like to see though is a performance ability similar to BRDs, but these are elegant dances instead. Obviously, we can't have DNC's performing complex and sophisticated 29-step waltzes in the middle of a fight, so performance will allow them to shine in the best way they know how to. I really love the idea of BRDs and DNCs getting together to do performances across the various areas in the game. It would be so neat!

I also foresee a lot of adjustments to get the job right if it is ever released to us, which it will be. Only a matter of when and what role. Whenever and whichever it is, I do hope that you enjoy it :)

Also, sorry for long post. I went on a but there, as I know how to.

I'd like to see a Necromancer healer, that uses a similar mechanic to the angel statue boss: rather than having healing and damage spells, it just has damage spells, and "reversed" versions that heal instead.

Or vice versa, not picky either way.

PS: I'm not saying that they bring back Cleric Stance problems, mind you, where you actually have a "reverse" mode. Just that you've got spells that do one thing, and then you get spells that are named nearly identically (save for a prefix to indicate it's a reversed spell, like UnPain), but do the other job.

I also thought "maybe make them another healer pet class", only instead of one pet you hang onto as much as possible, Necromancer has temporary pets that can be dismissed early for bonus healing/damage, and the earlier the dismissal, the stronger the bonus.

I spent a while thinking about that.

Psychic: The healer who heals while she damages you from afar with psionic spells.

Beastmaster: The Tank that rides a mount during tank stance, and fights alongside the mount during dps stance.

I want Puppetmaster, but its ability is that it has no combat capabilities. Instead, when you queue for duties you go into spectator mode watching another random player, and you get credit for everything they do and items they acquire.

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Originally Posted by Gemina

Obviously, we can't have DNC's performing complex and sophisticated 29-step waltzes in the middle of a fight...

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Well, there goes my idea.

I jest. But honestly, of all the spitball ideas bouncing around my head in regards to Dancer, the one consistency has been that I see Dancer as a Pugilist-like fluid and high-speed melee combatant with a vast, vast variety of interwebbing cumulative effects (such that a 29-step macrorotation to accelerate the re-preparation of a given capability would be entirely feasible, even if in practical terms amounts simply to a few intentional compromises within any of several shorter, more commonplace sub-rotations) punctuated by well-controllable bursts, and for whom downtime is never a thing. The "dance" moves, so to speak, are actual strikes when within melee or chain-weapon range, but function instead or solely as resource-, effect-, or buff-generating skills when out of striking range. And thus, you're always able to do something. But whereas healers usually can only heal during target-less downtime, you can do continue or at least prepare any form of output. That output is largely executed via oGCD abilities, either directly, or by winding up what would normally be just another typical hit or builder into a powerful spender. Stance skills, if any, would have no activation delay or animation, but instead simply adjust the animations of all affected weaponskills, while perhaps replacing the animations and even names of certain abilities outright while having a milder effect on the weaponskills shared between the stances.

I love the idea of having two long daggers or similar-length weapons connected by a chain cloaked in a (seemingly) decorative shawl or the like, allowing extended range (at some cost or compromise, or within some particular limitations of use), while still making sense to primarily be within normal melee range.

I want the Dancer to be someone who obsesses over macro rotation at the highest levels, timing to the very GCD, with a far freer and more modular rotation than available to most DPS, while carrying an emphasis on widows of opportunity in less scripted content -- noting whom s/he can support closely, accelerating their rotation to a given breakpoint through transfer of a self-buff, whom s/he can cleanse for instantly and perhaps even reverse the debuff upon the attacker, whom she can intercept for, etc., etc. For while the Dancer can technically access most of these things all at once, these functions come from functions that, apart from regeneration over time, must each be separately worked towards through rotation, forcing decisions in a way that is at once more lenient in the moment and more demanding of foresight. Dancer has the fastest oGCD cleanse, potentially, but such would come at the cost of empowerment or rate of other capabilities. Dancer has the greatest simultaneous output of DPS and healing if none of its special functions are necessary -- no point support, no burst healing, no AoE healing, etc., etc. But if such things are necessary, it's wholly average or just below, in that not many of these abilities are less benefited by time simply elapsed than most other healers'. It had some pretty great burst damage, but only if prepared for; if not, it's probably the slowest, as it would lack the resources to quick-fire its rotation to critical mass, so to speak. Its control allows for a very high ceiling but a low floor, although in casual content, the sheer "no-hands" healing* atop a few saving grace CDs provides makes that control less necessary, as well.

*By this I mean that I suspect a lot of Dancer's healing will be automatically split over nearby allies based on proximity, % HP, and certain buffs grantable by the Dancer's weaponskills (and maybe an ability or two), though also tether-able to a specific ally for focus healing (and focus buffing). Damage dealt should at least in one stance (or more likely, all the time, just to varying degree) duplicate into raid healing. Yet other abilities may allow for them to gain an effect similar to Bloodbath or Blood Weapon.

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Originally Posted by Shurrikhan

I want the Dancer to be someone who obsesses over macro rotation at the highest levels, timing to the very GCD(...)

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Thanks, no thanks. This would make the class literally junk for a huge chunk of the players simply based on their PING. A class missing skills by brief parts of a second shouldn't lose more than just a few percent of its potency, otherwise it's going to be a PING game, not a skill game.

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Originally Posted by kikix12

Thanks, no thanks. This would make the class literally junk for a huge chunk of the players simply based on their PING. A class missing skills by brief parts of a second shouldn't lose more than just a few percent of its potency, otherwise it's going to be a PING game, not a skill game.

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Better yet, the job's flavor meter should be tied to how closely you use moves to the exact cooldown of the GCD, kind of like a rhythm game. Do badly and your meter stays low, gimping your damage. Each WS and ability should also be given a color or some other designator, and you have to use them in the right order to maintain meter, but that order won't always be the same so there aren't necessarily rotations. If they want to get really fancy they can also add bonuses or requirements in regards to you moving in a certain direction for a moment during GCD.

Geomancer healing might be pretty cool especially if it ended up having something like a plant pet..... the elemental spells could look really cool.

Gunblade Job