Suggestion for another DoL

I'm currently leveling all of the DOH and DOL at the same time (currently at L35). The system is very well designed, with gathering node levels very well integrated into the levels in which they are used for crafting.

The gathering system is also very nice! In FFXI, gathering nodes were accessible by all characters. Having the node instances tied to your character is terrific - it makes gathering much more enjoyable when you don't have to compete for the nodes.

That is, until it comes to mob drops. Gathering material from mobs forces you back into the old, not fun, compete for mob spawns model. This is also where the RMT live - botting for diremite webs, fleece from Karukul (used in two DoH key recipes), etc.

My suggestion is to add another DoL class - hunter. The mechanics would be similar to mining and botany in which you would hunt beasts that are only visible to your character. Mobs could be killed through fighting or other mechanics (nets, traps, ...).

Items could still be obtained from the regular mobs as well. Competition for those mobs would now be much less, reducing the stress on those farming mobs using fighting classes, kills needed for hunting logs, etc.

I love this idea. I was thinking about an idea for an additional DoL class and it could be cool if they added Crystal Gatherer. They that can absorb energy from crystals around Eorzea and extract shards, crystals, clusters, and other special materials. Maybe even catalysts.

There actually was a fourth Disciple of the Land class planned for 1.0 called 'Shepherd', which even had a Guild building in the (no longer existent) hamlet of Owl's Nest in Coerthas. The class was dummied out of the actual game client like the original version of Arcanist and the likewise never implemented Musketeer classes were however, and all traces of the class seem to have completely disappeared in ARR.

It's anyone's guess what or how this class would have functioned from a gameplay perspective, but I assume it would have probably worked much like your idea Waeskyn.

The only problem I can see is that having some items that only drop from mobs (diremite web, as an infamous example) is supposed to be the way for combat classes to have access to the economy. If they aren't gathering or crafting, they can still make money by spending time farming web or fleece or whatever.

Having a Gatherer class that can outcompete them in that field would then completely cut those players out of the loop altogether - they'd have practically no way to make money, other than being forced to craft or gather which they may not enjoy.