Blue Mage for Tank!

While I don't have a full spread sheet for the idea, I've tossed the thought of Blue Mage as a tank to a couple of friends and it's started to grow on me. While there's plenty of people pushing for DRK or SAM to be the next tank, I don't feel they could truly add anymore than what Warrior does. Both would be two handed tanks relying off HP and parry for mitigation, just different flavor of attack.

Blue Mage however has a history of needed to get its tail kicked before getting powerful. This could add for a more dynamic, and even forgiving way of tanking while changing up the formula of heavily armored badass.

While they could easily get monster abilities through quest, they could recieve one that allows them to absorb the next named attack, and redirect it within x amout potency. Instead of armor, they wear leathers and build up a pool of damage resist ala Guardian Druid or Blood DK.

Not to mention, a tank that uses Detonate as an AOE would just have a level of fun beyond cleaving. A shield that reduces damage received, while building a pool that once capped unleashes a wave of attack like the cannon boss in SV HM, or a oh **** button that makes an area beneath you that rapidly increases healing while damaging foes like the Brayflox dragon.

I dunno, I'm sure there's plenty of reasons why this type of tank wouldn't work well, I've only got a few years of MMO exp under my belt, I just wanted to get that out and see what others thought of it.

That and I'd love to see DRK as a dps using both HP and TP as a resource =].

I could see DRK as a tank, but please not SAM. SAM is just not a tank class and I don't see why people keep thinking it should be T_T

As for Blue Mage for Tank, I think that has the potential to be really interesting. It's certainly not something you would see everyday and would be a refreshing break from the run of the "big weapon meat shield." tank classes we tend to see. At least when it comes to the over all theme of a class.

I'd rather see Blue Mage as an all class job crystal (i.e. you could be a Gladiator Blue Mage, Marauder Blue Mage, Lancer Blue Mage, etc.) that allows the wielder to access Blue Magic Skills instead of Cross-class skills and Job abilities. Gaining Blue Magic would be a sidequest similar to Sightseeing and Hunts rather than a normal progression.

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Originally Posted by LillithCale

I could see DRK as a tank, but please not SAM. SAM is just not a tank class and I don't see why people keep thinking it should be T_T

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Was you primary interaction with the Samurai class/job FFXI? (and even then Samurai gear seems to imply that it was originally intended to be a parry tank) Because in several other FF games they tend to be Heavy Armor Frontliners with slightly less hp then Knights, but better evasion/counter abilities.

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Originally Posted by Rhaja

While I don't have a full spread sheet for the idea, I've tossed the thought of Blue Mage as a tank to a couple of friends and it's started to grow on me. While there's plenty of people pushing for DRK or SAM to be the next tank, I don't feel they could truly add anymore than what Warrior does. Both would be two handed tanks relying off HP and parry for mitigation, just different flavor of attack.

Blue Mage however has a history of needed to get its tail kicked before getting powerful. This could add for a more dynamic, and even forgiving way of tanking while changing up the formula of heavily armored badass.

While they could easily get monster abilities through quest, they could recieve one that allows them to absorb the next named attack, and redirect it within x amout potency. Instead of armor, they wear leathers and build up a pool of damage resist ala Guardian Druid or Blood DK.

Not to mention, a tank that uses Detonate as an AOE would just have a level of fun beyond cleaving. A shield that reduces damage received, while building a pool that once capped unleashes a wave of attack like the cannon boss in SV HM, or a oh **** button that makes an area beneath you that rapidly increases healing while damaging foes like the Brayflox dragon.

I dunno, I'm sure there's plenty of reasons why this type of tank wouldn't work well, I've only got a few years of MMO exp under my belt, I just wanted to get that out and see what others thought of it.

That and I'd love to see DRK as a dps using both HP and TP as a resource =].

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I've thought this was a good idea for a while. It could even be a 2nd job for the lancer (think FFX's kimahri) if they decide to continue with 2nd jobs. Aside from the normal job quest abilities, the BLU could have Learn (as you've described basically) as a normal defensive ability similar to a WARs inner beast. Learn would reduce the damage of the next "special ability" (TBD) by some 30-50% (since it only works on a single ability) and give you 1 charge of that ability. After learning an ability, then "Learn" would change to "Unleash", which allows you to use it once. Wouldn't it have been great to be able to Table Flip right back at Titan?

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Originally Posted by Ultimatecalibur

Was you primary interaction with the Samurai class/job FFXI? (and even then Samurai gear seems to imply that it was originally intended to be a parry tank) Because in several other FF games they tend to be Heavy Armor Frontliners with slightly less hp then Knights, but better evasion/counter abilities.

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Pretty sure FFXI SAM was *supposed* to have been a tank, they just screwed it up. Kind of like Ninja was not supposed to be a tank, but everyone used it as one because utsusemi was ridiculous. Besides, Samurai are basically the Japanese version of the European knight, which is typically thought of as a Tank archetype. There's no reason the SAM can't follow suit.

DRK, on the other hand makes less sense as a tank. DRK is all about sacrificing his own life in order to wield forbidden power (ie Darkness & Souleater), which is a little more of a stretch (not that they can't, BRD is an archer now, after all).

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Originally Posted by Ultimatecalibur

I'd rather see Blue Mage as an all class job crystal (i.e. you could be a Gladiator Blue Mage, Marauder Blue Mage, Lancer Blue Mage, etc.) that allows the wielder to access Blue Magic Skills instead of Cross-class skills and Job abilities. Gaining Blue Magic would be a sidequest similar to Sightseeing and Hunts rather than a normal progression.


Was you primary interaction with the Samurai class/job FFXI? (and even then Samurai gear seems to imply that it was originally intended to be a parry tank) Because in several other FF games they tend to be Heavy Armor Frontliners with slightly less hp then Knights, but better evasion/counter abilities.

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Even in FFXI, SE publicly stated they had wanted SAM to be a tank. Even more reason they'll "do it right" this time by making it what they wanted it to be in a system where it's easier to do that.

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Originally Posted by LillithCale

I could see DRK as a tank, but please not SAM. SAM is just not a tank class and I don't see why people keep thinking it should be T_T

As for Blue Mage for Tank, I think that has the potential to be really interesting. It's certainly not something you would see everyday and would be a refreshing break from the run of the "big weapon meat shield." tank classes we tend to see. At least when it comes to the over all theme of a class.

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Samurais generally are a tank role in FF games just more debuff focused and less defensive than knight however still have high hp and defense. Also the very nature of a samurai in general is very tank like, the bright colors and decorative armor was to draw attention on the battle field and were about the protection of their masters. DRK on the other hand is all about damage, using it's own HP to deal damage isn't a very tank like thing.

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Originally Posted by Giantbane

Pretty sure FFXI SAM was *supposed* to have been a tank, they just screwed it up. Kind of like Ninja was not supposed to be a tank, but everyone used it as one because utsusemi was ridiculous. Besides, Samurai are basically the Japanese version of the European knight, which is typically thought of as a Tank archetype. There's no reason the SAM can't follow suit.

DRK, on the other hand makes less sense as a tank. DRK is all about sacrificing his own life in order to wield forbidden power (ie Darkness & Souleater), which is a little more of a stretch (not that they can't, BRD is an archer now, after all).

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To be fair on the bard point, Edward from FFIV could use bows so it's not completely unheard of for a bard to use bows.