Increasing Cross Class Availability

So let me just start off here....one of the key features and systems of Final Fantasy 14 is the ability to change your class and retain that class' skills/levels/traits/etc.

Whats more, Square Enix encourages it through the availability of Cross-Skills...HOWEVER....there is a VERY VERY BIG downside to this system. So personally speaking I play a level 50 paladin, and have leveled a little bit of Conjurer, Marauder, and Pugilist on the side.

Now as I was looking around google today at the number of cross-skills that are available for GLADIATOR....I was pretty much shocked. There's a MASSIVE pool of skills that can be tapped into there that can improve a Gladiator's abilities in battle. But...when you look BEYOND the surface of it you notice something "off".

Specifically I mean the fact that Warriors and Paladins (and presumably other advanced Jobs) are restricted to only 2 classes with which to draw Cross-Skills from.

1/3 posts

So, Second Wind....as it stands Paladins have NO way of self-healing beyond using the Cross-Skill Bloodbath, or using Cure on yourself (though why you'd have cure slotted is beyond me, even though it won't do much good for you).

Now Second Wind's cure potency is based off of PHYSICAL DAMAGE...the higher your physical damage output, the higher the heal potency is. This makes it an IDEAL skill to slot for ANYONE who plays a Melee character.

But more than that...Warriors are able to use it, but not Paladins...Admittedly the potency would be different between the two since Paladins use a two-handed weapon and Paladins use a sword and shield.

Also it would break the two-class cross system....but beyond that...what reason exists for not making this skill available to Paladins? as far as I know...none

Goad and Invigorate....two skills that hit so close to home for tanking classes, its not even funny.

Warriors and Paladins are TP-based tanks. So, what happens when you run out of TP? Well...running out of TP means you're dead meat basically. In a group, you can hope that someone has one of 2 TP restore skills...but beyond that, you can't do anything.

There are two situations a tank can get himself into, in which he can become critically low on TP. In both of these situations, skills such as Goad or Invigorate would prove invaluable to boosting your effectiveness, and getting you out of the hole you're in.

The first is, you've accidentally over-spent your tp through multiple uses of Shield Toss, in an effort to grab aggro and pull mobs away while Provoke is on Cooldown, or you've used shield toss too many times to do damage. Regardless of how its done in that situation, shield toss can easily cause someone to over-spend TP.

I myself have even gotten into situations in World of Darkness or other Crystal Tower raids where I'm starting to run dry on TP and have to CONSCIOUSLY hold off on popping skills to allow my TP to regen to an "acceptable amount." (This is assuming you don't have a rogue in the party who can use Goad on you, or someone who can pop the other TP regen skill that the name of which escapes my memory).

The second situation....is even easier to get yourself into than over-spending.....and that is DYING and being Rezzed. When you are rezzed, your health, MP, and TP, are all at faaaaaaar less than 100%. So, you're rezzed in combat, and even though a healer can quickly get you back to 100% HP, that doesn't apply to TP...in which case...being able to quickly pop a skill like Invigorate right after a taunt can prove to be a saving grace to some degree, as you don't have to worry about getting to critical levels of TP.

I say its more down to what that class is about and hw it works. PLDs ain't known to self heal that's more WAR thing to do so giving PLD SW didn't seem to fit right and not to mention it would heal sodnall with PLDs low attack. Also it makes the jobs more unique to each other when it comes to cross skills.

What's MORE though, is that Gladiators have a TP recovery action in PVP!
PVP - Enliven
Instantly restores 50% TP.
Enhanced Enliven: Shortens recast time to 180 seconds.
Enhanced Enliven II: Increases TP recovery to 75%.

Goad. Same as above applies, with the change that it'd need to be applicable to yourself of course.


Whew....what a long suggestion.....Thoughts would be very much appreciated here from people.

Well, paladins get to play with Stoneskin instead of Second Wind. And looking at both, Stoneskin can cone on top by the fact that it has no CD and can be used on others.

Surely the downside is it is not instant like Second Wind.

Also 1handed/2handed weapons don't affect the potency of attacks. If you give plds and wars the same ilvl weapon and the same amount of str without extra buffs, their hits will donde the same damage.

I play as PLD and I never if rarely Inuave TP problems, probs cuz I use shieldnswipe as often as I can and I notice PLds usenshield lob from a short distance and this skill is the main TP eater. If you died in a word run. Then let another tank take over while you get to a OK state again.

you're right that Paladins have a lower physical attack than say other classes, however that doesn't mean a self-heal can't help you. Yes Paladins are more about mitigating damage, however, as i mentioned...we can cast Cure, which itself is a healing skill. If you're to argue that Paladins aren't known for heals, then Cure doesn't fit in either. Yet the base potency for SW is HIGHER than that of Cure. Additionally, potency can be boosted via Convalescence.


Additionally, if you look at the Warrior's cross-skills....they only have Bloodbath and SW to heal themselves with. (Mantra is excluded from this since it is a heal BUFF, much like convalescence).

Plus, Paladins contributing to heals is no longer completely unheard of anymore. Paladins are now getting a skill similar to Mantra: Divine Veil - This is a new ability that places a protective barrier around a target. If that player is cured then the barrier will spread to other nearby party members.

If you have TP issues while tanking Then you're doing something wrong when managing your TP. On Coils, fights have moments when you'll stop using actions because having to move or the likes that involve mechanics. That said, as PLD if you're MTing you have tools to lessen your TP usage: Flash and Shield Swipe. While Flash doesn't do damage, it keeps you by increasing and maintaining enmity on a boss/adds by using MP and by default restoring some TP. Shield Swipe is a 40 TP cost skill, with decent damage and it means you're using less TP than you passively recover in a fight. It needs to be used and abused as much as you can so long you have a good grip on the boss.

Ofcourse there's the occasional boss (Cloud of Darkness) where Shield Swipe cannot be used because the standard attack of the boss is magical, and thus cannot block any hit, but thats a scenario given on casual content and even so, CoD moves around the arena and vanished, making you stop attacking.