Returning Player Contemplating Classes

So I built myself a new computer and now I can run the game again. I jumped back into the game.

I started off as a Marauder but quickly got confused when I got into the Storm's Eye/Path split. I went back to Gladiator and currently Leveling Paladin.
Looking into how the classes play and how everything works at 60, it seems like all classes get VERY complicated. I was hoping for something a little intuitive, without being too complex. Should I stick with the Paladin?

The base enmity combo is straightforward. I'm still not sure when to use my MP combo and I haven't gotten to the third, but it seems to add another level of complexity, which is the standard for Heavensward.

A lot of posts I see say "pick a class you like looking at" and that would be the Warrior, but I'm not sure if I could pull it off at a higher level. I don't want to get in my over my head at endgame, especially being a new player.

I looked into DPS, but the BLM guide just confused the heck out of me.

Welcome back. :)

When I started FFXIV I did as PLD as well and it went pretty fine. Yes, you get a lot of skills on your way to 60, but if you level via dungeons you will get one after another and find the time to figure out how to use them.
I, personally, think PLD is easier than WAR, because you basically have 3 rotations and several defensive CDs. The WAR has a lot more potential when it comes to DPS, but is, again personal opinion, more complicated.

You normally use the MP combo to place your DOT on the enemy, because it is the last skill of that combo. ^^ And of course if you need MP, because of Flash spam. :D

DPS-Jobs are, at the moment, kinda little more difficult if you want to have really good damage, but they will become easier with Stormblood.
I think it's hard to understand the guides if you don't know the skills and don't know how they are connected, but you will find that out during leveling classes. ^^


If you allow a little personal advice: Stay with PLD and enjoy the MSQ until you hit 60 and see all of the story (if you are interested in that :) ). The job is not too hard, the solo fights might take some time, because the damage lacks, but that's not a big deal. After you finished PLD you can still move on and try other classes. There is plenty of time and chances to try out everything, so don't put so much pressure on finding "the right class" right away. :D
Just have fun. :o

I know this is slightly off topic, but ill throw in a little side response here.

At its basic level, BLM is super-simple. You have 2 stances. Umbral Ice improves your mana regen(to the point that with 3 stacks you get all your mana back in 2 server ticks even during combat) while Astral Fire improves your damage output. So you cast your fire spells to hurt the enemy, and when you run out of mana you stance switch to ice to get your mana back, then switch back to damage. You have 1 DoT(thunder), so you do your best to keep it running as much as you can. You start getting your aoes at an early level(the main one coming at level 18), and in multi-mob fights its usually best to use them(with 2 targets your single is about equal to your aoe, with 3 targets or more aoe is best). You have a few other tricks(you are a mage afterall), but just getting that much right consistently will put you at 85+% for most of your career. Then once you hit level 60 you learn buff management because the Enochian buff is required for your strongest spell. At 60 its still fire to hurt vs ice to regen, but now youre juggling buff timers and theres more to keep track of. It ends up being super easy to learn, but with a ton of incremental improvements you can make to get better and better.

Honestly, just don't overthink things. I say that from personal experience of having gone in circles in my head only to confirm the simplest answer was the correct one all along. I think the game is mostly deliberately designed like this. You can succeed at next to everything in this game by just doing the fundamentals correctly, and the fundamentals are honestly pretty simple when you just look at the Potency numbers and remember Damage over time Potency always ticks every 3 seconds. Every guide I've seen is naturally overwhelming to a new player because they go into all this min/max optimization stuff that isn't incorrect but also largely irrelevant to someone that just wants to play. Most of that optimization is written for people that have long since mastered the fundamentals and are looking for any other potential edge to learn and hone, so don't worry about that stuff. Just take it nice and slow.

That said, if you have specific questions, I'll be happy to answer if I remember to check back here. There are a couple other consistent posters here that give great, sensible advice. I will say this about tanking: The biggest breakthrough for me back then was realizing I don't need to attack the same target with all the hits of a weaponskill combo. Using Savage Blade/Skull Sunder on one enemy and then Rage of Halone/Butcher's Block on another one is much better than just using Flash/Overpower again, though Flash/Overpower should still always be your first action against probably all enemies and definitely if there's 3 or more.

One more thing: I said it's all simple, but it is true that the game leaves out vital details in some things, which is just stupid but that's how it is, so here's some useful data in case you're curious:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/wiki/enmity This will show you how relatively useful the different tank weaponskills are in holding aggro on enemies.

As for Black Mage, I'll just spell out the numbers of Umbral Ice and Astral Fire:
Umbral Ice: Regenerate +30% MP/3 secs, -10% Fire spell damage, -50% MP cost for Fire spells
Umbral Ice II: Regenerate +45% MP/3 secs, -20% Fire spell damage, -75% MP cost for Fire spells
Umbral Ice III:Regenerate +60% MP/3 secs, -30% Fire spell damage, -75% MP cost for Fire spells, -50% Cast Time for Fire spells

Astral Fire: +40% Fire spell damage, -10% Ice spell damage, +100% MP cost for Fire spells, -50% MP cost for Ice spells, Impossible to self-regen MP
Astral Fire II: +60% Fire spell damage, -20% Ice spell damage, +100% MP cost for Fire spells, -75% MP cost for Ice spells, Impossible to self-regen MP
Astral Fire III:+80% Fire spell damage, -30% Ice spell damage, +100% MP cost for Fire spells, -75% MP cost for Ice spells, Impossible to self-regen MP, -50% Cast Time for Ice spells

What this all boils down to is exactly what Frizze laid out.

Welcome back to Eorzia.
Perhaps if blm you find complicated something like Rogue/Ninja may interest you.
Warrior i know i held off levelling for the longest time as found Maurader very boring.
Finally i stopped procrastinating and had leveled it, now i love Warrior far more then Paladin or DK
PLD is in a rather bad position atm also but they are revising it.