Least involved class/job for struggleing player

Hello, my wife and I both started playing this game. I am taking to it well and my wife really loves the game herself but the thing is, she isn't that good at it. She gets confused by a lot of the complex battle mechanics. Her method of battle is target an enemy and spam attacks. She doesn't even know what the attacks do. I saw her trying to attack an enemy with her heal spell.

So anyway, I have determined that archanist is too complicated for her and we need a class that is very easy to do and one where other party members might not notice that she is doing a bad job.

Any suggestions?

God I hope she doesn't read this...

Welcome to Eorzea! :D

If your wife is having trouble with class mechanics, a simpler class to learn on might be Archer (ARC) as with that you just have to simply target the enemy and shoot arrows - the only real complex aspect of it is when you are on your own you will have to keep backing away from the enemy to avoid attacks, as ARC doesn't have much defense, meaning they can't take much damage.

Don't feel down about how your wife is doing though - you've both just started and you'll both pick up these things with time as you go along (I've been playing since version 1.0 and I'm still learning!). :p The early dungeons especially are meant to be pretty easy to help guide the player into the mechanics of party play, so you do have some leeway in making mistakes. The important thing is though, have fun! :D

I would go with Archer, since for the most part it can be played half-way decently just with spamming attacks at lower levels. It does gain some complication at higher levels, as with all classes, but even then it still remains one of the simplest.

Another possible choice is Thaumaturge, as long as she is able to understand the Astral Fire and Umbral Ice cycle. If that can be achieved, then the class is just a simple rotation even at end game.

Archer is probably the easiest overall. Since she has already started Arcanist, Summoner might also be a possibility. I can't speak to how complicated that is at end game though.

Another approach you can try is to make some macros to make the skills easier to manage. They can reduce several buttons into one or even just trigger an entire combo.

Definitely not summoner. It's the most micro-management oriented dps job at end game. I'd go with archer or thaumaturge(the THM is a bit more involved than ARC, though. At least I think it is)

Summoner is much much easier than archer...or any other class really. Reading your post I was going to suggest smn before reading you think that's too complicated for her. Every other class is more complicated. So idk...

Stick with SMN and help her out? Also the crossclass abilities you'd want are much less stringent than any other class. You can get away with THM26 and ARC4 without any great loss, where ARC you really want LNC 34 and ideally PUG 42...for SMN only thing you're missing from having ARC only lvl 4 is quelling strikes, which is not a necessity for SMN. Other classes vary but really none of them you get away with archer lvl 4 like SMN does.

And then you also have the option of taking WHM to 15 and have SCH available.

A major problem with Archanist is that you have to stand still while casting, she tends to move without realizing it and cancels the spell.

then THM isn't going to be her thing either....Archer can attack while moving

Like the above, archer (bard) is probably the best choice overall. However, when you get access to the Bard job and start partying, a bard will need to monitor the party's MP and sing Mage's Ballad accordingly, or occasionally have to judge if DPS is low on TP and do Army's Paeon. There will be a little monitoring involved.

Also, bard will be put on silence duty in late-game scenarios, for instance in the Chimera fight during the quest to obtain you relic, as well as in Binding Coil of Bahamut Turn 2. So in these cases, more attention is needed in addition to the AOE dodging.

I think your wife just needs some time to get used to it that's all, not everyone is a fast learner.
And make sure she read the skill's descriptions, and test it on a single mob for each skill.

Are you also arcanist? The character you posted with says you are...so if you're both dps she should try out lancer or archer.
Homework is the best option though.
Read the action description and practice.
You'll always find a critic somewhere.
Just last night I got told I'd be a worth less bard if I didn't spam my dot spells. Not sure if they were talking to me specifically since their were 2 bards in the line up. Still ...I found it a bit odd since I just turned over level 50 last night lolz.
Yah so you'll find the rage quitters no matter what.

It sounds like she is new to video games, or at least mmos. Have you tried to sit with her and explain how things work, what the skills do, targeting, moving? Or is that a recipe for divorce? I have read other posts from people with similar problems, and they usually don't end well. Sounds like she needs baby steps.

I am new to FFXIV, but old school mmor. From playing the different classes so far, from a beginner stand point, I agree with archer. She can spam Heavy Shot and do decently well. Archer can move and use all skills. You just need to teach her to move while attacking, though a lot of the times I can kill monsters faster than they can kill me, so kiting is not absolutely necessary at all times. If you two are going to be playing together, so she is never playing alone, then you need to play a gladiator or maurador so you can take all aggro and she can just stand their and shot.

Some replies are based on what will happen end game. Unless she really learns and understands how the game works, she won't be participating in the hard content anyways. If she does, she will just be a huge burden on the group. I am just being honest here, as someone who back in WoW created a guild based on teaching people new to the game or just new to raiding how to raid. There are people that no matter how much patience and effort you put into them, they just don't get it. I am not an idealist, just a realist, saying it how it is.

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Originally Posted by Cairn

I think your wife just needs some time to get used to it that's all, not everyone is a fast learner.
And make sure she read the skill's descriptions, and test it on a single mob for each skill.

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What he said. None of the classes are very complicated but some players may require more time to learn the mechanics than others. Especially when the player is new to MMO gaming. For all new players the best thing to do is to try different classes and play them solo at first, working through quests (class quests are great for this) and then low level group content. I'm sure she'll figure things out when she reads the ability descriptions.

Most important thing is, let her progress at her own pace and don't push her to content she's not yet ready for!

For you I recommend rereading what you wrote and reevaluating your attitude towards your partner.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pinesal

So anyway, I have determined that archanist is too complicated for her and we need a class that is very easy to do and one where other party members might not notice that she is doing a bad job.

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Very true while archer may seem the easiest, once you get the Bard job a good player would pay attention to the parties needs. So if you have healers in need of mana, you sing a song. Same goes if by rare chance some dps need tp.
Also thm (blm) is more involved then some may think, especially if you truly want to maximize amount of dmg in your rotations.
While i only did get arcanist to level 15 aside from pugilist this has been the easiest class so far for me at least.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pinesal

Hello, my wife and I both started playing this game. I am taking to it well and my wife really loves the game herself but the thing is, she isn't that good at it. She gets confused by a lot of the complex battle mechanics. Her method of battle is target an enemy and spam attacks. She doesn't even know what the attacks do. I saw her trying to attack an enemy with her heal spell.

So anyway, I have determined that archanist is too complicated for her and we need a class that is very easy to do and one where other party members might not notice that she is doing a bad job.

Any suggestions?

God I hope she doesn't read this...

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Why not ask her what she would like to do? There's nothing more frustrating when you're struggling than having someone try and tell you what they think you should do. It strips away any sense of accomplishment. I'd LOVE to be able to play with my wife but she views any kind of gaming as a waste of time. I envy you in that aspect lol.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pinesal

A major problem with Archanist is that you have to stand still while casting, she tends to move without realizing it and cancels the spell.

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Go Archer / Bard, the main advantage is 100% mobility. As stated before you can do decent damage by spamming attacks, but for maximum DPS you need to be aware of Wind Bite and Venomous Bite and the duration of each, other than that you watch for Bloodletter, Strait Shot and Miseries End procs. Cross class Pugilist and Lancer, even if you only take them up as high as getting internal release (Pugilist 12) and invigorate (Lancer 22) you will be able to do most content. I only have Pugilist to 15 and have no issues without blood for blood. But it is a great skill to have if you are running Coil.

Just have her practice and help her out. Her issues don't seem to be anything class related, she just isn't used to the game and will take time to learn.

It really sounds like she is new to gaming/mmos.
For people like that you really have to sit them down and talk it out, baby steps as several others have mentioned them. For those of us who are comfortable w/ gaming and mmos some of this stuff is just second nature.

Archer is a good starting point but you should really explain different classes to her and then experiment.
Most of all, remember to have fun. ^^