To those that usually stick to one archetype of character throughout most RPGs-

How do you do it? I usually struggle with this in most types of RPGs, from tabletops to MMORPGs, I kinda want to main one type of class, but I always have a bunch of variables in my head, for instance, I love the idea of tanks, I find enjoyable to be the protector of my friends, that how I usually am and yet I always found mage classes to be far more interesting, I mean, if you had the capability, being through birthright or through study and dedication, through research and mastery of the arcane you could alter the physical laws of the universe... Why wouldn't you, you know what I'm talking about?

At the same time, I find tank classes to be boring in games, particularly video games, and while I love the concept of a battlemage/spellsword, in most games you end up being more one than the other, including DnD where Eldritch Knight for instance will mostly use spells that improve defensives and utility.

I don't know, while it has been a blessing having multiple jobs in the same character on FFXIV, I still kinda feel the need to find that "right" job to main and I've been struggling with this decision.

I saw that this game had Ninja and I was good from there. I create a character, build my character around said job/class, then let my character's bio/background develop as time goes on. So that, and the fact that I have no interest in the other jobs at all. I'll never pick up healers cuz I think they're boring. I'll never pick up tanks cuz being punching bag ain't all that appealing to me.

Despite all that, I do keep eyeballing Gunbreaker though. The Magitech and Bozjan gunblades look cool asf and almost makes me want to run the job.

I am archetypal. In every game I play ever, I play:

- Either a Dwarf (Tolkein style, like in Warcraft or D&D) or the tallest, burliest race available.
- Something support-capable (As in, not a pure healer, not a pure tank. This would be one of the funnier Cleric or Bard subclasses in D&D, or back when I played WoW, the Shaman)

Why do I do this?

Well, in D&D, I started off my first campaign as a Dwarf because I can do a mean Dwarf voice. Over time I slowly became more and more glued to the typical Dwarvish culture, and now here I am where I exclusively play Dwarves. As for tall burly races, I pick them because they tend to be uncommon in games full of elves and catgirls, and I like to stand out.

My support addiction stems from TF2, where I mained Medic and Engineer almost exclusively. I like to say I have honed the idea of playing Support into a fine art. Plus, it gives me a kind of backwards superiority complex, where I feel versatile AND powerful at the same time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NegativeS

I am archetypal. In every game I play ever, I play:

- Either a Dwarf (Tolkein style, like in Warcraft or D&D) or the tallest, burliest race available.
- Something support-capable (As in, not a pure healer, not a pure tank. This would be one of the funnier Cleric or Bard subclasses in D&D, or back when I played WoW, the Shaman)

Why do I do this?

Well, in D&D, I started off my first campaign as a Dwarf because I can do a mean Dwarf voice. Over time I slowly became more and more glued to the typical Dwarvish culture, and now here I am where I exclusively play Dwarves. As for tall burly races, I pick them because they tend to be uncommon in games full of elves and catgirls, and I like to stand out.

My support addiction stems from TF2, where I mained Medic and Engineer almost exclusively. I like to say I have honed the idea of playing Support into a fine art. Plus, it gives me a kind of backwards superiority complex, where I feel versatile AND powerful at the same time.

---

Oh man, that was the same for me in TF2, my first real main was Engineer, then Medic, I would even watch guides for those lol, though I had an edgy spy phase... I don't talk about it because I sucked as spy, I kept wanting to use the Your Eternal Reward.

But yeah, I've always been pretty default, I usually go for humans and I don't really know why. I used to really like elves because of LOTR, but then, as I got to know most fantasies I started finding Humans much more interesting, like Imperials and Redguards in the Elder Scrolls, Humans in the Warcraft universe which are still one of my favorites tbh, humans in Dragon Age(But admittedly, that was mostly because I found DA elves to be rather... Ugly in all three games, their lore is amazing).

My type is normally a mage or hybrid dps. Don't need to top the meters but i like being useful to others. Ele/enhance shaman, shadow priest, balance druid in WoW. HUnewearl in psobb. Bowguns(mostly heavy) with some extra status ammo in monster hunter.

Outside of that i refuse to play humans. Even if it is something as simple as an elf, id play that over a human. I'll still pick something more exotic if I can though. Lizards in Divinity Original Sin 2 or Charr in the brief time I tried Guild Wars 2 long ago.

I have 3 conditions for my characters in RPGs, doesn’t matter if it’s new games, MMOs or Baldurs Gate 1 from the 90s:

Always female
Always an ‘outlandish’ race if available
Always magic user in light armor

I just find this the most intriguing.

That said, for FFXIV I made exceptions for the first time, because not being hardlocked to one class or job for the remainder of the game is just too strong of a point.

For the longest time, I only played a tank. I -hated- alts, because creating one meant I'd need to redo the entire leveling experience along with all of the busywork that entails in a traditional MMO: content unlocks, quest completion, attunement/gearing, and social links since so many names are in play.

XI and XIV were the first games that pushed me into alting, though I still narrow my focus once I settle in for a bit. I can still have fun as a tank, healer, or DPS, though-- and since I'm not changing characters it just feels like I'm playing one character that has talents to fit the situation.

As for finding the "right" job, you really won't know what it is until you touch it. Don't feel like you're ever locked in or are making a "wrong" decision, since you can always swap weapons and try something else. If anything, that's the biggest advantage of the job system: the flexibility to try what you want without penalty for making the "wrong" choice.

You might find you like some jobs more and less as you progress through the storyline and the job's questline, but stick with what you want but try what you think you will hate. You might actually find something new.

That and some days you'll get a tank so bad you want to swap to a tank to not experience that again, a healer so bad you want to heal so you don't have to suffer that healing again, or dps so bad you swap to a dps to just push buttons in peace while the world burns around you.

This is kinda like asking, "those of you who like chocolate, how do you do it?"

If you like chocolate, you like it. If you don't, you don't. I'm sure the Earth isn't devoid of people that have forced or trained themselves to like flavors they didn't inherently care for, but logically I'd say there aren't many of those types of people around. That goes for flavors... music, movies, games, books, etc. Any subjective enjoyment or entertainment.

I mean, yes, adolescents might listen to such-and-such group, even if they truly think the group sucks, just to go along with the masses. Or they might proclaim love for some game or movie so as to appear "normal" - I get all that. But that's adolescent stuff. One should grow out of that, and at some point decide to enjoy what they like the most, not what the next person likes.

So, in direct answer to your question, those of us being true to ourselves don't "try" to stick to an archetype. That's what we naturally want to do (play an archetypical character). If someone being true to themselves doesn't want to do that, then they don't do that.

I wasn't sure what to choose when I first started playing the game. I always sticke to the Rogue/Thief/Assassin class, and couldn't find it here. I started with Pugilist but didn't feel it and changed to Lancer. After leveling the Lancer for a bit I discovered that you could freely switch between jobs and that there were more available at certain levels. So when I found the game did indeed have a Rogue class I switched to and never looked back.

Anyway, I love healing now.

I still play with the Ninja though, and every job in this game is so so cool.

Well, I personally do exactly what you described because it comes from a feeling deep within me, a personal inspiration / desire / urge that is always pushing forth, something that simply radiates out that is never ending. I don't really know why, but I've certainly realized the trend over the course of my life, lol

To provide a bit more detail:
I've always focused on spell-casters in games, especially anything along the lines of a Black Mage, or if available, a Multi-Caster. The best example of my greatest ideal in a spell-caster was in Final Fantasy Tactics, actually, specifically the Arithmetician (aka Calculator back in the day). The thing I loved about that class/job in that game was that it was built up by learning all types of magic from multiple other Jobs, and on top of that, could mix/match abilities as well. All in all, it was a master of magic, a "manipulator of reality".

What drew me to FFXIV wasn't just being able to play BLM, but being able to all types of magic on the same character. So to me, even though I'll need to swap Jobs depending on what I want to do, no matter what magic I'm casting I'm still the same person. conversely, any of the more "physical" jobs I'll play invariably will be the more magic-oriented jobs because they fit that self image I have persistently hovering in my head, and is the closest thing I can get to the Arithmetician outside of FFT.

BLM was my 1st Job because it's the quintessential spell-caster, or "reality manipulator" borne from study and dedication (which is also denoted per the Ivalician raids which has the Arithmetician set for Mages, hehe). From there I delved in AST because to me the study of the stars isn't far off from the study of magic, and gives birth to a magic that has the ability to heal (which is a role I also thoroughly enjoy, plus Astrologian is also a call-back to FFT). After that, I dived into GNB because to me, it's effectively a Mage Tank, lol. The job is focused on focusing magic into bullets/shells, which then can be localized to output incredibly powerful offensive and defensive magics.

The only physical ranged class I'm considering is a BRD, because even though it does use a bow and arrow, it uses magic to instill greater power and influence / support ones allies. As for a melee job, I'm considering NIN because past the rogue stage (which I care little for), it expands a great deal into using Ninjitsu magic (which I'm a big fan of).

Outside of that, while I'm kinda interested in leveling up the rest of the Jobs because I'm interested in the story, I doubt I'll ever main them because they don't feel as tied to the inner sense of self I have...

As for the handful of jobs I feel I will focus on, I will dance between all of those because at varying times I'm in varying moods; sometimes I want to run into the mosh pit of a fight and bash things around as a tank, protect my team. Sometimes I want to hover around the edges and provide support, healing allies and providing buffs. Sometimes I want to burn the world. While I would LOVE to mix/match abilities like FFT could, I get how they tried to do that with this game and had to stop due to the complex difficulties it created, so I do my best to be content with what's available.

So yeah, there ya go. I can't explain fully WHY I'm this way, I just know it is after years of experience and trial/error. Like, I know I don't do alts. I've tried in the past but always quickly lose interest, I invariably always swing back to my main shortly after the attempt. Maybe it's just some part of me wanting to find some way to be the me I want to be? I don't really know... but I can at least share the experience so you can make your own determinations.

Maybe the challenge you're having isn't just find a single Job to focus on, but possibly finding the Theme you enjoy. Although it sounds like you have a theme you like, now it's just a matter of finding the components that'll make you happy exploring that theme. What you mentioned about how the "Mage classes" call to you is pretty telling, so maybe it's not a matter of just picking a single Job to focus on but finding the various Jobs that fulfill the moods you have as they ebb and flow?

In RPGs i usually tend towards elves or (if an option) tieflings.

However i could stand neither Elezen nor Au Ra. They both look goofy as hell and don't really encapsulate the proper fantasy i'm after (I like to operate within the game's canon and not headcanon things as much as i can, it feels weird to just ignore existing lore, imo). Viera, on the other hand, are more like Elves than the actual Elves. They live for a very long time, are typically isolationists, and protect their forests fiercely, and as a bonus have unique Icelandic accents whenever voiced in-game. So was happy when males were announced.

I usually tend towards classes with some sort of magic to them, which is most in this game, fortunately. For me, it's just like... when otherworldly powers exist and can be manipulated, why limit yourself by not using them.

The only archetype I follow for online games is being a character that I would want to be if I were transported into the game, ala isekai media. I normally gravitate toward elves, having been fairly slender in my younger years and loving forests. I got amazingly lucky in this game in that I was able to make a tall and slender Elezen capable of having all the jobs that represent my real-life skills/training.

There was a good ten year period where I went on a Dwarf warrior kick though thanks to playing one in an amazing D&D campaign. Thankfully I'm over that now, LOL.

There's certain types of characters that I enjoy playing, though the option to play what I desire isn't always there. I'm used to grittier options in RPG's and I like characters with a deep background and sympathetic plight. When I played WoW, the Blood Elves were what piqued my interest since they were driven to the bring of extinction yet did whatever was necessary in order to survive. FFXIV's closest option to that would be the Garleans or Ascians, neither of which are playable, unfortunately. Not that it stops me from role-playing the former!

In ESO? Well, that particular MMO has entire side content based around pickpocketing NPC's and the like. So my choice there is a Breton Nightblade who spends his free time 'earning' as much coin as possible.

Generally speaking, I favour playing good looking male characters with a decent amount of muscle who aren't afraid of leaning on some darker powers in order to achieve some manner of goal. Naturally Reaper appeals to me quite a bit in that regard. Though I still miss my Demon Hunter and Warlock even if I haven't touched WoW in years.

I prefer nuance to black and white morality, so much of the sophistry and preaching seeping into modern fantasy does little to excite me.

For me it is about the time I have to put in. I want to be able to play my class well and have the best gear. Doing that for multiple class will take a lot of my time. I would rather spend that time on my other interests. I have played on and off since 2013 but the only class I ever leveled to max is DRG. If I were to level another class, that would become my new main instead of DRG. I have been thinking about leveling WAR recently. I used to play a warrior tank in WoW before I started FFXIV. I like the fantasy of it. I think because it gives me a Conan the Barbarian vibe which I love.

I pretty much exclusively play hot women and preferably on the '' evil/ dark '' side or Martial Artists so for example in WoW my favorite class was Warlock.
I wouldn't say that NIN in FFXIV is evil or anything like that but they're the closest things to Rogues and I kinda consider them to be more on the shady '' evil '' side ( not in a literal sense perhaps but thematically and I imagine my Rogues as femme fatales basically ).
And Martial Artists because my favorite genre of games are fighting games and I just rly like them, my main in ARR up until EW was MNK but always leveled others too and BLM and NIN were my second most played and what I've basically swapped to now I am just really really bored with MNK Blitz wasn't enough for me and we lost stuff too...

When I was a kid I basically tried to always play self-inserts tho but about when I turned 20 and onwards it changed I just don't find it interesting anymore.
But in RPG's I always created and played myself basically and tended to like sword and shield.
I just don't have fun on male characters tho, I can accept it sometimes if the story is really good and the game is really fun ( love the Devil May Cry games for example, altho I wish you could play Trish and Lady in DMC5 but the male characters are great still ).
Never understood the whole '' I want to be average/ ugly and wear google copy pasted historical armor '' either and a lot of people on that end tend to have a weird obsessive hatred for what I like which imo is just cringe and tired as hell.
Just like what you like and let others like what they like and don't pester people about it.

In every other game I’ve played when there’s a choice I prefer to go more for support archetype. I just like helping people lol

I quickly learned to give up trying to ‘stick’ to anything in ffxiv lol. The only archetype you get is ‘damage dealer’ in various flavours (e.g dark edgy damage dealer with scythe, Light based damage dealer that can heal, etc…). And with how gung-ho the developers can get with reworks every expansion, you can never really guarantee that your jobs ‘archetype’ will remain the same anyway

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Breakbeat

This is kinda like asking, "those of you who like chocolate, how do you do it?"

If you like chocolate, you like it.

---

I love chocolate. Milk and white chocolate. Not a fan of dark chocolate . I love chocolate too much!

My favourite is Fazer Pätkis chocolate

I tend to gravitate to characters who are fast, and while their main source of damage is their weapon, have access to lower levels of magic for buffs, support, control, or healing.
In FF14 this'd include ninja, bard, and my current dancer. In D&D I have an Arcane Trickster; in Pathfinder a Swashbuckler/Bard. I had a feral druid in WoW, even back in vanilla before it was, y'know, viable at anything but capture-the-flag.
When selecting a party, especially in JRPGs, this includes 90% of all female characters who aren't explicitly a white or black mage, because tropes.

If I like a single-player game enough to replay it, the 2nd time will be with whatever character type sounds the most different from my first choice; or most useful if there's something I was constantly lacking.
And if I *really* like it (like FF14), I'll eventually play everything.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hysorn

How do you do it? I usually struggle with this in most types of RPGs, from tabletops to MMORPGs, I kinda want to main one type of class, but I always have a bunch of variables in my head . . .
I don't know, while it has been a blessing having multiple jobs in the same character on FFXIV, I still kinda feel the need to find that "right" job to main and I've been struggling with this decision.

---

I'm with you. In fact this comes to one of my biggest complaints about FFXIV.

They let you play every class on one character - this is great.

BUT they also discourage you from doing it across multiple character - this is horrible. I need my army of alts so I can have a variety of themes to my characters, play multiple races without spending $10 everytime I log in, etc.

Why do these things need to be mutually exclusive? Why not let us play every class on one character, but ALSO have everything account bound so we can CHOOSE to do it across multiple characters if we so prefer?

I probably main magic type characters the most. In GW2 I mained a Sylvari Necromancer, in ESO a High Elf Sorcerer, etc. When it comes to WoW like mmorpgs, I tend to main things that are closest to white mage. In SWTOR, prior to playing FFXIV, I mained sage/sorc (for both factions). In WoW - which I tried during Legion - priest was the one I considered my main (granted, I haven't played that game since). This isn't to say I don't put a considerable amount of time into melee type classes, in SWTOR a sith warrior was my main alt (PvP mostly).

I really only play one character in most, if not all mmorpgs, but I will put time into one or two alts. That same playstyle has carried over to this game. While you can play multiple jobs here, I really only play white mage and one other dps job. While I do play tank in dungeons quite a bit, that is mostly for faster queues, adventurer in need, and achievement mount progress. Most of the jobs in this game are nothing more than a distraction, and leveling them to max is just something to mark off my list of things to do during an expansion. Crafting I've never really enjoyed, as I have found it tedious, and boring in most games. As a result, I also haven't leveled my crafters or gatherers here, even after so many years.

As for races, I will most often play an elf where possible. Almost always actually. Both single player games, and mmorpgs. I don't really like playing humans in games. Elezen aren't fully to my liking unfortunately, so I don't play it. I would have very much liked a half elezen half hyur subrace, but that wasn't meant to be. So, there isn't a race that is "for me" in this game. As someone else stated, viera are the closest to (wood) elf lore, and I do like them as well. Their restrictions have me switching back and forth off of them though. Au Ra I like aesthetically and their lore is fine, with no full on limitations, so I mostly just play as that.

How I do it? I just found what I enjoy the most, and am most comfortable playing. I suppose I like the familiar. There are many jobs here that are nice, a lot of different chances for a player to find their main. For me, if I get bored of something, I stop playing it. Aside from white mage, previously, I had played Dragoon a lot, I don't think I was very good at it, and I did not enjoy it. At the start of ShB, I was putting more time into other DPS jobs, like DNC, RDM, SAM, etc. Somebody thought I had potential while I was doing extremes, so they crafted and melded me a full set of gear for my RDM. Ever since then I have played RDM as my main DPS, and I also enjoy it well enough. You just find something that clicks with you, or you get comfortable with, and that's sort of how you find a main.

For me, elves are undoubtedly my go-to choice, but they have to be a particular breed of elf. I especially liked the Aen Elle of the Witcher cosmos, the Altmer and Dunmer of TES, the drow elves of the Forgotten Realms, the Eldar and Dark Eldar of WH40k, or above all others, the blood elves, Naga and Highborne of Warcraft. Generally, what I like about them is their existence as an ancient, long-lived, ethereal race of beings that refuse to simply fade away and continue to vie for their position in the world, be it one of dominance or mere survival. I also have a thing for races which turn to dark powers in pursuit of these aims, so I'd add the Man'ari Eredar of Warcraft to that list, and it is thus little wonder why I like the Ascians and the ancients in XIV. As I enjoy arcane magic in fantasy settings, the elves' common affinity for that further seals the deal. I'm not too fond of the vanilla D&D elf aesthetic and I like games which depart from it a bit, as Warcraft & Witcher did with their elves... blood elves were more or less ideal to me.

In terms of classes, I enjoy arcane magic-wielders and those dabbling in their darker aspects, so be it a mage, sorcerer, warlock, demonologist, necromancer, whatever, I like those. I also enjoy classes that fuse magic with swordsmanship. I tend to be least drawn to archers, gunmen etc.

XIV hasn't really got any elves I like, so I default to midlanders as they look pretty good in most gear, but I like the classically handsome features of male Au Ra, as well as their slightly devilish look, as well. Viera are a touch too effeminate for my liking. Class-wise? SMN and BLM would be the ones I enjoy most, though I wish the game had something like a Void mage. Among the other jobs, I like DRG and RPR - the latter especially for its use of darkness and heavily integrating it into its attacks. SAM and DRK to a lesser degree are also not bad jobs and have appealing aesthetics. I use WHM and PLD extensively in FL but mainly for the objective of winning; if someone has those covered, BLM is my go-to.

So I tend to go in with a rather fixed idea of what I like to play. I do try other stuff from time to time but it rarely satisfies me much.

I love this thread!

Apart from looking at jobs/professions online, I look up popularity of race/class types or what works best (like maybe something has a bonus in strength and is worse in magical abilities) and then pick whatever looks most unique that no one picks. I do not suggest this route but it is one I do. I wound up with roegadyn and still have my level 50 fantasia so I think it worked. Often the races have racials that affect their jobs/occupations but thankfully in FFXIV it doesn't matter.

In other games where you can't switch professions, it keeps things humorous to be suboptimal from the character creation screen. Not everyone does well under pressure! It gives the character a level of humility, maybe.

I pick healer or dps, whichever:
doesn't require facing a certain direction or knowing which end of boss is head/butt. doesn't obscure the screen too much
Is kind of tanky or has healing powers so I can explore the land and survive big monsters

This may sound lazy, and it is, but I use the overworld situational abilities and strengths to justify my choice of occupation.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lauront

For me, elves are undoubtedly my go-to choice, but they have to be a particular breed of elf. I especially liked the Aen Elle of the Witcher cosmos, the Altmer and Dunmer of TES, the drow elves of the Forgotten Realms, the Eldar and Dark Eldar of WH40k, or above all others, the blood elves, Naga and Highborne of Warcraft. Generally, what I like about them is their existence as an ancient, long-lived, ethereal race of beings that refuse to simply fade away and continue to vie for their position in the world, be it one of dominance or mere survival. I also have a thing for races which turn to dark powers in pursuit of these aims, so I'd add the Man'ari Eredar of Warcraft to that list, and it is thus little wonder why I like the Ascians and the ancients in XIV. As I enjoy arcane magic in fantasy settings, the elves' common affinity for that further seals the deal. I'm not too fond of the vanilla D&D elf aesthetic and I like games which depart from it a bit, as Warcraft & Witcher did with their elves... blood elves were more or less ideal to me.

---

Same. This is one thing i love about the Warcraft universe yet. The OG races are so well done, and have such rich lore. When i first started playing WoW, the Blood Elves just lept out at 11 year old me, and have hooked me to this day 14 years later. Still love my Blood Elf DH, it was my gateway into melee classes. When we got Reaper here and i started getting into it, i was just like "Wait a minute....this is literally just DH with a scythe, i got an inner demon, and enshroud is basically metamorphosis, just missing eye beam. Easy to play like DH to boot, lol!"

Ironic, i think, that i'm considering dropping healer as my main role after being unsatisfied by it this expansion, and picking up Reaper as my main job. Just as i did in WoW with my mage when i switched my main to DH. Not sure if i will, but i've been having fun as reaper, and have been dragging my feet leveling my healing jobs.

XIV doesn't really have the expansive lore for races like the warcraft universe does. Especially since it seems like everybody's spread out everywhere and nobody has roots. There's not many places that are comprised of just one demographic that gets expanded upon. There's garlemald, the viera, the xaela of the steppe, a couple of seeker tribes, and i suppose the raen under the ruby sea.

I typically play a healer and love it... except in EQ, I did change to enchanter.... because it was such a cool role.

From the description of what you enjoy, I understand ff14 doesn’t fully scratch your itch. It sounds like quite a particular flavour where customisation of classes would be more your thing. In that sense, while it’s great that one has access to all classes on one character, there’s no overlap between them, to achieve that particular end result you’d want. At least, that’s what sprang to my mind when reading your post :)

Personally I’ve always been drawn to healers with a clerical vibe, so usually I can get my fix as it’s a standard archetype. I played a cleric in EQ (and had an enchanter alt, they were indeed cool!) and a priest and paladin early WoW, and usually hunt down something similar when trying something else. There are definitely ties there to who I am as a person in the real world, so it feels comfy to slip into those characters. Fits like a glove! :D

I’ve had alts with whom I explored different themes, death knight, hunter, mage and shaman come to mind, and I created background stories for them, rp-ed on some, considered their experience of their world, their interaction with it, their personal beliefs and motivations. Very interesting. But still not ‘home’.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Averax

Same. This is one thing i love about the Warcraft universe yet. The OG races are so well done, and have such rich lore. When i first started playing WoW, the Blood Elves just lept out at 11 year old me, and have hooked me to this day 14 years later. Still love my Blood Elf DH, it was my gateway into melee classes. When we got Reaper here and i started getting into it, i was just like "Wait a minute....this is literally just DH with a scythe, i got an inner demon, and enshroud is basically metamorphosis, just missing eye beam. Easy to play like DH to boot, lol!"

Ironic, i think, that i'm considering dropping healer as my main role after being unsatisfied by it this expansion, and picking up Reaper as my main job. Just as i did in WoW with my mage when i switched my main to DH. Not sure if i will, but i've been having fun as reaper, and have been dragging my feet leveling my healing jobs.

XIV doesn't really have the expansive lore for races like the warcraft universe does. Especially since it seems like everybody's spread out everywhere and nobody has roots. There's not many places that are comprised of just one demographic that gets expanded upon. There's garlemald, the viera, the xaela of the steppe, a couple of seeker tribes, and i suppose the raen under the ruby sea.

---

Yeah, it's a great shame. For me, some of the stuff where you see ghosts of the Highborne's past, before their great cataclysm, and the Naga as their ancient Highborne selves, impressed upon me as much, if not more so, than seeing them tie the Ascians to their former existences as ancients and the reawakened ancients inside Zodiark wandering around the moon. That is the kind of thing I enjoy in a game.

WoW had good racial lore across the board, but I really loved the Highborne and all their descendant races, so much I'd love to have seen them as a faction in their own right... it also had a great selection of classes dabbling in verboten powers, be it shadow priest, warlock, demon hunter or death knight... plus you could stretch fire mages into a blood mage lorewise. Such a dire pity that game went the way it did. Little point in crying over it now I guess but I do hope an MMO that captivates me in the same way emerges one day.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hysorn

How do you do it? I usually struggle with this in most types of RPGs, from tabletops to MMORPGs, I kinda want to main one type of class, but I always have a bunch of variables in my head, for instance, I love the idea of tanks, I find enjoyable to be the protector of my friends, that how I usually am and yet I always found mage classes to be far more interesting, I mean, if you had the capability, being through birthright or through study and dedication, through research and mastery of the arcane you could alter the physical laws of the universe... Why wouldn't you, you know what I'm talking about?

At the same time, I find tank classes to be boring in games, particularly video games, and while I love the concept of a battlemage/spellsword, in most games you end up being more one than the other, including DnD where Eldritch Knight for instance will mostly use spells that improve defensives and utility.

I don't know, while it has been a blessing having multiple jobs in the same character on FFXIV, I still kinda feel the need to find that "right" job to main and I've been struggling with this decision.

---

Seems like you struggle with limited ideas of classes. No reason a tank and protector cant be steeped deeply in magic. Or a fighter. Or whatever. Most the archtypes all over are so boring and samey. DnD is especially bad with this. Theres almost no interesting variety to it. Its all the same thing.

To find that one thing takes time and knowing yourself. It doesnt help that there are such limited options to try and find that perfect fit in most games specially here. It sounds like you either wanna be the biggest baddest of whatever you can find. Like rewriting reality. Or what strikes convenient for a role at the moment. Just play whatever tickles your fancy at that moment. See what you end up playing most. Also take into account tank classes can be much more simple and boring to play which may also influence your choice. I had the same issue for years as you do until a game called RIFT and I played a Planar Rogue. That was the first time any class in any game ever “spoke to me” and felt like “this is me.” If you cant find that one class. Its cause it isnt here on this game :P