RIP Ninja

[AzraelX]

ok so after a day of thinking about it... and yes I was with you guys about positionals with the madra lag. They didn't show all the moves.. they probably left 1 or two of the flashier OMG moves from each job to not spoil it for us. I know alot of people choose ninja b/c of no positionals but if they are not that many (equal or less than dragoon)- i can deal with it. Remember they made these changes with lv. 60 end game content in mind. I'm guessing they did testing with ninja- lets face it with the speed skill change coming- two things are clear. 1.) Our DOTs are getting hit harder 2.) we are going to be hella fast!. Since we can stand in one spot and we will be the fastest class - we would be too op/ super easy class. Only way to slow us down is to either add some positionals or add cast times- I'm happy with the former. Lets wait and see. If its as bad as you guys say it is- then i'm raging with you. The JAP forums are raging also, so you aren't alone.

[Taranok]

Leveling nin I actually got killed by it once. Second boss in Dzaemel, I hit assassinate and then he immediately after targeted me with firewater. And the guy next to me. Got hit by two while movement locked and fell over dead straight off. Best part? Guy next to me had limit broke and was also movement locked, so we both died. Obviously, given assassinate + LB the boss was pretty low so the tank and healer just finished off the last 3% or whatever of his health. Was still pretty amusing, though.

Never actually died from getting locked in with a jump, though. Have taken hits, but not actually died.

It's gotten me killed a few times, notably if I run Titan due to the high uptime of a lot of "You will die if hit from this attack," abilities. Throw in that Ninja isn't my main, and it's a bit easier to understand why it's a problem for me. It's possible to plan around it, but the actual lock just feels arbitrary instead of a fun or balance-based mechanic, much like limit breaks do.

we would be too op/ super easy class.

Now this won't be a popular opinion, but let's say the Ninja would be super op because it was easy but just as good a DPS class as any other DPS out there without this change to positionals.

Why is this a problem? No, seriously, why is this a problem? As long as the class doesn't break PVE or PVP balance, what is so intrinsically wrong with any class being easier than another?

Let's look at the 2 tank classes, the Paladin and Warrior. Most people prefer the Paladin. It's much safer, easier, and simpler. To call it an "overpowered" class isn't exactly wrong, though not entirely right either. And yet, despite being the popular, "easy" class, a lot of people actually still play the Warrior, and in many respects it can still be "required" or, at least, recommended to clear content. Warriors are much harder to play well than a paladin, but they can do the same job almost exactly the same as a paladin, with the major noteworthy mechanic being it's hard to keep alive in some situations and they don't have a panic button to say the least (Holmgang is nowhere near as good as Hallowed Ground).

And yet, despite the Warrior being 'inferior' to the Paladin in many respects, ignoring its advantage of raw self-healing and substantially higher MT damage, it is still used and as viable as the much easier Paladin.

It's kind of like the concept oft a so-called noob-tube when compared to other options in a well-balanced FPS. It's an easy option, it's fun in and of itself, but it's not the best. Part of designing a multiplayer game and designing it well is to not make everything equally as skill-intensive regardless of the actual effectiveness of any weapon involved. In PVP games, usually you want the low-skill items to be worse overall, but in a PVE game you can afford to make them all equally as viable.

I don't feel that the Ninja should necessarily be this class due to what the name Ninja implies, but this is closer to where it falls presently within the game itself.

For people who don't want the "Easier" class, there are other options. And those other options can be better or worse depending on context. Maybe some of the power should come from support instead of raw damage, maybe it should come from a lack of it. Ultimately, at the end of the day, having a class be easier than another isn't bad game design. On the contrary, it's actually good, as it allows every player regardless of personal skill level play the game at more or less similar levels. The idea is to just make sure that they're not vastly superior than other options in the process. It's only then that the real problem shows up.