Ideas for Samurai

[Kenji_Shiratsuki]

I actually agree with this. Going back through the series, Samurai wasn't so much the monster dps machine that people know from FFXI, but was more a master of techniques designed to disable or otherwise hinder the opponent. This is the samurai I'd like to see if it were to be a dps. We already have enough brute physical dps jobs. I'd rather it be a tank, but if it must be a dps, let's have it be a dps with a tactical flair.

This is quite true, and I certainly think that could be something useful. The problem is, raid bosses are largely immune to debuffs. Virus works once a minute on anything, Rage of Halone and other tank debuffs work constantly but that's only a 10% damage reduction or slashing resistance down (or piercing or bludgeoning for DRG and MNK). SAM would have to be able to put debuffs on that others can't. But then ask yourself one other thing... Where does that leave Red Mage?! Red Mages were the enfeebling and enhancing masters in XI, and if that role was unavailable to them here, what would they end up doing? DPS and Healing are totally different roles, so a job that could do both at any given time would be TOO useful, and even if they could only switch "stances" by being out of battle, that still lets them be a little too flexible for other jobs' comfort.

This is one reason I don't think SAM should be a major debuffer. FFT is my favorite FF game and while I'd love to see Kiai's or Iaijutsu for debuffs come into play...I think it's not something the team wants to do in the first place, or if they do, they want to leave that job for red mage.

[Zophar]

Where does that leave Red Mage?! Red Mages were the enfeebling and enhancing masters in XI

My answer to that, is the same as my answer will be to any such question. To hell with XI. this is XIV. It should never try to be XI. These jobs should be designed from the ground up to be their own thing, and should never, ever be designed based on what XI made them. And for the most part, that is what they've tried to do.

Most SAM WS came with some sort of debuff attached, slow, paralyze, silence, etc. The player base just generally ignored them.

SE didn't really abandon the idea, and it could easily come back.

This is a true statement. Most jobs did in fact. But the problem is, the WS system in XI was, at best, poorly designed, and in that game, anything that didn't maximize your dps was wrong. Every job had like, 20 weapon skills, of which they would use 2, maybe 3. This game did it better, and with, few exceptions, such as feint on drg for example, you could use your support attacks with minimal effect on your overall dps.

[Kenji_Shiratsuki]

My answer to that, is the same as my answer will be to any such question. To hell with XI. this is XIV. It should never try to be XI. (etc..)

You didn't address my statement. A lot people want Red Mage in this game and, so far, the only way it's worked semi-successfully in an MMORPG is as a buff/debuff caster. It was many other things in other games, but in an MMORPG many of those things it was are not possible due to class balancing. I'm not saying this game needs to be like XI, I'm saying that if the Samurai job focuses on impairing mobs, including many ways of landing debuffs on bosses that don't exist for other classes, that being their unique role, like Bards are super-mobile ranged DPS, then what is left to be unique to Red Mage? I think it would be harder to think up a legit role for RDM other than debuffing/support, than it would be to think up something else fitting for SAM. That said, they could share the same role.