Feedback on 4.05 Scholar

[inhaledcorn]

I had made a similar suggestion myself with the Fairy Gauge as it really does feel underutilized at the moment. A lot of fairy skills are very important, and gating them behind a cooldown makes them less useful. In addition, this makes the argument of "well, Whispering Dawn is free" less valid as there's more than just a cooldown cost. In addition, I would like the fairies themselves get some love. I'd like some tweaks to the levels at which they learn skills and which skills they learn. For example, an AoE regen is absolutely OP in lower levels and is really not needed there. Granted, this could be locked behind the fairy gauge which could be unavailable until level 30 which could balance that out a bit. However, I feel like the fairies themselves are not well defined. Why does a "healing" fairy have two support skills (a magic defense buff and a healing magic buff)? Why does the "support" fairy have a skill that heals statuses? I'd like to see, for Eos, Whispering Dawn moved up to the level 40 slot, the Esuna skill at 20 (and no longer AoE, it's target command), and the level 1 slot a Medica of sorts while giving the magic defense to Selene. Selene gets single target damage reduction at 1, healing boost at 20, and Fey's Wind (while increasing the potency to 5% and reducing TP cost by 30%) at its current level. I also agree that, with these changes, Embrace should add to the Fairy gauge on top of using Aetherflow actions. Embrace could add 5 points while Aetherflow continues to add 10.

On top of all of this, it seems they're trying to push SCH into a reactionary heal spot, but it lacks the tools to actually do this. I think they're afraid of lowering the cost of Adlo because of how strong Crit-lo under Deployment is. If that's the case, I'd like to see a few things happen:

1) give the SCH a Cure II and Medica equivelent or (my prefered change) make Emergency Tactics a toggle-buff. SCH's can't be really good reactionary healers without Cure II or Medica equivelent, instead relying on Indom and Lustrate to do it. Using those as main heals undermines what they're meant to be: emergency heals. If they decide to go the Emergency Tactics toggle buff route, then make it so that the MP costs of Adlo and Succor while under the effect of Emergency Tactics is reduced.

2) Deployment change: If they don't want us to Deploy Crit-los so much, then make it either: a guaranteed crit chance on the next Adlo or Succor or make the next Physick cast a pure Galvanize shield. This keeps the shielding aspect of SCH alive but makes Deployment less OP in the one circumstance that SE is so afraid of.

3) Adlo and Succor changes: Current, the base shield is only equal to the healed amount. How about 150% of the healed amount is the Galvanize strength. In addition, Succor also gets the Crit shield bonus of 200%. While AST shields are still overall stronger, SCH shields are nothing to sneeze at.

4) Fey's Union: One last look at the fairies, Fey's Union is really underwhelming. I'd like there to be a different effect depending on the fairy. If it's Eos, the current effect is maintained, but 1) it can be affected by healing boosts, and 2) the target takes 15% reduced damage while under the effect. It's not much, but it does allow the SCH to put out more personal dps while the fairy is locked up. For Selene, it's instead a 15% damage boost on whomever is tethered. It's a risky venture, but one that can be worth it if you can maintain it.

Edit: I like the idea of Dissipation completely filling up the Fairy gauge after a resummon, though. I had originally suggested that it acts like a SAM's Meditate if we go with the Fairy gauge changes (it locks up the fairy to grant Fairy gauge and can be additionally canceled after another button press).

[Riyshn]

/snip

Please no. Can we please stop trying to homogenize the healers? 'Cause that's all most of your suggestions would do.

(Running out the door for work, will explain more what I mean when I get home tonight, assuming someone else hasn't by then.)

[inhaledcorn]

Please no. Can we please stop trying to homogenize the healers? 'Cause that's all most of your suggestions would do.

There y'all go again with "BUH MUH HOMOGENIZATION-"

STOP. You throw that word around without understanding what it is I'm asking for. I'm asking for SCH getting the same tools to heal the same content that the other two have. I don't see y'all crying that "BUH BENEFIC II IS JUST CURE II AND PHYSIC AND BENEFIC ARE JUST CURE!" I don't see y'all complaining, "BUH CHAIN STRATAGEM IS JUST A DPS INCREASE LIKE THE BALANCE!" or "BUH INDOM IS JUST ASSIZE! AND TETRA IS JUST LUSTRATE!" But as soon as I ask for the same basic healing tools as the other two, we can't have that or else every healing job is just WHM with a fancy skin.

It's not like SCH has a pet with its own set of cooldowns or AST has cards or anything. NOPE THEY'RE ALL THE FREAKING SAME. It's not like WAR got a gap closer because DRK got one and WARs wanted one too. It's not like all Melee jobs have gap closers, or, before the cross role system, every job had Stuns. Or, before the role system, BRD and MCH both had TP/MP restore. Or RDM and SMN can both raise people. They're all the same jobs, right? Why does anyone play MCH or BRD when NIN can already hit enemies with Vuln up?

Why should SCH pigeonholed into the off heal spot when they potentially have the tools to be either? That's what I'm asking for. Granted, WHM does not have the tools available to be an off-heal, and that's something WHM does have the right to be upset about. But, maybe the expansion there will be a more pure shield healer. That's what originally SCH did, but it's clear they want to move SCH away from that. Then, fine, do that, but give the SCH tools to let it be the healer SE is trying to make them.

"BUH STRATERGY-" I GOT IT. YES, SCH'S LORE STATES ITS STRATEGIC, BUT IT WAS NEVER A PURE SHIELDING CLASS BECAUSE THE FAIRY ALWAYS EXISTED. Its shields were fine in 2.0 because they were the only healing job that had shields attached to heals. WHM covered the bulk of the healing that the SCH couldn't handle - and it was fine because they were the only two healers in the game. HOWEVER, that changed when 3.0 rolled around and we got the AST, then 3.4 happened and AST's shields were just flat-out better than the SCHs. People complain that SCH no longer has an identity as a healer, so I'm suggesting one - flexibility. They can main heal and off heal at the same time, but they lack the raw healing power, cooldowns, and support the other two have, they just make up for it with more oGCD healing.

You wanna talk to me about homogenization, fine, but don't throw that word around like it's a bad thing. Don't throw that word around like giving everyone the same tools means they use them the same. Look at Smash. Everyone has - a standard A jab, directional attacks, directional chargeable attacks (smash attacks), a neutral aerial, directional aerials, and 4 specials tied to neutral, side directionals, and up and down directionals. Despite that, THEY ALL USE THEM DIFFERENTLY. The only ones who are basically the same are the clones, and even then, a lot of their attacks have functional differences. Marth and Lucina, despite having the exact same movesets function very differently from each other. Marth wants to fight where he can land the tip of his sword for the most damage, while Lucina can fight at any range with her sword. Roy, though decloned, is still very similar to Marth moveset wise, but he fights up close to get the most out of his sword.