Job Crystals for Squadron Members?

[Krotoan]

That you take other adventurers with you into (most) dungeons is canon. That they bear soul stones is not. There is exactly one non-Padjali WHM in the world.

You're able to "handwave" away that your retainer is a WHM on player convenience but not for squadron members? Their adventures are quite non-canon as far as I know as well considering that the stories that play while you do your squad runs of course cannot be canon since you've run those adventures already. I don't see any reason it cannot be done or shouldn't be done.

[Rongway]

You're able to "handwave" away that your retainer is a WHM on player convenience but not for squadron members? Their adventures are quite non-canon as far as I know as well considering that the stories that play while you do your squad runs of course cannot be canon since you've run those adventures already. I don't see any reason it cannot be done or shouldn't be done.

It sounds like you meant to quote my earlier reply, because the post you actually quoted is less to your rebuttal.

Retainers get jobs because we get gear that is job-specific, and if the retainers don't get jobs, then we can't give them some of our gear when we're done with it. Retainer jobs exist strictly for the convenience of the player.

Squadron members don't have that same need. Without jobs, they can still be given (and in some cases, already have been given) abilities that a player cannot use as the same class and level. So they don't need jobs.

[Krotoan]

It sounds like you meant to quote my earlier reply, because the post you actually quoted is less to your rebuttal.

Retainers get jobs because we get gear that is job-specific, and if the retainers don't get jobs, then we can't give them some of our gear when we're done with it. Retainer jobs exist strictly for the convenience of the player.

Squadron members don't have that same need. Without jobs, they can still be given (and in some cases, already have been given) abilities that they cannot use as their classes or as their current level. So they don't need jobs.

What I'm saying is it's not exactly game breaking to allow it. While I don't think there's an urgent need I don't see why this couldn't be considered. But on the OPs original question: I don't think we've heard anything about them implementing this.

[KisaiTenshi]

You're able to "handwave" away that your retainer is a WHM on player convenience but not for squadron members? Their adventures are quite non-canon as far as I know as well considering that the stories that play while you do your squad runs of course cannot be canon since you've run those adventures already. I don't see any reason it cannot be done or shouldn't be done.

That's because in the grand context of the game, the retainers don't exist. They're a prop, not a player. Nobody else can see your retainer unless you own a house and park them outside it. You can't take them into dungeons.

The Squadron, other players can't see either, but unlike the retainers, the characters you recruit are all "existing" people in the game, and you can take them into dungeons.

SE just painted themselves into a corner with now classes/jobs work. They either need to retrofit a reason to give them a job stone, or they need to create a precursor class for Astrologian, Machinist, Red Mage, Dark Knight, and Samurai

Or they can bend things just a little. The entire purpose of the Class -> Job is a throw back to Wizardry that FF1 used up to FF5. Where in Wizardry it let you either do a full on upgrade of the base class, or you could pick a job that was a merger of two classes.

I don't expect the squadron to ever be playable on the field, nor do I expect them to be brought into 8-player trials or raids. So that means they should be able to have any job YOU do not have.

[basketofseals]

The most basic, and probably cynical, reason is probably because this won't improve performance at all.

Squadron AIs seem to operate on an VERY simple AI Roulette with just a few modifiers like healers prioritizing esuna way too much or melee DPS missing 3 GCDs just to land a positional. I can easily see MNKs formshifting at random. Squadrons also lack cooldowns for whatever reason, and it may not seem obvious now, but it'll be noticeable by everyone when a WHM uses assize every 15 seconds. Personally my favorite was my WAR who kept alive at 1 HP for 20 seconds by spamming holmgang.

[Raldo]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned DRG as another job that would have trouble, from a lore perspective, allowing squad members to be the job. The lore seems adamant that there is only ever one "Azure Dragoon" (are there other dragoon colors?) except in a small handful of cases where there are two. Even if there were other dragoon job stones, you know Ishgard has that stuff on lockdown.

Personally, I'm fine with hand-waving away the ability for squad members to be jobs, similar to the retainer argument.

The most basic, and probably cynical, reason is probably because this won't improve performance at all.

Counterpoint: There are a variety of important actions that are job-specific (and EVERYTHING above 50 is job-specific) and as such, not available to classes. If they plan on continuing to raise the cap for the squad, they should really allow them to be jobs instead of classes, as they will continue to be less and less useful as the levels increase. Tank stances, Blizzard 3, anything involving Aetherflow stacks... all job actions. Perhaps they wouldn't need the AI to be able to spam the same actions over and over and over again if they actually gave them access to the same kit that players have.

[basketofseals]

To all the BLMs out there: Could you imagine not having Bliz3? I feel bad for our THM squad members.

They can feel sorry for themselves on the bench they've been put on since the beginning.

Have you payed close attention to what they do? More abilities isn't going to make them more effective. They aren't even effective with the abilities they have. There's a reason ARC is the god-king of squadron members even after the engage nerf. The other classes spend too much time doing nothing. They only have a few dead abilities: invigorate, diversion, tactician, and refresh. I don't think I've ever seen them use second wind, and they thankfully use tactician and refresh infrequently. On the other hand I've seen my ROG go true north, bloodbath, shadewalker, diversion, blood bath, second wind, and by the time he finished the mob was already dead.

[Aquaslash]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned DRG as another job that would have trouble, from a lore perspective, allowing squad members to be the job. The lore seems adamant that there is only ever one "Azure Dragoon" (are there other dragoon colors?) except in a small handful of cases where there are two. Even if there were other dragoon job stones, you know Ishgard has that stuff on lockdown.

Personally, I'm fine with hand-waving away the ability for squad members to be jobs, similar to the retainer argument.

I'm pretty sure Dragoons are the elite Ishgardian military, and the Azure Dragoon is just the one allowed to use the Nidhogg eye.

[Rowde]

I'm pretty sure Dragoons are the elite Ishgardian military, and the Azure Dragoon is just the one allowed to use the Nidhogg eye.

Yeah, it's been awhile, but wasn't that pretty much the DRG class story in HW, we were taking a pupil under our wing to train to be a DRG... I mean, she jumps, right?

On topic, I'm in favor of Squadron members gaining access to Job Crystals. As others have said, if my retainer can do it the I don't see any reason why my squadron shouldn't be able to either.

[BillyKaplan]

That's because in the grand context of the game, the retainers don't exist.

The Scions basically told you to join them because they'll let you use retainers if you do. That is the single way in which they even remotely lived up to their promise to help you with your ventures instead of the other way around. So I'd say your retainers are top notch canon.

Nobody else can see your retainer unless you own a house and park them outside it.

Or they have something up on the MB in which case everyone on my server can see their name on the MB listing, clear as day.

You can't take them into dungeons.

My FSH retainer is farming Ravana ex, donno about yours.

SE just painted themselves into a corner with now classes/jobs work. They either need to retrofit a reason to give them a job stone, or they need to create a precursor class for Astrologian, Machinist, Red Mage, Dark Knight, and Samurai

With the exception of DRK, none of those jobs should have any trouble giving you extra Soul Crystals depending on where you are in the story. MCH is a brand new job and we can safely assume anyone with the title has a Soul Crystal just like how you do (MCH is basically a class but has a Soul Crystal because that's how this game works). SAM I dare say falls under a similar issue, but once you're buddies with the Samurai in Kugane it's not unthinkabe you can get extra Soul Crystas for your retainers should you vouche for them. BLMs we know of several active Soul Crystals, likely there are more. SCHs, just talk to your buddies in the Wanderer's Palace, etc, etc. Even for WHMs it's not that only Padjals can be WHMs, it's they're the only ones allowed to be. But we don't know if they have in their possession all the Soul Crystals. Hell it didn't look like the Seedseers even knew the Soul Crystal you have was in the tree where you found it. You could've easily found a long lost one during a venture into the Amdapori dungeons. Any other job you can basically get more Soul Crystals by talking to your mentor who gave you one in the first place.

The only job where this logic falls the shortest isn't WHM, it's actually DRK, but seeing how you basically found yours lying on the floor in the street, maybe you found another one for your retainer lmao. Or, given that your squad-mates supposedly had adventures before joining, they could've had their own job quest already.

tl;dr there's nothing stopping squadmates from having job and many of the quests actually support this sort of thing, relying on your character vouching for your squad mates. Soul Crystals must be handed back upon discharge from the squad.