E3 live letter

[Lambdafish]

I feel like role actions would be better if we just learned them by level and had them, without having to set them, basically the same as learning a normal ability on a job but shared across all jobs in that role.

E.G. learn esuna at level 5, learned protect at level 10, clerics at 15, etc. etc.

I'd much rather have this current system than that one. This one allows a degree of choice, as opposed to having a cookie cutter skill option. For fights where specific role actions are needed, I have to make the decision to sacrifice other skills to make room, and I feel like this system has the potential to be really interesting from that point of view. What they need to do is remove the mandatory skills (shirk is not mandatory, but protect and provoke are) and think up some new role actions, even damaging abilities would allow for more interesting choice.

Some role actions that could exist:

Increased movement speed for X seconds (its extra sprint)
Some limited form of Aetherial Manipulation
Remove Onslaught and move Plunge to role skills

and that's just off the top of my head

[Saraphin]

snip

One Plunge should not be moved to Cross Role. yes, PLD's don't have a gap closer, but they are the only ones with a native gcd stun. among other things. yes, it sucks that PLD gave up stuff and didn't seem to get much back, but...let's be honest, they've become a power house and a CR gap closer would probably just be too powerful. Plunge also seems to be part of the Identity of the DRK, just like low blow was, but that got CR'd, so i can't see giving both of them up.

There are a LOT of jobs that gave up a ton to the CR that were native before SB and there have been many complaints, but no, I don't think taking a signature move away from any job is the answer. Next thing, you're going to say "I want Jump" or "I want Spine shatter dive" as a gap closer (sarcasm, sorry, but it's a similar point, signature gap closing move)

Also: get your Tank Issues out of the Healer Forums :P (lol now this is a joke)

[Lambdafish]

but they are the only ones with a native gcd stun.

Shield bash hasn't been relevant for a while FYI. Having a stun on the GCD will never be relevant because if it ever was PLD would be a requirement, and given that we now have a role action that stuns (low blow), shield bash is basically worthless. Tempered Will would have been a better example, but even then, WAR has an anti knockback skill too, and I'd rather make plunge a role action and give DRK an anti knockback effect to compensate (just a random idea: make it a dark arts trigger on dark mind).

Not really, you're still relatively pigeonholed into taking certain abilities in certain fights. At most you swap out one or 2 but there are undoubtedly "required" role skills.

I know, and thats the part I don't like about this system. To me, the perfect solution would be to have to types of role action. Learned, and optional. Skills like provoke and esuna are learned automatically, and don't need to be chosen, but then the player will choose "bonus" skills that work exactly as role actions do now, and I would like a larger variety of them to make the choice more difficult and meaningful.

[whiskeybravo]

I'd much rather have this current system than that one. This one allows a degree of choice, as opposed to having a cookie cutter skill option.

Not really, you're still relatively pigeonholed into taking certain abilities in certain fights. At most you swap out one or 2 but there are undoubtedly "required" role skills.

I have sorta mixed feelings on the whole situation. Things like Protect, it's always been a FF staple ability and on some level I would miss just seeing the icon, even if there wasn't a noticeable difference in damage without it. It's like a comfort blanket of sorts lol. But I can't deny the game would probably be slightly better without it, at least for healers. I think Esuna was fine as a regular skill, too. The only goofy thing before was SCH not having it until much later than WHM/AST.

I personally think they need to look at adding things like smokescreen and shadewalker, which are in a sense "true" role skills for raid utility. Some things should be more spread out, like NIN is great but do they really need all the raid utility for themselves? Same thing with BRD/MCH which they did somewhat address with refresh & TP songs, it makes them too mandatory and unnecessarily enforces a specific comp to aim for. So if they are going to address Role Skills I'd rather see them make raid utilities more evenly spread across jobs and get rid of the niche abilities like Crutch/Erase, foot/leg/head/arm graze, Drain, Break, etc. These moves don't really have much bearing on any sort of relevant content. The one add that needs to be silenced can be taken care of by an OT. Either that or make opportunities to use them more than once per calendar year.

IDK, just my 2 pennies.