See these rifles? Give em to a new healer!

[Molitva]

I'm fine with whatever, so long as the weapon serves the purpose. A long rifle just doesn't fit the sort of combat situations, within the contexts we've seen from XIV, you'd expect a Medic to fit in. Heck, with ranges as short as we have, it's hard to figure how it'd feel right for the game at all until we can bring in larger-area encounters and quite possibly stuff like open-world strategic raids of mob camps, kiting, ambushing, and the whole gamut.

A slingshot throwing potions? Sure. A one-handed repeater? Why not? A pistol that just fires actually bullets but leaves the other hand free to throw potions, casks, and grenades (which you could then shoot out of the air for whatever effect)? Of course. Just don't give the weapon an obvious apparent advantage that would then see zero use on the job you've given it to.

We have bards/mages who use long casting magic/long bows. These are the exact same thing as a long range rifle. It will fit perfectly fine. People keep forgetting that this game has zero in the realism department. we fight close range with these classes all the time and I dont see people making a peep about that. Lets not forget that we have the dancer as well that throws hand to hand weapons never meant for throwing at enemies and always gets them back. Remember this is a fantasy game. A rifle on a healer will fit right in.

[Molitva]

I would like to bring to this forums attention the fact that in the real world we do use rifles in close range combat. The training for it is called cqb and miltary forces all across the world train in it. It would not be odd in the slightest to see that happen in a fantasy world. If we can have skimpy cat girls and giant robots with machine guns is a healer with a rifle really that outlandish?

[FallenWings]

Just because it is "fantasy" doesn't mean it should completely throw out any baseline logic or laws. Yes there are outlandish examples but they're all within believable reason and are still flavorful to classic fantasy tropes.

It's enjoyable to have some grounded ideas such as axes being used for slicing and not casting fire/thunder/ice magic or people not running around as a rainbow unicorn knight that blow bubbles that instantly vaporize anything it touches.

Dart rifles sure. Not high caliber gunpowder based firearms that would more likely shoot whatever needle through your companions rather than safely injecting the healing fluid you would want as a healer.

[Shurrikhan]

If we can have skimpy cat girls and giant robots with machine guns is a healer with a rifle really that outlandish?

It is at the very least a worst fit than a job that would waste fewer weapon advantages or a weapon that would provide more job advantages.

Neither giving it a magic-boom-boom stick nor a belt-fired obelisk lazer would be "too outlandish" for the game. That doesn't mean we have to settle for a lesser fit or something that contradicts its own aesthetics just because the game sets wide parameters.

[Enkidoh]

I think players need to just stop using FF Tactics for ideas on how Jobs should be implemented in FFXIV, as each FF game handles the series' reoccuring elements differently to each other, and FFT being a game with a completely different design paradigm to FFXIV (FFT is a single-player turn-based isometric strategy RPG; FFXIV a MMORPG), so where a certain idea that may work well in one, may not work well at all in the other - the concept of BLU is a good example of this.

As for the flintlock rifles on the wall in the Coral Tower, that's because that place was meant to be the guild for the long-planned but never implemented 'Musketeer' class (the MSK class logo is still hanging from the Tower's wall to boot!). Whatever SE had developed for the class ended up being cannibalized for MCH though so sadly MSK I think it now will never be implemented.

And at least one gunblade for GNB is clearly a flintlock rifle with a very long bayonet attached.

And the final word on a 'Chemist' class in the game? Technically it's already in the game, as ALC, albeit as a Disciple of the Hand, not War or Magic (having said that I guess anything is possible, but if a hypothetical DoW/DoM Chemist was implemented into FFXIV, you can bet it would not be called 'Chemist' for that reason, to avoid confusion with ALC - more likely it would be called something like 'Apothecarian' or something).

[Molitva]

I think its just a shame that this community sees nothing awkward about a half naked person with a sword fighting a giant robot with huge guns or a mage using highly explosvie magic but something as normal as a rifle is crossing the line. There is nothing fitting about swords fighting giant futuristic robots or people who lack armor. Nothing fitting about this in the slightest. Yet it is there and people accept it. I will not give up on this idea however. If we can have bikini warriors and hi sci-fi robots with guns and lets not forget some them even fire lasers along with super explosive magic we can have something as normal as a rifle for a healer or any class for the matter. I wont bring up any more debates on the matter. I understand why some people would not agree with this but if we can have all of this crazy stuff then normal things should not be an issue. Let me make this clear I do not have an issue with anyone and I hope my posts do not come off as such. We simply do not all share the same tastes.

[Molitva]

I think players need to just stop using FF Tactics for ideas on how Jobs should be implemented in FFXIV, as each FF game handles the series' reoccuring elements differently to each other, and FFT being a game with a completely different design paradigm to FFXIV (FFT is a single-player turn-based isometric strategy RPG; FFXIV a MMORPG), so where a certain idea that may work well in one, may not work well at all in the other - the concept of BLU is a good example of this.

As for the flintlock rifles on the wall in the Coral Tower, that's because that place was meant to be the guild for the long-planned but never implemented 'Musketeer' class (the MSK class logo is still hanging from the Tower's wall to boot!). Whatever SE had developed for the class ended up being cannibalized for MCH though so sadly MSK I think it now will never be implemented.

And at least one gunblade for GNB is clearly a flintlock rifle with a very long bayonet attached.

And the final word on a 'Chemist' class in the game? Technically it's already in the game, as ALC, albeit as a Disciple of the Hand, not War or Magic (having said that I guess anything is possible, but if a hypothetical DoW/DoM Chemist was implemented into FFXIV, you can bet it would not be called 'Chemist' for that reason, to avoid confusion with ALC - more likely it would be called something like 'Apothecarian' or something).

The only reason I have been using these classes/characters as an example is that I believed it would make things easier for people to visualize. Sharla from the xenoblade chronicles is the best visual example I can possibly give to show what im talking about. The whole medic concept already exists in a fantasy format. Granted she uses a sniper rifle but its close enough a rifle is a rifle. Now if I was a talented artist I would simply draw everything up and post it. I am nowhere near that talented as an artist yet. Just drawing derpy robots. Maybe someday I can bring this idea to life.

[Risvertasashi]

Throwing potions is exactly what chemists did in Final Fantasy Tactics. The gun was their weapon for attacking enemies like you mention. There they took potions from your inventory, which to me doesn't seem to be as good of a gimmick (and best potions aren't exactly at the level of healing spells) and instead I'd love to see instead mixing potions similar to mudra or dances.

If Chemist came to FF14, and came as a potion thrower, I would imagine they would be as limited as a bard's arrows or a machinist's bullets.

Potion mixing isn't a bad idea for a class mechanic.

[Molitva]

If Chemist came to FF14, and came as a potion thrower, I would imagine they would be as limited as a bard's arrows or a machinist's bullets.

Potion mixing isn't a bad idea for a class mechanic.

This idea is the easy part. That hard part seems to be the weapon. People just are not keen on it for some reason or another. Even though you just explained exactly how it would work from a fighting standpoint in one sentence.

[Molitva]

I would love to be Ana, from Overwatch, or Sharla, from Xenoblade!
I really like gun/tech jobs, which is why MCH has been my go to dps since HW. I'm all up for a Healer with some sort of ranged ammunition.

Perhaps bring back those Measure Weapons from XII if guns for healers are "too immersion breaking"

Ive always enjoyed watching a monster or corrupt diety/Mage get absolutely demolished by modern technology in a fantasy setting. Be it a gun or a machine such as a tank no magic can withstand the might of technology!