Why does everyone want Chemist as a new job?

[SeikishiYuuki]

Nothing about the Geomancer parts of SB felt like them saying that it would soon exist. They were positioned as just being another type of Astrologian for one. If anything it was them just saying "Hey guys! Astrologian is what we gave you for FFXIV's version of a Geomancer and we just went with a time mage theme instead of the land and elements theme because that wouldn't have made sense in Ishgard but here's some Geomancer lore for those of you who wanted Geomancer."

With the apothecary section of 5.3, the storyline is that a bunch of people want to become warriors of light and all the Scions gather around and discuss the merits of one such person wanting to do so by becoming a Chemist. It just feels so out of the blue and "hey guys! warriors of light can be chemists too!"

Of course it's just speculation, but something about this one feels right. I do agree that the Necromancer and Berserker rumours from the new dungeon are a lot flimsier, although the Necromancer one is fun enough to get behind just on that merit alone. Berserker speculation especially is incredibly weak since to me it's super obvious it's just a warrior.

They really weren't positioned as another kind of Astrologian, they were shown to have distinctly different types of magic and divination. They call them foils of each other, Geomancy using the earth and its songs, while Astro uses the stars and constellations. If they'd been the same there wouldn't be a point in talking about using the schools in conjunction or needing Ast's healing magic to repair the barriers. Disregarding the fact that Ganen conquered a nation with Geomancy or that Doman Geomancers pulled Garlean Airships out of the sky. Nothing about it really says I'm asian Astro outside they were featured in those questlines and both use a form of divination like their real world counter parts.

[GucciSan]

I dunno about the “I can’t think of any other time a job hint has felt so on the nose.”

I mean we have the founder of a nation being a Geomancer, a dungeon dedicated to them, you fight the deity they worship in a trial, there is a quest chain involving them and as of 5.0 there is a school in Kugane teaching people how to be a Geomancer.

This isn’t even involving the mounts, housing items and side quest text in Yanxia.

I can’t see the game implementing this much about a Named Final Fantasy staple class just to..... have it mentioned. It would be the first time in game for sure.

While there's a lot of Geo lore in game right now, most of it is found in sidequests; there's no guarantee that every player would have seen those, so that's something the team would have to take into account if they were to tease the playerbase.

If there's any place where they'd want to drop future Job hints, it'd be in the MSQ because players can't avoid it, which is where Riki-Tio's quest happens to be.

[BasicBlake]

While there's a lot of Geo lore in game right now, most of it is found in sidequests; there's no guarantee that every player would have seen those, so that's something the team would have to take into account if they were to tease the playerbase.

If there's any place where they'd want to drop future Job hints, it'd be in the MSQ because players can't avoid it, which is where Riki-Tio's quest happens to be.

I feel like you would really have to go out of your way to never see the Geomancer side content in the game.

And while you do have a point about the MSQ, I still feel it would be odd to have such a staple mentioned and put in for 3 years to have it be nothing.

[MirronTulaxia]

Honestly I don't want it. Or at least not the idea people seem to keep pushing for. I do think there are some ways they could do a Chemist-adjacent design that would be good but it's not the ones where it's X-2 aesthetically.

[BasicBlake]

Honestly I don't want it. Or at least not the idea people seem to keep pushing for. I do think there are some ways they could do a Chemist-adjacent design that would be good but it's not the ones where it's X-2 aesthetically.

I really hope we get it but in a way that surprises us honestly. All the new jobs have been/felt great so I’m sure whatever they do end up doing will be good.

[MirronTulaxia]

I really hope we get it but in a way that surprises us honestly. All the new jobs have been/felt great so I’m sure whatever they do end up doing will be good.

I mean, if we get it I think it will be surprising for a great many people with what the expectations seem to be. But I don't think that's the same as people liking it as much unfortunately.

[rachcouture]

I'd only be interested in Chemist if it took a tech-oriented turn. My only frame of reference is Final Fantasy Tactics, and if that's what we get, well... it definitely won't make me a healer main again, that's for sure.

[TheGrimace]

I want a new healer and Chemists are flashy and cool.

Let me mix and throw some potions, dammit.

[GucciSan]

I feel like you would really have to go out of your way to never see the Geomancer side content in the game.

And while you do have a point about the MSQ, I still feel it would be odd to have such a staple mentioned and put in for 3 years to have it be nothing.

Not necessarily; The AST quests give a great deal of GEO lore themselves but not everyone plays AST or even healers.

I don't mean to be dismissive of GEO altogether, just that between the two Chemist seems like biggest clue to a potential Job despite all the lore GEO has now because it was featured in the MSQ where GEO really isn't. IIRC the only MSQ related instance that every player would have experienced GEO related content is Swallow's Compass and while you can get an idea of what Geomancy is in the world of XIV it only goes so far because they're only dungeon enemies; it's no more than the enemies of the 5.3 dungeon providing lore on their own takes of the current Jobs.
The team have to accommodate for the lowest common denominator by assuming people haven't done side content and excluding it from their clues, so the GEO quests that expand the lore feel more like world building, where the Riki-Tio segment could be summed up as:

"I wanna be a Warrior of Light! One that fights with potions!"

"A Warrior of Light that fights with potions? That sounds crazy, but it just might work! And we work hard enough one day there will be potion wielding WoL everywhere!"

[hydralus]

First of all, it's too similar to the DOH Alchemist with the whole potion-crafting theme.

Never stopped them from adding dancer despite that being every miqo'te's job since 1.0

On a more serious note, I'd like the aesthetics. Throwing potions sounds gnarly.