does scholar lacks in its aesthetic compared to the other healers?

[Szylver]

Don't get me wrong. i love Eos and Seraph especially but in the skills department i think they are a bit outdated. For example excogitation, its that money coming out of it?.

[NobleWinter]

I was under the impression that Excogitation was the Scholar ripping pages from their book to give the target. Once the effect triggers it seems an explosion of those pages flies upward. As for the general Aesthetic of Scholar it is definitely a bit bland. Art of War is the main offender but Succor, Adlo, Physick, Indomitability, and Lustrate are all easily forgettable.

[AnotherPerson]

Don't get me wrong. i love Eos and Seraph especially but in the skills department i think they are a bit outdated. For example excogitation, its that money coming out of it?.

I think the main dissociation is the naming convention, lol. (Though Art of War is pretty lackluster).

SCH's thematic is that they are strategists, and their strategies/plans are all written in their Codex (main weapon is a book). The central animation of SCH's skills is that you're activating the plans written inside the book. It makes more sense when you think of it that way. The Japanese version of the skill names all fit with this thematic, though most of them are named with "plans / methods" instead. The English translation gives power to the words themselves to indicate the purpose of the skill's intended effect, which isn't as easily understandable at times since the concept is more abstract and vague.

EX:
Indomitability - 不撓不屈の策 (Fudōfukutsu no saku) - Indomitable plan
Lustrate - 生命活性法 (Seimei kassei-hō) - Life activation method

The word of Excogitation means to "think out, plan, or devise." This skill is a literal representation of the meaning, with SCH's written plans in the book taking form as an aetherial page. This page is then being given into someone as a delayed healing buff.

The Japanese translation to the skill is "Far sight and deep design​ plan"... which is a bit more easier to understand when you see the skill's effect, but the skill's naming would imply it's a plan from your book - so the animation is also more intuitive that it's a page you're giving to someone else and not money.

[Szylver]

I think the main dissociation is the naming convention, lol. (Though Art of War is pretty lackluster).

SCH's thematic is that they are strategists, and their strategies/plans are all written in their Codex (main weapon is a book). The central animation of SCH's skills is that you're activating the plans written inside the book. It makes more sense when you think of it that way. The Japanese version of the skill names all fit with this thematic, though most of them are named with "plans / methods" instead. The English translation gives power to the words themselves to indicate the purpose of the skill's intended effect, which isn't as easily understandable at times since the concept is more abstract and vague.

EX:
Indomitability - 不撓不屈の策 (Fudōfukutsu no saku) - Indomitable plan
Lustrate - 生命活性法 (Seimei kassei-hō) - Life activation method

The word of Excogitation means to "think out, plan, or devise." This skill is a literal representation of the meaning, with SCH's written plans in the book taking form as an aetherial page. This page is then being given into someone as a delayed healing buff.

The Japanese translation to the skill is "Far sight and deep design​ plan"... which is a bit more easier to understand when you see the skill's effect, but the skill's naming would imply it's a plan from your book - so the animation is also more intuitive that it's a page you're giving to someone else and not money.

Oh i see, thats cool and makes sense. Still i think the skills need a remodel or something to look more appealing to the player. AST card system and spells look really pretty, WHM elemental spells and the light spells also look really nice compared to SCH Broil and Biolysis.

[Teno]

At the moment it lacks in both visual and gameplay aesthetics. I feel like the hands gestures and postures have always looked good for the most part, but come shadowbringers and we received the terrible art of war, and spamming broil certainly doesn't look as good as spamming glare now. I don't mind the more simple visual approach to scholar but as it stands a bunch of spells look silly/rehashed.

[GrimGale]

Oh i see, thats cool and makes sense. Still i think the skills need a remodel or something to look more appealing to the player. AST card system and spells look really pretty, WHM elemental spells and the light spells also look really nice compared to SCH Broil and Biolysis.

It's a matter of taste, it's hard to find something that appeals to everybody.

SCH character animations work for me- The quick and sharp hand movements, the pointing and commanding gestures are perfect for a tactitian fantasy. (They also fit very well for a more "masculine" character like a hrothgar or a roegadyn, as opposed to the graceful and light movements of an WHM or an AST. Not that there is anything wrong with a graceful giant, I just don't happen to personally like it.)

In terms of spell effects, I would't say SCH lacks flash. Indomitability and Seraph/Consolation are very bright and sparkly animations. Broil III and Biolysis are darker yes, but they are also have pretty elaborate effects with the sigils and runes which fit with the "magic writing" aesthetic. The old Art of war is definitely lacking, and Art of War II isn't exactly spectacular but at least fits better with the rest of the aesthetic.

Honestly, I am personally fine with the magic runes and "knowledge" aesthetic of SCH. The only thing I don't like about SCH's aesthetic is the fairy spells. I am fine with the butterfly particle effects of Fey Blessing, considering it's a fairy ability, but for example I don't like the looks of our future ability "Expedient".

For an ability that gives a speed buff , I was expecting a more "March forward!" type of command, like a general ordering a charge, rather than a tornado of butterflies.

[rewd]

Oh i see, thats cool and makes sense. Still i think the skills need a remodel or something to look more appealing to the player. AST card system and spells look really pretty, WHM elemental spells and the light spells also look really nice compared to SCH Broil and Biolysis.

It's just personal preference. I think Broil and Biolysis look much better than what AST and WHM have.

[Hanayumi]

Just make fairy interact with player more, sit on head/shoulder, cheer/hi5, etc. would certainly boost it popularity if only to take more pictures, lul

[Sebazy]

Scholar’s biggest issue at least thematically is that it doesn’t really have a consistent identity across it’s kit. It’s ‘fine’ (art of war aside) but it just seems a bit confused in places.

Big +1 on more emphasis on fairy actions too, that aspect of the job is wasted. Lazy =(

[ty_taurus]

For me, I think its identity just feels murky. I don't get "Military strategist" from the majority of SCH's spells. I feel like, especially with SCH stemming from ACN, that it should feel more like a combination of light and dark magic: light from the faerie and dark from the scholar. Expedient exacerbates this because it's an ability that comes from the scholar but has visual similarities with faerie abilities like Fey Blessing (green-blue hue with butterflies spiraling out).

I think it would do SCH a lot of good if it got new animations for spells like Adloquium, Physick, Lustrate, etc. that emphasized some of the visual themes in spells like Broil, Biolysis, Chain Stratagem, etc. Gameplay is the bigger issue really, but let's face it. FFXIV is a community of aesthetic snobs, myself included. We like are jobs looking cool, epic, and pretty, and SCH has really never received anything that looked or felt grand. Seraph's not bad, but also very tame in her appearance and abilities.

AST got Neutral Sect and Horoscope which both look a lot cooler. WHM got Afflatus Misery

in 4.0, AST got Earthly Star, and SCH got Fey Union. Earthly Star wins that one in my book.

in 3.0, AST had Celestial Opposition, and SCH got Dissipation...