4 Paired Threads: SCH - How do you feel about it?

[AmiableApkallu]

Like:

Breadth of the kit. Pure/barrier split be damned, I feel like this job has an answer for it all.

Dislike:

The fairy is an oGCD, but over there :: points ::.

What I'd change:

I'd suggest drawing upon Chrono Trigger's Tech system.

[kyyninen_kirahvi]

Tryb2. Sch feels a bit ...empty. The Job feels like there should be something more. A bit bumned out we now have only one Fairy left too. I also still feels like I'm constantly 5 seconds late. I suppose some of these experiences are due to The fact Instarted playing during heavensward. Otherwise ok class with it's own identity.

[Connor]

Likes
I love the concept Scholar has of healing through buffs and preventing damage as opposed to more direct healing

Party support and utility through Stratagem, Expedient, Illumination etc

Shielding and defensive buffs

Versatile skills like Protraction

The aesthetic I guess? Lol

Dislikes

Concept no longer makes sense because you can lolrecitation your way through literally everything the game overs, making preventative measures and defensive buffs functionally redundant

None of the party support except Stratagem and debatably Expedient matters (nobody has ever thanked a Scholar for using Sacred Soil or Fey Illumination lol)

DPS is obviously super boring despite being like 90% of your casts. One DoT and it’s really just there so we have a DoT, not for any actual purpose.

Selene being deleted and losing buffs that we never got back (Fey Wind, RIP)

Dissipation. I have to dematerialise my fairy to get a healing boost… and it’s a dps tool?!

Shields are practically useless in almost every situation because we have so many super powered oGCDs

Neutral (lol)
I never really cared for having 3-4 DoTs to juggle or Summoner skills like Fester and Bane. Not that I dislike them, I’d just rather they had some kind of tactical usage beyond literally just ‘keep up 100% of the time every time’ lol

What I’d do differently:

Get the PvP guys to fix it it lol . Scholar in PvP is much more fun and I think it feels much more fitting for the kind of ‘Scholar’ they’re going for. Very limited healing but strong shields, buffs to manage (damage increase on Adloquium), debuffs to manage (damage dealt reduction on Biolysis, healing reduction on Mummification), strong party utility through Expedient and it relies heavily on Fairy for when it needs more powerful healing (i.e the mini-lb) lol.

Obviously I’ll be the first to admit that it all still falls into the same ‘keep up 100% of the time all the time’ trap as just making them plain old DoTs, but at least it’d feels like have an actual purpose in turning the tides of battle. That’s just, like, my opinion though. Lol

[Esmoire]

Do you ____ it?
(love, like, neutral, dislike, hate)

What do you like about it?

What do you dislike about it?

What would you like changed about it?

Loved it in Stormblood, dislike it now.

What do you like about it?
The idea behind it is really good, a pet healer. In theory should be a fun exercise of micromanagement. A lot of potential. It also has, in my opinion, the cutest aesthetic for its artifact armour. I don't know how I feel about the tonberry angle, but I do love Nym and the overall lore of what scholars represent. Also fairies!

What do you dislike about it?
Lack of cohesion in the gameplay, aesthetic, and theme. Aetherflow gauge feels outdated. Fairy gauge feels meaningless. Three capstone abilities are mutually-exclusive with each other. Energy Drain existing creates a toxic relationship with your party members making mistakes. Massive button bloat. Lack of imagination with the pet implementation. Design more than any healer is aligned to increase the amount of time you go before you do anything other than Broils. By the way, "Broil" is a horrible name for your main damage spell.

What would you like changed about it?
In Stormblood, it felt like a DPS Lite, as a sort of DoT mage, which I felt suited a job with with a strong barrier, fairy, and tools like Excog which kept people alive while you did a super-abridged rotation that would keep ticking even if you had to respond to a mistake. I don't think that has to be replicated, but I think Scholar needs more engagement during downtime; WHM already exists as the perfect candidate for more simplified damage rotations. I think SCH needs a single gauge that is good and fun and interesting. Stop trying to make SCH and SGE a reflection of each other; let them breathe. Lastly, some better cohesion in its design, both in gameplay and look. Nothing should be added without considering every other action the job has. Give it a massive face-lift while preserving the few things that make it iconic.

[Connor]

By the way, "Broil" is a horrible name for your main damage spell

Totally agree with this lol. It’s supposed to be a play on words, but if you need to explain a joke after it’s told is it really that funny lol. The spell’s visual effect for me feels fairly out of place too. Slinging fireballs is already Black Mage’s thing, but for some reason Scholars somehow get nothing but a new ‘sling fireball’ visual every expansion. They’ve tried to make it more ‘scholar-like’ with the sigils on Broil IV, but at the end of the day you’re still just throwing fireballs at the enemy like a discount Black Mage. At least Biolysis looks ok lol

White Mages have a holy light aesthetic for their dps, Astrologian has the space/star aesthetic, Sages get cool lasers and disco light-show punch combo (aka Phlegma lol).. Then Scholars are over here throwing sad little fireballs at the enemy whilst Black Mages manifest a small sun over their head lol. Scholar deserves a unique and flashy aesthetic just like everyone else gets

[Emitans]

Since SCH was sort of the plague mage along with old SMN I thought of Broil as you're exciting the enemy's aether until they overheat or something which is pretty cool. I still want Meltdown as a big Scholar damage button.

[Supersnow845]

Broil is cooking the enemy from the inside, it matches SCH when it was a DOT class but like everything else with SCH square is allergic to being reminded that old SCH existed

[Aravell]

I actually enjoy SCH's muted aesthetics, I think the less flashy animations fits the lore of SCH as a backline tactician. I don't think every job needs to be flashy, trying to make every job flashy is how you get MCH heated shot animations with the spins and flips that a lot of people really hate.

[AmiableApkallu]

I also like the muted aesthetics, but I also think the DPS spells could use... something. The techno aesthetic of Broil IV, Biolysis, and Art of War II feel out of place, and Ruin/Broil flinging tiny balls of ??? feels bland. The original Art of War and Bio spells are good, though.

[Post]

I actually enjoy SCH's muted aesthetics, I think the less flashy animations fits the lore of SCH as a backline tactician. I don't think every job needs to be flashy, trying to make every job flashy is how you get MCH heated shot animations with the spins and flips that a lot of people really hate.

People legit hated og MCH for not being flashy, complained, and thus it got crazy heated shots in StB. In general, job actions became way more flashy with StB, especially non-casters getting big fancy spell effects instead of just unique swing animations. Compare DRK Carve and Spit to Shadowbringer. Functionally the same action, drastic visual difference.

Ultimately I think this just affects the Job Actions trailers because more and more people just turn off other players spell effects as a result.

Seraph was their best attempt at making SCH flashy. At least it focused on one of their core job ideas, the pet. Fire another comparison in skills, just look at SCH and SGE. Largely the same actions designed with an ARR vs EW sensibility.

I think Art of War has always looked rubbish compared to Miasma 2, which basically did the same thing, especially in StB when it was buffed (and you couldn't cross class Blizzard 2 anymore).