Which Job, in your opinion, has the biggest identity issue?

[LilimoLimomo]

So, why doesn't it have an identity? Because it is exactly the same reasoning that other tanks have, but for some reason you dismiss GNB for no reason.

I have a reason, maybe I just haven't communicated it well enough. Time to try again:

So, Paladins. In FF14, the implication seems to be that the Sultansworn — a group that is deeply embedded with the established government — are "good" (with scare quotes), but there simply aren't enough of them to do all the good that's needed to make the world as good as it could be. If only they had more reach! What if wandering adventurers could uphold the values of law and justice in the places where the proper Sultansworn aren't? That's free Paladins: hopeful, optimistic, leaning lawful good, operating within the establishment to take up the cause of the defenseless. The system is overall good, there's just not enough of it, so let's do our part!

Dark Knights are the flip side of paladins, jaded and operating outside of the establishment to protect those the corruption within the establishment preys upon. They have abandoned the system because the system cannot be saved and is not worth saving. The Dark Knight quests provide numerous events where you struggle with this identity and the challenges that go with it: you operate outside of the law and extra-judicially kill those who abuse their power.

Warriors channel a double-edged power they have called the "Inner Beast", and our specific school of Warrior aims to tame that Inner Beast so that it can be used to protect allies as opposed to unleashing wanton destruction. While Paladins and Dark Knights are engaged with political ideas about how best to do a justice in an imperfect system, the struggle of Warriors is more internal: how can I be an asset rather than a burden to those in my life? And when the answer to those questions is found, the result is a powerful rage that provides utility without being a liability.

So we've got these 3 concepts for tanks, each with their own vibes. Let's add a new tank. How is it going to differentiate itself from the tanks that are already there?

Unique weapon? Check. Unique outfit? Check. Origin story for their arts? Check. But what does it mean to be a Gunbreaker? What are they about? And to the point, can it be described in a way that makes it seem genuinely unique relative to these 3 other classes? If there's a good answer to this question, I haven't seen it.

[Absimiliard]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say DRK is the class whose identity is the most... off. Thematically it can't seem to decide if it wants to be pre-redemption Cecil, Goffard Gaffgarion, Zeid, or the goddamn Batman.

It's equally screwy in terms of gameplay and mechanics. Most of its previous mechanical identity was torn away and distributed to WAR and GNB. Now it plays like a cracked out WAR that can't heal itself properly. What of its original identity does remain somehow manages to hinder rather than help it.

[Renalt]

I am throwing my lot with Bard as well. Trying to mix Archer and Bard together has made it weaker rather than having Archer and Bard as two separate jobs.

[Supersnow845]

BRD I also feel like has the extra problem of none of its actions actually feel good to press, everything is just kinda there

Refulgent arrow has way too dramatic of an animation for a 260 potency attack, the songs do nothing of interest, hell army’s paeon actively makes the job feel worse because like when Huton falls off it makes the rest of the rotation feel slow, Apex arrow is about the only attack that has a potency that matches its punchy animation and even it is dragged down by the fact you can no longer control repertoire so it’s just fire and forget every minute or so

About the only thing BRD does semi decently is having a job that forces you to prioritise procs in different ways during different parts of your rotation (like how pitch perfect is always top priority but bloodletter is only above ephemeral arrow if it’s about to overcap) but again it doesn’t do this in its entire rotation and the Proc actions aren’t terribly interesting anyway

Oh and removal of foes requiem is probably still the equal worst removed action decision alongside shadowflare

[ReynTime]

Unironically imagining them turning BRD into another 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 with heat sink gauge in response to the complaints of what it feels like now. Because heaven forbid XIV doesn't turn more jobs into more of the same.

[Connor]

Unironically imagining them turning BRD into another 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 with heat sink gauge in response to the complaints of what it feels like now. Because heaven forbid XIV doesn't turn more jobs into more of the same.

If the weapon was changed to harps and it had actual active ways to support the party I’d eat it up

[Fyrebrand]

It would have been so nice to get a Bard healer. Imagine all the pretty harps we'd have by now!

[Supersnow845]

Unironically imagining them turning BRD into another 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3 with heat sink gauge in response to the complaints of what it feels like now. Because heaven forbid XIV doesn't turn more jobs into more of the same.

The last thing I want is another MCH but the proc system should be more interesting and the bloat should be cut

The fact that BRD is a phys ranged means it already does low damage, then on top of that it has a 24/7 damage up buff so it’s personal DPS is pretty trash, then it has too many redundant actions that dilute its feeling, I’d be fine with them deleting radiant finale and distributing the damage to like refulgent arrow and then making pitch perfect proc faster to make the priority system more interacted with, they could also bake army’s ethos into all three songs then replace army’s paeon with foe’s requiem, they could even make DOT procs regen mana so you need the DOT’s up in order to have enough mana to do foes requiem every 2 mins, foes requiem could even be made 30 seconds so the songs line up on a 2 minute window; or otherwise apex arrow could lower the CD of songs

I’d also delete the skill that makes you straight shot ready since it’s been power crept to hell, the personal damage up buff could be baked into battle voice then you even have some free buttons in order to maybe add another support skill

[VictorSpoils]

It would have been so nice to get a Bard healer. Imagine all the pretty harps we'd have by now!

It's practically there already with the one-button spam and the DoTs. Slap on a few heals and that could be how healers play.

[Oizen]

To comment on Bard, its a job I never liked, and its entirely aesthetics. I really wish we just had a traditional archer, and then an actual bard class seperately.

I feel very similarly to ninja and rouge (which by all means, should have became a thief). But I mean, I dont think this needs to happen for my sake, I just dont play those jobs because of it.