Beastmaster class is underwhelming

[Humor]

First off, let me start by saying this is easily my favorite game (next to monster Hunter, possibly tied), and I have over 15K hours into this game, with nearly all classes lvl 100, and 15+ Alts (for bards mostly). Been around (on and off) since before ARR.

I was excited for the beastmaster class when it first got announced, even if the job was a "limited job". My hype started to wear out when I had realized the class can only go to level 50, which was actually an odd choice, considering the Blue Mage can go all the way to level 80, with HUNDREDS of skills (albeit most of them useless, or you just find an overpowered combo).

I had thought maybe they would bring back the "oldschool" Scholar/SMN system, where you actually get to control your "pet/summon" where they literally had a different hotbar, where you could freely choose from a list of skills, but that is not the case. This was the perfect opportunity to try and bring back that system as well, considering it IS a Limited job class, that has absolutely nothing to do with the story, so why not give the players who want a more "Advanced" class back? Instead we get like 3 dinky skills to pull off which are either on a ridiculously long cool down timer, or a separate TP bar which BOTH the player, and their companion NEED to fill up before doing any significant amount of damage. This system in general is absolutely painful, considering the "pet" TP bar fills up at what is seemingly triple the speed of the player.

As a class that's touted as a "Solo" class, I was kind of figuring you could summon more than one companion to do dungeons, and other content, since they long ago stripped away the ability to have a separate companion hotbar (with actual skills), but nope, most, if not ALL of the pets you get are very generic, don't have any good skills, their auto attacks are 10x weaker than the players auto attacks, and it just simple feels like the class was made simply to be a "Card Collection" mechanic, which we already have triple triad for that.

The beastmaster class as it stands now, has no right NOT to enter into dungeons as a normal class, and it being a limited class, and how piss-poor it actually feels to play, makes no sense. "Limited Jobs", at least in my opinion, much like the Blue Mage, are supposed to be "Fun" classes you're meant to enjoy, and feel powerful, granted Blue Mage was the ONLY limited job class to compare it to.

The Beastmaster, even if it wasn't a limited Job, and could queue up for dungeons, and do all the content I feel, wouldn't be used much. It's DPS would be placed even below a Bard, or at least the "fun" factor.

There are some good idea's with the class, but as it stands now, it's boring, and definitely NOT a solo class.

Just to preface, I only got to level 20 yesterday, when I started the class, took me around 2 hours (solo), and I have yet to reach the Crucible, which I HIGHLY doubt will change my mind on how the class is as of right now.

[Valence]

Yeah not gonna lie I expected more pet/beast unique abilities and less "play the class rotation" kind of deal...

Having to make combos with the beast is a good idea, but the building up and gauge part of it is just painful, especially in crucible.

I'd rather focus on what my beasts are supposed to be good at.

[Sacae]

Considering 90% of the job's content is the Crucible, I don't think you can really have an educated opinion on the job having not done it.

It's perfectly fine to not like it, but that's like saying, I dunno, you don't like Black Mage because it's really repetitive in Halatali.

[faris_minamino]

I'm with you, I'm close to level 30 and I find it plain and boring so far. Collecting beasts is pure RNG as well, which is also boring. Is just using the trap skill and kill the beast until you finally get the beast, which in some cases, is, a bunch of beastmasters chasing the same beast and praying to be lucky enough.
Beasts works kinda like the summoner pets but just auto-attack until you need to use, so far, at my level, two skills before evaporating and having to summon another beast.

[Kaurhz]

It's surprising they went this route, seeing as they later went in to add raid achievements etc., to Blue Mage.

I just don't see long-term this content is going to amount to much

[Valence]

Considering 90% of the job's content is the Crucible, I don't think you can really have an educated opinion on the job having not done it.

It's perfectly fine to not like it, but that's like saying, I dunno, you don't like Black Mage because it's really repetitive in Halatali.

Counterpoint: perhaps the fact that the job is literally bland and does nothing outside of the crucible is actually a negative design point especially when it comes to onboarding new players trying it out.

[hydralus]

Yeah if they're not liking how the job concept plays out as-is not much to be done about it. Getting to a higher level won't change the overall vision/design.

[Xander_Diabolos]

Hear me out...
I dislike getting to 25 be the way to unlock new "looks" and as far as I know that is all it does.

==Bat==
Cave Bat - Lower La Noscea lv4-7
Str 77 Int 255 Phys Res 128 Mag Res 128 Con 326 Satiety 2

Bloodsucker Bat - Wester La Noscea lv11-15
Str 63 Int 205 Phys Res 156 Mag Res 156 Con 350 Satiety 3

Dusk Bat - Western La Noscea lv15-19
Str 255 Int 77 Phys Res 128 Mag Res 128 Con 326 Satiety 2

Do the same for:
Black Bat - Satasha lv15
Attic Bat - Haukke Manor lv28
Giant Bat - Central Shroud lv33
Lesser Kalong - South Shroud lv35-36
Halatali Bat - Halatali (Hard) lv50

Get rid of ranks and let it sync with you (like all other pets). Make variety and planning part of the fun. Let us "Catch them all" vs "Catch them for a day then grind for a month". Combine Goobue with Undead Goobue to remove duplicates too.

[CCheshire]

Agreed, I'm lvl 29 since I started losing motivation after a few days and I liked catching new pets but then I realized this is not going to be a modern remake of og SMN play style where they can be tank/healer role but more like sometimes you can summon a pet and now you can send it back for the 2nd one for the combo. Also, it feels bad for me to rely on potions even tho I already have them for emergencies vs just being able to directly heal myself on other jobs, but I know why we can't have role actions for LJ too.

[VeyaAkemi]

Combine Goobue with Undead Goobue to remove duplicates too.

Should note Rotting Goobbue isn't a duplicate, nor it is undead, rather it is the corpse of a goobbue being controlled by a funguar, which is to say that the pet isn't the goobbue, it's the funguar, it's one of those things where the lore around it is being given the focus rather than the visuals.

Definitely the most grizzly pet of those 50...