What class is Thancred? (Spoilers)

[Meridian]

Just because a Bard uses a dagger, does make it their weapon of choice.

Actually, a Bards weapon of choice traditionally has always been a harp or other musical instrument as far as I can remember.

[Lienn]

Conjurers use wands and radials. Thaums use scepters and staves. Not the same at all.

They are the same...wands, cudgels, scepters, maces...they're all at "club" group. Radials, staves, canes, poles...they're all at "staff" group

Its exactly like i said...a saber, a rapier, a knife and a longsword are different weapons, but they're all at "sword" group.

At alpha we had shepherds using axe, stavesman using poles and fencers using rapiers...unfortunately i lost the alpha class list link to post here. :/

Just because a Bard uses a dagger, does make it their weapon of choice.

Actually, a Bards weapon of choice traditionally has always been a harp or other musical instrument as far as I can remember.

That's correct. Its very possible that bards here use an instrument as main weapon...that's why i don't really believe he's bard...IMO juggler is more like him.

Here the image: http://i.imgur.com/AStLh.png

[Wynn]

The point I'm trying to make is that while yes, a staff and a radial are just long sticks, they are different in FFXIV's eyes. And that difference is very important. In the same light, the weapon Thancred is using is not a dirk or a knife or a shiv, it is a dagger. That is why I believe he is just a gladiator since in this game the weapon you use dictates your class. Dagger users in XIV = Gladiators, so sayeth the XIV development team.

Also, none of those classes you mention were actually in the game during the alpha test. I know because I was there. There was a leaked document with planned classes and that is probably what you are referring to. The shepherd's weapon type on that list was listed as "Herding" not axe. But either way, the game makes a clear distinction between a radial and a staff, or a dagger and a knife (should one ever be implemented), due to how the classes system is set up and therefore so should we all.

[Wynn]

i always thought he was there to encourage people to build their own class and call it whatever they like. learn some cnj, some thm and some gla and call yourself a bard. armory system'd.

Excellent point!

[Lienn]

Its interesting that you say the very same i said as if it was the opposite opinion ^^:

Its like i said...he does can be a GLA...not only because of the dagger but also because he's throwing daggers, which is GLA exclusive right now. But there are many other options...specially because GLA might only use dagger due its background ("Gladiators specialize in the handling of all manner of one–handed blades, from daggers to longswords, be they single– or double–edged, straight or curved."...he IS the blademaster so it is expected from it to deal with daggers) but still its like FFXI's WAR, that can use all weapons types...this would never deny a certain class to be like THF, that is dagger-only user.

But its that thing...he does can be a GLA since he actually shown nothing outside what a GLA can do. So, in the end, let's just say we agree about he having a potential chance of being GLA. =P

[Coglin]

It seems what most of you are discribing is a minstrel. Bards, by definition are not neccissarily musicians. They are lore masters, story tellers, singers, writers, poets, beggers who intertain, artisans, and intertainers. To assume a weapon is involved says you define them by some previous games lore that you have played, lore more then actual understanding of the word. This is a FFXIV, not a westen MMO, and as we can see so far, there definition of alot of these clases in this game have great varience to the typical wesern concepts.

[Wynn]

Its interesting that you say the very same i said as if it was the opposite opinion ^^:

Its like i said...he does can be a GLA...not only because of the dagger but also because he's throwing daggers, which is GLA exclusive right now. But there are many other options...specially because GLA might only use dagger due its background ("Gladiators specialize in the handling of all manner of one–handed blades, from daggers to longswords, be they single– or double–edged, straight or curved."...he IS the blademaster so it is expected from it to deal with daggers) but still its like FFXI's WAR, that can use all weapons types...this would never deny a certain class to be like THF, that is dagger-only user.

But its that thing...he does can be a GLA since he actually shown nothing outside what a GLA can do. So, in the end, let's just say we agree about he having a potential chance of being GLA. =P

Yep, I think we are just arguing semantics

[Wynn]

It seems what most of you are discribing is a minstrel. Bards, by definition are not neccissarily musicians. They are lore masters, story tellers, singers, writers, poets, beggers who intertain, artisans, and intertainers. To assume a weapon is involved says you define them by some previous games lore that you have played, lore more then actual understanding of the word. This is a FFXIV, not a westen MMO, and as we can see so far, there definition of alot of these clases in this game have great varience to the typical wesern concepts.

I'd actually love to see a bard implementation where the instrument is their weapon, like the harp from past FF titles.

[Alise]

He can change between GLA and Bard, just like how we can change class. the Bard isn't release yet, and SE doesn't finish motion for it, so he is currently using GLA motion. (equip dagger = instantly become GLA. This was the definition of class that Tanaka planed)

[Duelle]

He claims to be a bard, but you never actually see him with an instrument. It could be a ruse. In fact when you do see him fight in the r46 Story Quest, he uses small throwing daggers.

We've already seen plenty of the unreleased classes in the game via NPCs: Musketeers, Arcanists, Mystics. There is even apparently a Shephard's Guild in Falcon's Nest.

Could he be another of the unreleased classes, Assassin?

What do you think?

Archetypically speaking, Bards are the closest thing you normally see to spies in standard fantasy settings. They're the silk-tongued guys who can weasel and manipulate their way around and still possess the ability to fight and easily kill someone if need be. FF wussified the bard archetype (or shall I say, spoonyfied), but they're actually quite versatile with a hint of badass tossed in, so yes I can definitely see Thancred as more a traditional bard rather than an Edward-esque spoony bard.

PS: If you want to see another traditional bard recently depicted in video games, there's always Leliana from Dragon Age.