Petition: Add A Support Role To The Game.

[MartaDemireux]

Please "Like" to "sign" the petition if you agree it would be a good addition to the game.

Edit For Clarification (and a partial tl;dr): I am not asking for PURE support jobs. I am asking to relieve the DPS queue time, ensure every party has 1 DPS LB and to secure the smooth-running future of the armory and Duty Finder systems. This is achieved through allowing DPS without a DPS LB to only fill 1 slot in 4 man Duty Finders or up to 2 slots in 8 man Duty Finders.

I feel adding a Support "role" would be a great addition to the game. When you read "Support" from here on, please read it as "DPS without a DPS LB" or akin to a Hybrid Role.

Current Duty Finder parties could be made up in the following ways (listed in order of fill priority (if #1 can't be met, fill via #2 formation etc.):
Key

DPS: Damage dealer (BLM, MNK, DRG, SMN)
HLR: Healer (SCH, WHM)
TNK: Tank (PLD, WAR)
HYB/SPR: Hybrid/Support (BRD)

4-Man:
1) TNK, HLR, DPS, HYB/SPR
2) TNK, HLR, DPS, DPS

8-Man:
1) TNK, TNK, HLR, HLR, DPS, DPS, HYB/SPR, HYB/SPR
2) TNK, TNK, HLR, HLR, DPS, DPS, DPS, HYB/SPR
3) TNK, TNK, HLR, HLR, DPS, DPS, DPS, DPS
4) TNK, TNK, HLR, HLR, DPS, HYB/SPR, HYB/SPR, HYB/SPR

This way groups have more ways to fill up to potentially reduce the average wait time overall. The party with the support/hybrid roles will either be reducing enemy DPS or buffing party DPS through either offensive or defensive abilities to account for the support/hybrid roles lower DPS or will provide the support at the cost of their DPS (like BRD). With the addition of new classes and jobs in the future the DPS wait times will inevitably skyrocket if some of them aren't designed with support mechanics. It should even-out overall as well as ease the current issues we face.

One such issue: BRDs. In doing this we could guarantee every single party would have access to a DPS option. Through Duty Finder there is currently no DPS LB option when paired with 2 BRDs but instead have THREE healer LBs. That is very crippling in some dungeons, especially if you're only at the minimum gear requirements or it is a DPS check. This addition would fix that.

Some future issues:
How to add another job to Archer when BRD is already good enough DPS?
How to add a balanced DPS job to CNJ with all of their heals and buffs?
How to add in any other support oriented class without forcing them to clog DPS or healer queue times even further (both usually in excess of 25min)?

Support/Hybrid roles should all still be DPS at their core. They get their own abilities that debuff the mobs offense/defense, buff the party offense/defense, or heal the party HP/TP/MP etc. BRD currently does this in that it does good DPS on its own but when it needs to buff it takes a 20% hit to DPS except when using Foe Requiem but they gain no personal benefit from it. Other jobs could follow the same pattern or have naturally low DPS and get more abilities to buff themselves and/or their party up to make up the difference.

Examples that could fill the support role (DPS without a DPS LB):

BRD - Obvious choice. We could drop LNC from its additional skills and add on ACN. This also would allow for an actual DPS job to come off ARC in the form of Ranger, regaining the LNC skills on top of their own DPS abilities.
CNJ - Any DPS option for CNJ is going to have all of those cures and buffs. May as well put them to use as a supporting option. They could be in charge of Protect, Stoneskining the tank and Raising midfight in addition to their DPS abilities. Cleric stance would need to see a change with the soul equipped of course but we already know they can do such things.
THM - Time Mage is a great option for THM due to it already having swiftcast, slow and heavy spells. They could continue in this fashion or make further use of their Sleepga with other crowd control abilities. Many want a healer addition for it but balancing that with the AF/UI mechanic is much harder to do in comparison with keeping it DPS but with added support.
Corsair - The expected job from the new musketeer class. They could focus on buffs, debuffs or have a some of each such as a mechanic that will either buff the party or debuff the enemy for similar value.
Red Mage - A lot of people want a RDM back that can melee and nuke but why not give them back a bunch of status effects in addition to this? It would give them more flavor.
LNC - In 1.0 they had an ability that would heal people attacking their target (similar to a DNC Samba in XI). They could bring similar abilities back for their 2nd job or bestow effects by fulfilling combos that use their job skills to finish.
PGL - Their 2nd job could provide aura effects for those up close and personal with the enemy based on their current Form or "Fists of -" abilities.

Idea for a Support LB:
Level 1: Blind and Slow enemies. Minor MP and TP regeneration to party.
Level 2: Blind, Slow, Paralyze enemies. Medium MP and TP regeneration to party.
Level 3: Blind, Slow, Paralyze, Sleep enemies. Major MP and TP regeneration to party.
(of course they could continue to just give them the healer LB)

EDIT 12/28/13:
It appears they are now at least considering adding such a role! They refer to it as a "Hybrid Role" which is much more akin to what I intended with this post. Source

[NeonC]

It is too late man, you can already clear content without them why rearrange everything now.

[MartaDemireux]

It is too late man, you can already clear content without them why rearrange everything now.

For the future of course. Why keep the game stagnant? Since they're lowering BRD DPS anyway, might as well put them into their own role so they can not take up a DPS slot without a DPS LB.

Edit: They also said they're looking into ways to choose to be a healer in dungeons under 30 as an ACN. If they can do that (allow a class to choose its role if it can fulfill more than one) they can make this role as well.

[NeonC]

Well maybe if they create a whole patch and content release based on the change I could see it. First they would need to release a second branch for all the class->jobs though.

[peaches]

I would personally love to see a few pure support classes, in the form of Saboteur or Synergist from FF13 - not the exact classes mind, just similar ideas. It'd be a really cool idea to have 5 man parties with one person being focused on support, where each support class has a different role.

A debuff class, coming from the Saboteur idea would constantly be targeting enemies just like a DPS, dropping AoEs, but instead of doing damage they would be placing debuffs. It could be anything from damage reduction to damage taken, to confusion, making one enemy's attacks heal instead of damaging, etc.

On the flip side, the buffing class in the vein of Synergist would be targeting friendlies like a healer, buffing/regening MP/TP like a bard, increasing attack/spell speed, GCD haste, temporary debuff/poison immunity, damage increasing buffs using Bravery/Faith (on the topic of FF12 buffs I'd LOVE to see a spellcaster tank, possibly using the buff Decoy).

Of course, this would require SE to completely re-balance every dungeon/quest in the game, and would be too much work. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it'll never happen.

[Orihara_Izaya]

I had this idea after watching the anime Log Horizion. I felt like Scholar fills this roll pretty well as it's a class that has a support fairy (speeds skills) and it can place multiple barriers on teammates to allow them to take no damage etc. I would love a plain support class.

So +1 you have my support.

[Uriel_Sinclair146]

Okay so i have thought a little about this now first off the HP thing i feel should be removed we have healers to restore HP but yes the support should restore TP/MP as well as debuff/buff unsure how rdm played in ff11 but i feel that Blue Mage would be perfect for this role as that is what they have previously done if the keep Blue Mage to the core as it used to be absorbing skills from enemies then they could get a collection of buffs/debuffs from the monsters and have the restoring and dps attacks be class/job skills

[Lunavi]

Personally I think it would be better to split DPS into Controller and Supporter as that says alot more about the specific DPS's role in the battle.

But yes, I do agree. This is practiacally already in action with premades. We do however need more support classes if we shall do this in DF. If Bard is the sole supporter it is a grim day for all other DPS's...

[Evangela]

DPS WHM is already available.

[Deusteele]

How about no. To make support classes work you have to gut the output on the rest of the classes to make the new support role necessary. Then you risk the further support of class stacking to multiply the out from said support class. Or you make the them unnecessary and everyone ignore's them. The former can create the "Princess <Class>" attitude and the later just disenfranchises players with a fondness for a class but unable to play due to being pidgeon-holed into unnecessary support.

To reference the Saboteur and Synergist comments. You are not meant to keep a person in that role the entire fight, but rather to swap them in and out of it as the fight wears on.