MAGE STRIKE

[Physic]

I'm honestly thrilled with the 1.18 mage changes.

Since day one, the two magic classes have been a work in progress.

Before the game was even released, the official website described Conjurer as being able to 'shift between both offensive and defensive magic as needed.' Thaumaturges were described more as a dark caster, 'unparalleled in their powers of destruction, eclipsing even the Disciples of War.' To those who wanted to play a main healer, the choice seemed clear, you should go with Conjurer.

However, as you play both classes up through mid-game, they have an oddly similar skillset. The only major difference being CON buffs (Protect, Shell, Stoneskin, Shock Spikes, etc) and THM Siphon MP. Both classes could single target AND party heal equally well, just one did it through direct healing spells and the other through HoTs. In fact, some people argued that THM was a better healer.

That alone has always felt odd to me. Since jobs were announced, people have been speculating over which class would unlock White Mage. The fact that answer was never clear was an indication that there was way too much class homogenization between CON and THM.

Yes, CON has gotten a nudge toward healing and THM has gotten a nudge toward damage. But, honestly, that's the way the classes were originally described. THM can still be a great secondary healer and CON still has powerful elemental nukes. The choices are still there. But the fact that THM could do both equally well and was jokingly referred to as a mage tank was a balance issue that needed to be addressed.

The other thing I'm glad to see is how MP costs were adjusted. Remember when the game was first released and MP didn't regen automatically in passive mode? We had to touch an aetheryte or use an ability like Tranquility. We used to make careful choices to covet our precious MP. When they implemented passive mode MP regen, they made no other adjustments, and the magic classes became a ridiculously overpowered never-ending fount of AoE heals and nuke spam. Most of our skillset became largely untapped because we didn't need it anymore and we could play with one eye open while watching TV.

It may feel like SE swung the nerf bat since the changes were pretty drastic, but let's face it, it needed to happen. We all wanted combat to be more challenging and fulfilling. Now we've been put in a position where we need to make more meaningful choices. We need to allot points more carefully and make use of abilities like Spiritbind, Tranquility and Siphon MP.

I'm hopeful that SE will closely monitor the changes, and make adjustments if necessary.

except your options are a lie in an MMO, sure you can be a DD con if the community allows it, but now that difficult content requires a dedicated healer, and con is the only one who can play that role, it means no matter what other skills you have, you will 99% of the time be called on to heal, if they wanted a DD theyd get an archer.

the truth is con never should have been whm, they should have had a seperate class for whm, and con could move into that role for emergencies with the right builds, or even thaum, but what they decided is to have only one class that can heal well, and they forced it down cons throat even though it was always supposed to be more of a scholar than a whm, simply because they didnt feel like making a new class that made sense.

and by the way, they have only made mp management and by extension dmg reduction more challenging, actually dealing dmg, tactics, etc is exactly the same difficulty, if not even more bland witrh the changes to basic abilities