[Suggestion] Making marauder more specialized based on its patterns:

[Lienn]

Ok, i decided posting it here because i see no better place for this suggestion. =P

The idea is to enhance the patterns of the class in every aspect. Here the patterns of the class:

- Equipment: Class that represents the pirates. Uses axe and throwing axes as weapon and both light and heavy armor.

As a pirate, its a nonsense it having heavy armor favorable while light armors like shirt not. I believe heavy armor (cuirass set and haubergeon set) should be removed completely from the class, with it receiving more light armors (cloth and leather) as option. If MRD need armor for possible tanking, so let it be leather armors. People might complain about haubergeon if removed, but MRD has a similar equipment (hunter tunic) that just need the next version (highest one is only rank 39). A good example of how leather armor can fit perfectly to it is the skirt. It does have stats of heavy armor, but its leather so it isn't heavy armor.

People might ask the why of this. Context. If you have a MRD in heavy armor in a ship and he fall from it, he's dead. Heavy armors are completely out of context for this class...MRD in heavy armor its like a weaver using leather gloves (anyone that already used a needle will understand).

About weapon, the 2-handed axes are a nice weapon choice, but having like one weapon per rank is way too limited. As a class that might cover several roles, would be interesting, in the same rank, MRD having a variety of weapons so they could choose the one that fits the current role better, like having one that excels in parrying while having other that excels in damage dealing in the same rank.

- Battle: MRD has 3 battle patterns. Steadfast, heavy stanmina cost and AoE expertize. So be it! He should have skills that enhance these patterns to make it more unique. I'll list the skills and say what i'd adjust about some skillas Old -> New.

Light Swing -> Heavy Swing. MRD doesn't need light swing at all. It should be saved for an eventual other axe-user class. Heavy swing the the way MRD does things...heavy stanmina cost and heavy damage. It should be the starting basic action of the class.

Trunksplitter. As it is, its not a MRD-like WS. It has low stanmina cost and is single target...it should be a GLA skill lol! Adding trunksplitter area effect from steadfast would fix it though. Maybe, to not be all the same, a linear AoE like Seismic Shock, would fit it better.

Skull Sunder, Brutal Swing, Brandish, Storm's Path and Bloodbath. Perfect! These skills fit the class perfectly.

Maim. Signature move. It must stay! In my opinion it should even become class exclusive. Its like putting all out in a single strike. To become better only if it receved an stanmina cost increase and a proportional damage increase, making it an all-or-nothing skill.

Iron Tempest. The black sheep of MRD move pool. This skill is pathetic at every aspect other than its animation. I'd change completely its effect, making it an AoE WS that blow away all enemies around and causing them the effect of heavy. As crowd controller class (unfortunately never really used since the game never really supported many vs many fight outside leves and mosshorn), Having a skill that knock back all monsters iin range to its limit and generating effect of heavy would fit the class like a glove, comboing with warmonger for kitting purposes.

Defender, Warmonger, Disorient, Foresight and Fracture. These moves seens a bit too strategic for MRD. Just like heavy armor, they are a bit out of context, fitting more an warrior class. Warmonger and defender have their use for crowd control, but foresight and fracture should be in a class more focused in a one-on-one fight. Disorient is a dilemma...it fits the class since its a disty strategy, but being single target is bad. Steadfast turning the skill AoE would be great (a better animation too...it doesn't seens you're throwing sand at opponent...Would be much better if you hit the floor with the flat of the axe and raise a dust cloud).

Barbaric Yawp. Seriously...i laugh when i saw this skill. So you Yew so high the mages cannot hear their own conjuring words? Fit perfectly the class lol! But the effect is too limited in my opinion. Would be much cooler if it not only interrupted the casting but also triggered the recast of all spells. Let's say you scared the mage so now he needs to catch some breath again before trying to conjure something again.

Murderous intent. Rampaging into enemies, perfect! But the effect being too short and not having a way to cancel it, bad. Murderous intent should be just like Defender. Lasting 30 min and you being able to toggle it on/off. If that's the case, make one overwrite the previous, like Speed Surge and Life Surge does at LNC.

Broad Swing and Full Swing. Broad Swing is perfect. Full swing...is not full at all ^^: Full swing should damage in radial AoE and not cone and deal a bit more damage...if it can deal damage similar to broad swing it would be good enough. Other than that, all good.

Enduring March. This is a bad skill, but that can become good. The use of it is to add steadfast a bit of strategy, so be it! Enduring march should become a 30 min skill, just like defender, with the option of toggling it on/off and, just like suggested at murderous intent, overwriting the previous one. All three should overwrite each other because they would be alike. a 30 min skill that can be toggled on/of and that convert effects of character. Defender converts attack into defense, Murderous intent TP gain rate into critical hit rate and Enduring March would convert movement speed into steadfast effect. Also, enduring march should force the steadfast effect to activate if its not active by the time the skill is activated.

- Suggestion of other skills that would help:

Power-up. Doubles stanmina cost to double damage of the next hit. Obviously, class exclusive. This would bring the best of MRD patterns out, also helping with damage since it has no real damage enhancing skill other the gamble of using murderous intent. If Heavy Swing become starting skill this one could even take its place at guild mark shop.

Pillage. Steals an item or gil from target. He's a pirate...that's what they do!

Bare body (trait). Increases evasion for each of the non-accessory armor slot empty. Who never saw a fighter removing armor to increase its agility?

Monkey grip (trait). Old deal from FFT. Holds 2-handed weapon with one hand. It should increase the stanmina cost of all actions from him due the stress of using only one hand to hold the weapon.

Sip of Rum (or sip of grog). Converts TP into HP. It would add heavy regen effect and TP bleed effect. The regen would last until the player run out of TP. Another point of pirate life. Nothing like a drink! But the more they drink, less tactical they become...that's why the TP bleed effect. It would also be a great deal regarding crowd control, being perfect for someone holding several monsters.

Now the comments! Any constructive comment is welcome! (please don't post here just to say MRD isn't a pirate...constructive comments only please ^^)

[Whisp]

great, great, great!
-50MRD

[Sypherblade]

I agree MRD needs rework ( all the classes do lol )

But ya the class is hardly a pirate class, the npc MRDs are but the players are not.

I think SE needs to watch some pirates of the caribbean and take some notes.

The class as it is now is much more like a Viking class.

[Lienn]

Indeed. As it is now i wouldn't be surprised if the advanced class that MRD unlocks was exactly Viking, which does exist in FFT serie and really fits the current MRD more than pirate. But part of this is because viking actually are pirates too. =P

Viking actually would be a perfect advanced class for MRD. I like specialization trees, but lets assume it just unlock mixed classes of current ones...MRD could be the base for Dark knight (MRD+THM), Warrior (MRD+GLA) and Viking (MRD+CON).

[Holyomen]

I'd like to see MRD be valuable in parties and end game encounters.

One way to do this without taking away from any other jobs is to make MRDs the King of incapacitation.
This way they don't have to intrude on the high dps jobs or the tank jobs but still be very valuable in combat.

Perhaps allowing MRD to be able to break any body part with one all purpose weaponskill or just making it so that all current MRD weaponskills break one of the possible body parts. There's a total of 7 and right now MRD is able to break 4. Cleave, Injure, Wound, would be a few good names if adding new weaponskills.

I really thought I found my purpose with MRD when I got Maim, but then SE nerfed it and I've been sad ever since.

[Rentahamster]

Characteristics that make Marauder unique and how they can be improved:

Big-ass axe
Give us more varieties of axes.

HP sponge tank and parry tank.
Emphasize the Maruader's parrying abilities and give him skills that take advantage of its high HP.

Fairly decent damage
This is fine now.

AOE.
Hardly any use for this outside of leves. Create more leves that have mobs come in groups larger than 3. When fighting non-leve normal mobs, let them claim up to 5 at once. Let Marauders and other classes use their AoE abilities more, and battle will be more entertaining.

Steadfast Stance
Develop this concept further and integrate it more into battle strategy.

[JasonMarkle]

I agree with everything but taking the haubies out. A new claim system would help a lot for our AoE so when non aggressive mobs need to be taken out while engaging the claimed mob, we don't have to worry about not hitting them (not that it happens often but it's a pain in the ass when it does.)

*Edit*

That way if we do hit them we can still get the full amount of SP instead of the nerfed SP you get because you have to kill it now too.

[Goma]

I like most of it, I disagree with the removal of haub, not sure how much practicality came into play with pirates. Blackbeard was known to put candle wicks in his beard and light them so there would be a cloud of smoke about his head(also carried 6 guns and a bandolier), not sure how much sense that makes.

Granted this has nothing to do with heavy or light armor just pointing out they didn't always make the most sense in terms of what they wore.

As far as some of the traits, getting an evasion boost for lacking armor would really make sense for any capable fighter. Sip of rum, while pirates were drunk it was partly out of need, they had more access to bottled alcohols then they did of water. Due to water being hard to store at the time they often mixed it with rum to create Grog to prevent spoilage. Maybe change the name to sip of grog.

I like the idea of "monkey grip" but really why? Can they use a shield or perhaps another, smaller, weapon?

Love pillage, gives a little flavor, maybe add a mug effect later on in order to steal gil?

Just remember when thinking of pirates, a lot of people think of chaos but they lived by a strict moral code and operated under a document similar to a constitution governing them. Often operating like a small navy.

[Lienn]

Very interesting posts indeed ^^

@JasonMarkle: Indeed. If they just adjusted claim so any monster hit becoming claimed too (if your AoE attack happens to hit an wandering marmot, it turn red named too as soon as it will join fight) would already help alot. I think when they rescricted it was to prevent manaburn abuse because of those monsters (read goats) that kept following us. But now that monsters don't follow anymore, its about time for SE to remove claim restriction so MRDs will be free to destroy multiples monsters at same time.

@Goma: Yep, monkey grip would be to allow them to use shields with good effect (like lantern shield) which would make MRD an even better crowd controller/tank (since would be able to use war drum comboing with warmonger) or eventual 1-handed weapon offhand when dual wield is unlocked...a good example would be, since MRD lacks in piercing damage, equipping a dagger off-hand for when using piercing WS.

About the hauby...hunter tunic actually offers a much better option for MRD. Only problem is that tunics, just like all other DoW/DoM cloth armors, stopped at velveteen, not being comparable to high rank armors. But you can compare bowman tunic (r39) with Iron hauby (r37) and you will see that they're, pretty much, even. The only difference is that the tunic has way more evasion, more magic defense and less defense. So, when SE add the r49 tunic (linen-made one i guess), it does will be even to cavalry hauby. IMO hauby and cuirass should be armor just for LNC and GLA right now since they are heavy armor-useres (and for future classes, like paladins, warriors, dark knights, etc).

[Rentahamster]

I'd like to see more axe variety, both visually, and stat-wise.

Regarding stats specifically, I want to see axes tailored to favor tanking and axes tailored to favor DPS.

Right now, we sort of have that in the form of the Bills. Those axes have a relatively higher parry rate than other axes. However, I hardly notice a difference, and the parry rate should be higher.

I want to see Axes with bonuses to HP and defense, axes with bonuses to attack and accuracy, axes with bonuses to parry and evade, etc.