The harp is a lie.

[Konachibi]

The thing with classes as they are is once you level up most if not all of them to cap or near cap with all the cross-classing you can do, every job becomes solo-viable. Some more than others, of course, but overall the classes become meshed together. Jobs, however, are much more about clearly defined roles and specialization.

The idea behind Jobs is that equipping it will make you very proficient at a certain duty, but not useful at much else.

A Paladin will be amazing at taking hits and keeping hate. It will be all about survival and protection. It won't be able to kill efficiently at all.

A White Mage will be a master of cures and recovery skills, but like the Paladin will not have any offensive use.

Black Mage is a glass cannon. It can dish out amazing hurt, but only if someone else is there to take the hate.

The way the Armoury system is, anyone can be anything on any class almost. Except, to keep this in check, they have it designed so you still cannot effectively specialize. Class balance would go out the window.

Therefore a Paladin will have the stats, gear and skill to tank much better than a Gladiator with all the proper skills equipped now. If that is not the case, Jobs would be pointless. However, a Gladiator would be a DPS machine compared to a Paladin.

That's what I was getting at. Unless they make content harder so that players will have to play Paladins to do content because a Gladiator couldn't survive it, there'd be no reason to be a Paladin in the first place, people would still go with Captain Healytank.

[User201109011315]

It's funny how they have to create all these loopholes and contingencies just to make up for their stupid decision of combining a bard (which should be a class) with an archer to make a new job. It's like a carwreck that's been cellotaped together in a bid to seem road-worthy.

[Davorok]

Your tone says arguing... but your points are really the same as my points.

I prefer the term "Conversation" rather than "Arguing" (I just tend to ramble so I like to multi-quote). Your points are good valid points. That is why I feel the need to attempt to respond with where I think they are going. I wish I had solid info to base my theories on but it is a mixture of 33% Speculation, 33% Observation, 33% Flatulation (BS) and 1% Verification (truth).

And that's the crux of the debate, and the crux of my dissatisfaction with the proposed job system. Right now I can turn my gladiator into a pseudo paladin, I can learn protect, shell, cure, I can distribute my attributes so I have a decent MP pool. In practice I'm functioning as a paladin.

I think it comes down to the basic human desire to feel needed. With the old Class System, anyone could tank...literally anyone. People also want to feel special, that they are really good at something which means better than someone else.
So now we are getting Jobs that are specialized and probably better at a Role.
That still doesn't phase out Classes though because almost anyone can still tank and almost anyone can still heal.

If they are going to add the job paladin I'd like it to rely on the class system more than just getting gladiator to a certain level and doing a quest. It makes sense that if I level up Gladiator and level up Conjurer I can take skills from both of those classes to unlock the paladin job.

I agree with this. I feel to unlock Paladin you should have to level Gad AND Con to r30. I think they should require 2 Classes to r30 for each Job. They could have introduced new Classes (like Minstrel and Arcanist) to make this viable. Sort of a spin on the old XI subjob system but rather than becoming a hybrid, you become a Job.

If they are going to add instrument use to the game I'd much rather see them implementing the class system to do it. Introduce a minstrel or a musician class and then have it be one of the required classes to unlock the bard job... if another of those classes happens to be archer that's ok.

Agreed. And introduce Arcanist Class to unlock jobs that use magic.

[MeowMeow]

Maybe all of you are looking at the bow wrong. Maybe it's not a harp at all. I've heard a few people say that the "harp" on the bow may be simply a quiver attached to the bow to hold a few arrows, and they may just be aesthetic... However, when i look at the bow I don't see those arrows (not a harp) being for looks at all. There is a REASON they're shorter than the normal arrow, and I will show you why I think that is, below.

Crappy MS Paint Depiction

Now, they have already confirmed the bow does in fact transform, but I'm thinking we all have been coming up with the wrong ideas of how that happens. What I think this "harp" which happens to clearly have fletchings and arrow heads on the "strings" flips down, into a platform that holds 4 additional, smaller arrows. Then when the string is released, it hits some sort of firing mechanism in the center of the arm that folds down, and launches these additional arrows. In other words, i think archer is going to be getting more AOE potential once the jobs hit. I don't think each of these arrows will hit the same target, but any target in a cone before them when using basic attacks like Light Shot and Heavy Shot.

My opinion on the matter is that the "transformation" will be entering AoE mode, or Single target firing mode.

[Tempestmoon]

Maybe all of you are looking at the bow wrong. Maybe it's not a harp at all. I've heard a few people say that the "harp" on the bow may be simply a quiver attached to the bow to hold a few arrows, and they may just be aesthetic... However, when i look at the bow I don't see those arrows (not a harp) being for looks at all. There is a REASON they're shorter than the normal arrow, and I will show you why I think that is, below.

Crappy MS Paint Depiction

Now, they have already confirmed the bow does in fact transform, but I'm thinking we all have been coming up with the wrong ideas of how that happens. What I think this "harp" which happens to clearly have fletchings and arrow heads on the "strings" flips down, into a platform that holds 4 additional, smaller arrows. Then when the string is released, it hits some sort of firing mechanism in the center of the arm that folds down, and launches these additional arrows. In other words, i think archer is going to be getting more AOE potential once the jobs hit. I don't think each of these arrows will hit the same target, but any target in a cone before them when using basic attacks like Light Shot and Heavy Shot.

My opinion on the matter is that the "transformation" will be entering AoE mode, or Single target firing mode.

So that would make the Archer job.......what?

[NoctisUmbra]

Maybe all of you are looking at the bow wrong. Maybe it's not a harp at all. I've heard a few people say that the "harp" on the bow may be simply a quiver attached to the bow to hold a few arrows, and they may just be aesthetic... However, when i look at the bow I don't see those arrows (not a harp) being for looks at all. There is a REASON they're shorter than the normal arrow, and I will show you why I think that is, below.

Crappy MS Paint Depiction

Now, they have already confirmed the bow does in fact transform, but I'm thinking we all have been coming up with the wrong ideas of how that happens. What I think this "harp" which happens to clearly have fletchings and arrow heads on the "strings" flips down, into a platform that holds 4 additional, smaller arrows. Then when the string is released, it hits some sort of firing mechanism in the center of the arm that folds down, and launches these additional arrows. In other words, i think archer is going to be getting more AOE potential once the jobs hit. I don't think each of these arrows will hit the same target, but any target in a cone before them when using basic attacks like Light Shot and Heavy Shot.

My opinion on the matter is that the "transformation" will be entering AoE mode, or Single target firing mode.

It transforms into a lyre/harp. Much more evidence to suggest that then some auto-multishot bow idea.

Let's look at what the lyre/bow theory has going for it:

1. Bard is one of the jobs that were announced by SE in an interview months ago. Although it wasn't certain they were the initial 7, being that the cover clearly displays the other 6 quite obviously, it is safe to assume that those are the initial release. By process of elimination, Bard is left for Archer.
2. Mages are getting BLM and WHM, and are therefore taken up based on SE's announcement of there initially being 1 job per class. Bard must go to a DoW. Out of all of them, coupled with this controversial cover art, it is logical to connect the bow to the lyre. As far as DoW weapons resembling musical instruments go, Archer takes the cake.
3. Archer has the highest base MP pool out of the DoW.
4. Latest response by community rep confirms the bow is a weapon that transforms.

If someone is going to argue against the bow/lyre theory, instead of making it based on denial or personal opinion how about they show some game-related facts that support their notion?

[Resheph]

Do not try and play the harp. That's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth.
What truth?
There is no harp.
There's no harp?
Then you'll see that is is not the harp that gets played, it is only yourself.

[Gramul]

Do not try and play the harp. That's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth.
What truth?
There is no harp.
There's no harp?
Then you'll see that is is not the harp that gets played, it is only yourself.

That was in a movie!

[MeowMeow]

It transforms into a lyre/harp. Much more evidence to suggest that then some auto-multishot bow idea.

Wrong, entirely.

Evidence against a harp:

-No harp ever made has strings that are all the same length
-No harp ever made used "rivets" which people claim the arrowheads are, to hold strings in place. Never. They use brass spool-like things, and it has always been brass because they make better sounds.
-No harp has the spools for adjustment at the bottom half of the harp, which people are suggesting the arrowheads are. They are always at the top, front side. For ease of use, and to ensure they dont get bumped when youre setting the harp down.
-Most harps dont have strings all of equal thickness. They get gradually thicker as they go just like a guitar.
-No harp has ARROW FLETCHINGS at the top of it ON THE STRINGS.
-No harp has ARROW HEADS.
-No harp is attached to a freakin' bow.

-if it was a lyre, every string would always be different thicknesses to produce different sounds. No exceptions.

[Colino]

I can't stop laughing at the insane amount of people that are trying to apply real world musical instrument construction rules to A VIDEOGAME SET IN A FANTASY WORLD WITH DRAGONS AND BEAST PEOPLE.

Seriously.