Thanks SE for making DRK a Tank - Minority Appreciation + Suggestions!

[Duelle]

my point was just we need a much different style healer. Something more manly.

Not sure about manly, but I can think of two starting points. Mystic (designed as a "life & death" mage) and Geomancer (designed around shamanistic aesthetics). Not your standard tree-hugger healers, but instead more...aggressive. Like Mystic could have spells that have healing effects or damaging effects depending on the stance active.

Geomancer could be built around manipulating nature (as opposed to coaxing its power like CNJ does). One idea I had was that the Geomancer would be able to create a cloud that rains healing water on one ally, but using an ability that causes the cloud the release lightning on to nearby enemies.

[Fatshine]

^We need a manly healer lol, but nice insight

[Svalitz]

Yes THANK YOU.

I am so in love with this job.

I started as DRG, then eventually was maining PLD in 2.0 because I like being "in charge" hahaha. But I always felt like something was missing... PLD was just a little too easy and boring, but tanking was my calling. WAR was more fun, but I'm very superficial and the "look" just didn't do it for me... I wanted something with a little more panache and class. WAR is great, but it's too clunky / brutish for my dainty self lol.

Now with DRK I enjoy every minute... the playstyle is a game within itself, and FINALLY we get more offensive moves and quite a variety of abilities when you consider Dark Arts. Plus it's sexy to look at and flashy as hell.

So yes, THANK YOU SE. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE SEXIEST (looking) TANK YET.

[Kaedan]

Cecil was a DRK in FF4, and he was the closest thing to a tank in a single player game (High HP, High defense). Gafgarion from FF:T is essentially the same type of DRK as we now have (high HP, high defense, steal MP). Leon from FF2 was similar to Cecil, being the closest thing to tank single player games have.

Having a DRK be a tank isn't exactly "changing it up" or anything out of the ordinary. I suppose if you only ever played FFXI and expected DRK to be DD it might be a little surprising.

In any case, I'm happy DRK is a tank. I'm just hoping that DRK being a tank doesn't hurt chances of Samurai being a tank. I want to play Samurai, but I will be less than thrilled if it's DPS... much prefer it it's a tank when it eventually comes out.

[Fatshine]

Cecil was a DRK in FF4, and he was the closest thing to a tank in a single player game (High HP, High defense). Gafgarion from FF:T is essentially the same type of DRK as we now have (high HP, high defense, steal MP). Leon from FF2 was similar to Cecil, being the closest thing to tank single player games have.

Having a DRK be a tank isn't exactly "changing it up" or anything out of the ordinary. I suppose if you only ever played FFXI and expected DRK to be DD it might be a little surprising.

In any case, I'm happy DRK is a tank. I'm just hoping that DRK being a tank doesn't hurt chances of Samurai being a tank. I want to play Samurai, but I will be less than thrilled if it's DPS... much prefer it it's a tank when it eventually comes out.

There needs to be a dps with a sword though But man, the amount of people that will switch to Samurai if it's a dps will be staggering.

[Duelle]

Well, since the OP got the wheels in my head turning, here's a geomancer concept I just made up:

Geomancer

For countless generations, the nomadic tribes of the New World have relied on the insight and wisdom of their shamen and spirit walkers. These respected individuals draw forth the power of the elements to aid and guide their people as they wander the endless plains.

Unlike their Eorzean counterparts, these so-called Geomancers are not focused on harmony between the elements and mortals. They instead bend the elements to their will to fortify their tribes' warriors and provide succor to the sick and needy.

Concept: Healer that uses the elements to heal and bolster their allies while wreaking havoc on their enemies.

Weapon: Ceremonial Club (2-handed)

Cross Classes: Arcanist, Thaumaturge.

Abilities

01 Magma Burst - Deals fire-aspected damage with a potency of X.
02 Healing Surge - Restores HP. Cure potency: X.
04 Tremor - Deals earth-aspected damage with a potency of X. Additional effect: Weight for 9 seconds.
06 Primal Attunement - Use of healing spells restore MP. Critical heals restore twice the amount of MP. 15 second duration. 60 second cooldown.
08 Ancestral Bulwark - Increases the physical and magical defense of all party members within range of target for 30 mins. Does not stack with Protect.
10 Healing Mist - Restores HP over time to target and allies in range. Cure potency: 45. 12 second duration.
12 Purify - Removes one status ailment from target ally.
15 Defibrillation - Revives one ally in a weakened state.
18 Realignment - Swaps current INT and MND attribute ratings, while increasing potency of attack spells by 10% and reducing potency of healing spells by 20%. Effect ends upon reuse.
22 Elemental Focus - Makes your next spell cast a guaranteed critical hit. 45 second cooldown.
26 Healing Wave - Restores HP. Cure potency: X. Additional effect: Heal over time effect to allies near target for 15 seconds.
30 Rain Cloud - Places a rain cloud over target ally that restores HP over time. Cure potency: 50. 21 second duration. Can only be active on one target.
34 Molten Earth - Binds target for 10 seconds (PvP: 5 seconds). Upon expiring, deals fire-aspected damage with a potency of 50. Deals no damage if the bind effect is resisted.
38 Earthen Wall - Creates a shield with a value equal to 10% of target's max HP for 60 seconds. Reduces damage taken by 10% while active. Can only be active on one target.
42 Tail Winds - Increases Spell Speed and the chance of Critical Heals by 25%. 10 second duration. 45 second cooldown.
46 Squall - Deals wind-aspected damage with a potency of X. Additional effect: Knockback. 30 second cooldown.
50 Lava Geyser - Deals fire-aspected damage with a potency of X to target and enemies nearby. Additional effect: damage over time (30 potency) for 18 seconds.

Traits

08 Enhanced Mind
14 Enhanced Mind II
16 Enhanced Magma Burst - Dealing critical damage with Magma Burst now places a damage over time effect.
20 Main & Mend
24 Enhanced Mind III
28 Enhanced Healing Mist - Increases the cure potency of Healing Mist to 60.
32 Water Ripples - Your critical heals have a 15% chance to place a healing over time effect on targets for 12 seconds.
36 Enchanced Elemental Focus - Reduces the cooldown of Elemental Focus to 30 seconds.
40 Main & Mend II
44 Enhanced Rain Cloud - Increases the duration of Rain Cloud to 45 seconds.
48 Yielding Storm - Using Thunderclap or Cloudburst has a chance to make your next Healing Surge, Healing Wave, or Magma Burst cost 50% MP.

Quested Abilities

30 Thunderclap - Deals lightning-aspected damage with a potency of 120 to nearby enemies. Can only be used while Rain Cloud is active and will only affect enemies near the Rain Cloud. 9 second cooldown. Shares a cooldown with Cloudburst.
35 Cloudburst - Restores HP with a potency of X to allies in range. Can only be used while Rain Cloud is active. 9 second cooldown. Shares a cooldown with Thunderclap.
40 Air-warder - Increases the Skill Speed and Spell Speed of allies within 20 yalms by 5%. Prevents the use of wind-aspected spells. Cannot be used with other warder stances. Effect ends upon reuse.
45 Downpour - Consumes Rain Cloud to restore HP. Cure Potency: 600. 90 second cooldown.
50 Hurricane - Creates a designated area that deals wind-aspected damage over time with a potency of X. Active for 21 seconds. Requires Air-warder. Consumes Air-warder and puts it on a 60 second cooldown upon use.
52 Fire-warder - Increases the Determination of allies within 20 yalms by 5%. Prevents the use of fire-aspected spells. Cannot be used with other warder stances. Effect ends upon reuse.
54 Healing Rain - Consumes Rain Cloud to create a designated area around the target's feet that heals over time. Cure potency: 150. 12 second duration. 30 second cooldown.
56 Meltdown - Reduces target's resistance to damage by 10% for 15 seconds. 90 second cooldown. Requires Fire-warder. Consumes Fire-warder and puts it on a 60 second cooldown upon use.
58 Earth-warder - Increases the effect of healing spells on allies within 20 yalms by 5%. Prevents the use of earth-aspected spells. Cannot be used with other warder stances. Effect ends upon reuse.
60 Embrace of the land - Creates a barrier around self and all party members near you that absorbs damage totaling 12% of maximum HP. Requires Earth-warder. Consumes Earth-warder and puts it on a 60 second cooldown upon use.

Quests (WARNING -Fan-fiction advisory in effect)

The geomancer story could be centered on understanding the different ideology of the tribes of the new world and their view on the elements. Your companion NPC for the 30-50 quests would be a conjurer that is convinced he/she can turn the tribes to the direction of balance with nature (like the Gridanians do), and causing all sorts of trouble because of it. In the end, they'd realize that people have their own different ways of doing things, and if you can't approve of someone's ways, you should show respect by letting them be.

The 52-60 quests would deal with several nomad tribes and their issues, all tied together by a geomancer that has become a thrall to a greater power of sorts.

30 Breath of the earth
35 At any given time
40 Restoring the links
45 A slave to no one
50 The Illusion of Hydaelyn
52 Recomposition
54 Elements, Elements
56 Facing the right direction
58 An Earthen Orchestra
60 It's a small world

Notes

- Chances are Geomancer fans won't be happy with this.
- As always, potencies, durations and so on are negotiable.
- While some might be quick to say "but conjurer is basically this", the idea behind Geomancer is that they bend the elements to their will rather than borrow their power. RP-wise, a geomancer and a conjurer would most likely be at each others' throats simply because the former doesn't care about balance as perceived by the latter. A geomancer setting foot in Gridania would be accused of invoking the greenwrath. Likewise, a conjurer would be viewed as a weak-willed individual by the nomad tribes for obeying the elements instead of using them to their own ends. Two different approaches to similar ends.
- Rain Cloud is part of the GEO's core mechanic. The idea is that the GEO would place it on the tank or person who is most likely to take damage and weave in their other heals. In the event of an emergency, they can consume the cloud to do single target or group healing.
- GEO is MUCH more dependent on spell speed because of its need to quickly get casts out.
- The warder stances are meant to simulate the Indi effects GEO has in FFXI, but while keeping them within the scope of FFXIV's design. The idea here is that you'd have 1 effect up depending on what you're looking to do, and can consume the effect for an additional buff or effect or attack where needed. This said, the effects are negotiable if they turn out to be underpowered or overpowered.
- To give an example of how this works, if you click on Air-warder you get the Skill Speed/Spell Speed increases for yourself and your allies, but lose access to Tail Winds and Squall. If you want to deal some extra DPS then you can consume Air-warder by using Hurricane. You'd be unable to click on Air-warder for 60 seconds.
- Some abilities might need to be swapped out for heals if experienced healers don't feel comfortable with this design. It might also need an additional way to recover MP.
- The skill and trait spread being a mirror of Conjurer is intentional. We are designing GEO around being similar to a conjurer but different.
- Of course, given the clash in methodology, GEO would be adverse of wanting anything to do with CNJ, hence why the cross classes are ACN and THM.

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Questions, comments and so on are welcome.