Tank Balance

[Heavensword]

Hey guys, although I only started playing on HW launch day, I have played MMOs for over a decade and witnessed various types of mechanics and trinity balance. I also have extensive experience on all 3 roles of the Trinity and this is what I feel about PLD in this game. From my research and perspective, I feel PLD is designed to shut down physical damage, thus establish itself as the mitigation tank. Well, agreeing with other posters above, I too feel PLD is not "unique" in its own way. However, rather than looking at ways to tweak, active skills, I thought maybe we can take a look at "Traits", ie. PASSIVE skills. My ideas are as follows:

Enhanced Flash: This trait is unique to GLA/PLD and I feel it is not unique enough. Instead of just giving them somewhat lackluster Blind, Enhanced Flash allows Blind to be applied on ANY targets, including bosses, and let it not have diminishing return. Yes, this does mean you can permanently Blind a boss, which gives PLD more reason to use their mana bar and allow them to choose between dealing damage or mitigate damage. In order for this to be not abused to be I-WIN button for aggro generation, make it so that only when Blind was applied by PLD for the first time it generates aggro.

Changes to Shield Swipe and it's synergy : Remove the enmity part of Shield Swipe, make it 45 sec CD and oGCD. Create a new Trait, something like Enhanced Shield Swipe. This new traits will have 15% chance of reseting Shield Swipe CD upon a BLOCK and does double the potency. This will give PLD a chance to use Bulwark and Sheldtron(sp?) offensively. Also gives leveling PLD a chances to solo kill mobs faster.

Clemency: Change it to 10min CD, oGCD and cost no mana to use. It's effect would be healing the target for maximum of the PLD's hp, but puts a debuff on the target that last 3min, preventing Clemency to be used on the same target again for the duration. That way 2 PLDs cannot immortalize a target by stacking their Clemencies.

With these proposal, I hope to make PLD make some tanking choices. They can keep using RoH to generate aggro, or spend Flash to mitigate damage, choose to use Bulwark/Sheldtron for dps gain, while Clemency will be the panic button in case of emergencies. Please, evaluate on my ideas, will these work in FF14?

[Eye_Gore]

Clemency: Change it to 10min CD

Thats a bit much HG doesn't even take that long. Besides I rely on this heavily for boss fights running solo dungeons.

[Nektulos-Tuor]

Hey guys, although I only started playing on HW launch day, I have played MMOs for over a decade and witnessed various types of mechanics and trinity balance. I also have extensive experience on all 3 roles of the Trinity and this is what I feel about PLD in this game. From my research and perspective, I feel PLD is designed to shut down physical damage, thus establish itself as the mitigation tank. Well, agreeing with other posters above, I too feel PLD is not "unique" in its own way. However, rather than looking at ways to tweak, active skills, I thought maybe we can take a look at "Traits", ie. PASSIVE skills. My ideas are as follows:

Enhanced Flash: This trait is unique to GLA/PLD and I feel it is not unique enough. Instead of just giving them somewhat lackluster Blind, Enhanced Flash allows Blind to be applied on ANY targets, including bosses, and let it not have diminishing return. Yes, this does mean you can permanently Blind a boss, which gives PLD more reason to use their mana bar and allow them to choose between dealing damage or mitigate damage. In order for this to be not abused to be I-WIN button for aggro generation, make it so that only when Blind was applied by PLD for the first time it generates aggro.

As long as it also blinds your group or everyone around you who is looking towards you as well as a balance.

Changes to Shield Swipe and it's synergy : Remove the enmity part of Shield Swipe, make it 45 sec CD and oGCD. Create a new Trait, something like Enhanced Shield Swipe. This new traits will have 15% chance of reseting Shield Swipe CD upon a BLOCK and does double the potency. This will give PLD a chance to use Bulwark and Sheldtron(sp?) offensively. Also gives leveling PLD a chances to solo kill mobs faster.

This would be an amazing skill but it should keep the TP cost and its potency should be lowered to 50-100. A free 420 potency attack that can proc over and over? R U NUTZ? Dark Arts+Carve and Spit is only 400 potency and costs over half the DRKs Mana.

Imagine turning off shield oath and using using Sheltron + Bulwark + FoF with it... Burning down a boss...

Clemency: Change it to 10min CD, oGCD and cost no mana to use. It's effect would be healing the target for maximum of the PLD's hp, but puts a debuff on the target that last 3min, preventing Clemency to be used on the same target again for the duration. That way 2 PLDs cannot immortalize a target by stacking their Clemencies.

Why? Its just a full heal. WHMs can do that every few seconds and bosses just hit through it. I'd rather Clemency be as it is.

With these proposal, I hope to make PLD make some tanking choices. They can keep using RoH to generate aggro, or spend Flash to mitigate damage, choose to use Bulwark/Sheldtron for dps gain, while Clemency will be the panic button in case of emergencies. Please, evaluate on my ideas, will these work in FF14?

My responses.. in RED and Green.

[Heavensword]

Thats a bit much HG doesn't even take that long. Besides I rely on this heavily for boss fights running solo dungeons.

Pretty sure when games comes around to balance issue, the ability to solo a dungeon boss is on the very bottom of their priority list. However, if that is truly your concern, do note that I also thought about future contents when I came up with my ideas. Right now, tanks are already pushing 20k in terms of HP levels, should this idea is implemented a PLD can instantly heal 30 or even 40k+ in one go. It will save your WHM his/her Benediction; which brings out PLD's idea of utility.

My responses.. in RED and Green.

Can you explain to me, why would you have my proposed Flash also blinds my own group? As far as I notice, Blind is not such a earth-shattering effect that being able to apply it permanently on a boss merits crippling my own team too. All I see it, it is simply an Accuracy Down. How is that different than permanent STR down or slashing debuff?

I agree on some points about my proposed Shield Swipe. Of course, keeping of the TP cost is implied and maybe even limiting the proc effects that it will only activates while under Shield Oath. I do disagree,however, on reducing its potency. As I said before, the suppose effect only has 15% (adjustable after testing, of course) to activate on a BLOCK. Your " Sheltron, Bulwark, FoF" argument is exactly one of my predicted answer. Even though you boost your own block chance, that doesn't mean you are given a proc. Bosses auto are slow enough that even with Bulwark, the idea is your Shield Swipe will only proc twice (or 3 times if you are lucky) over the course of the duration. As for the rest of the time, the TP cost will be the limiting factor to prevent "proc spamming".

I admit, I do not have too good of argument for Clemency. Personally, I feel it is a rather awkward skill. True, my proposed change is just a "Benediction copy" of WHM, but as I said to Eye-gore above, this was simply my attempt to provide PLD further utility in case the raid group doesn't have access to a WHM. Besides, I won't call "300 sec CD" on Benediction "every few sec".
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Again, I would appreciate further comments about my ideas. And thank you for those offering theirs.