Red Mage (Tank) Please!

[ckc22]

However, we currently have 7 DPS to 3 tanks and 3 healers. That means our proper ratio for party filling is off by about a third of a class. To even it out you'd want 1 more DPS and one more of each tanks and healers. To err more toward the side of party filling you'd just put in the tanks and healers and leave the DPS alone.

This all assumes that people filter into classes evenly which is a bad assumption. There could be twice as many tank and healer classes and you'd still have more people play dps.

[ckc22]

We already have Bard and Machinist.

Yeah and we have 5 other dps...

[Krylo]

They're exactly what they were pre-Heavensward, not counting the pre-expansion lull period when subs are more apt to drop.

Listen, I'm not going to argue over things neither of us can prove, BUT, here's the thing:

There's, what? 5? 10 posts? In this thread saying 'rdm should be caster because there's 2 casters and 3 tanks'. If the ratio isn't going to change anything then THAT doesn't matter either.

Also, even if you think things will completely normalize eventually, most people hate the idea of sam as tank because A: already have a two handed sword tank, B: no sword melee DPS. No one wants Rdm to be tank, and most don't like the idea of it being heals either (which, I agree, is completely different from Rdm's role in the other games, with the possible exception of FFXI? I never played that). Everyone also wants Blu to be DPS because it's just a weird class that never really fit as tank or heals in any of its previous incarnations.

Whenever new classes are released people try them. Lots of people. From every class. And, yes, some people stick with them--yes we did lose some tanks to ninja, and lost some DPS to drk--but even if that wasn't the case, that'd still be between 2 and 6 weeks of absolutely abysmal queue times.

Further: People do, indeed, try new classes outside of their favored role and stick with them. You can, indeed, get DPS players tanking by offering them new tanking experiences until one clicks with them. It's one of the many strategies that multiplayer games use to get people to play the needed roles. Most games shoot for closer to a 40% ratio of classes tank capable to try and get parties to fill (of course most games also allow tanking classes to use DPS builds, which gets people hooked on the class and then people ask them to try tanking, etc. etc. but that's a whole other thing).

[Assirra]

Further: People do, indeed, try new classes outside of their favored role and stick with them. You can, indeed, get DPS players tanking by offering them new tanking experiences until one clicks with them. It's one of the many strategies that multiplayer games use to get people to play the needed roles. Most games shoot for closer to a 40% ratio of classes tank capable to try and get parties to fill (of course most games also allow tanking classes to use DPS builds, which gets people hooked on the class and then people ask them to try tanking, etc. etc. but that's a whole other thing).

Sorry but no. World of Warcraft tried for years to make tanking more appealing through a various amount of ways and new classes but it doesn't change the fact that a lot of people simply do not want to tank. At one point they even gave tanks a stat called resolve which let you do more damage the more you got hit. This resulted in tanks being nothing more than dps with big health pools that could take hits. Sure you have the odd man out, and at the same time you have a tank that switches to dps/healer instead. Your ratio stays exactly the same.

[Nektulos-Tuor]

Red Mage being a tank would allow people who like the casting play-style of classes play it. We need different kinds of tanks and honestly, War/DRK/PLD play close. Warrior is the only one that is a bit more complex with its use of Vengeance and Defiance stacks. Dark Knights are "NOT" caster tanks, they do not "CAST" anything, they are "Magic" Defense Tanks.

I want a "Caster" Tank, because the play-style isn't in the game yet and the only Mage that really fits it is the jack of all trades Red Mage.

Not only does it sound cool, it would look cool as well because honestly what I see of a Red Mage is:

"A leader who uses a rapier and dances across the battlefield casting healing and damage spells."

Which means, he may in fact be more up close and personal then the other casters. Which makes him the perfect tank.

He may not wear as heavy armor as the other tanks, but he makes up for it with Earth and Wind magic making it easier for him to block attacks with each and enhance his body and use the wind to increase his evasion. He also has a magic shield which he can switch on and off.

[Lemuria]

3 Melee; Monk, Dragoon and Ninja

Very true, my mistake.

Still, adding a 4th tank won't suddenly make more people want to tank. Dark Knight was proof of that. If people choose not to tank, there's nothing anyone can do about it. There was a huge number of Dark Knights when the expansion first launched, and it died out as quickly as it surged. Nowdays, tanks are the one class you're always waiting on for Expert roulette which is why I've taken to doing most of my Eso farming on my Paladin.

He may not wear as heavy armor as the other tanks, but he makes up for it with Earth and Wind magic making it easier for him to block attacks with each and enhance his body and use the wind to increase his evasion. He also has a magic shield which he can switch on and off.

Outside of Utsusemi in FFXI, it would be folly to try and create a tank based around evasion. Because of the RNG nature of hits and misses, you could easily go for periods where every blow lands, or every blow misses making it severely underpowered and overpowered at the same time.

Some would see the job as a healer MP sponge, other's would herald it as the second coming of Louisoux. If they ever DID make it a tank, surely going the Rune Fencer route would work better, with magical defenses you can swap in and out of to defend against particular threats.

[Blood-Aki]

Red Mage being a tank would allow people who like the casting play-style of classes play it. We need different kinds of tanks and honestly, War/DRK/PLD play close. Warrior is the only one that is a bit more complex with its use of Vengeance and Defiance stacks. Dark Knights are "NOT" caster tanks, they do not "CAST" anything, they are "Magic" Defense Tanks.

I want a "Caster" Tank, because the play-style isn't in the game yet and the only Mage that really fits it is the jack of all trades Red Mage.

Actually, Blue mage, as it's already been said, would fit this nich better, Not red mage, Because of how it has been worked in the past. Red mage will not fit well as a tank of any kind.

Not only does it sound cool, it would look cool as well because honestly what I see of a Red Mage is:

"A leader who uses a rapier and dances across the battlefield casting healing and damage spells."

You even just proved it here, "healing and damage spells" healer or DPS. but since we already have new healer, where does that fit rdm? caster DPS. or a melee mage. (best fit)

Which means, he may in fact be more up close and personal then the other casters. Which makes him the perfect tank.

I don't know why you so badly want rdm to be a tank. but this simply will not work.

He may not wear as heavy armor as the other tanks, but he makes up for it with Earth and Wind magic making it easier for him to block attacks with each and enhance his body and use the wind to increase his evasion. He also has a magic shield which he can switch on and off.

Incase you didn't know, once apon a time Ninja has this ability that made them evade all physcial attacks for 5 whole seconds, Guess what they did? they butcherd it, now it's a crappy 20% damage reduction instead. Clearly, evasion tanks are never going to happen. They already learned that lesson from FFXI.

[Evangela]

No, thanks. Healers have enough problem with weak tanks who think they're cool wearing Str accessories and show off their useless damage dealing.

better concept for RDM should be a DPS that can do both melee and ranged magic, and also healing. that's what the real red mages do, not tanking.

[cold52]

yall know tank really is the closest thing that makes sence for a red mage think about it.

a red mage is known for its ability to use both white magic and black magic while still using a melee weapon.

no other role suits that better then tank

white magic for defensive skills and heal skills
black magic for its offensive skills or buffs

then it still has room for its melee skills

all it would need then is something to help make it stand out between the other tanks.

now of course people dont wanna see it end up as a tank but ya know thats what was said about warrior and dark knight but at the end of the day if square makes it that way thats the way it will be.

also it will amuse me to see all of the red mage jokes about there role icon being blue if it happened. >

[Evangela]

Tank is the most boring role in MMO. please don't waste good jobs like Red Mage, Samurai, and Mystic Knight for it.