Red Mage could be Dev's Answer to Breaking Parsers.

[Moonleg]

RDM breaks parsers and does mediocre personal DPS to make up for the buffs?

RDM not welcome in raids.

[FoxyAreku]

How would this be any different than bard?

Bards don't break parsers because everyone just expects them to be at the bottom. This idea would be no different.

[RazeLandale]

A true support would make parsers MORE prominent. I'm to lazy to go get one, but I've had times I wished I had one on ast. I don't normally care who's 'winning', but as ast it'd help me do my job. While there may be other factors to consider(Some classes are better with certain cards), knowing who the better dps is is a big factor in deciding who to buff.

[Nikoshae]

Yea, let's make a class purely to "break parsers"
That will never work, there are always ways around it.

I don't think OP meant a class that will disable parsers, but rather a class that is built around contributing to the party's throughput without doing substantial numbers themselves.

On an aside, I do wish they'd balanced the game around the idea of having five party members ... one tank, one healer, two dps, and one support class. It'd also require a bit of touching up to introduce a new support class or two (red mage, blue mage anyone?), and perhaps adjust one or two existing classes to be focused on support.

[Zer0]

I'd be down for a buffer class if they changed Bard to be a buffer and added ranger or some actually ranged archer type role. Bard is too caster like now.

[Dragoon130]

Honestly this is what I hope RDM is and what I've been hoping they become. Not the parser thing, that's just a classical case of people blaming the tool and not the dick behind it, but the budder/debuffer. In many of the classical games they have held a similar role to this as well as the jack of all trades motif they are known for. I see it as a melee dps with debuffs attached to magic damage weapon skills, limited spell casting ability, and aoe buffs or casted buffs. Think the Chanter from Aion, which was my favorite class after the Templar. Although I'd be pretty sad if they didn't at least get double cast although depending on the game that's been either BLM or RDM so either one would work.

[Kona_Nightwind]

Why would they want to break parsers. BTW if they wanted to break parsers they would limit the damage done info they supply us in game.

[Nadirah]

When you add a predominantly support class, that class becomes mandatory and the demand outstrips supply.

They won't add a support class slot to df, there'll be a bigger shortage of those than tanks.

My raids in EQ2 for a while during Kunark actually dual boxed a bunch of bards and enchanters because we couldn't recruit enough for what we needed.

So... no.

[Sapphic]

When you add a predominantly support class, that class becomes mandatory and the demand outstrips supply.

It's the reason MMO design split support abilities amongst the other archetypes due to pure support being even less popular than tanks. Even FFXI was the same where LS members where forced to go support or parties where constantly looking for them more than any other.

Players complain abou DF ques taking 30 mins or even more. If they added a support slot that que time would increase massively.

Even in Rift which had Support slot for their DF style dungeon finder those who qued for support switched to a DPS build when they entered.

[Nadirah]

It's the reason MMO design split support abilities amongst the other archetypes due to pure support being even less popular than tanks. Even FFXI was the same where LS members where forced to go support or parties where constantly looking for them more than any other.

Players complain abou DF ques taking 30 mins or even more. If they added a support slot that que time would increase massively.

Even in Rift which had Support slot for their DF style dungeon finder those who qued for support switched to a DPS build when they entered.

in EQ2, there were no such things as builds when I played. Your class dictated your role exclusively. Haven't played it in 3 years though so I don't know if it's changed.

I had niche things I could do as a dirge, like first boss in spire of rage I think it was? Slap on a shield, hate song on myself and offtank the split... but that's about it. I could have gone as illusionist and just kept him mezzed the entire time.