Wanderer’s Minuet, Gauss Barrel and Positive Gameplay Additions

[Jonnycbad]

lol at bow mage and gun mage. In FFXI bows and guns had 'casting times', they were called Delay. In FFXIV you just shoot/load instantly. So you aren't 'casting' your shot in FFXIV, think of it as readying/aiming.

[Alahra]

lol at bow mage and gun mage. In FFXI bows and guns had 'casting times', they were called Delay. In FFXIV you just shoot/load instantly. So you aren't 'casting' your shot in FFXIV, think of it as readying/aiming.

That's certainly true, though that's the sort of thing that is better incorporated into class design from level 1. It feels like a loss to the player because you get 51 levels of gameplay without it and then you're suddenly saddled with the need to aim (and the benefits of aiming aren't always readily apparent in terms of overall damage, at least not at level 52). With regard to readying/aiming and aesthetics, I really wish they had designed the casting animation differently, so that it did actually appear that you were training your shot.

[Velhart]

snip

I will admit, it is a awkward transition starting at 52, changing a lot on how the job works. Then again, the only real remedy to it is to offer WM/GB at lower levels or fully integrate it into the job at lv.1. I got use to it quick since I played Marksman Hunter in WoW, but a new player playing BRD up to 52 and everything changes just like that. SE should of eased people into it a little better. Then again, I don't really have a good suggestion how. SE should of made it so you really feel the power of it right at 52 instead of it just being there. You don't feel that power at 52, more like lv.60.

[Alahra]

I will admit, it is a awkward transition starting at 52, changing a lot on how the job works.

Yes, it's the sort of thing that should have been level 30 at the latest (the first job ability, perhaps). But it's too late for that now, so the best that can happen is for WM/GB to be modified to fit in better with existing abilities and the like or for the existing kit to be retooled to better fit WM/GB. BRD definitely needs more work in this department than MCH, but I imagine changes to one would likely result in changes to the other (unless they only really do something to Bloodletter/Rain of Death, anyway).

[Velhart]

snip

Definitely would of been beneficial if SE went out of their way to make you feel powerful with the new stance and make it more welcoming. Rather it be during the quest or other means. It feels like a crutch when it is introduced to you for the first time. Giving that sense of power will make someone go "Wow I really want to keep this stance on." At best the stance at lv.52 causes confusion for most. Like I said, GB/WM I believe are great ideas and I love how it is set up on MCH, but SE just threw it at people and told them you got to do it this way now.

[XiXiQ]

Ironic for me now, but I mained both BLM and BRD. The reason I did that was the difference in the movement mechanics. Pity now I have to play them both like a BLM.

I'm not a fan of either enochian or WM, for different reasons. Enochian is just plain clunky, the AF duration is too short - in fact, I swear most bosses are actually tuned to set off some mechanic that goes off one second before/after you get to use fireIV. Then either they will interrupt it, or you have to by moving or running about for exactly 6 seconds. OR the boss just vanishes for 20 seconds so you can lose your stacks and still have to wait out the CDs. You can't even smoothly spell queue ice/fire IV, it's greyed out until the animation finishes on the ice/fire3 you had to cast to get into umbral. and the absolute worst part? The cast interruption when the umbral timer happens to run out a split second before the cast goes off. BLM now (even though I still main it) isn't that much fun anymore, it's just one frustration after the other.

WM is just the absolute anathema of what a bard was, and that's what disappoints me most about it.

[Dante_V]

It's a net increase in dps at 60. The value of auto attacks are being inflated in the OP also. I can understand not liking the play style change but saying that it has no net positive overall is disengenious.

[Warlyx]

It's a net increase in dps at 60. The value of auto attacks are being inflated in the OP also. I can understand not liking the play style change but saying that it has no net positive overall is disengenious.

at release WM was 20%

[RiceisNice]

It's a net increase in dps at 60. The value of auto attacks are being inflated in the OP also. I can understand not liking the play style change but saying that it has no net positive overall is disengenious.

It was 20% on release. It was a damage loss until level 60 (unless it was AoE), and in the case of MCH at least, the dps gain was extremely minimal on a target dummy (2-3% minimal), and immediately a damage loss if you had to cancel a cast or delay an oGCD.

[Alahra]

It's a net increase in dps at 60. The value of auto attacks are being inflated in the OP also. I can understand not liking the play style change but saying that it has no net positive overall is disengenious.

It actually is still DPS neutral (and usually loss whenever you need to move) at 52 when you receive it which was part of my overall point about it not feeling like an improvement. I've never said it wasn't a net DPS increase at 60--it is, though I feel it's not enough of one.

It's not all that different from BRD other than the fact you have to be re-active to your procs since you can actually get them. And the whole 1 oGCD per GCD thing.

I took up MCH first, so it was my first exposure to the cast times. I was used to the timing on BRD when I got it to 52 a couple weeks back, though now that I'm 56 and juggling Empyreal Arrows and Bloodletter procs, BRD is becoming annoying in different ways. For me, MCH is mostly annoying during the opener since you need to fit in 12 or so oGCDs--once everything is on cooldown it tends to play much more smoothly over time than BRD does.