Parry: How would you improve it?

[GranZero]

Thank you for all the insightful responses!

You mistook me with someone else :P
My opinion about parry didn't change since 2.0 when they nerfed main stats affecting parry str/rate.

I said that too xD

You're both right, my bad. And with the changes to Parry, I'd expect some skills would also be changed, namely Keen Flurry.

a new stat that accomplishes the same goal of slightly freeing up healer attention but without the elements of RNG or physical niche--for instance a stat called Steadfast which increases Defense, Magic Defense, and Healing Received.

Oh wow, imagine a tank with 1000+ Steadfast stat --- a Scholar can just DPS all day on Cleric Stance, only stopping to heal other party members. Then again, maybe I'm oversimplifying it there...

My only matter of contention with Steadfast is that it becomes a polar opposite of Parry: excellent in parties but is poor in solo (maybe with healer chocobo). But if we're thinking endgame, that's a stat I'd love to have as a tank.

Fun thought exercise. I'd focus on improving the defensive properties of parry; it's the only raw defensive stat we have, so why not make it worth taking for defense purposes?

If I'm going to narrow down the two worst issues Parry have, it'll be that it's unreliable and it's useless as an offtank. I do agree that tanks still need a defensive stat, but it has to eliminate the aforementioned problems.

I love your ideas too --- you buffed the tanking stances which is opposite of what I suggested in buffing offtanking stances. I would think Riposte as a skill a Fencer/Red Mage class would have, but it's great to see it mentioned here nonetheless.