Geomancer vs Blue Mage

[Ametrine]

FFXI solved this by instead giving GEOs the ability to change terrain, verses the magic of the skill changing with the environment, using a pet-like tool similar to turrets. Essentially, they had multible versions of skills like Shadowflare and Sacred Soil. They could work as a viable support if the Devs go that direction.

FFExplorers expanded it further by letting GEOs lay traps that mobs could trigger.

Classic GEO had a much rougher appearance than the Feng Shui Warriors or Green Mages we see now. Particularly with FFT's vaguely Native inspired appearance. Another niche we could fill is the desire for a less heavily armored tank, using leather skins instead. This version of GEO used maces and warhammers,

[Morningstar1337]

I can see Geomancer having an easier shot, why? Because of a mechanic that the devs had already worked into the game. The catch is that means instead of being a Job whose effectiveness depends on the terrain, it would be a Job whose bread and butter is altering the terrain.

ACN, DRK, WHM, and ARC set a precedent for Abilities that affect the environment in some form (Shadow Flare, Sacred Soil, Asylum, Sacred Prism, Tar Pit, Salted Earth and Flaming Arrow), but they are usually limited to two per Job (and in DRK and WHM's case, one of them is PvP only). I can see a class that is centered around this mechanic and uses it for support. Like say A Floating wind platform that increases speed and evasion, a ice area that serves as a Shadow Flaresque DoT, a defensive earthen area, etc.

[Welsper59]

ACN, DRK, WHM, and ARC set a precedent for Abilities that affect the environment in some form (Shadow Flare, Sacred Soil, Asylum, Sacred Prism, Tar Pit, Salted Earth and Flaming Arrow), but they are usually limited to two per Job (and in DRK and WHM's case, one of them is PvP only). I can see a class that is centered around this mechanic and uses it for support. Like say A Floating wind platform that increases speed and evasion, a ice area that serves as a Shadow Flaresque DoT, a defensive earthen area, etc.

I honestly would love the idea of such a heavy support job. Unfortunately, "support" is such a taboo function for jobs to have here. The devs are ridiculous in how they view support abilities in this game. So much so that they actually think meager temporary bonuses warrant fulltime sub-par performance, as seen with BRD and AST. Both of those jobs needed significant buffs multiple times during this expansion, simply because they were gauged based on the fact they were created to have a core function to use support abilities.

I really wish they would just embrace the idea of support abilities without pointlessly gimping a job because of them, as they did with some DPS jobs that have party buffs with zero nerfs applied to them to balance it.

[Ametrine]

Well, Y'shtola is basically our blind, overpowered earth bender, when you think about it.

But that's a great example of why the traditional version of the Terrain spell won't work in FFXIV, and why GEO was so heavily changed in FFXI.

Some terrains didn't even have damaging attacks and instead caused status changes in past games. "Oh, my terrain attack inflicts sleep on this platform...." Should it sleep the boss? Should it have dimishing returns?

Or should Terrain just be raw damage that -looks- different per environment?

It would be slightly game braking and an absolute nightmare to program into old content and to balance.


The stances was a suggestion once brought up in a thread about how GEO could work, and I liked the idea of it, being of a similar vein as the Astrologian stances. (As an aside, I'm actually expecting that to be Red Mage's schtick, with you changing your element on the fly in combat.)

[Kazrah]

For Geomancer, I always thought of it as something with a rotation that follows the Wu Xing, where using a spell of a certain element would increase the damage of a spell of the next element in the cycle while having multiple spell options for each element.

Blue Mage, well....I've given my proof on that....

[Rubieus]

I like what you gotta say OP however no class "has" to use any specific weapon. Sure sure, you might want them to on account to it being part of what the class represents. However, aside from very specific circumstances IE: Paladin (sword and board) Archer (bow/crossbow) Gunblade Specialist (gunblade) and Monk (although they could have used a staff, double sticks or kamas >.>) All of our current or future jobs (sans the ones I just wrote) could pretty much use any weapon under the sun, provided they retained their appropriate class/job abilities. Just to list a few ideas
WHM: could have used elemental crystals / orbs
blm: orbs, ceremonial dagger, tomes
summoner: ceremonial dagger, minions (ie Lulu except she was a blm >.>)
Gladiator: any one handed weapon, dual wield optional.
Marauder: any two handed weapon, Great (axe,hammer,sword,club)
Dark knight: Great sword, scythe, curved blade of scarylooking.
Dragoon: any polearm
Machinist: guns? really? I was thinking wrench like Cid in FFIV could have made all kinds of contraptions
I think you get my meaning.

To conclude: any future jobs, be it BlU, DNC, GEO or RDM should not be defined by their weapon, but by their mechanics. The weapon of choice should enhance the job. not limit it.

[Morningstar1337]

To conclude: any future jobs, be it BlU, DNC, GEO or RDM should not be defined by their weapon, but by their mechanics. The weapon of choice should enhance the job. not limit it.

Problem is that the game has made it so that the Weapon is the core of the Base Class( and by extension the Job)'s identity. And so any new Jobs would have to equip a specific type of weapon (and few types, such as swords have the diversity needed to get away with having multiple subtypes) either out of Grandfather Clause, a desire to make sure the game won't get confused by one weapon having 2 Soulstones and no Base class to default too, or possible a desire to see if the devs can make get certain weapons to certain Jobs that might not be the one fans associate the weapon with (plus I think they made said method a selling point of 2.0). Also I'm sure Rapiers for RDMs are the one thing most people can agree on.

[Rubieus]

Also I'm sure Rapiers for RDMs are the one thing most people can agree on.

While that is true, 4.0 has been said it will shake things up. Also unless RDM is a melee DD or a tank (trinity) a rapier on a caster.. is askin to a whip on a tank. (Fencer/duelist could keep the rapier as a DD/evasion parry tank just sayin)

[Kazrah]

While that is true, 4.0 has been said it will shake things up. Also unless RDM is a melee DD or a tank (trinity) a rapier on a caster.. is askin to a whip on a tank. (Fencer/duelist could keep the rapier as a DD/evasion parry tank just sayin)

Rapier makes perfect sense for a spellcaster. Flick of of a fencing foil, and off goes a spell. In that regard, it's no different than a simple magic wand, and when you think about it, rapiers weren't really designed for pitched battles anyway. They were meant more for aesthetics and games for nobles rather than being tools of actual warfare. No one on a battlefield ever died from a rapier. Bigger swords, axes, knives, and spears; but not rapiers.

Back to the main topic, yes to a bell for Geomancer, but not sure about dual sabers for Blue Mage since dual-wielding has traditionally been the Ninja thing.

[Rubieus]

No one on a battlefield ever died from a rapier.

Last time I checked, no one ever died from a book or a twig either but we still have ACN and CNJ running around. As I said before, make the class and all its mechanics, then find a suitable weapon that fits. Not the other way around. A caster RDM is not the classic FF Redmage, and since the trinity exists, RDM is 2/3 caster which puts it as either a caster DD or caster healer. Giving it a rapier would only muddle it. As other more melee focused jobs could actually use a rapier as their wpn of choice. I'd like to see RDM as a class that could be all 3 but it wont happen, can't happen unless they have 3 RDM job stones. each one granting a whole set of skills based on the trinity. Can't swap them out in dungeons for obvious reasons.

Blue Mages doesn't need scimitars/sabers/curved swords there has been plenty of instances where they had custom weapons based on the character. Which is my point.