Add Shell, and don't make it stackable with protect.

[Sandpark]

It would be really cool if there were more than one type of protect. It would allow parties to think carefully on which type of attack they want to be shielded against, rather than just casting the same protect every time. Personally I feel like it's kinda useless, unless they expand on it more. It feels like SE could just lower all enemies attacks, by the percentage of protect, and it wouldn't even matter if it were there. Give us some diffident types of protective magic.

Hell no, please don't lower enemy attacks. Tanks can already pull half a dungeon, and people already cry about wanting every healer to DPS due to players being topped off on health.

Remember protect is a role action now, meaning whatever is changed here has every healer having to change their actions on the hotbar everytime a different encounter calls for it.

The elemental system was dumbed down in this game versus it's sister to prevent button bloat and combat one job being preferred over the other in certain contents. Right now the meta in the game is dodging being more important than mitigating.

Essentially different kinds of protects is the same thing as barspells from XI. A specific spell you cast to mitigate a specific mechanic. With the removal of elemental resistances/attributes point system, it seems SE doesn't want to go down that road.

Barstonra
BarPoisonra
Barsleepra
Barwatera
Barparalyzra
Baraera
Barfira
Barblindra
Barblizzara
Barsilencera
Barthundra
Barvira
Barpetra
Baramnesra

Having specific counters is nice in my books, but with the highly scripted mechanics and themes, doing so basically has specific spells being default depending on the circumstance.

Barfire- Use against Ifrit
Barice- Use against Shiva
Barthundra- Use against Ramuh

Or you could cast barpetra/bargaol and prevent a party member from being gaoled in Titan fight.

It would work the same if the elemental system was changed.

Ifrit weak to ice? Cast Ice Spells
Shiva weak to fire? Cast Fire
Titan weak to wind? Cast Aero

• It would break up the monotony of this rotation works for all content regardless of what that enemy is.
• It would perhaps trivialize the need to even dodge mechanics.
• It would add more buttons to manage more frequently.
• Introducing this at this point would require an entire revamp of every job's skills and rotation which probably ain't happening.

I posted an idea for bringing the skillchain system back which was the best party based cooperation mechanic for any mmo in my book. But I don't see none of this happening anytime soon. The theme is keep it simple, too much complexity and they get rant threads, too much complexity and they get job division(one job preferred over another,which still happens in raids even without all those things they were trying to avoid).

[ty_taurus]

snip

I totally agree with that, but I think there could be ways to play with the elemental system more without creating bloated situations like that or them being situational based on the fight. The mechanic exists, so I firmly believe we should use it somehow.

Something I played around with for fun was a dancer that could grant all allies either Enfire, Enwater, Enblizzard, Enthunder, Enaero, or Enstone with an action at random while also having an action that would drop the elemental defense of an enemy of the matching element. Everyone's doing Wind damage thanks to Enaero, you drop the opponent's wind resistance. Its functionally similar to just a defense drop on the target, but using the elemental system would help give it an identity.

[Sandpark]

I totally agree with that, but I think there could be ways to play with the elemental system more without creating bloated situations like that or them being situational based on the fight. The mechanic exists, so I firmly believe we should use it somehow.

Something I played around with for fun was a dancer that could grant all allies either Enfire, Enwater, Enblizzard, Enthunder, Enaero, or Enstone with an action at random while also having an action that would drop the elemental defense of an enemy of the matching element. Everyone's doing Wind damage thanks to Enaero, you drop the opponent's wind resistance. Its functionally similar to just a defense drop on the target, but using the elemental system would help give it an identity.

But if only a hypothetical dancer would grant it, wouldn't that lead back to some parties wanting dancer over say some other support class?

Make it too weak or random and no would want dancer.
Make it too strong and other classes would start asking for nerfs or their own buffs.
And if it's just a flavor but the same thing as a defense drop then we already have that.

If the want is casters want Protect to be more than just cast it and forget it. Then it has to be a buff you can build up similar to Greased Lightning. I don't know how the rotation would work to accomplish that since Protect is a role action spell though.

Many fights have a DPS check, well this would be similar to a Healer Check. Say you get the spell version up to maximum Protect. In a circumstance a Primal ultimate skill would one shot the party. If Protect was maxed it could theoretically circumvent a group wide one shot just enough so no party wipe but just barely. In a party with more than one healer, it would take a stacked max protect from all healers to circumvent the group wide wipe.

Maybe you cast a low level defense boost protect 8%.
Then it requires a certain amount of hit points healed to keep it growing
At the next threshold it builds to 12%.
Next threshold it builds to 16%.
Next threshold it builds to 20%.

Change the icon to show 4 distinct sections, each section shows what threshold you are at. Recast required to upgrade the current spell level.
Cast it is Protect 1
When you hit second threshold, cast Protect 2
When you hit third threshold, cast Protect 3
When you hit fourth threshold, cast Protect 4

Or a simpler version where it requires more environmental awareness from the tanks, dps, and healers.

An area based effect similar to Summoners Shadowflare but way larger.

Members In the immediate vicinity of the caster grants a 20% defense boost
The further out you are the % is smaller, 15%, 10%, 5%.
There it would have to be recasted every 60 seconds.