Let’s discuss Dancer

[Belgianbeer]

I guess rythmic gymnastics would be the most obvious source of inspiration in which case the most likely weapons would be hoops (chakram), balls, clubs or ribbons. While ribbons don't sound too bad I really would be disappointed if the weapon is too much of a cliché.

I don't know..maybe a combination of open shoework with some kind of blade attached to it (for dmg) and a flying ribbon/veil (for healing)? It could work similar to the paladin with a main and offhand.

[Shurrikhan]

If it's not an actual Hybrid of any sort that brings something truly new to the game... I honestly couldn't care less, even though I love the aesthetic.

[Mansion]

I'd like a melee heal, withs fans as weapons maybe...
It would have several combos (like melees and tanks), one for DPS (maybe with a dot / slashing debuff), one for Mana/TP recovery.
And a system of "steps" similar to the ninja' mudras; with more possibilities maybe, that would generate various buffs and heals. And to avoid the problems Ninja is facing currently, I'd made those steps part of the GCD, but using them would bring the GCD down to 1,5 sec, like the RDM melee combo. It would make it a bit dynamic.

Well that's my fantasy haha. +20% potency when there is a bard in the team.

[Neela]

Well that's my fantasy haha. +20% potency when there is a bard in the team.

I would love Brd & Dancer traits or even combo-skills – reminds me of the Brd/Dancer job-mechanics in Ragnarok Online :3

[Ghishlain]

I would love Brd & Dancer traits or even combo-skills – reminds me of the Brd/Dancer job-mechanics in Ragnarok Online :3

God, screw breaking Classical Pluck chokes during WoE, lol. It wasn't bad playing a full support Scholar to get through that but for all your real DPS trying to get through that, good luck >>;

And while I would love this, I doubt we'll see it happen given the structure of the game. Sad days ;_;

[TruebladeNuke]

I’ve had ideas dancing (no pun intended) around in my head about how Dancer could work in this game as a healer for quite some time. This thread seems like the best place to finally share at least one idea in my head.

I can’t help but note the constant back and forth debates about Dancer being a melee DPS healer, and the reasons why people want it to function this way VS those who keep saying that there’s no way it’ll ever happen due to certain mechanics in certain boss fights. If we were required to choose on Dancer on being a melee healer or physical ranged, I’d vote melee anyway, and I’d just simply say “Being required to attack at melee distance is simply one of the major draw backs to Dancer. Boss mechanics included.” I’m in favor of the idea of DNC taking notes from SAM on the melee healer idea though, in which DNC has both a gap closer AND a leap away attack as the situation calls for it. Though for some people, that won’t be enough, because they think they NEED to be DPSing 100% of the time. (Disregarding the fact that you sometimes land in a situation that prevents you from being able to DPS for at least a little bit)

Well, I eventually came up with a “Take a third option” idea. Why does it have to be one or the other? ... Why not both?

I see some of you already giving me that look. “But Nuke! If they do the same DPS at a distance, DNC may as well be a physical ranged unit!” This is where the trait idea comes into play. I don’t have a name for it, but basically, the trait has the Dancer switch between melee attacks and thrown weapon attacks based on their distance from the target. The point of the trait?

The thrown weapon attacks deal less damage, while also changing up the regular attack skills that Dancer uses (and animations) without the need of adding additional skill buttons to press when fighting at ranged or melee.

What this basically means for this idea is that a DNC that insists on fighting at ranged is roughly similar to a Tank keeping their Tank stance on the entire fight, even when there’s no need to. This will strongly encourage players who are looking to get the most out of DNC to be bold and close the distance to their enemy as much as possible, so that they can do more DPS via melee attacks. An extra thing they could do with this is make the DNC’s AoE attack(s) melee only, thus further encouraging them to get in close. Add in the idea of DNC taking notes from SAM and having both a gap closer and a jump away attack, and you’ll have a heck of a mobile healer just from that alone.

If this idea turned out real, I’d love it if the Dancers main weapon was some form of bladed cloth (finally giving Weavers a weapon to craft) while also finally being the first job since PLD to actually use the secondary weapon slot, which could be throwable Chakrams. But IMO, given how close we’re getting to 5.0 now, it’s more likely that DNC is more or less finished at this point (if the leaks are to be believed) and DNC will probably just have an attack skill for throwing a weapon, similar to DRG and NIN.

And that’s just covering the debate of Melee Healer VS Physical Ranged. There’s more I could get in to, but I feel others have already done a good job on Dancer move set concepts on this forum. I just hope the developers really are making DNC a healer. We could really stand a new healer that actually dares to be different from our current ones. (For the most part) From a personal character lore stance, my Miqo’te would be very happy to finally be a healer job that most closely resembles her.

I too have noted how funny DNC may be in the shared healer clothes, as others have pointed out. But IMO, RDM already says hi on that front. And more importantly... that’s what the glamour system is for. I mean, whenever I’m playing as a healer, my Miqo’te is using the Thavnarian Bustier for glamour, so she already LOOKS like a DNC. It’s just not what she does as any of the current healers. (Currently primarily play as SCH)

Anyway, I just really wanted to get that trait idea out of my head. I was getting sick of constantly thinking about it and never saying anything about it anywhere on the FFXIV forum or in game. I’ve finally said it. Take it as you will I guess.

[Neela]

God, screw breaking Classical Pluck chokes during WoE, lol. It wasn't bad playing a full support Scholar to get through that but for all your real DPS trying to get through that, good luck >>;

And while I would love this, I doubt we'll see it happen given the structure of the game. Sad days ;_;

Well breaking through the precast was one of the dancers/gypsys maintasks ;3 #screambiatch
Played SinX myself and absolutely hated to face a dancer infront of me... <.<

Which Guild have u played WoE with? :0

[Ghishlain]

Well breaking through the precast was one of the dancers/gypsys maintasks ;3 #screambiatch
Played SinX myself and absolutely hated to face a dancer infront of me... <.<

Which Guild have u played WoE with? :0

Played on iRO Sakray for most of my RO career. WoE'd with the _Callous family for a while, quit, came back for a little to hang out in Sexy Noob Society, quit again.

Then when iRO Sakray was going to be deleted and the community allowed to migrated, I ended up on iRO Loki WoEing with Deus Ex Machina for a while. Can't believe that video is 8.5 years old now >>; lol

Yourself?

[miraidensetsu]

Well breaking through the precast was one of the dancers/gypsys maintasks ;3 #screambiatch
Played SinX myself and absolutely hated to face a dancer infront of me... <.<

Just read that to feel nostalgic.

And face dancers/gypsys and keep them from breaking through precast was one of my roles at WoE. And I has a champ back there. With 6x vit, the stuns coming from dancers wasn't really a problem for me.

Good times... Good times.

[Cidel]

Gonna be awfully hard to show off their dance moves wearing flowing white robes and dresses that the devs like slapping on the healer gear.

Unless of course, they do something... *gasp* innovative. /psychochords