Tank homogenization

[Masked-dingus]

I have played tanks since ARR. I will say Shadowbringers has made every tank feel the exact same.
You can point out these few minor differences like War AOE shield DRK AOE magic defense boost. The do different rotations like every damn class. Problem is they are all the same thing with a different effect and name.

I mean we are slowly reaching the point where DRK PLD and WAR are just the same tank and the job is just a skin

use your thingy and spam Fell cleave
use your requiescquat and spam your spell
same for DRK

same CD as you said

they just are all a generic tank with different outfit

[NyneSwordz]

Ugh... this is the mindset I want to see change
Why exactly does every tank need a gap closer, and WHY in the name of all that is holy does every tank need the SAME gap closer?
This is another area where the individual fantasies of the jobs could be portrayed, but instead we get 3 identical skills and 1 that's also identical but has a cost for no reason.

Just off the top of my head, what if instead of those 4 identical buttons, the tanks had something like this
PLD: Shield Charge: Running up to the target and smacking them with the shield. Makes perfect sense for the job, so this is the one I wouldn't change at all
WAR: Chain Yank: Conjures up the chain from Holmgang, but instead uses it to pull the target towards you. If used on a non-movable target, you are pulled to the target instead
DRK: Targeted Plunge: Same animation, but when you press the button, you get a targeting circle that lets you place your plunge wherever you choose. Upon landing at your desired location, you deal a burst of AoE damage
GNB: Black Hole Shoot: Fires a black orb at the spot halfway between you and the target. The orb then implodes, pulling you and all enemies within 10 yards of the target towards it. As with Chain Yank, if used on a non-movable target, you shoot the orb directly at the target, pulling you directly to it.

Would this be perfectly balanced? No. But as I've said several times now, it doesn't have to be. You could just as well get away with half of the tanks not having a gap closer at all, instead relying on better movement speed skills to get around.

Dude, I think your suggestion is fine.

BUT... seeing as how they made 3/4 gap closers identical, I'd rather they just make Wars the same too.

I'd like to get what you're talking about, but if I can't, I'd rather they just make all 4 the same.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that mindset...

I mean, we could keep demanding unique gap closers... I don't think that's gonna happen though... so the next best thing is just to make them the same. Maybe homegenzing the gap closers will open up slots for more unique actions for each of the tanks.

[Shurrikhan]

... seeing as how they made 3/4 gap closers identical, I'd rather they just make Wars the same too.

I mean, we could keep demanding unique gap closers... I don't think that's gonna happen though... so the next best thing is just to make them the same.

Why not, though? I mean, that's literally been the point of this thread, no?

Why shouldn't DRK's be about damage and APM, Paladin's be about protection, Gunbreaker's synergize with its ammo system, and Warrior's work integrally with its gauge.

Maybe homogenizing the gap closers will open up slots for more unique actions for each of the tanks.

It's a kindly hypothesis but hardly historical precedented. Sacrificing one thing on the hope of getting compensation elsewhere, against a current trend, rarely occurs over the expansions of an MMO.

Instead, the precedent merely solidifies, while the developers are free to spin our actions or opinions any ways they like: "Few if any players voiced concerns about homogeneity in regards to gap-closers thus we decided to further tie jobs in each role more closely together for ease of learning and so we'd need spend even less attention considered the practical balance of jobs across any given fight."

[Bhearil]

Yet they shouldnt burn diversity on the pyre of homogeneization or we get skins instead of new jobs.

FFXI went to the deep end with the flavour and diversity making some classes virtually useless while others were on high demand, but here they are going the other way around HARD, making each expansion jobs more and more similar to the point some are almost the same already *cough* Dark Warrior* cough*with different animations but sharing core gameplay .

At this rate we will have just 5 jobs (Tank, Healer, Melee, Ranged and Caster) with several skins League of Legends style to choose from

[Canadane]

I much prefer XI style to what we have now.

[ItMe]

I much prefer XI style to what we have now.

What about 11 did you prefer?

[Jirah]

I much prefer XI style to what we have now.

DO tell...

[Crossu]

I agree with tanks feeling the same because they fulfill the same role and have really similar tools. But I undestand that they had to do that to not have classes being played less.(Why DRK if PLD/WAR is a way better comp)

They could try to make them more like Healers and try to make each one of them excel in something but still make any combination viable. (Which thats another whole can of worms)

But honestly I would like that at least their dps tools were more unique because right now we have: (oversimplified)

PLD/GNB: 1 Combo and 1 Damage Combo (PLD has Requiescat / GNB has Ammunition outside his combo)
WAR/DRK: Manage Gauge until Burst Phase (War is a bit more gauge dependent / DRK has Fray and Mana Skills)

[Bhearil]

They could try to make them more like Healers and try to make each one of them excel in something but still make any combination viable.

Considering that the healers rework on ShB was generally considered a disaster that made healers almost as scarce as tanks since many left and started playing DPS jobs i really hope they dont go that way with tanks. Hell im actually dreading next expansion what they will do with the new healer job

Healers were also oversimplified to almost brain dead levels, For example, I had a great fun with Astro juggling with the cards even if some cards were better than others, but instead of balancing them they just make everything the exact same, which makes you wonder why bother with the card system at all when it doesnt matter which card you use? Scholar was also castrated a lot, the only one who benefited was WHM and it was because it was on a such poor state before and was the "simple" job that ended better than before.

Balance is not equal to homogeneization, one thing is for all tanks to have a taunt, gap closer, ranged atack, and a invincible skill, but the rest of the kit can and should be different enough to not be like skins of a job called "Tank"

[Jirah]

Imo the only two that are brushing against the H word is DRK and WAR give or take a few skills