People wanting a support class. Why?

[gman1311]

Then I play games like Monster Hunter and see very few people actually role the Hunting Horn. The support job of that game. I always feel like it's one of those things where it's something people think they want but won't actually enjoy it when they get it; because it won't turn out to be their vision of it.

mostly because hunt hunting buffs aren’t that great, plus you got to stop what you’re doing and play a song.

[MomomiMomi]

mostly because hunt hunting buffs aren’t that great, plus you got to stop what you’re doing and play a song.

If you're stopping what you're doing to play a song, you're doing it wrong. Hunting Horn is a very aggressive weapon where you play your songs as you attack. Your songs are actually your strongest attacks.

Then I play games like Monster Hunter and see very few people actually role the Hunting Horn. The support job of that game. I always feel like it's one of those things where it's something people think they want but won't actually enjoy it when they get it; because it won't turn out to be their vision of it.

I main HH and I love it.

[Nora_of_Mira]

mostly because hunt hunting buffs aren’t that great, plus you got to stop what you’re doing and play a song.

[unrelated to FFxiv now]

negating hearing and wind effects arent great? no stamina loss isnt great? Also, if your HH user was standing off to the side to play songs, they're playing it wrong.

[JunseiKei]

Then I play games like Monster Hunter and see very few people actually role the Hunting Horn. The support job of that game. I always feel like it's one of those things where it's something people think they want but won't actually enjoy it when they get it; because it won't turn out to be their vision of it.

HH also follows quite a bit of the same logic as a hammer - needs very good understanding of how the monster will turn, keeping track of stagger thresholds and positioning needs to be on point. Then add in the requirement of knowing when you have enough recovery for playing songs in between attacks and not getting smacked in the face. The fact that a lot of HH users I do see are well away from the monster and dooting means they don't have a very firm grasp of the weapon to actually play it well. Like watching a charge blader never use guard points, dual swords never use demon dance, insect glaives that seem to want to stay in the air, bows that don't understand critical range, etc, etc, etc. They're effectively the healer that only heals and never touches a damage spell even as they stand there for a few GCDs. They'll mostly suffice, outside of ultimates and savages, but that doesn't mean they're good.

Someone who actually plays HH is like having someone that actually plays hammer - they stand out and make runs super smooth and fast with the sheer amount of staggers and buffs.

[Ilyrian]

The problem is, as with any outlier in an MMO, it either becomes mandatory or obsolete.

[seraseth]

Although I'd love a pure support class, I think it's highly unlikely in ff14 as it's built. I think the best possible compromise would be to make healers a 'support' job (since technically healing is a type of support :P) and give them the tools for it.

Since a lot of comments say they're only healing 10-30% of the time, if they had a range of buffing and debuffing skills they could spend their extra time doing that instead of spamming 1 dps spell. I think it could make healers a lot more enjoyable for those who really dislike being a 'green dps'.

And unlike dps who spend their time with a mob targeted, healers are used to changing targets a lot so probably less annoying for them to weave in buffs and debuffs than for a dps to have to switch to targeting party members in the middle of a fight.

[HumanNinjaToo]

Although I'd love a pure support class, I think it's highly unlikely in ff14 as it's built. I think the best possible compromise would be to make healers a 'support' job (since technically healing is a type of support :P) and give them the tools for it.

Since a lot of comments say they're only healing 10-30% of the time, if they had a range of buffing and debuffing skills they could spend their extra time doing that instead of spamming 1 dps spell. I think it could make healers a lot more enjoyable for those who really dislike being a 'green dps'.

And unlike dps who spend their time with a mob targeted, healers are used to changing targets a lot so probably less annoying for them to weave in buffs and debuffs than for a dps to have to switch to targeting party members in the middle of a fight.

This sounds like an excellent idea. If there was to be a support type role, healer fits the bill more than any dps job. Not a bad idea for this 4th healer job people keep talking about.

[Jade3173]

Although I'd love a pure support class, I think it's highly unlikely in ff14 as it's built. I think the best possible compromise would be to make healers a 'support' job (since technically healing is a type of support :P) and give them the tools for it.

Since a lot of comments say they're only healing 10-30% of the time, if they had a range of buffing and debuffing skills they could spend their extra time doing that instead of spamming 1 dps spell. I think it could make healers a lot more enjoyable for those who really dislike being a 'green dps'.

And unlike dps who spend their time with a mob targeted, healers are used to changing targets a lot so probably less annoying for them to weave in buffs and debuffs than for a dps to have to switch to targeting party members in the middle of a fight.

pretty much why I liked playing AST, was about as close as we're going to get I feel to anything that'd be beyond "slightly buff party". Though I'd kill for a Green Mage, make it into a healer with debuffs/buffs and you'd never get me to play anything else.

[HumanNinjaToo]

Give me a support class with abilities to haste PC skills, slow enemy skills, regen, mute enemies from casting spells, cast float to avoid certain 'earth-based' AOE's, cast Demi/Gravity (possibly this as an ultimate type skill that deals 25% dmg), cast stop on all enemies (maybe as an AOE interrupt), teleport self and other PC's around battlefield, cast Return as a Limitbreak (which would reverse time by 60-120 seconds and give a soft reset for bosses before a wipe), cast Old on an enemy to add stacks of debuffs (kinda like bosses do to us), cast Quick (make a PC be uninterruptable for 2-3 skills or 15 secs), and how about a Banish type spell that wipes trash mobs (set up to empty the MP pool like Flare with BLM). Hmmm...

I know! Give me a friggin Time Mage SE!!!!!

[Razard]

Give me a support class with abilities to haste PC skills, slow enemy skills, regen, mute enemies from casting spells, cast float to avoid certain 'earth-based' AOE's, cast Demi/Gravity (possibly this as an ultimate type skill that deals 25% dmg), cast stop on all enemies (maybe as an AOE interrupt), teleport self and other PC's around battlefield, cast Return as a Limitbreak (which would reverse time by 60-120 seconds and give a soft reset for bosses before a wipe), cast Old on an enemy to add stacks of debuffs (kinda like bosses do to us), cast Quick (make a PC be uninterruptable for 2-3 skills or 15 secs), and how about a Banish type spell that wipes trash mobs (set up to empty the MP pool like Flare with BLM). Hmmm...

I know! Give me a friggin Time Mage SE!!!!!

So... a bunch of either useless, niche skills or utterly game breaking spells.

Blue mage is that way ----------------------->

In all seriousness the only reason people want a "pure support class" is because they want to be the Princess Bard from ffxi again. Where every group wants them (yet, paradoxically very few people wanted to play it) and everyone showers them with praise because they park their butt on the other side of the arena and do the equivalent of: