Quote Originally Posted by Miles064 View Post
Isn't having a class be a "guaranteed slot" one of the reasons they changed things in the first place? NIN? DRG with MCH/BRD? I admit I wasnt playing this game in ARR so I don't know what kind of kit BRD used to have but I still consider it a solid support due to non dmg skills. Debuff cleanse, Dmg res, and a heal buff and they still have a party dmg boosting skill. All DNC has is a weak heal and the same dmg res the other ranged have. The dmg buff DNC gives isn't even something you really have to think about either. Standard/Tech Step are dmg skills that are used almost always on cd so if you removed the dmg buff they would be used the same way for the most part. With BRD you need to go out of your way to use them well. That seem exactly like a support to me.

I guess what I'm asking is kinda what the op asked. What exactly would be a support that isn't already in game now?
Back in ARR, Mage's Ballad gave an MP regen to the party in exchange for your MP and 10% of your damage. Army's Paean did the same for TP in exchange for your MP and 10% of your damage. We also had the ability to bind enemies, slow them, put heavy on them (I believe), and silence them. That was it, since damage resistance, debuff cleanse, and heal buff were added much later, and Battle Voice back then increased the potencies of the regens so you got more resources out of the deal.

We were pretty much the support back when they had mechanics that required CC or just for keeping the party's resources up since fights could run quite long back then. They cut back on the amount of support needed ever since, with us losing some of the support in SB, and completely losing our MP regen and TP regen (not that it's needed anymore) when ShB started. With that in mind, they can't really do anything with support anymore these days. They've taken all the ways that can be supported and threw them out the window for the most part, leaving people to be self-sufficient for resources and whatnot.