My theoretical next tank- The Kingsglaive

[DrMaverick]

There doesn't seem to be any clear pattern for job introductions and expansions. So i can't say if there'd be a tank next expansion or even the one after. But I don't think there could be a better idea for a tank than something akin to Noctis. And quite frankly, the idea already fits excellently. Overall, i think this 'Kingsglaive' class as i'll call it, would be a good middle ground between Gunbreaker and something more defensive like Paladin, having a more active rotation but being a little more defensive.

For one, Noctis and his arms already would serve all the typical roles of a Tank class.

A warp strike would serve as a good Charge attack like Plunge or Intervention. This would increase in potency the further away you are, yet it would have the longer cooldown to deal with, AND would cost MP on top.

The Kings' arms animation would work PERFECTLY for mitigation. Mitigation would probably be less reactionary and more proactive like Paladin or Dark Knight, and less like Gunbreaker or Warrior [I don't entirely know how Warrior works so that statement may be wrong, all I've heard is that it's a more fierce class which makes me think more reactive stuff would fit better].

Meanwhile, a Magic Ball or a gun would serve for a perfect ranged pull. Greatsword would work for AOEs, while the main sword would work for the main combos, with the daggers or spear coming out to play. 'But that's multiple weapons,' i hear you ask. Simple. You would probably equip a Ring or a basic Sword as the weapon, but still being able to use all those weapons- perhaps it could be explained as a sort of aetheric manipulation used to shapeshift the sword.

This could be done a couple ways- either by having a few endings to the combo, or having a combo not unlike Gunbreaker's second combo. Perhaps a basic combo could be introduced, plus a second combo, beginning with the Sword, and allowing you to use an 'Arms Swap' skill for the following two moves, allowing you to use either the Sword, Spear, Daggers or Greatsword for the rest of the combo.

Obviously, the Class 'Gauge' would be designed for showing you the weapon you have equipped [Out of the four available].

What do you all think of this idea? The possibility of this getting in is absolutely zero to nothing, but it was a really cool idea i thought of and wanted to share with you all. Though, i suppose Gunbreaker did get in solely as being an homage to FFXIII so... maybe?~

[DrMaverick]

Oh, and i guess i should add here that the different third Combo endings would likely have different Effects. Spear could have Bleeding, Greatsword could have Defence Down, things of that sort. Or, perhaps these effects could be mixed in throughout that combo, not unlike Dragoon's Chaos Thrust combo which has both the Chaos Thrust effect and the Damage Up effect from Disembowel.

[DrMaverick]

Final word, i can't claim to know ANYTHING about how this would affect the balance of the game. I know a fair bit about the game, but am still a very casual player despite that. So if there are any holes in how it affects balance, let me know, i'd love to make amendments based on that to make this idea as solid as possible!

[Shurrikhan]

From a basic concept, I don't see anything necessarily wrong with it being a tank (although it could, obviously, just as easily be an agile hold-the-line-by-killing-things-especially-quickly DPS, as per its canon versions). But there would be a couple obvious limitations insofar as weapon design.

You can't expect every weapon drop to have multiple versions unless the developers get a heck of a lot better at extrapolating by type (i.e. you've got this black, sleek hilt thing with X ornament, so you'll use the Type:Sleek and Skin:Black,Glossy for each weapon, while appending X ornament at the first -- of potentially many -- ornamentation points). Moreover, do we really want to pull away from the gamewide concept of defining a job largely by its weapon (not, as here, its shifting arsenal thereof).

Most likely, anything particularly "Kingsglaive" is going to have to end up taking purchase from either Mystic Knight (as a versatile tank which abounds with toolkit options and branching paths by which to use them, much like HW DRK but with a far broader focus on magic) or via their appearance in the film as a similarly versatile enchanted melee specialist with some caster elements (which would then overlap too closely with Ninja).

[Yrantis]

Cool idea, cool enough that I'll try not to take offense at you thinking GNB is "solely" an homage to FFXIII...

[BloodRubyXII]

The fact only one out of four tanks currently uses a shield makes me itch enough. I'm almost convinced Gunbreaker was originally designed as a DPS. We have a Paladin and a Warrior (basically a Bruiser), then we got DRK which I think many of us who came from FFXI expected a DPS, then we got gunbreaker which is just basically another bruiser.

[Freyyy]

I think that we won't get a fifth tank in a pretty long time. Next expac will probably introduce a fourth healer and a new DPS since healer mains were very displeased by the fact that ShB introduced a new tank but no new healer. Then the next one will probably introduce two new DPS like SB. Assuming that we'd get everything but a melee DPS, by that time we'll have four jobs in each roles (Tank, healer, melee DPS, caster DPS, physical ranged DPS). I don't see a fifth tank being introduced until then.

With that said, I think that this job idea would fit better as a DPS. Three out of the four current tanks are sword users (a gunblade is a sword) and this class idea would also be primarily a sword user even if it sometimes swaps to a spear. I'd like to see more weapon types and another shield user that's not PLD. Next tank should probably either be a hammer + shield user or a spear + shield user. Hammer + shield could also be the next healer, a cleric-style healer who'd wear heavier armor (like DRG compared to other melees) and use melee attacks to deal damage and maybe heal at the same time with interesting gimmicks. I'm getting lost here, this isn't the healer forums.

Anyways, I think that your idea is good but hard to implement ; they'd either have to create a lot of different weapon models for every different weapons the job would use or take the lazy solution and just make the base sword different and every single weapon swap always look the same regardless of the weapon you have equipped/glamoured, which would then be absolute garbage. I also think that, as I said above, such a job would fit better as a DPS. But that's just my opinion.

[IntrovertAnt]

Though, i suppose Gunbreaker did get in solely as being an homage to FFXIII so... maybe?~

Wait. What? You mean FFVIII right? The game which first and prominently featured Gunblades? Squall Lionheart? Seifer? Rinoa? These names ring any bells? No? o.o

[kashi11]

I like the idea, but honestly I think the Kingsglaive should be a magical melee class thats primary weapon is some type of ring/gauntlet that let's you summon aetherial weapons (that appear and disappear for each attack) oGCDs could be magic attacks, have a draw system that let's you harvest enemies aether after specific combo finishers (similar to sen) the combination of elements drawn would have different magical effects ( 3 combo finishers each drawing either fire, lightning, or ice) Combining these would create different effects (think Ninja mudra combinations but with a SAMs sen style generation as the way you gain 'mudra') there could be tons of combinations
It would need something similar to MNK perfect balance of SAM Meikyo Shisui so effects could be used more on demand or in unique ways during burst phases. (because each combo would need something to make it interesting and still using all combo branches (like SAM buffs) but not necessary to do the full combos for burst.

[Fal_Kearst]

HOMAGE TO FF13!?!?!......Whatever. heheheheh