Limited Job #2: Beastmaster

[Reinha]

The gist of BST was taming/catching wild creatures. If you take that away, we have SMN 2.0. If you keep it, we have a balance problem.

It can be cosmetic like a lot of BLU spells are. Same potency, different beast. Then make whatever side content suits the job and have the beasts be unique only there. People who want "real" BST could just pretend the job is limited and not play it outside of the special side content.

[SturmChurro]

It can be cosmetic like a lot of BLU spells are. Same potency, different beast. Then make whatever side content suits the job and have the beasts be unique only there. People who want "real" BST could just pretend the job is limited and not play it outside of the special side content.

Illusion of variety. I like it. Most creatures in this game are recolors anyway!

[Reinha]

Illusion of variety. I like it. Most creatures in this game are recolors anyway!

I want to collect an S rank skin and show it off in dungeons.

Eureka and HoH had some cool looking beasts as well.

[He-Saiyan]

It could be cosmetic, but BST would still be able to tame creatures within dungeons, which could create exploitation. If they are not able to tame creatures, in dungeons, what is the point of making it a group job? The gist of BST is taming.

They could make BST use jugs only, but that is basically a SMN reskin. I feel, making BST a group job takes a round table of brainstorming. They could shift that focus on other jobs & content. Why create a SMN reskin when they could simply put that effort into SMN?

It is like the Houdini story. The great escape artist who couldn't open an unlocked door. The answer is right in front of us, imo. BST as a group job is making it more complicated than it should be for a team that can't seem to get pet jobs right to begin with.

XI BST started out as a solo job, and it was successful (Devs alluded to it was being an intended solo job)

Shifted to groups & failed miserably.

The definition of insanity.......

[dinnertime]

And people are complaining about the twist they put on SMN. Most of them are SMNs. Again, I am not saying any of you are wrong, but history shows, this will not end well.

If they take away charm (Like they did with FFXI), BST is now a lesser version of SMN. FFXI's BST is constantly compared to a weaker SMN. The gist of BST was taming/catching wild creatures. If you take that away, we have SMN 2.0. If you keep it, we have a balance problem.

How do you stop BST from taming everything in group content? Not allow them to charm? Then, that takes away BST most unique trait, hence it is now SMN 2.0.

Easier to make it a solo job, imo of course.

Summoner is at a weird place right now for how much they've alienated it from how it used to be in Stormblood, so there were complaints lately, but for the most part people enjoy the Trance and Demi play style. This is not as terrible as whatever the hell they did to Blue Mage, and they actually kept it true to tradition...lol. So what is really best here? This should honestly be common sense.

They can design Beastmaster as a non-limited job and still have aspects of taming or catching creatures as something extra you could do. Not everything has to be set in stone and they can improvise to follow tradition. If they can do something like the (badly implemented) Egi glamour and the Bard Perform, then they can do a Bestiary thing for Beastmaster. They should've done the same thing with Blue Mage and the spellbook.

Making Beastmaster a solo/limited job won't do anyone any favors. BLU is already hated by most of the playerbase, making Beastmaster a limited job would be an incredibly stupid idea and would show how out-of-touch SE is.

[Jkap_Goat]

I don't hate BLU, I love blue mage and I cannot wait until tommarow

[TarynH]

Well, excuse me for posting. Didn't realize I would get so much negativity. Anyway for the moderators to just remove this topic then. Obviously, it is of no interest to anyone.

The job itself is an interest, but definitely not interested in another limited job. It's not negativity to the job you're proposing. It's negativity to the limited job aspect of your proposal. They're pointless fluff, and contained to their own little corner of content. The reward for doing something on BLU, is to do more stuff on BLU. Which is an effort in futility.

BLU could've been worked into an actual job, for actual content. It could've been a fun dps mix of elemental and physical dmg spells. Like XI's BLU where you were able to do a skillchain with a sword skill followed by a physical spell, then magic burst with an elemental spell. That all could've been worked into combo form for XIV. But instead, we got something with no direction or purpose other than filling out a book of spells.

I'd rather see BST have some purpose in content. I don't want it to be a Pokemon game on the side.

My suggestion: You mentioned liking FFXI's BST, so I'm sure you know all about jug pets. They could introduce a system where you capture beasts in the wild. Have them collect in a "jug." Let the player store 3-5 "jugs," so they could have options. Then let those jugs be used later (at scale to your current level) for actual content. They can be returned to the "jug" to be used again, or you can release them to catch another. Give the BST a standard pet to start with.

As for the rest of how BST plays out... I think it would be cool to have the BST combo with the pet.
Example: Weapon skill > pet skill > weapon skill

The issue with "pets" in FFXIV, is the game isn't really setup for them. They become aesthetic variables, if nothing more. So BST would be a matter of collecting which pet you think is the prettiest. Unless they find some way to add utility to them. But then you run the risk of it turning into XI, where there were a few "best pets" to have for the situation. (That was their fear with BLU after all; "have this spell or no invite to content.")

On the subject of pets, I think SMN could be reworked as well. Like giving only Carbuncle to SMN, and having all of the other Primals be tied to a gauge that you fill. You fill the gauge, then summon a Primal. The Primal uses it's ability, and then goes away. Again... it's aesthetics with who you use. It always will be, because the game is sadly just not built for pet jobs.

But despite it all being aesthetics, I'd still rather use BLU, BST, PUP, and even SMN in normal every day content. Rather than have them be side games.

[Auryan]

Summoner is at a weird place right now for how much they've alienated it from how it used to be in Stormblood, so there were complaints lately, but for the most part people enjoy the Trance and Demi play style. This is not as terrible as whatever the hell they did to Blue Mage, and they actually kept it true to tradition...lol. So what is really best here? This should honestly be common sense.

They can design Beastmaster as a non-limited job and still have aspects of taming or catching creatures as something extra you could do. Not everything has to be set in stone and they can improvise to follow tradition. If they can do something like the (badly implemented) Egi glamour and the Bard Perform, then they can do a Bestiary thing for Beastmaster. They should've done the same thing with Blue Mage and the spellbook.

Making Beastmaster a solo/limited job won't do anyone any favors. BLU is already hated by most of the playerbase, making Beastmaster a limited job would be an incredibly stupid idea and would show how out-of-touch SE is.

You mention glamour egi and how little they have updated it and then act as if this "taming for cosmetic" bit for BST is somehow going to be any different. They haven't considered egi glamour a priority for the last several years and that won't change anytime soon, what makes BST so different? If they wanted to nail down its beast taming and raising they would make it a limited job and put actual work on those aspects.

[TarynH]

XI BST started out as a solo job, and it was successful (Devs alluded to it was being an intended solo job)

Shifted to groups & failed miserably.

The reason BST failed in groups, was because it had a severe experience penalty if the BST had a wild/charmed monster. They eliminated that years later, so it was kind of a too little, too late impact. Had it not been that way at the start, BST would've been a great addition to a party. Like having an extra dps in the group. And they would've been forced to balance it as such.

Another reason it failed, was because BST needed drops from things that only dropped things for BST. So nobody wanted to help a BST out, and told them to go solo, duo, trio those NMs with other BSTs. (Basically a limited job.)

And the final reason it failed in group content specifically, is because they don't know how to balance anything in XI. BSTs were being used in later content, and were severely overpowered, because they were still built for soloing. Players were burning through harder content with a bunch of BSTs. The devs saw this essentially as an "exploit" and they had to fix it somehow. Which they ended up making BST pretty much intolerable to play.

[purgatori]

No more limited jobs, period, please. It's taking a cool job concept and essentially throwing it away.