Adjustments to MCH design without reworking from scratch

[Cetek14]

Since devs instead of fixing the flaws in reworks create something new with different flaws, I think we should focus on the problems instead of new reworks. So I want to offer ideas, which in my opinion will fix the problems, without remaking the whole job from the scratch.

Machinist definitely suffers from some sort of identity crisis. MCH is part of Ishgardian military, and core of it is a gun. I know that people will say "It's called Machinist so it's supposed to be focused on machines", but Bard is called Bard, yet people have no issues with the fact that it's basically Archer. But I do not suggest taking away the machine part, "raw" Ishgardian gunner might be boring, and lore has plenty of room for interpretation, so i want to connect both gun and machine in perfect tandem.

But enough talking, lets go to the details. I will try mention all actions, so if something is missing, it means it got scrapped.

1. Heat and battery gauge untouched.

2. Split Shot, Slug Shot, Clean Shot - gone, reduced to atoms. We need new combo with brand new well made animations, and meaty gunshots. We need Gunner written by a big G. Even NPCs who wield gun have better sound effects (non machinists). It's absolutely pathetic that it's not fixed yet.
Spamming 1-2-3 combo is boring. I believe we need new 2-step combo with two finishers. One damage oriented, second dot/damage buff/speed buff (depending on playerbase's preference).
You probably wonder what about Heated combo - it's not gone, it's repurposed for something far greater. Of course all basic attacks still generate heat, and finisher battery gauge.

3. Reload comes back for the sake of job lore and flavor. Even if it's simple "higher damage for next 3 gun based actions" (since we load special bullets it cannot increase damage of multitool actions).

4. Reassemble stays the same (just upgrade animation, it's weird when we tinker with gun only to use it on multitool action, according to meta rotation).

5. Hypercharge now called Heat Redirection - allows execution of brand new combo: Heated Split Shot -> Heat Blast -> Heated Slugh Shot -> Heat Blast -> Heated Clean Shot -> Heat Blast. (Heat Blast - oGCD).
You might wonder why copy GNB. I say because GNB rotation works, and it would entirely fix ping issues. It will also fix animations - we have normal "non-heated" phase with toned down animations (keep in mind original animations should be reworked as mentioned earlier), and heat phase with wild animations. Properly balanced.

6. Gauss Round - can stay, probably with no charges and shorter cooldown due to Hypercharge changes. Possibly changed animation and SFX.

7. New AoE combo: Spread Shot (with upgraded SFX, that cartoony sound is a joke) -> Grenado Shot. Grenado Shot grants 3 stacks of Auto Crossbow.
Bioblaster unchanged.
Heat Redirection also grants X stacks of Flamethrower (if you use it, you can't use one target combo and vice versa).

8. Barrel Stabilizer - no issue with it.

9. Hot Shot, Air Anchor - no issues with it. But Hot Shot requires more powerful SFX as mentioned before and eventually reworked animation.

10. For the sake of lore and job flavor Rook Autoturret should be main "summon". I think it can be made "place and forget" (automatic, no ground targetting), or the same as now, but without battery cost and on fixed cooldown. Bishop Autoturret can return as AoE version.

Automaton Queen is now separate "summon", with multiple variations. It has pretty nice and detailed model design, so there would be no issues with it.
Artillery - stationary, uses mounted cannon to attack one target for X seconds.
Brawler - mobile, uses hammer (to be discussed) to attack multiple targets for X seconds (basically AoE version).
Support Station - stationary, grants buff to party members (healing rate, decreased incoming damage, whatever). I know that this version won't be used often, but in emergency it might be helpful.

11. Rook Overdrive, Rook Overload - no issues with it.

12. Wildfire - no issues. Now it will simply work with all heated actions (since they are separate thing).

13. Ricochet - scrapped.

14. Drill - no issues.

And now some details about what I mean "reworked animations". Let's be honest, HW animations are very stiff, but SB/ShB animations are definitely not the answer. They are over the top, they do not suit the job as main combo animations. I know that some people like it, so I'm suggesting moving it to secondary heat combo. But we can get something far better. You can take any RPG/action game with gunner class, and I'm pretty sure animations will be better than what we have now here.

And i think it would be it. Feel free to discuss what sounds good and what sounds bad. Of course there are possibly better and more complex options to improve MCH, but as I said It's about fixing the flaws without reworking foundations. Core stays identical.

[Gobio]

Class/job fantasy is more important than you think.

[Cetek14]

Class/job fantasy is more important than you think.

I think you do not understand Machinist job fantasy. FFXIV Machinist is Ishgardian Gunner. But as I said raw Ishgardian military job is somewhat boring, so addition of machines is absolutely okay, but we can't forget about the gun.

[Realism_Snide]

I think you do not understand Machinist job fantasy. FFXIV Machinist is Ishgardian Gunner. But as I said raw Ishgardian military job is somewhat boring, so addition of machines is absolutely okay, but we can't forget about the gun.

The Machinist job doesn't boil down to just being an Ishgardian gunner. Some MCH characters do focus more on the gun aspect (Joy and Hilda come to mind), while others focus more on gadgetering and machines (The guild leader and the other npcs in the Iron Works workshop), while others like the playable character, dont have a focus on either and do both.

On that note, I'm happy that they decided to go with focusing more on the different machines and gadgets than the gun for MCH's identity. It wouldn't make sense to have a machinist without machines, and balancing both the gun and machine identity is kind of what got it into its SB mess. Though, I do hope they will release a gunner job in the future for those who want that gun-slinging low tech fantasy.

[Raikai]

The Machinist job doesn't boil down to just being an Ishgardian gunner. Some MCH characters do focus more on the gun aspect (Joy and Hilda come to mind), while others focus more on gadgetering and machines (The guild leader and the other npcs in the Iron Works workshop), while others like the playable character, dont have a focus on either and do both.

On that note, I'm happy that they decided to go with focusing more on the different machines and gadgets than the gun for MCH's identity. It wouldn't make sense to have a machinist without machines, and balancing both the gun and machine identity is kind of what got it into its SB mess. Though, I do hope they will release a gunner job in the future for those who want that gun-slinging low tech fantasy.

To be honest, we barely see any kind of that "Ishgardian gunner" machinist representation in general. When think Ishgard, the first thing that comes to my mind is lancer and dragoon, not Machinist... So I also share the satisfaction on the current Machinist theme.

I'd go even further and let the guns be used just in the main combo, and tools for the rest. This would surely open space to an actual gunner (2 wielding guns?).

[CKNovel]

1. Heat and battery needs some love, those gauges are fill, spend and forget. Imo, there is way too much heat generated and not enough way to safely spend it. Battery gauge works well and can remain the same, it's reliable and flexible.

2. I've been circulating this idea for a long time, but MCH should rotate through the different tools that would change the 1-2-3 combo.
Flamethrower for example:
1-Becomes a single target blast.
2-Becomes a single target shot with a massive DoT.
3-Becomes a frontal cone that increases MCH damage to the target(s).

Chainsaw for another example:
1-Becomes a single target melee slash.
2-Become a 5s cd jump to the target.
3-Become a circle aoe that inflicts a little bleeding debuff.

To reduce the 1 2 3 monotony, Gauss Round and Ricochet could get upgrades as well, but designed in a way it doesn't encourage the MCH to keep its GR/Ricochet charges, that would be counter intuitive.

3. No. We don't need reload back, especially if it doesn't have depth to it. MCH should keep going the path of heavy machineries, not going back to the gun path.

4. Reassemble, in my opinion, should allow a free use of any Machineries just like Tsubame Gaeshi. A stronger single target Drill or stronger Bio Blaster or Stronger Auto Cross Bow... Or more battery for single target Air Anchor? And yes, an animation rework would be welcomed.

5. I think you're asking for a bit too much rework when all the job needs is to grants 6 stack of Hypercharge that could be used to cast Heatblast. Basically the same way Perfect Balance now works, grants stacks to be used. In my opinion I would tone it down to 3 charges because Heat Blast can be annoying.

6. See above.

7. The needs for more AoE. See above (Flamethrower&Chainsaw)

8. Barrel Stabilizer, or BS, needs some works unless Wildfire is gone/changed. BS purpose is to generate enough heat for the Wildfire combo, except when playing normally, unless you suffer massive downtime, you already have enough heat for Wildfire combo due to Drill/Air Anchor cooldowns. I think the rotation wasn't properly tested.
It can be either gone, either rework to a 2/3 charges cooldown that gives 20 heat for more flexibility. Generating 50 heat in one go is move restrictive than anything else.

9. Air Anchor works nicely. Hot Shot doesn't needs any visual/sound changes you won't see it 99% of the time unless you are progging SB Ultimate/leveling an alt.

10. No. Turret was a good boy but doesn't need to come back, it was for the time when MCH was a gadgeteer. What you are asking for is a dot on cooldown with aoe variant. If a Summon can add as much depth as a dot, then there is no need to make a summon. Especially in XIV where summons are not always reliable. For the sake of lore and job flavor, AQ is an upgrade and an Automaton that fits a Machinist, Turret fits a gadgeteer.

Enough with the variations, we have enough. How much did you use Bio-Blaster instead of Drill during this expansion apart for dungeon&normal content? E1S, E6S, TEA. Three fight out of how many, 18 of them?
AoE variants are mostly used in 24 man raid/Dungeon content and from 1 up to 6 times in hard content, where you spend the most time.
Variant can stop or we'll simply see too much variants to be rarely used and 1/4 of the hotbar barely used.

11. There's no issue but I'd see a small bonus damage for remaining battery duration OR the Automaton Queen actions are based on charges and not a timer. The only goal for Overdrive is to correct a mistake when a boss is about to fly away and your queen is there with way too much time remaining.

12. Wildfire needs to get out. There's nothing good with this cooldown, it's a remnant of the past and pure garbage.
It has the lowest DPS of ALL MCH actions.
It has the least depth of ALL 120s CD, it's basically a 120s damage cooldown but with a delay.
It's just an enhanced hypercharge, nothing more nothing less.

Just make it a rocket launcher is you absolutely wants to keep it. (That's a joke, don't do it)

13&14. No issues with both, no need to scrap Ricochet it's a good cooldown and MCH would be boring with only gauss round. It's an aoe that has uses in every content.

[Kabooa]

Enough with the variations, we have enough. How much did you use Bio-Blaster instead of Drill during this expansion apart for dungeon&normal content? E1S, E6S, TEA. Three fight out of how many, 18 of them?
AoE variants are mostly used in 24 man raid/Dungeon content and from 1 up to 6 times in hard content, where you spend the most time.
Variant can stop or we'll simply see too much variants to be rarely used and 1/4 of the hotbar barely used.

11. There's no issue but I'd see a small bonus damage for remaining battery duration OR the Automaton Queen actions are based on charges and not a timer. The only goal for Overdrive is to correct a mistake when a boss is about to fly away and your queen is there with way too much time remaining.

12. Wildfire needs to get out. There's nothing good with this cooldown, it's a remnant of the past and pure garbage.
It has the lowest DPS of ALL MCH actions.
It has the least depth of ALL 120s CD, it's basically a 120s damage cooldown but with a delay.
It's just an enhanced hypercharge, nothing more nothing less.

I don't think variations by themselves are bad, but the binary one-or-the-other is where it gets stale / old, as every job utilizes this. Using Machinist specifically, if each pair of gadgets shared their cooldown, but using one set the other at half the recast, you'd use both, but you'd still prioritize one. This is just a basic example of a system where you'd still prefer one over the other in either single/aoe, but you'd still use both.

Charges on the queen would be pretty neat. Going along with this suggestion, making the Queen burn her fuel via attacks and not duration, and changing Overdrive into a "focus this target" directive would go a fair way. No more Queen shooting off to the other light party's enemy.

Let the queen contribute to Wildfire. This would be an extensive boost to Wildfire's damage (Given how fast she swings, double its potential potency) and give Mach a tiny bit more to play around.

[Recon1o6]

I like this, it has less spam and on paper at least, less ping problems that prevent me from playing it since the 5.3 server changes

I feel wildfire could do with a buff though

There is one more change i'd like to suggest: bring back arm graze and let us stun again!

[Jirah]

Did someone say MCH????


also very misleading as the first few suggestions sounds like redesigning it more so than 5.0 did as 5.0 did more deleting than reworking in all blatant honesty. You cant just add "reload" with no additional information if they are as simple as a damage buff then its a boring addition to just press something every so often ie a less reassemble than just add "Raging strikes" or "Internal Release" or a Bunshin with less impressive animation.

Heat blast output can literally use anything even a unholy boring GNB replica rotation.

Also the turret changes is 100% irrelevant due to Battery being unchanged, turrets appear for all of 5 seconds then leaves is the current incarnation if that doesnt change i doubt adding more of them regardless of how "cool" they look will make the system any less engaging

Wish i had more to say but you glossed over many of my MCH bugaboos, Wildfire, gauges, charge systems, turret system and more that i dont wana go too much into. MCH doesnt need to worry about retainment they need refinement

[Raikai]

To be honest, I find MCH fantasy and visual identity right now quite perfect... The only thing I'd change is toning down the animations for the 123 combo, because it gets REALLY tiresome after a while. Flashy skills aren't supposed to be spammable because of that.

It's quite the nice medium: using the gun for the common rotational abilities, and the tools for the cooldown ones.