My “Next job” predictions: “Scouting” and “Fending”

[Firework]

[/LIST][/HB]
Speculation:

Regarding jobs as a whole, I expect...

• Based on live letters, at least 1 DPS in each future expansion that has new jobs.
• An expansion will come with only 1 job, or possibly none at all.
• An eventual reorganization of jobs by GEAR SET.
• An attempt to balance of total Melee and Ranged, divided into their armor sets.
• BLU will be moved from "Magic Ranged DPS" to "Limited Job".
• Not so many full new expansions left; maybe 2-3.

Regarding new jobs, I expect the next expansion to have:

• A Scouting melee DPS.

Regarding new jobs, EVENTUALLY I would guess/I could see...

• Ranger/Corsair/Marine: A ranged rifle user, wearing aiming gear, using the "bow-mage" mechanics. Possibly "Colonial Era" flavor. Possibly related to the "New World" to the west.
• Mystic Knight: A dual-wielding, flashy sword user; probably scimitars or Khopesh. Possibly "Arabian Nights" flavor. Possibly related to Meracydia.
• Beastmaster: An axe-wielding limited job, wearing Maiming gear. Obviously has pets.
• Geomancer: A bell-wielding healer, using essentially Conjurer's base kit but reflavored heavily. Probably a "Shield Healer" using a revamped Stoneskin.

Regarding new jobs, my personal wish list..

• (New Job): A dual-crossbow-wielding, acrobatic trap user, wearing scouting gear. Something like Linkle or even Bayonetta.
• (New Job): A shape-shifting job.

They've stated that jobs like beast master and puppet master would be limited if they ever ended up being added. We likely won't see them being added to the game

I really wish people would stop suggesting a healer geomancer. It's never been a healer in any game it's ever appeared in and making it one would horrendously gut its potential. Historically, it uses weather and terrain magic in most games. There are also enemy geomancers that appear in Swallow's Compass and use traditional geomancy as attacks. If it were made a healer, it'd have 3 damage spells and a bunch of heals. Doesn't translate well to geomancy

On the other hand, I believe they also stated something along the lines of them running out of traditional jobs to add and are starting to have to think outside the box for ideas for new jobs (after revealing RPR?), so we may end up seeing completely new jobs that have never appeared in the series

[kaynide]

They've stated that jobs like beast master and puppet master would be limited if they ever ended up being added. We likely won't see them being added to the game

I really wish people would stop suggesting a healer geomancer. It's never been a healer in any game it's ever appeared in and making it one would horrendously gut its potential. Historically, it uses weather and terrain magic in most games. There are also enemy geomancers that appear in Swallow's Compass and use traditional geomancy as attacks. If it were made a healer, it'd have 3 damage spells and a bunch of heals. Doesn't translate well to geomancy

On the other hand, I believe they also stated something along the lines of them running out of traditional jobs to add and are starting to have to think outside the box for ideas for new jobs (after revealing RPR?), so we may end up seeing completely new jobs that have never appeared in the series

I mean, everyone’s opinion is fine, but GEO already exists in lore as a variation of white mage. Doesn’t mean it has to be a healer, of course.

[BasicBlake]

I mean, everyone’s opinion is fine, but GEO already exists in lore as a variation of white mage. Doesn’t mean it has to be a healer, of course.

The lore book and game only state that they are similar in which they use the same elements. Or “used” the same elements. There is not a single healer Geomancer anywhere in the game’s lore.

We really do need someone to fill in as the Earth/Water/Wind user. We’re at what, 4 years now of White Mage using Dia/Glare, nary a new stone/aero/water animation in sight. While the community says we can’t have something in game because conjurors use the animations in leveling roulette. On a lighter note, isn’t this how calamities start to begin with? We have all these black mages around tipping the balance elementally while no one is out here using stone/aero? Haha

[MikkoAkure]

We really do need someone to fill in as the Earth/Water/Wind user. We’re at what, 4 years now of White Mage using Dia/Glare, nary a new stone/aero/water animation in sight. While the community says we can’t have something in game because conjurors use the animations in leveling roulette.

Red Mage uses Stone and Aero and they're specifically called out as being "White Mana".

Geomancer doesn't fit in since it borrows too much from other classes considering the one example we see uses Conjurer spells and it's stated in the lore to be a far-eastern type of Conjurer/Astrologian, just like how Onmyoji is stated to be a far-eastern Thaumaturge. I don't see the devs giving themselves more work having to completely redo Conjurer and all of its quests, flavor, story, and lore as well as parts of Gridania's story, in addition to 10 levels of Astrologian quests and a change to Red Mage just to add 1 job in the game with reused assets from a lower level class and effectively only 20 levels of actual progressive gameplay.

It would be nice if Red Mage branches out and gets something with ice and water between 90-100 though since those are the only elements it's missing and they're obviously related to each other.


In all likelihood, we shouldn't expect a job that comes from the existing FF roster and the devs have said as much. I don't see a new tank being added since they're now balanced with healers and all content only needs 1-2 tanks per party, same as healers, with alliance raids only needing 3 in the entire instance compared to 6 healers. I can see just 1 job being added with scouting armor since that will balance everything out on different levels but it would also mean 5 jobs crowding the aiming accessories since it would need to be DEX.

[Gemina]

I can see just 1 job being added with scouting armor since that will balance everything out on different levels but it would also mean 5 jobs crowding the aiming accessories since it would need to be DEX.

This will get fixed as well, and aiming sets will no longer be used along with scouting. Furthermore, DEX will no longer be the primary stat for NIN. This change has been long overdue. My prediction is they will mention this impactful change just prior to the new job reveal, which will use scouting along with NIN.

[Rongway]

It would be nice if Red Mage branches out and gets something with ice and water between 90-100 though since those are the only elements it's missing and they're obviously related to each other.

I would also like to see water magic but there's a lore reason RDM doesn't have any. During the War of the Magi the Amdapori white mages only fought with earth and wind magic against the Mhachi black mages' fire, lightning, and ice magics. The extensive use of those five elements heavily tilted the land's aether away from everything but water, which allowed the Ascians to rejoin a shard via flood. Red mage arts are descended from the Amdapori and Mhachi survivors of the flood, and those white mages didn't use water.

I'm not bringing that up to say that it's writ in stone that RDM can't have water magic--I'm a quick study combat genius who could invent a Verwater spell if I wanted, obviously--but just to say there's a flavour reason for the current lack of water spells in the Eorzean jobs.

[MikkoAkure]

I would also like to see water magic but there's a lore reason RDM doesn't have any. During the War of the Magi the Amdapori white mages only fought with earth and wind magic against the Mhachi black mages' fire, lightning, and ice magics. The extensive use of those five elements heavily tilted the land's aether away from everything but water, which allowed the Ascians to rejoin a shard via flood. Red mage arts are descended from the Amdapori and Mhachi survivors of the flood, and those white mages didn't use water.

I'm not bringing that up to say that it's writ in stone that RDM can't have water magic--I'm a quick study combat genius who could invent a Verwater spell if I wanted, obviously--but just to say there's a flavour reason for the current lack of water spells in the Eorzean jobs.

Is there an actual thing in the game that says that the Amdapori mages didn't use water magic and that's why the calamity was a flood or is that just fan conjecture? I thought that at the time Amdapor dungeons came out WHM had water magic.

Sources in the game itself say that the scales tipped toward water because the Elementals wanted to flood the world due to the rampant use of magic.


Either way, it's been something like 1600 years since the Flood so I think they can get over any collective PTSD and do some water and ice magic. Elezen fencing techniques were randomly stapled on after the genesis of the job so it's not like it needs to stay static to how it was a millennium and a half ago.

[BasicBlake]

Red Mage uses Stone and Aero and they're specifically called out as being "White Mana".

Geomancer doesn't fit in since it borrows too much from other classes considering the one example we see uses Conjurer spells and it's stated in the lore to be a far-eastern type of Conjurer/Astrologian, just like how Onmyoji is stated to be a far-eastern Thaumaturge. I don't see the devs giving themselves more work having to completely redo Conjurer and all of its quests, flavor, story, and lore as well as parts of Gridania's story, in addition to 10 levels of Astrologian quests and a change to Red Mage just to add 1 job in the game with reused assets from a lower level class and effectively only 20 levels of actual progressive gameplay.

It would be nice if Red Mage branches out and gets something with ice and water between 90-100 though since those are the only elements it's missing and they're obviously related to each other.


In all likelihood, we shouldn't expect a job that comes from the existing FF roster and the devs have said as much. I don't see a new tank being added since they're now balanced with healers and all content only needs 1-2 tanks per party, same as healers, with alliance raids only needing 3 in the entire instance compared to 6 healers. I can see just 1 job being added with scouting armor since that will balance everything out on different levels but it would also mean 5 jobs crowding the aiming accessories since it would need to be DEX.

I’m sorry but saying “no that can’t happen because a sub level 30 starter class” when white mage is going on 4 years of no actual stone/aero animations is an interesting train of thought.

[MikkoAkure]

I’m sorry but saying “no that can’t happen because a sub level 30 starter class” when white mage is going on 4 years of no actual stone/aero animations is an interesting train of thought.

It would be one thing if they removed all traces of classes from the game in favor of jobs, but Conjurer is tied directly into Gridania's aesthetic and background more than most other classes in the game and they're not going to change a decade worth of story and redo Red Mage's existing skills for the sake of just one job.

Red Mage is already slinging Stone and Aero. I'm 100% down with it getting Water too. I think White Mage should also get a return of more Water-type spells/abilities since I don't believe it would necessarily clash with its class fantasy. But removing CNJ from the game and giving its spells to a new job unrelated to WHM would put RDM in an awkward position since the whole point of both its lore and its gameplay is that it's a combination of Amdapori and Mhachi mages and builds up white magic and black magic bars using Stone, Aero, Fire, and Thunder.

White Mage still has a lot of plant themes ingrained into it already as a holdover from its Conjurer days. It also still has 1 water-themed ability, Aquaveil. Again, I don't see the devs giving themselves more work and dismantling parts of existing jobs and redoing quests just for Geomancer.

[BasicBlake]

It would be one thing if they removed all traces of classes from the game in favor of jobs, but Conjurer is tied directly into Gridania's aesthetic and background more than most other classes in the game and they're not going to change a decade worth of story and redo Red Mage's existing skills for the sake of just one job.

Red Mage is already slinging Stone and Aero. I'm 100% down with it getting Water too. I think White Mage should also get a return of more Water-type spells/abilities since I don't believe it would necessarily clash with its class fantasy. But removing CNJ from the game and giving its spells to a new job unrelated to WHM would put RDM in an awkward position since the whole point of both its lore and its gameplay is that it's a combination of Amdapori and Mhachi mages and builds up white magic and black magic bars using Stone, Aero, Fire, and Thunder.

White Mage still has a lot of plant themes ingrained into it already as a holdover from its Conjurer days. It also still has 1 water-themed ability, Aquaveil. Again, I don't see the devs giving themselves more work and dismantling parts of existing jobs and redoing quests just for Geomancer.

Why would red mage need to be changed?

In regards to Amdapori vs Machi, that also has nothing to do with CNJ. It was white vs black mages. And with white mage already losing access to stone/aero, and it LOOSELY using any water abilities, that lore was invalidated 4 years ago. CNJ only exists for 1.0 WHM to have a starter class. Even in the lore you are the ONLY CNJ to be elevated to the lofty position of WHM. Holding the rest of an mmo’s progression hostage due to old and outdated things isn’t always the best option. Especially when they have spoken in interviews about disliking starter classes and wanting to remove them as is. Notice how the last 9 jobs haven’t required one.