Ranger?

[DukeBurden]

When is Ranger coming to FFXIV? Currently, the only Bows in the game have a harp add-on/attachment because Bard is the bow class but it's not satisfying to play as a combo support job.

Ranger in FFXI could use Bows and Guns with interchangeable weaponskills, the only difference I really remember was whether you wanted to use a Bow or a Gun. This would be great in FFXIV for those of us that would like to be a Physical ranged, Bow class without the support aspect caked into the job.

Considering how much inspiration FFXIV takes from previous games, I'm shocked Ranger(RNG) isn't in FFXIV yet.

What are yalls thoughts on this?

[LilimoLimomo]

The likely answer is that it's not. In the same way that I wouldn't expect Thief to come to FF14 because Rogue is already a class, I don't expect Ranger to come to FF14 because Archer is already a class. Both are classes that could have been their own thing all the way to level cap, but they got absorbed into a different class and thus never got to reach that potential.

[wereotter]

When?

At least not till the expansion after Dawntrail... if at all. They already confirmed the roles of the two jobs that will be added, which are Viper (melee DPS) and a casting DPS job.

Though the sound of your complaint seems to be bow aesthetics, to which I recommend doing a better look at the various bows in the game, and select one without a harp. The Diamond Bow from Omega Sigmascape Savage is a personal favorite, but there are many others that don't have a harp on the bow.

[DukeBurden]

Technically, Arcanist broke off in Summoner and Scholar so it can be done.

[DukeBurden]

Yes and no. The aesthetic is part of the complaint, the other half of that is the playstyle. Bowharp support class. A straight up physical ranged would be awesome that uses a Bow, such as Ranger. Class fantasy can't be achieved when it does something odd like Bowharp. :/

[Mikey_R]

Technically, Arcanist broke off in Summoner and Scholar so it can be done.

Except the Dev team have already stated that it was a nightmare to work with, which is now why Summoner and Scholar are essentially different jobs which share nothing from Arcanist (except Resurrection). Pretty sure, if they could go back, they wouldn't have done it.

If they were going to do it, they would need a weapon that hasn't been used yet, so maybe a Crossbow rather than a Bow. Regardless, it isn't coming any time soon, as wereotter pointed out.

[VentVanitas]

most likely never happening unfortunately, since it's effectively been morphed into Bard. the closest thing to a non-Bard Ranger I could feasibly see happening is a future job that loosely borrows some ideas or aesthetics from it, such as how RDM and RPR uses the names of some FFXI abilities/skills from Rune Fencer and DRK respectively.

there's still some weapons that could be used for a future physical ranged job such as snipers, crossbows, or hell- they could even make an entirely unique weapon tailor made for that specific job like RDM with its foci or SGE with its funnels. the first thought that comes to mind in this regard is Black Desert's Archer, which uses both arm-fixed crossbows and a longbow that uses a catalyst in place of an arrow.

[LilimoLimomo]

Technically, Arcanist broke off in Summoner and Scholar so it can be done.

What you're saying doesn't track, so I'm guessing you may not be aware of the history of this class. Initially, Arcanist only became Summoner. Later on, Scholar was added. So this example only works as a counter-argument to my point if you think that Scholar is a more robust version of Arcanist...which I'm guessing you surely don't think, since Scholar is an entirely different type of job with an entirely different kit and job focus (Arcanist being DPS, and Scholar being a healer).

As far as what can technically be done, there are no limits. If CBU3 decided to, they could of course add Thief and Ranger and Fighter and Black Belt to the game; there are hundreds of ways they could go about this. If you want to talk about what's possible, then anything you say, no matter how unlikely, is fair game.

My answer was not based on what is possible, but rather what is probable. Reviewing the most prominent job-based Final Fantasy games — FF3, FF5, FF Tactics, and FF11 — each of them have either Archer or Ranger, but never both. Presumably, much like Rogue and Thief, this is because one of the following is true:

• despite the variation in class name in different games, these are overall seen as being the same class, and the difference is simply an issue of nomenclature
• the classes are different, but not different enough to ever warrant having both in the same game

And indeed, if we look at Archer/Bard, we can see that it already has the ability most frequently associated with Rangers: Barrage. I read this as an indication that the developers are treating Ranger and Archer/Bard as the same class in FF14.

If you want to hold out hope, that is your choice. But personally, I find hope that is never fulfilled to be draining and painful, which is why I wouldn't recommend it in this case.

[mallleable]

Yeah, it's frustrating. If only we could go back in time, and tell the dev team to have archer upgrade to ranger, and make bard a different job that uses a harp. But we are stuck with the current circumstances of having a job that uses a bow, but is called bard. The bard problem was also compounded with the introduction of dancer. Dancer absolutely stole the spotlight of support dps, and cannot give it up because that would go against its identity -- especially with how dance partner works as well. So BRD is now in a weird spot where making it a even more of a support dps would compete too much with dancer, and go against its archer roots. And focusing too much on archery would mean failing its namesake as a bard.

So I think BRD needs a new identity, one that can allow it to deliver both satisfying archery gameplay, and satisfying musical gameplay. My suggestion is to make BRD a rock star. One could feel like a rock star when pulling off trick shots as an archer. And songs should feel viscerally impactful for both the BRD, and their party like each fight rock concert. How this vision can be translated mechanically can be up for discussion.

[DukeBurden]

What you're saying doesn't track, so I'm guessing you may not be aware of the history of this class. Initially, Arcanist only became Summoner. Later on, Scholar was added. So this example only works as a counter-argument to my point if you think that Scholar is a more robust version of Arcanist...which I'm guessing you surely don't think, since Scholar is an entirely different type of job with an entirely different kit and job focus (Arcanist being DPS, and Scholar being a healer).

As far as what can technically be done, there are no limits. If CBU3 decided to, they could of course add Thief and Ranger and Fighter and Black Belt to the game; there are hundreds of ways they could go about this. If you want to talk about what's possible, then anything you say, no matter how unlikely, is fair game.

My answer was not based on what is possible, but rather what is probable. Reviewing the most prominent job-based Final Fantasy games — FF3, FF5, FF Tactics, and FF11 — each of them have either Archer or Ranger, but never both. Presumably, much like Rogue and Thief, this is because one of the following is true:

• despite the variation in class name in different games, these are overall seen as being the same class, and the difference is simply an issue of nomenclature
• the classes are different, but not different enough to ever warrant having both in the same game

And indeed, if we look at Archer/Bard, we can see that it already has the ability most frequently associated with Rangers: Barrage. I read this as an indication that the developers are treating Ranger and Archer/Bard as the same class in FF14.

If you want to hold out hope, that is your choice. But personally, I find hope that is never fulfilled to be draining and painful, which is why I wouldn't recommend it in this case.

I like your breakdown and reply, ty! I agree here. I guess I just need to continue hoping Ranger comes to the game. I've been playing since ARR launch on PS3 so it's not like I haven't been here the whole time. I suppose I can go play WoW to achieve Bow class fantasy but.. I just wish it was in this game and not there because this game decided to do Bowharps.