[Suggestion] A request for a small change on a BLM Ability

[Schmittius]

I know I know... Someone asking for more changes on BLM at a time like this?! HOW DARE I?!

I don't want this to be yet another BLM is dead thread, so I'll be upfront, I'm not that happy with the changes. Can I see some good in it, sure, but still not happy. My only solace is the thought that it will bring newer players to play the job, and I can only hope those players now choose to main BLM moving forward making this change somewhat "worth it" in SE's eyes.

Now that said and out of the way it's time to tackle the reason for this thread, a request to change one ability that BLM have at their disposal from level 50. Aetherial Manipulation.

I've been playing as a BLM-main ever since I returned to FFXIV in Shadowbringers, and this ability have been bugging me ever since I first unlocked it at level 50 all those years ago. And that is the fact that you have to target a member of your party. My question is... why? Why are we the most glassy of glass-canons equipped with the ability/skill most associated with tank jobs in normal jrpgs? All we are missing is the cover skill and we are set! The fact that you have to target a party member to essentially teleport... as a mage of the black exploding art. While WHM can just fly forward in the direction they are facing.

Having the skill in a macro with the mouse-over is helping some, but it's still a gamble if you picked the right party member to jump to if you are hovering over the party list. There have been a fair share of times where I accidentally jumped to the wrong person, a person who also stil was inside the AOE circle and not making it outside the AOE as a consequence. OR the more annoying one, the party member you are hovering over is just outside the abilities reach and still running away from you.

So considering that SE is steady in their pursuit of transforming FFXIV to a DDR game with their bossfight designs, I'm asking for an upgrade, change or transformation for BLMs Aetherial Manipulation ability.

[Schmittius]

And here are my suggestions on how they could do it:

1. Remake the ability to be close to Ninjas Shukuchi Ability.

   Lore wise it could be explained as BLM having learned to create a Aetherial anchor of sorts that they then can pull themselves towards. And to ensure it's not to broken, you keep the same cooldown as now, but you don't get stacks of it like Ninja. And because you no longer need to target a party member, you could even shorten down the range.

2. Change it to something similar WHM and Pictomancer, where the BLM flicker in the direction you are facing.

   Naturally as a BLM are a mage of learning and studying, I would argue that a BLM would see the use of WHM/PIC's ability to quickly move forward in order to either reach a destination faster or have the ability to "slide" out of danger without the need of another person to be close by.

3. If the other two fails, how about a simple change of the ability and remove the demand to target someone in YOUR party.

   This is straight forward, why do the person you are "pulling", "jumping" or "teleporting" yourself toward have to be a player/NPC in your party? Why the limit on this? Why not allow BLM to target people in other parties in Alliance Raids, or simply out and about in the world? Keeping it as is, is imho a huge waist and pretty dumb considering the fights that have been developed the last few expansions.

The bonus part if they implemented a change like one of the mentioned solutions above, the Aetherial Manipulation ability would now be useable even when going through MSQ or other solo content and not like it is now... Not even there.

What are your thought about my suggestions, anything you would add or change to it? Or do you agree/disagree on my wished change, why or why not?