Thread: 8.0 DPS Job Rework Workshop/Megathread. Goals, Design Principles, and Mock-Ups.

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Originally Posted by Carighan

SMN (make the summon types [Red-Yellow-Green) more distinction from each other, increase total number of SMNs possible, and allow choice of Bahamut/Phoenix [acme Baha removed].

Originally Posted by Valence

MCH (aiming to make tools more meaningful, instead of "all flare, no substance")
DNC (a bit more buff agency)
BRD (more involved party buffs and specific song abilities, a bit more flexibility over timing of infrequent nukes like Resonant Arrow)

Originally Posted by Raikai

DNC - Additional utility, some action on the dance steps themselves, more reason to use feathers in the moment, and still being able to benefit from Closed Position using one's own actions when not paired with anyone.

Originally Posted by Carighan

New job - Beastmaster [TBR] to function as a tag-team unit with swappable pets, sort of like a melee summoner that's actually a summoner instead of 4-nukes-per-minute-er.

Originally Posted by Carighan

SMN rework (to actually have summons again)
New job - Ranger (proccy, also uses pets).

Originally Posted by Connor

BRD (more song control, empyreal charges, MP use returned)

- Remove cool-downs on songs but give them cast timers (1.5). Just make it so each song can’t be cast twice consecutively to stop 100% Minuer uptime. Maybe give them prohibitive MP costs that are reduced after completing a song

- Let us use MP again. Add MP restoration to using repertoire procs, or maybe even turn Paeon into a dedicated ‘mp return’ song if they want it to keep being the ‘maintenance’ song.

- Empyreal charges would help

- Battle Voice. It’s just…there? Having played Bard since 1.0 I’d hate to see something that’s been part of the kit for so long just go, but at the same time it barely has any reason to exist as an individual skill anymore. Maybe they could put the direct hit rate increase somewhere else and let Battle Voice interact with songs again? Idk lol

- Paeon still kinda sucks. I don’t like a song whose entire purpose is not to be sung for the full duration; why even give it a full duration? Switching songs should be a decision the player actively makes and not ‘welp conveyor belt says it time for the boring one’ lol. Maybe it could change Burst Shot into ‘Burstier Shot’ (lol) which has a walking cast (can’t remember the PvP skill name). Best of both worlds? People who enjoy that kinda style could experience it in PvE but those who don’t could minimise time singing it? In an ideal world

- Minne and Warden’s Paean are functionally redundant - nobody needs an extra 10% heal outside of making meme shields, and Esuna simply does not show up in enough content to warrant giving Bard a support Esuna ( on a goddamn 45 second cool-down lol ). I think it’d be cool if they became actual spells with MP costs, like 1000/2000 for Minne and 500-1000 for Warden’s. Since Bards can’t restore MP naturally 100% uptime would be impossible (and entirely useless anyway). If they did as above and retooled Bard to use it’d MP, the simple fact that repeated use would cause dps loss would be balance enough I’d say. Like, if the effect is gonna be pointless at least let us use it when we want. And I’m honestly so bloody sick of everything support-related being a cool-downs. Alternatively give them additional effects, maybe based on song. Like Minne could restore MP during Ballad, HP during Paeon and an Improvisation-style mini shield during Minuet.

- I want my Foe Requiem back . No, I don’t care that it’s useless/unnecessary/impossible to balance/ w/e/requires an mp system that barely exists anymore/ give it back Yoshiiii *flailing arms like a baby*. And I swear in my life if it comes back as instant 120s cool-down I will- *is carried off by Moogles*

- More Radiant Encore , maybe one after each song with increasing potency for each seal, resetting after max with 3 seals. Though that would require decoupling with Radiant Finale too since it would reset seals and Encore would permanently be at minimum potency lol.

- Troubadour needs to be made distinct from the other phys ranged (and likewise for them). There’s absolutely no reason why they need to be literally identical skills. For Bard maybe it could go back to the original version with different defensive effects based on current song? Maybe HP Regen for Paeon, HP shield for Ballad and movement speed increase for Minuet?

- Some new ability ideas:
> An Iron Jaws ‘spellcaster in trench coat’ type weaponskill that applies an AoE DoT. When used, it grants a proc that makes the next Iron Jaws spread -bite (not you, Ladonsbite) DoTs to all nearby enemies. Maybe a bit convoluted over just making the AoE DoT also spread them I guess.
> HP Regen song (lower mp cost), MP regen song (higher mp cost), to complement Foe Requiem for when defensive/recovery stuff isn’t needed (purely in theory lol.)
> Final Fantasia, the PvP LB, would be amazing as a really strong cool-down; I’d even accept 120-180s (or more?). Maybe like Hero’s Rime or something instead. Though maybe it’s a bit much for a normal ability lol. Maybe it could increase ‘everything’ by like 1-2%, i.e all substats, or simultaneously boosting damage, healing taken/given, reducing damage taken and increasing crit rate. I just think it’d be cool if Bard was mostly managing its own support effects while still having something ‘bankable’ for whatever burst meta would emerge in a post-120s-meta world lol.