Your opinion on the various classes?

[Six]

Basically, I'm just trying to get some insight on what people think of all the classes (mainly the classes they've played as).

My main class (and the one I enjoy playing as most) is the Monk (Pugilist) class. It was my first level 50 and it's the class I'm working towards to get the best gear Atma+ weapons, etc. The waiting queue for DPS has gotten a bit ridiculous, where the main scenario now can take up to +20 minutes. I always play a damage dealing role in games, and never really have been the support.

However, recently I've been considering trying out a different class. I have a White Mage who's level 43, but I've (even though I bashed it for the longest) and also intrigued by the DPS+Support role Scholar can play. I'm a bit on the fence on if Scholar is something for me, the pet control may or may not drive me nuts, plus I do still think they're a bit of the wannabe white mages... However, Scholars seem perfectly capable of keeping everyone alive in main scenario, so credit must be given to them.

I'm basically just looking for some insight / what classes you guys play as and what you enjoy about them.

I'm a bit on the fence for White Mage or Scholar... Definitely am looking for a support role, because I know I don't wanna try tanking. Even though my Monk does it 95% of the time!

 

[Abstract Debauchery]

Alright, about the healing classes. At first I was on the fence, then considering White Mages to be the superior healing class... and then found they're just about the same, really. One doesn't have problem keeping me alive more than the other. The way I see it, it's mostly about what aesthetic you want more. Now, onto classes I've played. I'm a bit biased towards ranged DPS, even more so towards ranged magic DPS. So, I played Black Mage and it's currently my most geared class sitting at ilvl 117 and raising. It's not terribly complex, but it does require that you know how to not fuck up a rotation at any given point. You've also got to adjust movements and whatnot so you're not sitting like a dumbass trying to get a spell off instead of moving your ass.

That said, I love the damage it does. I enjoy that every spell that I cast feels like I'm doing something. Whereas when I'm leveling up Archer, while I know I'm doing damage and more often than not I'm sitting at 2 on the aggro table just below the tank... I don't feel like I'm doing much of anything. It doesn't feel very satisfying. I don't feel that particular "bang" that I do when I blow the shit out of a mob on my Black Mage. To be perfectly honest, I feel that way about most classes. Maybe I'm just far too used to explosions and flashy effects?

However, going back to the subject of support classes, if you're looking for the easier one to level, I'd go for scholar. Set you up a macro, make sure everything is right, and you can seriously target follow people through dungeons and do most of it on auto-pilot. However, at late game, pet control will likely drive you up a wall until you get the hang of it, but from what I hear, it shouldn't take you too long.

 

[Linnaete]

When it comes to the healer roles, I don't necessarily believe there is one that is significantly better than the other. From my experience, healers have more or less been 50/50 in numbers between WHM and SCH. They're two distinctively different jobs and they each bring something unique to the table. WHM I consider to be a more "reactive" healing role. Aside from the pre-emptive Protects and Stoneskins, they typically do what is said on the label: they react to damage being taken and they subsequently heal. The advantage I suppose is slightly greater healing potency. A Medica II is likely to be more effective in a tight spot than its SCH equivalent: Succor.

That is not to say SCH isn't largely the same. They're still reacting and healing for a majority of the time, but at least drawing from my own play style and experience, they possess a more "proactive" approach on the battlefield. An effective Scholar, providing they're somewhat familiar with the fight at hand, can pre-emptively utilise various buff abilities ahead of time to mitigate damage. If they know the boss is just about to cast a field-wide AoE attack that can be potentially lethal, a good Scholar prepares with a good dose of Fey Covenant, Whispering Dawn, Sacred Soil, etc. In lower-level dungeons, your fairy does the bulk of the healing, leaving you with plenty of window opportunities to do some DPS work yourself. The downside is obviously having to constantly cycle through tabs for pet control, and the risk of having your Eos or Selene accrue aggro and get mauled on.

And of course, Summoner was the role I had as my main until recently. Detractors say SMN is the jack of all trades, but the master of none, something I don't really disagree with. Summoners can potentially tank a lower-level dungeon with a Titan-egi, as clunky and cumbersome as it would be. The chief desirable trait of the job is its ability to use Swiftcast and Resurrection on a fallen party member, which has saved our necks on one or two occasions, especially when we had both our healers blown all the way to kingdom come. It's the DPS side of the equation that raises the most eyebrows. Summoner is a DPS role, but its actual DPS output isn't anything to bark about. Landing a series of DoTs on a single target, followed by a Bane and a Fester is the most effective way to burn enemies, but it is an inherently slow process, and if there is a series of mobs that need killing like, yesterday, a Summoner is going to be as effective as a chocolate teapot, unless their Intelligence trait and gear are that damn high.

No experience with tanking. I don't think I fancy being a tank, either. There shouldn't be anything too hard about it (arguably perhaps, your role is the simplest in certain fights where you're basically keeping the boss off your party while everyone else scrambles around to do most of the hectic work), but it's not really the play style I want. I'm more of a damage dealer or supporter. xD

 

[Ethics]

Technically, the bard is support as well. Not DPS. That's why they have a healer's LB.

WHM and SCH are completely situational as to what is superior, and as was already pointed out, neither is really better. Some things you do better, some things you do worse. A great example is Titan. A WHM is great for that Medica 2 after he jumps/stomps, but you can't beat a critical Aldo when he table flips.

As Olivia eloquently put it, SCHs are proactive and WHM are reactive. You have to know what will happen to make your abilities as useful as can be, because of the skill set you are presented. There is more micromanagement involved late game for SCH for character placement + pet placement, especially when considering point blank AOEs (PBAOEs are "caster centered" AOEs) from Eos/Selene.

WHM has less to keep an eye on, but you have to be very fast on your feet with any spells. Knowing the fight can behoove a WHM a great deal, but less so than a SCH; example being that I like to have a Cure 2 already coming down the chute when Titan's flip hits. If I do it too early, I'm overhealing like a chump to no extra benefit. A SCH's aldo, on the other hand, still has a good amount of benefit from the shield. There are more examples, but this is the best one off the top of my head.


Also, in my experience, tanking is by far the most complicated job in all cases bar Trials. It isn't overwhelming, but for me, it easily trumps healing in terms of complexity. I enjoy tanking a lot, but I think there is more to it than meets the eye.

 

[Espurr]

I say stick with WHM since you already have a lead on that. Sure there's more MP management required compared to the SCH but you shouldn't really be getting low on MP unless either:

1. People constantly taking avoidable damage and/or dying.(Most common)
2. You're DPSing(especially with Holy spam)
3. AoE healing spam is needed.

SCHs are more for preventing damage and WHM is more for standard recovery from damage taken. Both have their benefits. For example:

SCHs
Have a Fairy to assist them and heal when said SCH is unable to act.
Have superior single target heals.
Have better MP management due to said Fairy's assistance.


WHMs
Have superior Protect(+magic defense), Regen(stackable with Medica 2 + other WHMs Regens), and Stoneskin(+8% stronger)
Have superior AoE heals


They compliment each other very well so in the end the choice is yours. You can't really go wrong with either one. Though with either one you choose I'd HIGHLY recommend getting a THM to level 26 for Swiftcast if you haven't already.

 

[Six]

My black mage is level 43 as well. I do enjoy playing as the black mage as well, but I think the Fire III, Fire II, Fire II, Fire II, Fire II........ Kinda gets... on my nerve after a while. While I enjoy the black mage I'm just looking for a support class to try out as well.

I've not done the main scenario on my White Mage (not level 50 yet being the main reason) Plus I'd be a bit hesitant to throw myself in the deep and do main scenario with all randoms, lmao... I'd probably have something hurled at me.

I don't necessarily care to level another class, so I'm just looking to find what's more enjoyable. So leveling Scholar is no issue for me, Al, I don't care if the White Mage I have is higher.

Also, @ Ringo, I don't really care for the /follow that just feels a bit cheap to me.

 

[Espurr]

Well the only other thing I can suggest is go with what would appeal to you more; being either a preventive or reactive healer. On the bright side if you decided to go for SCH you already have all of the major cross class tools that you'll really need.(Cleric Stance, Stoneskin, Protect, and Swiftcast.) As a healer you won't want to go back to DPS wait times anymore, believe me.

 

[Six]

I'm a bit hesitant to try out any of the healing classes for say like, main scenario.

My main concern is MP management on the White Mages, because you really have to know what you're doing - and I've ran a few dungeons (low level) with Jeff, Tom, etc, and I notice I throw out a heal far easier/faster than Jeff does.

I kinda panic when I see the HP bar drop to 50% HP, but this is really where the White Mage cures shine, it's just that whenever the HP gets to below 50% it seems to suddenly drop like crazy, hence the paranoid side of me thinking it should always be healed before that, but if I keep that up, I notice my MP management has gone out the window. I know that with main scenario there are two healers - but still, that's 8 friggin' people to keep an eye on.

When it comes to Scholar, I think in the end, the fairy would drive me nuts. I don't really like the auto-pilot a lot of people (on other sites) suggest too, as I've mentioned before it seems cheap. Aside from that, I think it may just drive me nuts with all the hotbars. I play on PC, but I play with a controller.

I think... I'm leaning more towards the white mage side of things, I've not seen WHM MP drop below half way in most main scenario runs I've done, but I have seen that happen with SCH. I think I would get too sidetracked DPS-ing (DPS at heart, Monk), that I'd forget to heal. Perhaps it's worth just finishing my white mage first, and run a few main scenario (or hard mode dungeons) with that, and see how I like it, I can always level up the Scholar. Though, you guys probably know I like to have things planned out before doing so.

Thanks for all the suggestions, any other input (if people play as tanks) is also encouraged in this thread of course, it may help people.



Also. Damn maintenance.

 

[Espurr]

MP management isn't too bad. WHMs get Shroud of Saints which will refill your MP and cut current amount of hate that you have in half. The best time to use that is when your MP starts getting to around half.

As for DPSing for right now I'd focus on healing until you get used to it to avoid making mistakes. There is no situation where you should have to DPS as a healer. Just focus on keeping everyone healed.