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Now, I've been trying for the most part to keep myself uninformed about NDA breaking information. I am all for consuming every bite of information SE is willing to give me about the game, but I like to keep my innocence as long as possible. That being said, please forgive me if this idea is totally unreasonable based on information "everyone" knows.

I have been tossing around an idea for Lancer ever since they first announced the ability to build classes cross-weapon and cross-discipline, and I am wondering if anyone else is thinking along similar lines, or wants to wax philosophic about the possibilities. My idea is similar to a red mage in FFXI, or should I say, what a red mage could have been if SE did not seem bound and determined to prevent them from meleeing despite telling us how much red mage should be able to melee.

A long time ago, SE mentioned that there would be elemental affinities that grew with your character, similar to other stats, such as strength. The got me thinking about what element I would like to tie to a Lancer. What I came up with was a Lancer augmented with wind based magic. The Lancer would be a weaker melee, due to loosing some slots that could have gone into pure melee abilities, but what it looses in pure damage, it gains in the ability to self buff.

I can't even begin to speculate on what abilities I would take from each discipline until I can see more information, but I am sure there will be something like en-aero at the very least. Perhaps some wind based enfeeblements, which fit into the Lancer motif that SE has designed (the Lancer template seems to have a lot of crowd control potential).

Edited, Jul 13th 2010 9:53pm by Hulan

In FFXI, puks around the area of Aht Urhgan were healed by wind-based spells. I don't recall if that applied to en-spells and weapon skills as well.

Actually I did, and still do, play FFXI. I'll admit, my reasoning for picking a single elemental class is less about reason and more about imagination and image. That being said, I first hit upon the idea of a elemental Lancer when SE first mentioned that leveling up your character will allow you to level up affinities to certain elements. This comment was in reference to Thaumaturgy specifically, but the concept, in my mind, could be broadened to apply to melee jobs as well. SE has had a bad habit in the past of having... well let's be kind and say they don't really have much in game experience with their MMOs, so this could all just be another example of SE's eyes being bigger than their stomachs; however they did specifically mention players becoming strong in one element or another, and having to decide how to balance, not only their stats, but also their element. I still hold out a little hope that this means they will attempt to give specialists a reason to exist, rather than making them totally worthless. I always enjoy finding those weird combinations that shouldn't work, but do, and it is my hope that SE gives people like myself an opportunity to thrive, an environment when you never know when an idea is crazy, or golden.

Truth be told, that was the purpose behind my original post. More than proposing a single idea, I suppose I was more interested in what crazy ideas people have had, or perhaps is there anything you hope to see out of playing Lancer beyond its built in functions.

Edited, Jul 13th 2010 9:54pm by Hulan (Wow, what was I doing when I typed this, slamming my head into the keyboard?)

Edited, Jul 14th 2010 12:41am by Hulan

When it was said that our characters would have an elemental affinity I was torn (especially because I didn't know if we'd be able to change it at all) between water and thunder/lightning. I know that thunder/lightning works better with a Lancer/Dragoon, which I knew from day 1 is what I wanted to be. But part of me has always leaned toward water.

I wonder how an AquaMancer would fare in the wild...
Spells like "dirty water" to lower accuracy or "draining drip" to act like Dia on your targets and "life-stream" would be like regen for yourself? Not to mention "typhoon" and "whirlpool" to do damage along with all the other Lancer abilities.

Hey a guy can dream right?

I'm still going with Llymlaen, not because she's affiliated with wind, but because she's both the guardian deity of Limsa Lominsa (my chosen starting area) and a fisherwoman. Also, to me, a harpoon is just a form of spear.