So...be honest....why THF?Follow

Disclaimer A: Not really looking to be criticized or to criticize others...just looking for honest opinions.
Disclaimer B: Probably should refrain from posting when I'm tired, so if it reads like gibberish I'm sorry ^^;

Ok, so I've been really giving this some thought lately and I have been questioning myself as to why I continue to play this job. Now, this doesn't stem from the recent update and SE's decision to not add/fix much of anything to THF, but its mostly because as a whole, I don't really use THF all that much these days. I of course used it to get to 80, but so far as endgame events (which is currently down to abyssea, WoE, limbus, salvage, VNM, and the occasional ZNM), or when I'm bored and just wanna do some campaign or FOV for the hell of it... my THF really doesn't see any of it...whether it be the event leader's choice, or my own...

Now its not to say that I don't like playing THF. I originally chose to take it to 75 because after leveling DNC I wished many times through that process that I could just sit back and do damage instead of support which is exactly what THF provided. (Not to say that is all THF can do of course). And even though I was initially turned off by the play style of THF (positional attacks to be more specific) I actually grew to love it over time. It provided me with a challenge of being in the right place at the right time to maximize my damage as opposed to the boring old "Swing to 100% TP then WS" type of play that other melee DDs have. I also loved the concept of hate management which added more challenge and fun to the job. In saying that, one of my absolute favorite events to do on THF was nyzul isle because it let me use THF to its full potential. DD, hate management, pulling, kiting, tanking...everyting. I still to this day respond to PUG nyzul runs because to me, they're just fun on THF.

And to be completely honest, I was also motivated by the THF community as a whole. Before I decided to level it, I would spend a lot of time reading the THF forums (both here and KI mostly) and coming across not only good information for my other dagger class, but just amazing stories and screenshots of the job doing some pretty impressive things. Guess a part of me really wanted to be involved in all of that somehow.

But idk now. I mean I have been putting quite a bit of work into THF. Definitely not to that uber level that others have achieved, but still have pretty respectable gear and I feel comfortable in saying that my skill when actually playing the job is fairly good. But there's a part of me that feels like I keep playing THF because I don't want all the work I've put into it to go to waste...yet if I'm not using it that much...then it kinda is going to waste...

Bah...I'll end my rant there...but for the tl;dr I wanna know from all of you what got you into THF and why do you continue to play it? (especially over other jobs that you have) Maybe somewhere in there I'll find my passion for the job again, but if not, there is a part of me that is curious about why others have stuck with the job for so long.

-It's more fun for me to play than other jobs
-It's not always easy; I get bored without a challenge
-I can out DD other DD's, or at least keep up, while taking very little damage
-I can tank
-TH not just for my LS, but for my low-man purposes
-Added utility

Given that I can often do all these things on one Job, together at once in a single instance, it's just a fun and rewarding job to play. I started the game and leveled it first though for generic reasons; I wanted a job to farm gil. But after level 33 my perspective had changed entirely.

Edited, Jul 21st 2010 4:17am by Shamaya

Not sure if this will help much, but I thought I'd share my story. THF was my second 75 job and my favorite since 55 (Triple Attack is addicting). Once I hit 75 a few years ago I would always make my own merit parties and parse myself with other DD's, often times beating them. My gear wasn't amazing back then (Yes... I was a Heart Snatcher THF ><) but I enjoyed trying to get every piece of equipment to stack on more DEX or more attack just so I could see the look on the DD's doin 880 DMG ws's when the lolTHF did 1.3k every minute. I could never do the mainstream DD jobs, the whole idea of standing still and swinging til I get TP->WS->repeat was just mind numbing. While leveling THF I fell in love with the fact that it was a DD that could control hate, was nearly a necessity back in old parties and could survive on its own.

<Sidetrack> One of my favorite things to do was pull lesser colibri in my evasion set and /nin because I would pull when the other mob was 25% and tank the next bird until it died; Idk, it was just fun for me. </Sidetrack>

I have always gone with the jobs that could do more than one or two roles and THF just fit the bill. If you gear it right there really isn't much you can't do with it. People will always disagree or make you change jobs for end game events in any situation on nearly any job if they think you have something that could be better suited for the situation. If you don't want to switch, join a shell and tell them your only 75/80 is THF haha, probably not the best idea but it's possible.

For me, when the level cap raise happened, I could not decide what job I wanted to get to 80 first and honestly THF was one of the lowest on the list, but my friend and I decided to duo some Magian trials a few days after the update and I went on THF and haven't changed job yet. I've done Abyssea and Walk of Echoes on THF and to me it's the most fun and I am INCREDIBLY glad I did THF first. Using it to its full potential to solo/duo and then in the new areas has rekindled the THF spirit within me.

If you too need to feel nostalgic and get back the love for this great yet under-appreciated job, pick it back up and give it another try. Hell, make a level 55 sync party, pull, SATA, DD, control hate, tank- your heart out to remember why you had fun as THF in the first place.


</End uplifting speach> Hope it helped. And, if THFs everywhere do go out and make lv sync 55 pts, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD INVITE ME lmao camps are swamped!

Edited, Jul 21st 2010 4:36am by Yopopoe

Basically this for me, with a few extras.

Being considered a "loljob" it's a nice ego boost when a good SAM in our LS states "OK, I'm being outTPed by the THF, I'm logging!" as a joke, or other statements that let me know I'm doing my part on the job. 2k WS on SAM/DRK/WAR? Good, but obtainable. 2k WS on THF? That stuff can turn heads!

I've also always loved the THF characters in FF games.

I guess while THF is definitely given the short end of the stick on game mechanics to at sometimes obscene degrees.. When a THF gets his/her moment to shine, everyone knows it.

I've never been good at making money in this game.

First it was, "if you need money, join an HNM." That wasn't quite true. My first HNM netted me a Noble's Tunic, and nothing else. My second HNM basically got me nothing. My third HNM, and the one I was with the longest, gave me every JoL item and tons of goodies, but not a lot in the way of gil.

Then it was, "if you need money, level THF." So I did, making it my first melee job and my 5th 75. At first it was frustrating, since I'm a squishy taru, but as I leveled it into the 30s and 40s, I fell in love with it. Nothing was more beautiful than the sight of 4 players lining up for the SATA with perfect timing, and me executing it flawlessly for 500-600 damage at level 45. It stayed fun all the way through the 50s and 60s. Merit levels were a bit more of a grind, but I stuck through it. Now I have a fairly well geared 75 (soon to be 80) THF, and I wouldn't give it up for anything.

I still don't have a reliable way of making money, though.

I was main RDM starting with this game until I got my Rdm to 52 and stopped to level THF for farming.Like Shamaya said, once I hit 32, I changed my mind and wanted to bring it to 75 and left RDM retired.
Many friends criticized on me about retiring my RDM. But I don't care, thief got my eyes on, and I took it to 75.
I did many dynamis, salvage as thf. Pulling/ sac/ kiting /th-whore.
Low man, my thf always main tank, mostly, except when I need to duo box and being busy and need my friend Garytwo to come war. But on Sim, he always lose hate to me :p
I like how I cam tank and how I can play it.
Nyzle Isle too...
Too much to say how much I like it.