(11-02-2014, 03:15 AM)JFrombaugh Wrote: There seems to be a lot of confusion about whether or not Thaumaturges are actually as "strongly associated" with Ul'dah as Conjurers are with Gridania. At first glance they seem to be two sides of the same coin.
However, one of the core themes of the BLM storyline is Ququruka and Lalai calling the others in the Guild out for being heretics who simply see their magic as a leverage tool and are kind of blowing off the whole "in service to Thal" aspect.
After all, there are a lot of enemy Thaumaturge NPCs who don't seem to have any connection with Ul'dah, and the storyline implies that sufficient internal aether reserves and mental discipline are the primary skills one needs, unlike Conjury which seems to come about as a result of the elements agreeing to do your bidding.
It seems to me like, using each discipline's approach to going to Wizarding School:
Arcanists - Studied really hard for those As
Thaumaturges - Managed to get As without studying
Conjurers - Never went to wizarding school, instead being raised within the church & Gridanian religion
If this is true, then I think my character would probably be a better fit for Thaumaturgy than Arcanima, as she tends to see magic as more of an "art" than a "science".
But I never got to experience the 1.0 storyline, and those who have played it seem to insist that THMs are essentially Ul'dah's CNJs...very much priests.
So what do you think? I've already decided my character will start out as a Conjurer, but I was thinking about having her switch Jobs halfway through her career (kind of like Cecil from FF4) due to coming to feel that Gridanians in general preach a good sermon but are by and large arrogant, hypocritical jerks.
Not sure what's causing the confusion. Thaumaturges are (for all intents and purposes) the Conjurers of Ul'dah. The Order of Nald'thal is the center of all Ul'dahn religion and is one of the pillars of Ul'dahn society. Thaumaturges of the Order of Nald'thal are wholly entwined with their city-state.
And yes, the BLM quest line does call into question the motives of the present leaders of the Order because its new heads (the Coco brothers) are not true thaumaturges. They are glorifying destructive, black magic despite it being outlawed and forbidden for nearly 1600 years. The same magic, which Ququruka himself, misused in the pursuit of glory and got three of his closest friends killed and then spent the next 100 years in gaol. You can understand why he might be a bit touchy on the subject.
As for open world enemies, there are a lot of open world enemies of all classes. So for starters that should be taken with a grain of salt.
As for Thaumaturges not studying... Yayake let's us know quite well that this is not the case:
But I feel like you have been going back and forth over this debacle for several months now and it seems you've gotten no closer to deciding, despite input. What do you want for your character? That's perhaps a better place to start.
Conjurers are guided by the Hearers, who follow all instructions from the Elementals. They walk the land and provide it succor.
Thaumaturges study death so that they may better understand life. They prepare a person body and soul for the final journey into Thal's realm and are the spiritual leaders and law makers of Ul'dah.
Arcanists study ancient runes and focus their power through geometric shapes and aether amplifying ink. They can also summon Familiars with their aether to aid them. Though they work as customs agents in Melvaan's Gate, they also have a mind for strategy and efficiency to everything they do.
