New SoA Trailer 2012.12.27

[Odin'sLaw]

I think they said that they wanted to do that going forward, forget if it was from Matsui or one of the devs relaying info, but I recall hearing they wanted to setup future content with that in mind, a points system to redeem items if not obtained via treasure pools.

Yoshi said that about the content in ffxiv not sure if you may have read that and mistook it for 11 since i haven't seen that info myself (would be good news if it was the case)

[Slycer]

Yoshi said that about the content in ffxiv not sure if you may have read that and mistook it for 11 since i haven't seen that info myself (would be good news if it was the case)

Was in a Matsui post (about FFXI) from not too long ago (late November):

In regards to item stats, this is a crucial growth element as you cannot level up past level 99. It's necessary to release items with stronger and really good stats in the future. For how you receive items, as many of you have requested on the forums, I'd like to have a point system in place for when you miss out on a reward that has its drop rate set low due to difficulty adjustments.

I'd take it with a grain of salt until some real changes come out of it, though, as this was part of a much larger and very general game direction post.

[Damane]

i have an expectation that SoA is meant to balance out the status quo at 99. it seemed to be the case that they stopped tweaking older job abilities and jobs in general because of the flux that came with new abilities after the cap was raised.. and for a while i think it's actually not that easy or even pointless to do it because the next level cap raise will go on to screw this balance up again.

i hope that they'll start putting in real job adjustments again, because it'll likely be necessary in light of the introduction of GEO and RNF. and also because SoA would be the first open world place where content can be designed with lv99 in mind. I think this makes a difference because as it stands, all realistic lv99 encounters are battlefields where mobs are designed to be ridiculous compared to a normal battle.. and the way job balancing and JA is utilized in such scenarios would be very different from normal battle.
this in turn only made the whole zerg or die scenario worse..

all jobs will need some form of review. SoA might present a paradigm shift in the way jobs are utilized. hopefully in the upheaval some of the jobs that are currently left out of the mix will get a bit more of the limelight again. i expect SoA to revolutionize tanking as well.. so it should be good for PLDs too.

i think they stoped adjusting Jobs due to the expansion comeing out with RNF and GEO. They will likely examine the impact RNF and GEO make as main jobs AND subjobs and then go out from there to due jobadjustments to all jobs. It would imho be wasted time now to adjust jobs when you have to do it later anyway. My guess is that the merit system will be expanded with the release of the expansion to give poeples that have no desire or intention to evel RNF or GEO to go out and exp.

[TummieGaruda]

In regards to item stats, this is a crucial growth element as you cannot level up past level 99. It's necessary to release items with stronger and really good stats in the future. For how you receive items, as many of you have requested on the forums, I'd like to have a point system in place for when you miss out on a reward that has its drop rate set low due to difficulty adjustments.

I'd take it with a grain of salt until some real changes come out of it, though, as this was part of a much larger and very general game direction post.

I wonder if this is content where players can adjust the difficulty level of a battlefield which adjusts the drop rates.

[Churchill]

Mainly THF, RDM, PLD, DRG, BLU, SMN. As for SAM, MNK, WAR, DRK, WHM, BLM, BRD, COR, these jobs basically never need to be touched again. NIN, RNG, PUP, DNC, SCH BST could use slight changes, modifications but nothing as substantial as the ones I listed already.

I think this statement makes it painfully obvious you aren't qualified to discuss these matters.

[Damane]

Some jobs need more growth in terms of usability. Mainly THF, RDM, PLD, DRG, BLU, SMN. As for SAM, MNK, WAR, DRK, WHM, BLM, BRD, COR, these jobs basically never need to be touched again. NIN, RNG, PUP, DNC, SCH BST could use slight changes, modifications but nothing as substantial as the ones I listed already.

I am sorry but PLD doesnt need changes, what paladin needs is an overhaul of the enmity system that is broken. The job itself is very potent for its given role. Giving it anything remotly close to compete with the big DDs would make the job just OP.
BLU is fine too, the only change this job needs is a fix to how Blumagic is calculated against mobs that are really high lvl (aka HNMs), because that is the only thing holding it back from being competitiv.
RDM is a strong job, it just lacks a valid point where it can specialize itselfs. 3-4 exclusiv potent enhancing/debuff spells could bring it back easily as a desired job.

imho jobs that need the most attention atm:
1. SMN: its unflexibility and slow paced actions make it almost not desirable in events, ecxept for useing their SPs. New avatars wont help the job, this job basicly needs a total rework from the grounds up it just doesnt fit anymore into FFXI where everything is fast paced.
2. DNC: this job needs a buff to the support it could give by makeing Sambas affect alliances and adding new unique Sambas (haste smaba II, crit hit samba and cirt dmg samba + changing the way how drain samba works so it actually works like an attack buff) + enstrengthening debuffs of Steps, a JA on a 5 min timer that lets you land a step with 100% accuracy to get the debuff isntantly to lvl 5 would help. Not to mention splitting up Waltz timers (or at least reducing them)
3. SCH: after the embrava nerf, the job will probably drift into the void, buffing up adloqium to make it tiered via enhancing magic skill (every 100 enhancing magic skill = 1 regain point/tic, 5tics max at 500 skill), buffing animus spells + with the new enmity system, could bring it back and give it an niche role in versatility and controlling enmity flow via spells.
4. COR: this job lacks a bit firepower compared to rangers (tough thats understandable), giving it 2-3 tiers of accuracy bonus would help it. +a new haste roll
5. BLM: fills the spot ok for when magic dmg is desired, which is almost never the case or needed (rarely). The problem is that blms cant keep up with fully buffed melees. All this job needs is some sort of conserve MP trait that gives them guaranteed reduced MP cost on ELEMENTAL spells so they dont run out of MP and can keep up casting constantly (I am leaving temp items out of the equation here). more traitlevels on Elemental Celerity would help it too. + a trait that basicly annules MP cost for low level elemental spells of tier I-II and -ga tier I.
6. PUP BST DRG: the only issue those jobs have is pet survivability and the issue of not being able to buff their pets via food or heal them of status ailments quickly enough. fix those things and you have solid jobs that can buff their pets with defense, attack, accuracy or haste food (depending on situation). PUP could use a revamp of the maneuver system, where they dont have to spam maneuvers every 30sec to 1 min. expanding maneuvers duration to 5 min would help the job alot in the damage dealing department.

7. NIN: I dont know where to start here. The job is basicly dead as a tank and DD(on anything remotly hard) and only used for solo content/abyssea/VW.

the rest of the jobs seems fine and has found their spot.

[Dotsudoku]

Dancer is another hopeless job. There are ways to make their support matter, but it's pretty difficult to justify support roles that require staying in the party to do their job.

Sad to say, dancer really died when their healing capabilities stopped mattering. There was a time when they could simply inject roaming content to give it an edge, but MP management is too much of a joke for all mages at this point

[Ophannus]

One of SE's HUGEST mistakes with the 76+ level cap increase was not nerfing Convert. They nerfed almost everything else for /40+ subs except Convert. That was RDM's only unique ability and everyone has it now. It should have been a ½ transfer or something,lose 2000/2000HP and 500/1000MP gives you 500HP/1000MP or give RDM traits that reduce the HP reduction similar to how Stalwart Soul for DRK works so at least RDM has an edge when using convert over imitators who /RDM. The fact that almost all mages have infinite MP basically, RDM's role as refresher is gone and mages are largely self sufficient. I don't see why Utsu Ni and Souleater are gimped and nobody gets Afflatus as /WHM or Innin/Yonin when /NIN but everyone gets fully powered convert AND refresh when /RDM.

[Darkmagi]

Hate to break it to you, but convert is hardly broken. /sch is better by far for mp efficiency and utility in most cases.

[Draylo]

Yeah I was kinda disappointed that they fell short on giving ultimate JA/spells to all jobs. I had envisioned a Bahamut summon and such!

[Tarage]

Yeah I was kinda disappointed that they fell short on giving ultimate JA/spells to all jobs. I had envisioned a Bahamut summon and such!

The model is too big.

[Jeryhn]

One of SE's HUGEST mistakes with the 76+ level cap increase was not nerfing Convert.

I can't even remember the last time I even used Convert outside of giving Mana Wall an extra boost just before it fell.

Really, it seems the only actual argument you made was because those abilities were not nerfed, mage support became less necessary (leading to the death of RDM)... which isn't actually true. Today's mage self-sufficiency has little to do with Refresh or Convert, and has more to do with the MP savings of Light Arts and increasing access to Refresh gear that can be equipped in several different slots simultaneously to improve an idle set. Add in the fact that a WHM can literally cast zero MP Curagas with +2 legs with a capped Cure Potency set (which is also easy enough to acquire these days) and its easy to see why healers need little support these days.

[Chamaan]

If they were to increase maneuver duration they would have to dramatically reduce burden decay rate. Which I'm fine with for the most part. The only problem with that would be activation penalty but that can be halved or something to coincide with the decay rate change. Also think Overdrive just flatout needs to be redesigned. Too weak an SP. At the very least should get an increased duration and some -dt% if you leave it as it is.

[drwaffles]

I can't even remember the last time I even used Convert outside of giving Mana Wall an extra boost just before it fell.

Really, it seems the only actual argument you made was because those abilities were not nerfed, mage support became less necessary (leading to the death of RDM)... which isn't actually true. Today's mage self-sufficiency has little to do with Refresh or Convert, and has more to do with the MP savings of Light Arts and increasing access to Refresh gear that can be equipped in several different slots simultaneously to improve an idle set. Add in the fact that a WHM can literally cast zero MP Curagas with +2 legs with a capped Cure Potency set (which is also easy enough to acquire these days) and its easy to see why healers need little support these days.

I think the near-abolishment of MP management is a bigger issue than most people realise. If mages need to manage their MP (as they did back at the 75 cap) it has an enormous effect on how other group members play and how groups are formed. Real tanks become essential, melee need to balance their damage output and their defensive abilities, and support jobs have to provide more support than just their melee-enhancing skills.

Take something like Tiamat at 75, not as some paragon of design but in order to illustrate this effect - for most average groups you needed a tank party to control it, which usually included a WHM, RDM, BRD (or COR) and at least one PLD/NIN, NIN/DRK or RDM/NIN. The BLMs all needed to watch their enmity because an out-of-control Tiamat would do more damage to the alliance than healers could reasonably keep up with. I know that later on good groups started using DD tanks for this, but I'm talking about average groups.

Now there is no incentive to do anything other than have everyone go all-out and try to avoid cheesy one-hit KO moves. There are obviously many more factors involved in promoting more varied and interesting gameplay, I'm just pointing out that MP management becoming a non-issue has been one of the major factors in the changes we've seen since 75.

[Ophannus]

Sambas are fine for parties not alliances, making one DNC give full benefit to an entire alliance is a little overpowered. Actually if you think about it that's kind of what steps are for. Feather Step decreases a mob's Critical Hit Evasion which is the inverse way of saying it increases everyone's critical hit rate while in effect. Stardiver is, in essence +5% critical hit rate for everyone, stack that with a DNC's Feather Step and you're basically increasing everyone's critical hit rate by 10-12% or so. I don't think COR needs more damage, Wildfire is pretty good and consistant damage and Last Stand is amazing as well. COR wasn't meant to be a primary DD but a backup/support DD on lower content. Their major role in endgame was never intended to be reliable damage with pure shots but to enhance debuffs with QD as well as magic damage from QD with occasional WS here and there while keeping up rolls. Haste Roll would infringe upon BRD's duty since that's kind of what makes BRD slightly unique, instead COR has that Blitz Roll. The deal is that COR can damage and buff with unique buffs(Crit/STP/SaveTP/Regain) and BRD can AoE haste and also debuff targets. If COR got a haste roll it would only make BRD less desirable. It's better to keep spells and buffs unique to each job rather than making all buff jobs homogenous.


Also pet survivability, at least for DRG, is now moot. On average the Wyvern outlasts the Dragoon, though when the DRG dies the Wyvern dies with it. In many cases my Wyvern will be at 80%+ HP but I'll be one shotted by a spell or TP move. Since wyverns have like 1800+ HP now and have nativce 40% DT reduction and like a 3k stoneskin ability, they survive easily now. Spirit Link with its doubled potency and halved recast with a 33/tick regen rate means I can drop 1600-1700 Spirit Links on my pet every 90 seconds.

Problem with Dragoon is it was designed to be a weaker DD because the Wyvern was meant to compensate. In other words, a DRG's damage ratio with the wyvern on fodder mobs is about 5:2, which is fine. If a DRG hits for 280 and does 2k Stardivers, the wyvern hits for about 60-80 damage at about half our delay and adds a 250-300 breath on each of our WS. If you add that to our damage, we're really hitting for 340-400 and dropping 2.3k WS. So by that token, DRG is fine vs other DDs. The problem is on tougher NMs where the 5:2 ratio now becomes 12:1. I'm hitting NMs for 200-250, and my Wyvern is hitting for 30-50 and breaths are now doing 20-25 damage. So now the wyvern isn't picking up the slack. SE said in JP interviews and in articles that Dragoons' damage power is lower compared to Dark knight or Warrior because they have a pet which is supposed to, when combined with the Dragoon, more or less equal the other DDs. But on hard content where the Wyvern's damage sucks so bad, this is hardly the case. They need to remove that crazy, crazy Breath Damage Taken-% from new NMs which will help wyvern's damage contribution to the DRG's parse and invariably help BLU as well(seems like they wanted to make Breath Damage a niche for BLU with their new breath spells and gear like Mavi Tathlum/AF2+2 head). Like they probably made Penta Thrust, Stardiver and Drakesbane weaker than other WS and never gave DRG and attack buff JA simply because the wyvern was intended to be pumping out 300 damage breaths on our WS but I guess they never compensated for how weak the wyvern becomes endgame. The only reason to keep the wyvern alive against an NM is by proxy for Spirit/Soul Jumps, using Restoring Breath is a waste of time because it delays our attacks and Smiting Breath will deal about 27 damage on any Legion NM. But I suppose they put that breath defense on new NMs to prevent players from 'cheesing' them to death with Spirits Within/Chi Blast/Atonement/Breaths which normally bypass MDT/MDB and never miss.

[Jeryhn]

I think the near-abolishment of MP management is a bigger issue than most people realise. If mages need to manage their MP (as they did back at the 75 cap) it has an enormous effect on how other group members play and how groups are formed. Real tanks become essential, melee need to balance their damage output and their defensive abilities, and support jobs have to provide more support than just their melee-enhancing skills.

Take something like Tiamat at 75, not as some paragon of design but in order to illustrate this effect - for most average groups you needed a tank party to control it, which usually included a WHM, RDM, BRD (or COR) and at least one PLD/NIN, NIN/DRK or RDM/NIN. The BLMs all needed to watch their enmity because an out-of-control Tiamat would do more damage to the alliance than healers could reasonably keep up with. I know that later on good groups started using DD tanks for this, but I'm talking about average groups.

Now there is no incentive to do anything other than have everyone go all-out and try to avoid cheesy one-hit KO moves. There are obviously many more factors involved in promoting more varied and interesting gameplay, I'm just pointing out that MP management becoming a non-issue has been one of the major factors in the changes we've seen since 75.

I think everything you said here has more to do with the enmity cap being set at a completely useless level for level 99 players than MP management. When everyone hits the enmity cap anyway because the mob has so much HP, why not just zerg everything down instead of traditional tank-n-spank? The effect of enmity of mages these days are also effectively mitigated by Tranquil Heart (based on healing skill) and Enmity Douse (lowers enmity to near-nothing), so really the only thing we'll have to worry about is the enmity differences between tanks and DDs, which inevitably leads to players simply using DDs to tank everything through dealing damage.

If SE wants to bring back the conservative days of PLD tanks with tanking support, they need to address the global enmity cap for everyone. This has nothing to do with MP management anymore.

[Psion]

Technically, pup can avoid hitting the enmity cap forever simply by using role reversal with a fresh automaton every once in a while, then deactivating to dump its hate or just letting it die. :D But yes, higher enmity caps would be nice.

[noodles355]

The problem is on tougher NMs where the 5:2 ratio now becomes 12:1. I'm hitting NMs for 200-250, and my Wyvern is hitting for 30-50 and breaths are now doing 20-25 damage. So now the wyvern isn't picking up the slack.

The main reason it's falling behind on harder content is not because it's dealing less damage per hit/ws, but that it's getting SIGNIFICANTLY less hits in than the Drg (and every other DD) as they're all buffed out the arse with haste. Your wyvern is only ever going to get 1 attack round (if that...) per WS you do, or 2 attacks at the very most. The only ways the wyvern will ever fulfil it's original purpose (and SE's justification of making drg weaker than other DDs) would be if buffs could be cast on the wyvern or if Empathy transfered signifiantly more buffs per merit. 5 at 5/5 is not enough when you have like 15+ buffs and it choses random ones. That and, as mentioned, an increase in breath damage.

In fact, if they simple adjusted Empathy so Spirit Link transfered like 3-5 buffs per merit, maybe 5 for the first merit and +3 for each additional. Remove the wyvern exp boost it gives for balance if needed.

[TummieGaruda]

In fact, if they simple adjusted Empathy so Spirit Link transfered like 3-5 buffs per merit, maybe 5 for the first merit and +3 for each additional. Remove the wyvern exp boost it gives for balance if needed.

In all honesty, it should mirror all buffs, and each merit increases the amount of time in seconds that the buffs are mirrored such as 30 > 45 > 60 > 75 > 90

[noodles355]

In all honesty, it should mirror all buffs, and each merit increases the amount of time in seconds that the buffs are mirrored such as 30 > 45 > 60 > 75 > 90

That'd also work. Basically anything that involves it being able to copy something useful for a meaningful amount of time. If it did either of our suggestions I'd merit it to 5/5 in a heartbeat.