Dev Tracker: Discussion

[Kincard]

Who uses pld and doesnt have an ochain?

Lots of people (especially returning players and the like) that don't want to bother spending 50+ hours to get a single item? You act like it's impossible to clear content using Killedar Shield.

With the amount of stats we're getting these days thanks to the statsvomit on ilevel gear, I'm not really sure 5 points of difference in a single stat can be considered a noticeable difference anymore.

I'd actually like the DEX more than the STR myself. I think they were pretty deliberate with matching the statvomit of a particular ilevel with the content level so that you'd still have to specifically gear for something to reach it (like trying to hit sweetspot DEX).

+16acc/att is still good I guess, but it doesn't have as big of an impact as it used to have back in the days

16 attack not so much because it's in a ratio, but 16 accuracy is just as valuable as it always has been. It's always been +8% hit rate, which is a lot. These days it mostly matters on AA MR. You'll be missing plenty on the other ones if your gear isn't up to par though.

[Kyte]

I use an eminent shield and have minimal issues that could be attributed to it. However, that has more to do with the fact that I really only just started using PLD this month and less to do with me actually thinking it's completely sufficient. I also use /SCH as a bandaid for the less reliable blockrate.

I'd actually like the DEX more than the STR myself. I think they were pretty deliberate with matching the statvomit of a particular ilevel with the content level so that you'd still have to specifically gear for something to reach it (like trying to hit sweetspot DEX).

I agree- there definitely seems to be a method to their madness. At a glance it might seem like everything just has a ton of every stat, but how many ilvl pants have DEX on them? Hardly any.

[Sechs]

I'd actually like the DEX more than the STR myself.

Which reminds me I'm having issues finding WS options which have acc, att, STR AND Dex. Are Manibozho the only one? For those jobs I mean.
Most of the other pants options don't have DEX on them. Is this a coincidence or is there a reason? I don't get it.

[Martel]

I use an eminent shield and have minimal issues that could be attributed to it. However, that has more to do with the fact that I really only just started using PLD this month and less to do with me actually thinking it's completely sufficient. I also use /SCH as a bandaid for the less reliable blockrate.

/SCH For celerity reprisal, I assume.

A thought for non-Ochain shields... Shabti body+1 has +10 enhancing duration. Reprisal is enhancing. Based on dynasty mitts having the same description style, and being +5%, I'd assume the body would be
+10% duration. So a 66 second reprisal. Should be useful for keeping reprisal up longer when you don't have marches. And buys a bit of extra time for stratagem recasts

[Foldypaws]

Which reminds me I'm having issues finding WS options which have acc, att, STR AND Dex. Are Manibozho the only one? For those jobs I mean.
Most of the other pants options don't have DEX on them. Is this a coincidence or is there a reason? I don't get it.

stats seem to be weighted to different pieces. e.g. all ilvl gloves have much higher dex than str. all the ilvl pants have much higher str than dex. Why? No idea. But it's *way* too consistent to be a coincidence.

[fantasticdan]

Doesn't reprisal deteriorate over time/blocks or something? When I skilled up shield in abyssea with adamas, it seemed like reprisal would start me at like 95+% block rate than just fall off rapidly.

[Prothescar]

can only reflect a certain amount of damage before wearing off afaik

[fantasticdan]

The blockrate would fall off way before the buff did thou. Iirc the buff was lasting the full duration since I wasn't really reflecting any damage anyway, stacking def/pdt/phalanx skilling on mandies. It would go from ochain level blockrate to like sub 30% or something around there very quickly when my skill was low.

[Ophannus]

Head and body seem to have str dex vit, hands are primarily dex, legs are str and feet are agi

[Martel]

Doesn't reprisal deteriorate over time/blocks or something? When I skilled up shield in abyssea with adamas, it seemed like reprisal would start me at like 95+% block rate than just fall off rapidly.

I have never seen any data that would support this, nor experienced anything like that myself.

I never used adamas except to test it, but from what I've tested, the Reprisal enhancement on Adamas is reprisal spikes dmg+. <,< Although, I never did finish testing reprisal block rate, or adamas+reprisal block rate, so I can't say it couldn't affect block rate too. Just seems unlikely it'd have 2 enhancements.

[Hitou]

You're probably thinking of enlight which loses damage/acc each swing. Reprisal's spikes damage is based on damage you would have taken before phalanx I'm pretty sure, and possibly before other damage reduction.

[dasva]

While I haven't done extensive parsing like Martel I have spent a lot of enough time tanking with aegis sometimes even multiple mobs that that face haunts my nightmares and never noticed a drop in block rate. It's actually what I used to skillup shield skill from around the 230ish I had from a long time before on rdm to cap as well. But can't really speak of other shields.

[Treize Kordero]

Even with the statvomit increasing merits would be nice. Every little bit helps!!
I'd like to be able to put another 12 levels into another attribute, allowing to 5/5 another WS would be great too, wouldn't mind some new merits for the new JAs post 75. If they really wanna have us unique in merits give us a higher cap in most categories with more choice.

Some nice perk/quality of life merits would be great too.

I'd like to even see a category that even allow us to boost traits specific to a job.

[Ophannus]

At this point I think it's apparent that anything that seemingly boosts stats or damage for players will later be an excuse to create more difficult content in order to 'maintain balance' so I'm sure raising every race's HP/MP will somehow down the line result in mobs hitting harder It's an arms race, any any potential buff to base attributes or merits will; down the line, result in more evasive and defensive mobs. You have to ask yourself, at the end of the day, will shit even make a difference? The relative difficulty of player strength vs mob strength should always be balanced. If they increase player statistics, they have to increase mob statistics. They boosted our accuracy/attack/magic accuracy with the new skill weapons but new ilvl NMs have ludicrous evasion, PDT/MDT etc. At the end of the day, boosting stats or merits brings us back to square 1 because they'll just buff mobs to negate any player bonus anyway.

[Lyramion]

At the end of the day with levels going beyond 75 it's rly kinda harsh to get punished hard for a race choice you did back a FULL DECADE AGO. It's fine in games where it's 1 class / character but worse in FF11. The added HP an Elv or Galka has usually is just the HP zone you need to live through things like getting Astraled/Mijined/Weakness Moves.

[urat]

In terms of merits, I always held the opinion that you should be able to cap all merits in all categories, but once you reach a certain point the stats merits become exponentially more expensive. I would have no issue if I could cap all 6 stats, but after capping 2 it quickly reaches a point of costing 30 merits for a single +1 to stats.

30 merits takes about an hour and a half in a half decent worm party, an hour and a half of work for +1 mind? Im fine with having more shit to do, gives me more stuff to play and do when I've already finished my daily dynamis / assault / salvage / GP Item / capped fishing.

Also the fact SE didnt make the AA KIs cost 15 merits (or make merits cap at 40) is infuriating. With capped merits I Perpetually have 10~15 floating around being useless.

[Ophannus]

At that point, merits would effectively be like +levels rather than little bonuses. They might as well increase the level cap. Merits were made to fine tune your character, not to be surrogate levels.If everything could be capped, they'd have to create content under the assumption every player will have everything fully meritted for their job. Merits are icing on the cake, they shouldn't make or break things.

Instead I think they should add new merit categories like Group 3 for jobs or maybe a skill tree system. Although that may clash with their paradigm of the job system in FF11 where you can freely switch and be effective.

I'd actually prefer the game to shift more towards a skill/ability focused system than a weapon/gear based system. Right now, job builds are based mostly on gear. A SAM using mythic has a completely different build than a Tsurumaru. Maybe they can add skill trees to merits and expand it such that players will create builds depending on which ability path they go down rather than which main hand weapon/ws they use. A PLD could either go down a tree that focuses on healing/fast cast/enmity or a path focuses on PDT/Defense or a path focused on Shield Mastery/Shield Bash Bonuses and Fencer traits,a DRG's paths could be one for jump damage and recast bonuses, a path focuses on accuracy and breath bonuses and a path for conserve TP and weapon skill potency, a WHM could have a path for fast cast and enmity reduction, bonuses to bar spells, regens and pro/shell, or pure cure potency and MP reductions, a BLM could have a tree focuses on magic accuracy and Conserve MP, a tree on pure magic damage or a tree on fast cast and -enmity. Each skill tree comes with relevant abilities and traits.

They can make each branch of the tree have multiple awesome traits(think Skyrim perks) ending with an awesome JA or spell. Progress in the tree could always be reset but the merit cost could be prohibitive enough that it would be a real bummer to reset it often(kind of like how it was to change your STR/DEX or group 2 merits completely at 75 back when EXP took a lot longer)

[Malithar]

Each skill tree comes with relevant abilities and traits.

They can make each branch of the tree have multiple awesome traits

They're not even capable of balancing and introducing good JAs and traits now. What makes you think such a system wouldn't be anything other than "max this tree for x" with x being DPS, ability to tank (if they can even figure out how to make that work), healing, debuffing, etc? As it stands, we already optimize jobs, subs, party setups, gear sets, merits, etc. Offering a choice for yet another optimization is stupid when there's no real choice behind it, other than those special butterflies who think Warcry recast, Chakra recast, etc is worth a damn.

[dasva]

At this point I think it's apparent that anything that seemingly boosts stats or damage for players will later be an excuse to create more difficult content in order to 'maintain balance' so I'm sure raising every race's HP/MP will somehow down the line result in mobs hitting harder It's an arms race, any any potential buff to base attributes or merits will; down the line, result in more evasive and defensive mobs. You have to ask yourself, at the end of the day, will shit even make a difference? The relative difficulty of player strength vs mob strength should always be balanced. If they increase player statistics, they have to increase mob statistics. They boosted our accuracy/attack/magic accuracy with the new skill weapons but new ilvl NMs have ludicrous evasion, PDT/MDT etc. At the end of the day, boosting stats or merits brings us back to square 1 because they'll just buff mobs to negate any player bonus anyway.

While I'd agree with general stat increases I'd say that's not the same as stat balancing. After all why would they adjust mob strength to stats players already acheive? Especially when they soemtimes design that's that almost require those races with the higher amount at least with hp.

[dasva]

Looks like there is a new jp dev post.. but the translation I get doesn't make sense to me. Something about cursed song overwriting... also heres the OF translation of the racial stat balancing http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/th...612#post491612