Yoshida on Patch 3.2 Content - Famitsu Translation

[Slycer]

New: 4Gamer Translation with additional info here: https://www.bluegartr.com/threads/12...er-Translation

This is a translation of an article which currently only appears in the "Weekly Famitsu" issue for March 3 (they release 2 weeks ahead of the calendar date, so it released not too long ago). Note that Weekly Famitsu is a print publication and is available as an online magazine that you have to view through an annoying reader program, so there is no source I can link you to unless you want to buy a copy of the issue for yourself. If you do, it's on pages 224-227.

Source: Bookwalker Famitsu Weekly item listing (3/3 issue)

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The scenario of 3.2 comes ahead of Heavensward's climax

I have a hunch the story is going to start to pick up in patch 3.2. Tell us how this is positioned in the overall main scenario for the 3.X series.

Yoshida: That's a very tough question. Comparing it to the past, patch 2.55 closed the curtains on the 2.X series, but the story of Heavensward was introduced starting from around when the Crystal Braves first appeared. Aymeric showed up at that point, and in development we got the sense that the scenario was already about half Heavensward at that point. To clarify that part of the 3.X series (the boundary), the patch 3.2 story will be in front of the climax. Although we have a lot of main characters in Heavensward, not all of the active major players have appeared yet in the 3.X series.

On the main art, Minfilia was shown being held captive in the mother crystal. Tell us about how she is involved this time in the main scenario.

Yoshida: The main art is the biggest hint you'll get. From that, you should be able to imagine a few different ways she could come into play.

It seems that Emmanellain and Artoirel will play a role, and Edmont is also planning to step down as the head of House Fortemps - will this be a major plotline in the future story?

Yoshida: The city-state of Ishgard itself is one theme in Heavensward. It hasn't been much of a focus so far, but Hilda is a representative for the commoners. On other hand, there's the nobility, and then there's House Fortemps who serve as an intermediary between the commoners and the aristocrats. The way Haurchefant's brothers viewed him as a role model of a knight will affect their growth and the role they play in the future of Ishgard. As a matter of fact, that is also one of the important parts of the story.


Creating bosses with more motion for Alexander Midas

For Midas, is there going to be a particular emphasis on either DPS or mechanics?

Yoshida: I think the feeling will be different for each person so I can't just make a sweeping statement. In terms of the number, there are more mechanics involving movement in Midas than in Gordias.

Any other changes from Gordias?

Yoshida: It's been pointed out that it's tough to get a feeling of movement when the opponents are machines, so we've been trying to go for different appearances. For example, the appearance of the third area boss in Gordias was well-received, so the person in charge told me he made an effort to make the enemies move as much as possible. By the way, there's a scene involving a gorilla [[wut]] which was made to add some humor in with the difficulty.

By the way, will there be any adjustments to Gordias at some point in the future?

Yoshida: It will be exactly the same pattern as with Bahamut's coils. First, when patch 3.2 is published, you'll be able to freely enter as a pre-formed eight person party using Duty Finder from any location. After a few weeks pass, we'll simultaneously allow for solo queue, add the power of the Echo, and perform mechanic adjustments.


The deity Sephirot becomes gigantic in battle

What will be the conditions to access the hard battle with Sephirot?

Yoshida: It's clearing the normal difficulty. You'll then be able to begin the quest for the "extreme" battle, and accept the challenge from there.

Will normal become accessible by going through the main scenario?

Yoshida: The condition is not in the main scenario. It's independent from the main scenario, so you if you want to try it right away you can go for it.

In the trailer, it looked like the boss became huge during combat...?

Yoshida: The second half of the battle was starting at the end of that scene. After Sephirot falls off, he becomes huge and uses his ultimate technique. After that, he remains that size for the rest of the fight.

I heard that you were joking about a "large jump rope" with the people in charge of development, did we get a glimpse of that in the trailer this time? I feel like we didn't see it in the "baby Sephirot" scene.

Yoshida: No, you can't see it in the trailer. It's after Sephirot gets bigger. Once you see the mechanic you'll feel like "what's going on?" and then you'll see it and be like, "oh, there it is!"


With the increased maximum IL, the number of steps will be different from the 2.X series

By about how much will the item level be raised in patch 3.2?

Yoshida: It's still a secret, but I think it won't be much different from what everyone is guessing.

After the release of Heavensward the number of IL increments changed - will this continue into the future?

Yoshida: It will be changed from the 2.X series. In addition to the equipment available in the normal and savage versions of Alexander: Midas, there will also be the rewards from the extreme Sephirot battle. There's equipment from the new Allagan Tomestones of Lore as well. Reflecting back on patches 3.0 and 3.1, we've made some changes adjustments to the IL as well.

What kind of change, for example?

Yoshida: The basis is that players update their equipment over several weeks as they obtain new pieces. Depending on the play style of the player, they can take different routes through the available items. We simulate that in different ways to see how long it will take.

After the patch is released, you'll be able to strengthen your equipment along any path?

Yoshida: For those who plan for an early clear of Alexander: Midas, I think you'll want to look at the new crafter-produced equipment, completing the normal difficulty of Midas, and doing the extreme Sephirot battle.


The spirit of the tank adjustments is to make buffs which put the jobs side-by-side.

In patch 3.2, will the tank adjustments be carried out individually?

Yoshida: No, it's different from that. Each of the three tank jobs has attacking and defensive stances, and the main adjustment will be to return the advantages and disadvantages of switching between stances on the three jobs to level the playing field. In patch 3.2 we changed a number of calculations and made upward adjustments for the jobs that did not reach the assumed numerical values. We did not reduce the numbers for any particular job to balance the tank role jobs.

So it's upward adjustments across the board?

Yoshida: No. Because warrior was originally strong, it's been left alone. It seems there were some rumors and people were sure Fell Cleave would be adjusted, but we didn't make any changes to that.

I've seen those rumors.

Yoshida: Fell Cleave is certainly quite strong, but I don't think it needs to be adjusted for job balance. To even out the jobs this time, our basic policy for the adjustments was that the gaps would be addressed by making upward adjustments.

Are there any adjustments planned for Warden's Paean?

Yoshida: Expect it to have the effect of Esuna. Not only will it be able to prevent future abnormal status effects, but it will also be able to erase currently inflicted debuffs. The cast and recast timers were also adjusted to match the effect.

In the 27th producer letter live broadcast, someone from the audience pointed out a change in the duration of Astral Fire.

Yoshida: Previously, there were situations where if you queued Transpose before Flare landed, the effect would be lost and the action would not work. To avoid this situation you needed to wait for Flare to grant Astral Fire and then hit Transpose after the buff was granted. In order to solve this problem, we've changed it so that the Astral Fire/Umbral Ice buff is applied the moment casting is completed. Because of that, we needed to also adjust the overall duration of the buff simultaneously. For most people, the general feeling won't change, but for those who incorporate the so-called half-cast [[the faster cast off a III stack of Astral Fire or Umbral Ice for the opposing element]] it might change where you sandwich your abilities in the action rotation.


The Feast was developed with the mindset of eliminating randomness as much as possible.

The Feast seems exciting even just watching the gameplay on the screen.

Yoshida: It is really interesting. We've seen a lot of people worried about this, but we've made it like a sport and I'd like everyone to first try it out.

With components like the supply box, was this still made with e-sports in mind?

Yoshida: Randomness is disliked in e-sports because it's an element that doesn't rely on player skill. Because of that, the location of the supply box and the type of items that can be retrieved are predetermined. I think deciding when to take it, or making the decision that you're winning so far so it's OK to let the opponent take it are things you'll need to work out. On the other hand, things like when to trigger the adrenaline rush or consuming items taken from the supply box to restore the adrenaline gauge are things some people might feel are random elements, but these should all be taken into account by players. There's no randomness like "I don't know where or what I'm going to get."

What's the general reason for including the element of "Danger Time"?

Yoshida: More advanced players are likely to run into situations where the battle turns into a stalemate, and this is intended to overcome that.

If you obtain an adrenaline kit from the supply box, how would you take advantage of it?

Yoshida: When you use it, your adrenaline gauge will immediately fill. Who should take it and when it should be used is something to think about. By the way, we'll be making some relatively large scale adjustments to PvP as a whole, like allowing all jobs to use sprint at no cost. Measures like this will speed up your ability to get back onto the field.

What does your preferred fighting strategy look like?

Yoshida: It's hard to say generally for The Feast because the fight will vary quite a bit depending on the combination of jobs. As far as why, if you look at Frontline, the big difference is there it's almost impossible to come out on top in a situation where you're overwhelmed by the other team's firepower. Here, your tactics will change considerably depending on whether the opponent is a tank or another job.

What's the tank's role during the match?

Yoshida: The basic role for the tank will be to collect the medals that enemies drop; however, because of the "heavy medal" penalty, you'll still have to decide how to divide up how to collect them. Even the sturdiest of tanks will take quite a hit from an Adrenaline Rush in the "heavy medal" state.


Evolving into a direction to strengthen the sport feel moving forward

It sounds like The Feast is a major part of the patch 3.2 content.

Yoshida: The content has been completed. However, we'll also be getting feedback from a research firm and add some additional functions later on.

What specifically might you add?

Yoshida: There are two big ones. One is a mode where players will be able to watch each other performing live in competitions and control the camera from the players' point of view. The other that we are currently testing is to allow a practice match for a preformed team to perform solo testing and also "Duel" is in production. Here, once both party leaders approve, there will be a test match where score is not kept. Neither of these will be included in patch 3.2.

Around when are these likely to appear?

Yoshida: They will definitely be within the 3.X series.

How often do you plan to perform PvP balance adjustments?

Yoshida: We plan to do them most frequently with the "3.X5" patches this time around. There are many players who participate in PvP who have the opinion that things should always be changing. In the past, we did not want to change things too much to avoid having a different set of rules for PvP and PvE, but we got too hung up on this and eventually wound up not satisfying either of those, so we plan to perform action adjustments on the PvP side frequently moving forward.

And some of these may be large-scale balance changes, for instance?

Yoshida: The large-scale balance changes will be performed to match the timing of when seasons begin.


Challenging a striking dummy before going into battle in "Stone, Sky, Sea"

What are the conditions to unlock "Stone, Sky, Sea"?

Yoshida: Each item will be unlocked when the corresopnding battle content is opened. The procedure to begin Stone, Sky, Sea itself is very simple. When you talk to the warrior in Idyllshire, he'll inform you that given the difference in players' arms, he's come up with a way for warriors to test their skills against a formidable enemy. From there, you'll exit Idyllshire and follow the navigation tips to the area.

Is the idea that you can use Stone, Sky, Sea as an objective measure for party recruitment?

Yoshida: Since that could lead to selectivity, we won't include that. You could put something like DPS who can clear with more than a few seconds as a comment, but players who look at it would have to assess themselves.

Of course, but they may have had no challenge based on their equipment.

Yoshida: Since the purpose is to become confident with the equipment you have and your current action rotation, there is no item-level sync. For example, if you attempt the extreme Bismarck Stone, Sky, Sea challenge at an average item level of 210 it should be easy. On the other hand, if you try the Alexander Midas Savage challenge with gear from Gordias, most people will find that to be quite tough. Then as you strengthen your equipment, you can come back and try the challenge again to become more confident that you can clear... the content is meant to be used in that way. It's a way to check that your equipment and skill are developing in parallel.


Red scrips will remain valuable for strengthening crafting and gathering classes in the future.

Will a new type of scrip be added for gatherer and crafter classes in patch 3.2?

Yoshida: We have no plans for that. If you were thinking of scrips along the lines of Allagan Tomestones, you might have expected "the next color" to come about, but in fact the current Rowena's token will fall in the middle; the red scrips were intended to remain by design.

Is this how adjustments will be made from now on?

Yoshida: When the level of crafter and gatherer equipment rises, the current Rowena's token will become an intermediate currency, red scrip and the current Rowena's token rates will be lowered, and a new Rowena's tokan will become the main exchange. Further carrying out high difficulty collection and production from there is the flow that leading players will want to keep up with.

Is it possible that you'll increase the likelihood of obtaining tier IV and V materia for gatherers and crafters?

Yoshida: If we increase that, as an example, there are already crafters and gatherers who have tier V materia melded in the forbidden slots. Even though the numerical value of those increases was not currently required, there are already more than a few people like that. Although the value of materia V has skyrocketed, I think we will be increasing the amount little by little to ensure the relative superiority remains for the time being. The chance will increase somewhat, but it won't be extreme - it will increase gradually in patch 3.2 and later.

Will you be adding any new play elements for gathering and crafting classes?

Yoshida: We're considering it for the future. It's the same reason as before, that we really don't want to upset those who have been struggling to complete their tier V melded equipment.

But tier IV and tier V materia may be easier to come by for battle classes.

Yoshida: Tier IV materia will be obtained quite often. By the way, you'll also be able to obtain the tier V materia of your choice on a weekly basis. Even if you're playing at a relaxed pace, you should be able to meld tier V materia into all of your main equipment if you continue to play.

The type of materia obtained can be selected by the player?

Yoshida: That's right. However, if you're aiming for more than one job, you'll need to do other things to obtain them.


The Hall of the Novice is the ideal place to practice a job without any prior experience.

Please tell us the entry conditions for Hall of the Novice.

Yoshida: You'll be able to go just before you can challenge the first instanced dungeon (Sastasha). You can apply by speaking to dedicated NPCs, after which it will open in Duty Finder.

What kind of practicing can you do?

Yoshida: For a tank, you would have something like "flash three striking dummies." However, there are challenges like "avoid enemy attacks" which will appear common for all roles. First a big button will appear and you'll press it and hear a clang to enter the area. The instructor will explain "when training begins, avoid the red circles," like a lecture, and you can begin training after you read the walkthrough. If you can successfully avoid circular or linear AoEs for a period of time, you'll get the seal of approval from the instructor.

What happens if you complete all of the courses?

Yoshida: If you complete at least 7 of the challenges, you'll be promoted to the graduation test where you have to deal with a variety of situations along a set gauntlet. If you can clear it, you'll obtain a full set of gear for the role you participated with that you can use from about levels 15 to 20.

I'll have to practice playing as healer!

[Obsidian]

Yoshida: No, it's different from that. Each of the three tank jobs has attacking and defensive stances, and the main adjustment will be to return the advantages and disadvantages of switching between stances on the three jobs to level the playing field. In patch 3.2 we changed a number of calculations and made upward adjustments for the jobs that did not reach the assumed numerical values. We did not reduce the numbers for any particular job to balance the tank role jobs.

Not sure I understand this. Originally they said there would be significant adjustments to PLD specifically, here he's saying they aren't making individual adjustments? I don't get it.

[Arthars]

theres a new interview on dengeki online released today too slycer, go get it!

[Slycer]

theres a new interview on dengeki online released today too slycer, go get it!

Thanks for the heads up, that'll be tomorrow's project...bedtime.

[Eludi]

Seems like 4gamer has 1 up as well

[Rocl]

i dont understand nerfing gordias savage now that the only content it holds are the fights themselves lol

[Slycer]

I took a quick look at Dengeki and it looks mostly the same as this one. The one major point that was in there that wasn't addressed in here was the change of main stat for tanks from STR to VIT. He says explicitly that a full VIT tank in 3.2 is going to do less damage than a full STR tank at the same item level from 3.15, but they are intentionally doing this to somewhat reduce a tank's maximum damage output relative to DPS jobs. He also implied that STR's effect will be nerfed to the point where full VIT will out-damage STR/VIT hybrid with the 3.2 specs. The interviewer asks how that will affect enmity where tanks already had some difficulty holding hate against high DPS and Yoshida said they were planning to do enmity adjustments to the defensive stances.

[Obsidian]

I wonder if they had the foresight to change Flash to rely on VIT instead of STR.

[Slycer]

In the 4gamer one, it sounds like he's done a 180 on the Astrologian thing and Shuffle won't draw the same card anymore, as part of an overall adjustment to the job.

Edit: OK, really going to bed.

[Eludi]

So enmity buff to defensive stances? All the bosses better hit hard enough to justify tank stance at higher ilvl. (Tanking without tank stance in min ilvl is pretty stupid even now)

[Niiro]

I wonder if they had the foresight to change Flash to rely on STR instead of VIT.

It relies on attack power, assuming VIT will add attack power then nothing needs to be changed.

Likewise with Berserk.

[Alistaire]

there are already crafters and gatherers who have tier V materia melded in the forbidden slots.

Gonna call bs on this. Not only is it pretty much never necessary for the stuff made/gathered now, but the 17% for first overmeld combined with the value of these...on sarg it'd average you 15m+ to meld one slot. The only real incentive to do it would be showing off.

[Rocl]

i'm sorry have you met japan

[solracht]

new article with pictures here
http://www.4gamer.net/games/278/G027835/20160217145/

[Prothescar]

http://www.4gamer.net/games/278/G027...145/SS/020.jpg

Confirmation for the optimists. SE really is that lazy. The healer gear is really bad tbh, barely looks like it belongs with the rest of them. Too generic. Don't know why every single set of healer gear has to be white.

[Obsidian]

Tank set from Midas looks pretty nice for a change.

[Rocl]

I like all of the Midas gear tbh

[Obsidian]

I do too but the simple designs always tend to look better than all the ornamental shit does so it's not a huge surprise to me.

[Avarice]

It's not bad, but it looks kinda bland to me. Better than Gordias, I guess. I still think Second Coil had the best designs.

[Lujei]

Love the Midas gear, but I don't think I could be more disappointed about the Primal gear. Shit's just lazy. Though, lolwut, the BRD has Ifrit's boots on in the 4gamer shot.