Unlockable, semi-transferable merits: an idea

[ryanjh]

A lot of people gripe about only being able to specifically merit one job or marginally merit one specific functional class. I came up with an idea that I wanted to run by everyone at BG to see if it is something worth pursuing... By pursuing I mean I'll make an email, post it here, 5 people will post it, and SE will ignore it..

The idea: Merits can be unlocked within the current limits of the system. You can still keep the 12 combat limits, but you could unlock them to swap around at your leisure. This doesn't let you simply cap out one job and merit another one to cap, but rather would reward you for gaining all the merit points needed to unlock all categories. Then you would have the freedom to swap them around.

Example: Pld/Whm, spend points to unlock enmity + to 4, you then earn 10 more merits to unlock enmity - to 4. You would be able to swap these when you want because you've unlocked them completely.

This is really cursory and probably ill explained after a long day of work, but it would reconcile having multiple jobs with merits, and also would still require a hell of a lot of effort to cap multiple categories to allow flexibility thoughout all of your jobs.

If anyone thinks this is a good idea let me know and we can discuss details and try to come up with a template email.

[Zalius]

If there was a 72 hour cooldown+gil fee on swapping merits around, it'd be fine. Not being able to swap around enmity/magic/combat is a bit bullshitty

[Neptune]

I've always thought that merits, once earned and spent, should be possible to re-allocate within their specific category with a system like the one for Blue Magic spells.

[Lordender]

I don't think SE thought meriting would be as popular as it was when they first released them, I wouldn't be surprised if there is some sort of change in the future that allows people to switch merits around w/o being a pain in the ass.

[Eddie]

I thought of BLU Magic right when you said this.

They should do that with merits, and, have you only be able to change it in Mog House.

[Intense]

I can just see it:

<Dude> Want me to come as RNG or BLM?
<Duder> BLM
<Dudeness>BLM
<Dude> Ok, let me adjust my merits for BLM
20 min later..
<Dude> Alright, muled gear and fixed merits, can I get a port?
<Duder> Actually we need you as RNG
<Dude> DAMN YOU 72 HOUR COOLDOWN!

I like hte idea of being able to switch enmity merits back and forth though ;3

[Eddie]

Eff that cool down jawnz

[Delekii]

Eventually it will be done, but not because it makes it more fun for us. Lets face it, making you able to spend another 300 merits is a far easier way of increasing time sink than adding more content

(Not that I would mind, I wish to hell I could add a bunch more magic merits. When I get my BLU to 75 I am going to have a hell of a time deciding what to do.

[XxSlusherxx]

Personally I'd just like to get like 6 extra combat skill slots per 75 with the cap being 8 on one weapon and 6 on all others.

[Medivac]

i think more magic merits should be albe to be used. my blm has capped elemental magic. but my poor rdm has 0 enfeebeling

[Isildur]

I'd grip to SE about something more useful, like being able to swap DM / Apoc Nigh earrings and CoP ring once per conquest tally.

[Kurp]

I'd grip to SE about something more useful, like being able to swap DM / Apoc Nigh earrings and CoP ring once per conquest tally.

I'd much rather be able to switch around my combat skill and enmity merits than change my rings.

[Eaglestrike]

I know once I'm done my dagger I'm going to run out of things to merit. So I don't mind wasting them here and there. Way too easy to get merits these days...

[Isildur]

I'd grip to SE about something more useful, like being able to swap DM / Apoc Nigh earrings and CoP ring once per conquest tally.

I'd much rather be able to switch around my combat skill and enmity merits than change my rings.

Switching merits would be very useful, i admit it. But if you really think about it, merits are to make your "main" job better, you have to plan out a set of merits you think are useful and then do it that way. Switching around merits from a fully pimped out MNK75 to a fully pimped out WAR75 doesnt take that long for exping to be honest, all you really need is to erase Combat merits, thats 210,000 exp total to cap out a combat merit...most "burn" merit parties average like 30k before breaking, an LS group with pretty good gear and alot of time on their hands in a good exp spot can easily manage 60-70k in one session. So i dont see why it's so difficult to just exp if you want to switch the job you raid mostly as.

Personally i main PLD and nothing is more fun for me, i may be biased cause i have no melee jobs at 75 but i feel like there's more melees at LS raids than there are tanks, much more. When im done with merits, im done...no switching them around to pimp out other jobs, i'll just be a mediocre DD / mage and there's nothing i can really do about it. But at least i'll know that my main raid job that i truly love is fully pimped out to a reasonable degree, and thats enough for me.


Swapping Rings/Earrings would be a great help for alot of people, although this is contradicting my statements above i do think that it would lift the restrictions people feel when they obtain said rings/earrings. These items are one-time only deal, and its completely retarded that SE hasnt done anything to fix it, they created FFXI's job system so players DIDNT restrict themselves to one specific job type, but then they make rings/earrings that have "point of no return" written all over them and it can force people to restrict themselves to that equipment's capabilities...players with Abyssal are gonna feel pretty shitty when trying to play WAR/NIN cause they dont have Suppanomimi and vice versa. I think that if SE gave the player the ability to trade their current ring/earrings into the NPC that issued it to them just ONCE per conquest tally, it would make so many people happy.

[TB]

Switching merits would be very useful, i admit it. But if you really think about it, merits are to make your "main" job better, you have to plan out a set of merits you think are useful and then do it that way. Switching around merits from a fully pimped out MNK75 to a fully pimped out WAR75 doesnt take that long for exping to be honest, all you really need is to erase Combat merits, thats 210,000 exp total to cap out a combat merit...most "burn" merit parties average like 30k before breaking, an LS group with pretty good gear and alot of time on their hands in a good exp spot can easily manage 60-70k in one session. So i dont see why it's so difficult to just exp if you want to switch the job you raid mostly as.

Because meriting is a fucking pain in the ass after you got your 100th and still have to do over 100 more? It just loses the fun, and even 20k/h can't change that.

I'm @ 171/240 and it's pain pain pain...

[Ivaden]

SE won't do it. They want people to be unique (even though there's a sort of standard per job on what merits are useful...) and by unique they want people to really only have one main job that's enhanced.

[Raineer]

I always thought SE shouldn't cap any merits, ever. If you want 8 in every single weapon skill, so be it. Not overpowered, as you can only do so much on any given job.

[Aerides]

More magic, more WS.

My bard will forever be gimp because I spent all my magic merits on RDM.

My NIN takes all 8 katana (4 eva and 4 crits) so no point in taking another melee to 75.

I have to imagine SE will increase caps in these areas to keep their 3yr+ accounts interested. Assault, Salvage, new HNMs will only tide people over for so long. Good meripo is fun, but not when there's no goal of what to spend those points on.

With 4 jobs at 75 I have barely anything left I really want to merit (ok I need to do STR but god that looks painful). Raise those caps and I'll be back out in the thickets any day.

[Meloria]

I would love if you could change merits. Granted each job you can do the job specific merits. My first job was blm, so I capped elemental magic skill. This isn't something I regret, but I also have whm and most recently rdm at 75. Enfeebling merits would be great. Maybe its poor planning on my part for not forseeing that I would continue to level other jobs once blm was done, but the thought of removing merits so that I can merit other things just doesn't agree with me.

I understand that it doesn't take long to rack up a number of merits from a good xp session, but I get so bored of exping around hour 2 or 3. >.<

[sephir]

I would just like a system that you could turn on and off merits. I hate partying Samurai with 4 Enmity merits from pld and nin.