Exceed Your Limits: Level Cap to Be Lifted! (06/11/2010)

[Nightfyre]

I could have sworn i read somewhere SE was going to keep the current merits level 75 and add new merits at 99.

I could be wrong but I'm 90% positive i did =x

Same.

As for merits vs EXP camps... nothing is stopping you from waiting to merit until you hit 80 or 99. One possibility I've tossed around is that they could implement a way to earn EXP and limit points at the same time, but that would be unusually generous of them so I'm curious to see how they're handling merits.

[Phoenixtail]

I know that we won't receive it until December, but everyone keeps saying you won't get Cure IV subbed.

???82/WHM41 gets Cure IV.
???96/RDM48 gets Cure IV.

Even so, if the enmity levels stay the same for the current cures, you won't want to be spamming them. Excellent for solo and convert on /rdm though.

[Rowe]

http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/event/vanafes2010/
We are aware that players will inevitably feel concern over how in-game elements such as support jobs, experience camps, and merit points will be affected by this change. We would like to take a moment to explain the measures that are in the pipes to preserve game balance.

Support job abilities that are not expected to steal the limelight from main jobs as a result of the level cap increase will be allowed to come into play. Furthermore, there are plans to tweak certain job abilities, job traits, and magic spells on an ongoing basis in order to further accentuate the uniqueness of each job when used in a main role, as well as its versatility when playing a supporting role.

New camping grounds are scheduled to be added to cater to the anticipated rise in demand for experience parties. Furthermore, the redistribution of monsters in existing areas is also under consideration.

An increase in maximum upgrades is being considered for existing merit point skills and attributes. Preparations are also under way for the introduction of a new type of merit point for players who have reached the new level 99 summit.

I have no doubt that the existing merit system will not be moved up to 80. It would be unfair to people just hitting 75 on a job and not being allowed to use merits. There may be an increase in max upgrades at 80. Merits are a way of augmenting your character at 75 to suite your play style. If a player wishes to stop gaining EXP and increase merits instead that's their decision, there would be no reason why SE would prevent them from doing so.

[Priran]

And it would be unfair to people trying to hit the new level caps if they have to compete not only with other people trying to do the same thing, but groups of people who've permasynced themselves to that spot in order to gain merits.

[Alkar]

And it would be unfair to people trying to hit the new level caps if they have to compete not only with other people trying to do the same thing, but groups of people who've permasynced themselves to that spot in order to gain merits.

That's already happening and I don't remember anyone complaining about it.

[Shenrien]

How would it be unfair? its 5 levels, so... if you don't get one of the new camps, or older camps, you can go cry and bitch your way to campaign, if that doesn't satisfy you, find Lv.61 and get a bunch of SAMs and trio box a healer & bard along with yourself and have them carry you to 80 that way.

[Spider-Dan]

What would be "unfair" is if completing Genkai 6 (or w/e) immediately makes you lose access to all job-specific merits because you're no longer at the cap (until you reach LV80).

That sh*t is beyond absurd and I refuse to believe that it would even be considered. It should be obvious that job-specific merits will be active for anyone 75+, unless SE is actively trying to kill off the player base.

[Rowe]

And it would be unfair to people trying to hit the new level caps if they have to compete not only with other people trying to do the same thing, but groups of people who've permasynced themselves to that spot in order to gain merits.

And you're saying it would be more fair to deny a player, who hits 75 on a job post update, any of the spells and job abilities unlocked through merits?

So I hit lvl 75 on RDM a day after the update and I can't merit Dia III, Slow II, Paralyze II, etc... when thousands of other RDMs were able to merit those at 75. Does that make even the slightest bit of sense? No it doesn't.

[Priran]

What would be "unfair" is if completing Genkai 6 (or w/e) immediately makes you lose access to all job-specific merits because you're no longer at the cap (until you reach LV80).

That sh*t is beyond absurd and I refuse to believe that it would even be considered. It should be obvious that job-specific merits will be active for anyone 75+, unless SE is actively trying to kill off the player base.

The fuck are you talking about, you spaz? Reading is fundamental, guy, I'm talking only about the ability to earn limit points.

That's already happening and I don't remember anyone complaining about it.

Leveling about 10 jobs from 37-49 in the past month or so, I can count on one hand the amount of people who were there for merits. If you exclude people who were there because a LS member dragged them, I can count them on zero hands.

The 40-50 people on a server at any given time partying from 1-70 syncing to a good camp and everyone on the server trying to jam themselves into some new camp are two completely different situations. That kind of congestion certainly isn't going to get any better if people have the option to never outlevel camps.

How would it be unfair? its 5 levels, so... if you don't get one of the new camps, or older camps, you can go cry and bitch your way to campaign, if that doesn't satisfy you, find Lv.61 and get a bunch of SAMs and trio box a healer & bard along with yourself and have them carry you to 80 that way.

It's 5 levels, so... if you can't stand having to get to 80 to gain limit points, you can go cry and bitch your way to campaign, if that doesn't satisfy you, find Lv.61 and get a bunch of SAMs and trio box a healer & bard along with yourself and have them carry you to 80 that way.

[Alkar]

Leveling about 10 jobs from 37-49 in the past month or so, I can count on one hand the amount of people who were there for merits. If you exclude people who were there because a LS member dragged them, I can count them on zero hands.

The 40-50 people on a server at any given time partying from 1-70 syncing to a good camp and everyone on the server trying to jam themselves into some new camp are two completely different situations. That kind of congestion certainly isn't going to get any better if people have the option to never outlevel camps.

I was actually referring to exp pts trying to reach 75 (70+) in merit camps and merit pts kicking them out which is exactly the kind of situation you're describing.

[Priran]

I have a hunch everyone on the server getting forced out of every new decent camp will create a bit more complaining than the handful of people leveling new 75s getting forced out of one camp occasionally (I don't know about your server, but G Colibri are empty more often than not on mine).

[Vodou]

Following Rowe's post:

There are 2 merit systems that will be in play: The one at 99 (which we only know will only be available at 99) and the existing one.

The existing one is under consideration for expansion. Don't hold your breath for that. In an interview over 2 years ago, an SE developer in charge of merits said they were considering adding more merits for people who have multiple level 75's. Still waiting... However, I'm betting if this happens, it's going to be a major expansion. Something along the lines of enabling 8 merits for every weapon type or magic type, 5 merits in each attribute, etc. Being stingy on this at this point would be odd given allowing us to add 24 levels of skill /ability etc.

However, for discussion, the current one can be implemented in several different ways for expansion and in consideration of the level cap increases.

Some ways are more attractive than others to the player base, but one will be universally hated: disabling existing earned merits until the job is recapped. Even prorating it to level 80 would be distasteful to most players. It is therefore unfathomable that this would happen. Existing merits (whether earned or not) will remain worth 100% at level 75 and prorated at levels below (as current.)

New merits 'might' however be tagged to level 80 or higher. I'm not sure why they would enable new or expanded ones to work at 75 given that they want people to level up, but who can tell. The coding mechanics might be simpler if they do it that way or they might not care.

Does it make a difference to me or anyone else? I'd rather be level 80 with the same merits than level 75 with expanded ones, but maybe some folks will decide elsewise.

As for the issue of camps, xp versus merit, etc.: SE does not care and rightfully so. The player base is fickle over its wants and needs. If there are enough camps, it won't matter and if there aren't then in time people will work that part out as more people cap out there jobs and merits.

[Altariel]

Presumably there won't be any tier III enfeebles introduced if current merits stay in place, right? How much sense would it make to have Slow II merited if you learn Slow III at level 81 for instance?

[Khajit]

Because added potency and magic acc sucks ass right?

[Altariel]

Unless they actually raised the potency cap for a tier 3 slow, a t3 enfeeble should be presumably easier to hit the cap on (and could therefore trade potency gear slots for skill/m.acc). Plus it would seem pretty dumb to have a tier 3 enfeeble be worse than even a fully merited t2 anyhow. Not saying that it is out of the realm of possibility that they would increase the cap but I would be very surprised.

[Rowe]

What I think they will do is leave the current system as is and at 80 raise the max combo modestly. Example would be Combat Skills max combo going from 20 to 22 or 24 and Magic Skills going from 16 to 18 or 20. HP/MP max combo might go up 1 to 9 and Attributes might go up 1 to 6.

Group 1 and 2 Job merits go from max combo for 10 to 11 or 12. 12 would be the limit and I don't really expect Job merits max combo to change yet.

You'll be able to spend merits same as always starting a lvl 75, and still switch between merit and exp modes at 75. SE is not going to deprive recent players of the ability to enjoy the merit system.

If they do anything at all it will be small. They might wait until the 2nd cap increase to make any changes to merit max combos.

[Spider-Dan]

The fuck are you talking about, you spaz? Reading is fundamental, guy, I'm talking only about the ability to earn limit points.

Because

A. There's no guarantee you'll be able to enter merit mode until you hit the new cap

My bad; I was presuming that you were attempting to be logically consistent. See, if you can't enter merit mode before LV80, then someone newly leveling a job would not have access to merits until... LV80. This would result in one of two scenarios:

A) existing players (or, more specifically, existing LV75 merited jobs) get to keep what they have at 75+, but going forward, all new players (or anyone leveling a new job) gets the cock; they cannot merit until they hit LV80

B) No one can merit (or have access to merits) until LV80

Both are dick moves, but at least B) is a fairly and equitably applied dick move. However, if you want to pretend that A) is a totally reasonable and plausible solution, while B) is ridiculous spaz nonsense, be my guest.

[miokomioko]

I think it would follow common sense that merit mode would continue be available at lv.75.

[Karbuncle]

I think it would follow common sense that merit mode would continue be available at lv.75.

one would think, eh?

[Narol]

All they're probably going to do is disallow syncing to someone in merit mode and allow you to swap between limit/exp modes at 75 as long as you have the key item from the moogle. I don't get why everyone's freaking out because they think the status quo with their precious birds is going to be shaken up. Everyone can set themselves to limit mode and not ruin the exp by levelling up and it'll be just like normal, just with more demand. If you can't handle that, take a month-long break or something and come back once the furor's died down a bit.