Point Allotment, Good idea? Horrible idea? In final version?

[Elrina]

Wall o' text.

Sure, we can argue the merit and good in this, and what possibilities there are. But even if a unique build was found, it wouldn't stay unique. By nature, people would notice and realize and talk about how well it worked, and others would try it, leading to others trying it, till it became one of the cookie cutter builds in it's own right.

I feel for the people who don't like min/max cookie cutter builds, because I'm one of them. I want to be able to do some wacky shit with my stats sometimes, if I get some random idea, just to see how well it works. I like doing things differently, and having multiple options available. But there is no point in assigning points that offer no functional advantage.

Playing a pure DD and assigning points into mage stats "so that you can change" gives you nothing on the DD, just takes it away. And while I don't know quite how effective mage abilities may be on the DD near max level, in a large group setting I can't imagine it would be nearly enough to be worth the sacrifice in the majority of instances.

This isn't being different, it's just wasting potential base stats so that you can change to another job "at some point" and then do the same thing on that job. While you're on either, you have x amount of potential gain squandered at any given time, giving no functional advantage.

It isn't even like you can change jobs mid-battle, to argue the "red mage" factor at being slightly less but capable of everything, you're still being limited to the job you engage with. So during any given battle with any given mob/HNM/whatever, you've got x amount of potential stats giving no advantage whatsoever.

No matter how much we want it, no matter how much we try for it, six months in those builds will be there. No matter how much we argue for uniqueness and what a hybrid allocation can still bring to x job and y job, 6~12 months in all but the whm/thfs and war/whms their ilk will have given up on it, at least in group settings, and considering the time requirements to reallocate stats, likely given up on it entirely.
Because fighting high level mobs that pose a challenge to large groups/alliances of players require you to play at the peak of your game, to have many people specialized in specific things to reach a level of performance not otherwise attainable.

In XI each job automatically assigned stats, other games each class/job automatically assigns base stat increases per level increase. Each job has it's own. I see no reason why each job should not have their own now, with allocation. Does it allow for fast changing from one extreme to another? Sure. But you earned both extremes, they weren't handed to you. You leveled both jobs, so you should have both jobs base stats available when using them.

I've seen several potential fixes in this thread, and I'm sure there are more aside from simply "removing stat allocation".

There isn't really anything wrong with stat allocation, as long as it's limited to each job, for each job, like stats are in every other game. You can even make them have to earn them for each job instead of physical levels crossing over at all. Will there be cookie cutter builds? Sure. But isn't automatic allocation a cookie cutter build anyway? Already you've got a lot more flexibility on every job than there would be otherwise.

Introduce a quest line, accessible to everyone, that gradually becomes more difficult and requires a higher level, that will let you reallocate more of your stats at once. 10% every 15 minutes~1 hour becomes 20%. Then 30%. Till eventually you're able to change over stats completely every 15~60 minutes.

Leave it how it is, for minor changes and tweaks in the field, but allow a free, no cooldown (ala mog house moogle) reallocation in town so that if you suddenly need to tank tonight, or not tank and be the healer, or whatever, you're able to function effectively in a game that promotes multiple jobs. I can't see the future, and I don't want to have to try just so that I know that I can't be allocated on one job and suddenly something changes or someone doesn't show and I need to use another.

Hybrid builds are for games that don't allow stat allocation. That's why you gain a little bit of everything as you level, automatically. The entire point to allocating stats is to min/max your job's strengths.

To some extent Hyan is right, there may be a point where depreciating returns make it much more effective to raise another stat. We'll all discover this point, and most will probably accept it and be fine with it. Then there are the people who paid millions of gil for items in XI that would give 1 extra STR or INT in one slot, and do that for multiple slots, simply to white box or maximize to reach the pinnacle of what was possible to attain for that job.

There's nothing wrong with people who want to force that hybrid build, but most will ultimately want to play their given job as well as they can, and that will require at least some level of min/maxing, whether any of us like it or not. It's that, or remove allocation entirely. Because that's the only reason for it, whether we like that or not. I can only imagine they have something else up their sleeve, some other part to it we still haven't seen, because in a game that promotes multiple jobs on one character and changing between them on the fly, putting in a system designed for min/maxers and then deliberately sabotaging it seems pretty counter productive.

tl;dr
Whether we like it or not, we accept it or we don't. We all have opinions one way or the other, but I myself can't understand the point in putting in two contradicting gameplay systems (point allocation and multiple jobs that can be changed to at any time, while preventing you from freely redistributing stats on different jobs).

People arguing in favor or in it's defense, seriously. Most jobs that include it only allow you to have one class/job for a reason. Games that allow you to use multiple jobs have stat sets for each job for a reason, because different jobs have different sets of stats. Letting you have multiple jobs, and allocate points, but not do it for each job separately sounds like awful design.

I really hope something is done, if they're going to charge $3 for every additional character, and $1 for every extra retainer per character.

[omegaB]

i honestly wouldnt want to have to level skills multiple times... having your base level makes getting that skill you want from another job bareable and less grindy than the first time.

just sounds like a double grind

[Kirb]

wall o' text

The entire point of point allocation when restricted to a single class is to min/max your strengths and weaknesses. This is not necessarily the case here.

(example: reinforcing a tank's MND for magic defense for a boss that spams magic. Lots of people seem to think MND is still for cures instead of the magic equivalent of VIT...)


Anyway, as mentioned on the previous page,

What he's saying is that due to very heavy diminishing returns in terms of stat allocation, it'd be a greater benefit to simply allocate some of them to weaker stats, at least to a general beneficiary level. There's nothing about having a completely rounded build. If they want to go the full min/max for a particular class, they have to sacrifice their versatility.

It's different, people are just going to have to adapt and deal with it. Hardcore Min/maxers will have to adapt and learn how to allocate stats in a beneficiary way without damaging their versatility instead of QQing up the place.

Yes, it flies in the logic of traditional min-maxing in terms of XI, and yes, I get it, some people don't want to have to choose between min/maxing one job at the cost of others. If they want to go the full min/max for a particular class, they have to sacrifice their versatility. I personally like the give and take philosophy, because it involves a lot more thought.

I'd be okay with an NPC that charges for a penalty-free stat reallocation, even if I think it undermines the more natural flow of the system in place. But so does people stupidly buying and grinding multiple characters to bypass stat allocation, so we might as well just have the NPC.

[arus2001]

Kind of like how equipment stats have already been assumed and that there might never be an armor with +50 STR out there, but the requirement to wear it might be to have 200 or more INT... which could let such an INT-heavy person catch up to the more typical STR-types. A bit Diablo-ish, sure, and I don't think SE's shown any kind of that type of equipment restriction yet, but it could happen. Just as STR-types could get INT boosts, but in terms of XI, such things were typically laughed at because the concept of hybridization never got the proper attention it needed to work.

[omegaB]

Kind of like how equipment stats have already been assumed and that there might never be an armor with +50 STR out there, but the requirement to wear it might be to have 200 or more INT... which could let such an INT-heavy person catch up to the more typical STR-types. A bit Diablo-ish, sure, and I don't think SE's shown any kind of that type of equipment restriction yet, but it could happen. Just as STR-types could get INT boosts, but in terms of XI, such things were typically laughed at because the concept of hybridization never got the proper attention it needed to work.

they actually did have some equipment that had reqs on it, i havent seen it in this version but i havent seen that many equips. It was basically a crafter gear that required Dex in order to give its bonuses. that was in beta 2

i think it also had a crit bonus too....

[arus2001]

If that's true, then good. Different paths to the same destination isn't a bad thing... outside of STR-types raging about how they can't have a +50 STR armor, anyway.

[Agito]

I'll wait until final release to let the people who are good with math disect this stat business in it's entirety. There's alot of factors that come into play and the formulas are unknown at this time. Whoever desighned this stat system made it a little complex and it probably will turn out for the best. If all else fails and the community is extremely unhappy, then respec potions items can be brought in or removing the limitations or something like that. In the end, the majority will be happy with the stat system one way or another.

[dunpeal]

not in the beta (would have been nice) but to me it sounds like an interesting system i would like to try out. i dunno all the actual problems with it but if 2-3 hours to do a full stat reset seems like the typical wait time for end game stuff anyway, at least when i played XI. can see how it would be bothersome in some situations but i like the concept none the less.

here is to hoping the system is still in place in some form when collectors edition is release .

[Caerith]

On a class by class basis, there are plenty of ways point allotment can work and provide non-gimping customization in the hands of sufficiently intelligent players. I don't mean exploits, but actually allowing balanced, distinctive builds. SE would need to balance the hell out of things to make sure that all (or at least most) sufficiently-optimized builds remain viable in the end, but it is possible.

For individual characters, however, no matter how it goes down, there are going to be two types of players: those who try to play optimally, and those who do nothing but solo Lesser Colibri-equivalents and hang out in Campaign-equivalent and bitch in smug inferiority about "the min-maxers." (It's called ressentiment.)

If the game stays the way it is, people who don't suck are either gonna stick to optimizing one class or they're gonna show up 5 hours early to start respecing for events. Single-class optimizers will never respec more than like 10 points for an event (situationally, the "GLD with 10 INT" example) outside of elemental resists. Multi-class optimizers will eventually quit; cue SE changing it ("It's our come back to Eorzea event! You no longer need to spend hours respeccing!").

One fix, if having specific builds per class is the stupidest idea ever, is having specific builds by discipline. Melee and magic users are already segregated by that category, so letting people keep a melee setup and a magic setup isn't completely out of left field. It's not like they haven't made major changes to the point allotment system already. Remember when you had to allot points for HP and MP? There is precedence for change.

But this all begs the question.

http://api.ning.com/files/m2dbG6pjkB...688663693.jpeg

Customization is a good thing, and giving us a point allocation system encourages us to customize our character beyond just what class they are or what gear they wear and create a more cohesive character who lives beyond the mechanics of gameplay. By having the same stats as a gladiator or as a botanist, it helps to make the character feel less like a toon and more like a persistent character. (It also allows us to fuck up our characters, but hey, that's added realism.) I'd say it encourages attachment to the character, even roleplaying... except we're allowed to respec at will. Whether it take 5 hours in 15 minute increments or can be done instantly, it completely defeats the purpose of having stats persist across classes in the first place. Customization is a good thing, but what's the point of point allotment when we're allowed to respec?

[omegaB]

On a class by class basis, there are plenty of ways point allotment can work and provide non-gimping customization in the hands of sufficiently intelligent players. I don't mean exploits, but actually allowing balanced, distinctive builds. SE would need to balance the hell out of things to make sure that all (or at least most) sufficiently-optimized builds remain viable in the end, but it is possible.

For individual characters, however, no matter how it goes down, there are going to be two types of players: those who try to play optimally, and those who do nothing but solo Lesser Colibri-equivalents and hang out in Campaign-equivalent and bitch in smug inferiority about "the min-maxers." (It's called ressentiment.)

If the game stays the way it is, people who don't suck are either gonna stick to optimizing one class or they're gonna show up 5 hours early to start respecing for events. Single-class optimizers will never respec more than like 10 points for an event (situationally, the "GLD with 10 INT" example) outside of elemental resists. Multi-class optimizers will eventually quit; cue SE changing it ("It's our come back to Eorzea event! You no longer need to spend hours respeccing!").

One fix, if having specific builds per class is the stupidest idea ever, is having specific builds by discipline. Melee and magic users are already segregated by that category, so letting people keep a melee setup and a magic setup isn't completely out of left field. It's not like they haven't made major changes to the point allotment system already. Remember when you had to allot points for HP and MP? There is precedence for change.

But this all begs the question.

http://api.ning.com/files/m2dbG6pjkB...688663693.jpeg

Customization is a good thing, and giving us a point allocation system encourages us to customize our character beyond just what class they are or what gear they wear and create a more cohesive character who lives beyond the mechanics of gameplay. By having the same stats as a gladiator or as a botanist, it helps to make the character feel less like a toon and more like a persistent character. (It also allows us to fuck up our characters, but hey, that's added realism.) I'd say it encourages attachment to the character, even roleplaying... except we're allowed to respec at will. Whether it take 5 hours in 15 minute increments or can be done instantly, it completely defeats the purpose of having stats persist across classes in the first place. Customization is a good thing, but what's the point of point allotment when we're allowed to respec?

because without respec people would end up having to delete thier chr everytime something new happens. new skill i want to use? damn i suck... delete, also a mispress, not to mention people wont know what does what how well early game. I think they were going to have you keep stats, then they realized probably a bad idea.

honestly i think min maxing isnt nec the best thing, it will depend on everybody being specific. since this game has low man content, even if you can leetly kill 3 hnm, in regular fights without your team you ll get owned by a hybrid.

[Elrina]

because without respec people would end up having to delete thier chr everytime something new happens. new skill i want to use? damn i suck... delete, also a mispress, not to mention people wont know what does what how well early game. I think they were going to have you keep stats, then they realized probably a bad idea.

honestly i think min maxing isnt nec the best thing, it will depend on everybody being specific. since this game has low man content, even if you can leetly kill 3 hnm, in regular fights without your team you ll get owned by a hybrid.

They wouldn't have to delete their characters, they would just have to pay $3/month + $1/month per retainer necessary per character.

While I agreed with most of his post, his idea of a persistent character is nice on paper, and that's where it belongs. On paper. If that's what you want, play D&D. Although even 4th Ed. (unfortunately) has now become virtually a pencil & paper MMO.

And I'm more worried about general player attitudes come endgame, honestly. I'll manage. I'm more concerned with what happens after we realize how effective a job is when it's stats are focused and they're working in unison with a group of other players who also have tight stat allocations that increase their functional ability.

Yeah, a hybrid might be able to survive better solo in certain situations better than a stat focused player, and some people prefer going solo, having the option available is great. But if it takes (what, 2 1/2 hours minimum?) to change over stats, 15 minutes at a time, even if that can be cut short because it was a hybrid build it means that people will either be forced to spend large amounts of time on a very regular basis just changing stats back and forth to be able to play solo and with the group.

And the group will take precedence come endgame. It always does. Because nobody wants to show up and have 12~15 people who are allocated for their jobs and able to operate at peak performance for their job and then have 3-5 guys with hybrids who can do some of what all of them can but nowhere near as well with any of it. They're great on regular mobs, but functionally retarded on those pesky HNMs that the linkshell is gathering to kill. I wouldn't want to be focused and other people able to stick with their "solo builds" in the event, and I sure as hell wouldn't want to be the ass showing up with my solo build because I didn't care enough about the rest of my friends and linkshell to actually be effective at what my job that day was.

I really hope you guys are proven right, and that something is in the bloody cards that will make this all pan out well. I'd really, really, really love being proved completely full of shit.

Because I seriously don't like seeing people treated poorly simply because they like to play one way, and that "one way" happens to make them not useful to have around in large events. It means that friends get left out when other friends are doing stuff, inevitably. And I especially don't like when I start getting frustrated with them myself because all they can think of is how "they" want to play the game and not how they can help the people they're asking for help from, but still want everyone else to let them tag along to get shit, because there is no reasonable alternative.

It will happen. We can be optimists, and think of how the system could work ideally, and concur about the evils of min/maxing and why this is such a great idea.

Or we can shout at SE till we go hoarse to at least give us the option to change quickly, or some viable alternative, so that people at least have the option to conform to what is accepted by the masses come endgame when they need to, whether they like it or not. They can play their "unique and different" playstyles the rest of the time, without obscene amounts of time in between to change and condescension and derision for not wanting to spend all the time required to change from how they really like playing.

They seem to be listening at least somewhat this time around, it would really suck if they stopped after the game went retail and we lost our chance because we had our heads in the clouds.

[omegaB]

They wouldn't have to delete their characters, they would just have to pay $3/month + $1/month per retainer necessary per character.

While I agreed with most of his post, his idea of a persistent character is nice on paper, and that's where it belongs. On paper. If that's what you want, play D&D. Although even 4th Ed. (unfortunately) has now become virtually a pencil & paper MMO.

And I'm more worried about general player attitudes come endgame, honestly. I'll manage. I'm more concerned with what happens after we realize how effective a job is when it's stats are focused and they're working in unison with a group of other players who also have tight stat allocations that increase their functional ability.

Yeah, a hybrid might be able to survive better solo in certain situations better than a stat focused player, and some people prefer going solo, having the option available is great. But if it takes (what, 2 1/2 hours minimum?) to change over stats, 15 minutes at a time, even if that can be cut short because it was a hybrid build it means that people will either be forced to spend large amounts of time on a very regular basis just changing stats back and forth to be able to play solo and with the group.

And the group will take precedence come endgame. It always does. Because nobody wants to show up and have 12~15 people who are allocated for their jobs and able to operate at peak performance for their job and then have 3-5 guys with hybrids who can do some of what all of them can but nowhere near as well with any of it. They're great on regular mobs, but functionally retarded on those pesky HNMs that the linkshell is gathering to kill. I wouldn't want to be focused and other people able to stick with their "solo builds" in the event, and I sure as hell wouldn't want to be the ass showing up with my solo build because I didn't care enough about the rest of my friends and linkshell to actually be effective at what my job that day was.

I really hope you guys are proven right, and that something is in the bloody cards that will make this all pan out well. I'd really, really, really love being proved completely full of shit.

Because I seriously don't like seeing people treated poorly simply because they like to play one way, and that "one way" happens to make them not useful to have around in large events. It means that friends get left out when other friends are doing stuff, inevitably. And I especially don't like when I start getting frustrated with them myself because all they can think of is how "they" want to play the game and not how they can help the people they're asking for help from, but still want everyone else to let them tag along to get shit, because there is no reasonable alternative.

It will happen. We can be optimists, and think of how the system could work ideally, and concur about the evils of min/maxing and why this is such a great idea.

Or we can shout at SE till we go hoarse to at least give us the option to change quickly, or some viable alternative, so that people at least have the option to conform to what is accepted by the masses come endgame when they need to, whether they like it or not. They can play their "unique and different" playstyles the rest of the time, without obscene amounts of time in between to change and condescension and derision for not wanting to spend all the time required to change from how they really like playing.

They seem to be listening at least somewhat this time around, it would really suck if they stopped after the game went retail and we lost our chance because we had our heads in the clouds.

ehhh theres always going to be condescion and disrespect and you should do it this way. Even without the stat allocation, there will still be gear elitist, ability and spell elitist etc.
however usually elitists end up being full of shit.
for ex
1st ffxi a person who spammed their WS and couldnt do skill chains was considered a newb, then later that became a style of play
early leveling monk, it was considered a weak job because they didnt see the dot overtime, they thought drk was doing the most dmg
People thought nin tanks sucked, then they thought they ruled then they were ambivalent
blm shouldnt nuke all the time, then mana burn
good party needs a static camp a rdm a whm and other, then ca,e hax exp of roaming parties
pld/war is only endgame tank, then comes rdm, nin/rdm pld/rdm
kick attacks useless, try mnk/drg or mnk/sam with right gear
counterstance is useless then people get acc gear and nin sub and live forever.

the elitist opinions are always gonna be there, and its always lol newb till somebody with uniqueness and vision comes up with the next thing for them to jack. The more options there are, the harder it will be to have one do right setup, and the very least more cookie cutters to choose from.

The main dif on the stat allotment thing is, they just made a game decison that to have your chr building be a little more commitment based, sure you can change it but its a hassle, its more like something you would do over time to alter how your chr plays rather than an instant change thing. Gear is more effiecient that stats as it stands though, so you wont be insanely gimp if your not min maxed. the direct attack and defense from armor is going to boost you more than 10 points of str would. then theres food, heck there could be food that does like -40 str +40 int that only works if you have the stats to give. they already have skills like that

3 dollars a chr is pretty accurate in this game, just because just with the retainer alone you double your inventory. If a retainer cost one, the minimum a new chr should cost is 2, then you add in being able to earn twice the money with leves. the cost has to offset the advantages one can get with it. I d prefer it to be cheaper but i see why it has a cost in this game.

[Elrina]

Seriously had another wall of text typed out, and realized I just don't care.

Until we know more about how it will work near/at endgame (since ultimately max level is all that really matters), whether they're going to balance this is in some way we don't know yet or if it's just bad game design that we're going to eventually have to live with, debating why it's good or bad is less than pointless.

Hope it turns out well. I'll be dreading that it won't. Hopefully you guys are right.

[Nevex]

I really hope you guys are proven right, and that something is in the bloody cards that will make this all pan out well. I'd really, really, really love being proved completely full of shit.

Because I seriously don't like seeing people treated poorly simply because they like to play one way, and that "one way" happens to make them not useful to have around in large events. It means that friends get left out when other friends are doing stuff, inevitably. And I especially don't like when I start getting frustrated with them myself because all they can think of is how "they" want to play the game and not how they can help the people they're asking for help from, but still want everyone else to let them tag along to get shit, because there is no reasonable alternative.

It will happen. We can be optimists, and think of how the system could work ideally, and concur about the evils of min/maxing and why this is such a great idea.

I wouldn't worry too much about this.
I have never seen a RDM treated poorly in FFXI because he/she capped Bio 3 merits, which are more solo-oriented, and never unlocked Dia 3 and Phalanx 2, group-oriented spells.

It's generally accepted that if you make smart choices, even if they just benefit yourself, a group will just accept it and respect you as player.

In fact, it's a different story when compared to (for example) BLM merits. Everyone would consider you a complete idiot if you capped Water/Earth potency instead of Ice/Thunder because they don't benefit yourself, let alone a large goup.

I kind of like this because it encourages skills over raw stats and it stops players from being obsessed with the "absolute best build" for everything.
Of course, the rest depends on FFXIV's difficulty and frustration factor.

[Chonataru]

Easy:

Horrible idea if: when you change your class, your stats doesn't change. So if you go from Marauder STR/DEX/VIT to a mage class, your stats will be STR/DEX/VIT, so they'll be useless for your class.

Good idea if: when you change your class, your stats also changes. For example, you're lv10 Marauder 11 Physical with 20 str 20 dex 20 str, and then decide to change to mage lv1, then, they should make a separated stats, so when you change job lv1, you have all stats resetted.
And when you are mage for example lv 12 with INT etc, and you want to change to marauder again, you should have your old stats that you had with this class, 20 sttr/vit/dex.

If they make it that way, it'll rock.

[Celeras]

ITT: ignorance. Which is why I hate substance-free threads based on peoples opinions on a beta feature.

As of now, there are already traits in the game that you buy with guild marks that transfer stats. 10INT->STR, 10MND->VIT are examples Ive seen for my character as a caster. They're class-specific and use class-specific points. If you're a Conj that wants to switch to a Melee, how about you buy these traits with Conj points and equip them when you do so? You won't already have traits for said melee class(since you wont have any marks to buy them when you start out) so odds are nothing will be better anyway, and physical level will cap your stats at set levels until your class rank catches up. Endgame? Minus a few trait slots for complete freedom, the result being the difference between a merited main and an alt job from FFXI.

All on top of the fact that you CAN respec if you wanted to switch your main permanently, as you could with merit points in XI. This is a non-issue, quit bitching.

[Chonataru]

ITT: ignorance. Which is why I hate substance-free threads based on peoples opinions on a beta feature.

As of now, there are already traits in the game that you buy with guild marks that transfer stats. 10INT->STR, 10MND->VIT are examples Ive seen for my character as a caster. They're class-specific and use class-specific points. If you're a Conj that wants to switch to a Melee, how about you buy these traits with Conj points and equip them when you do so? You won't already have traits for said melee class(since you wont have any marks to buy them when you start out) so odds are nothing will be better anyway, and physical level will cap your stats at set levels until your class rank catches up. Endgame? Minus a few trait slots for complete freedom, the result being the difference between a merited main and an alt job from FFXI.

All on top of the fact that you CAN respec if you wanted to switch your main permanently, as you could with merit points in XI. This is a non-issue, quit bitching.

Trait limitations = gimped classes, unless they make a better system and/or increase traits and better guild marks.

[LD]

ITT: ignorance. Which is why I hate substance-free threads based on peoples opinions on a beta feature.

As of now, there are already traits in the game that you buy with guild marks that transfer stats. 10INT->STR, 10MND->VIT are examples Ive seen for my character as a caster. They're class-specific and use class-specific points. If you're a Conj that wants to switch to a Melee, how about you buy these traits with Conj points and equip them when you do so? You won't already have traits for said melee class(since you wont have any marks to buy them when you start out) so odds are nothing will be better anyway, and physical level will cap your stats at set levels until your class rank catches up. Endgame? Minus a few trait slots for complete freedom, the result being the difference between a merited main and an alt job from FFXI.

All on top of the fact that you CAN respec if you wanted to switch your main permanently, as you could with merit points in XI. This is a non-issue, quit bitching.

Thank fucking God.
Listen to Black Jesus.

[HumsterMKII]

Trait limitations = gimped classes, unless they make a better system and/or increase traits and better guild marks.

Wait a minute dude...

If we can respec our stats in the first place, how will traits limitation make gimp classes?

[Kirb]

ITT: ignorance. Which is why I hate substance-free threads based on peoples opinions on a beta feature.

As of now, there are already traits in the game that you buy with guild marks that transfer stats. 10INT->STR, 10MND->VIT are examples Ive seen for my character as a caster. They're class-specific and use class-specific points. If you're a Conj that wants to switch to a Melee, how about you buy these traits with Conj points and equip them when you do so? You won't already have traits for said melee class(since you wont have any marks to buy them when you start out) so odds are nothing will be better anyway, and physical level will cap your stats at set levels until your class rank catches up. Endgame? Minus a few trait slots for complete freedom, the result being the difference between a merited main and an alt job from FFXI.

All on top of the fact that you CAN respec if you wanted to switch your main permanently, as you could with merit points in XI. This is a non-issue, quit bitching.

FFS, this.

/thread