2 Hour....Part Deux?

[Wolfandre]

Ignoring the fact that Overdrive is awful and SE shouldn't even start a sentence pertaining to new 2hrs without considering changing it....


What do we want? I've heard talk of x3 Maneuver effects (personally, what Overdrive should include...), dual puppets, more personal control over the auto (like, access to JAs that control magic use, WSs, etc.)...

I'd personally love something, ANYTHING, that didn't only prove useful during G5 fight. Amirite?

So. I'll pose the question again:

What do we want?

[Kristal]

Use the two empty spaces where players have ranged/ammo, one of which could be an Overdrive Attachment slot.
Overdrive effect could then be altered by an attachment giving Full HP, Full MP, Full TP, Cool Down, Attack++/Accuracy++, Defense++/Evasion++, Magic Attack++/Magic Accuracy++, Capped Haste/ Capped Snapshot/ Capped Fast Cast, etc.

The other could be an Elemental Core, giving one extra capacity to a specific element.

[Zhronne]

I'm at a loss of ideas atm.
Whatever they do I hope they'll "fix" Overdrive as well. Atm Overdrive should rather be a 20m cooldown JA rather than our 2hr.
A cool idea would be to have a 2hr that gives different effects according to the currently called out Automaton.

[Dfoley]

Sense they are meritable I would assume they start off at decent, but you have to pick (between 4) on which 2 you want to max.

Duration is as follows 15s at rank 1 then 30/45/60 seconds
Maneuvers are disabled for the pet ones.

Ranged - Reduces ranged delay (range attack every 8/4/2/1 seconds), increases acc and the damage every shot does by (x2/2.5/3/3.5)
Melee - Adds double attack (15/25/35/50) haste (25/40/65/80) and acc/atk (50/100/150/200)
Nuke - All spells are mana free and have no cool down. Each rank adds MAB /MAC (25/50/75/100)
Master - Makes maneuvers last until the 2hr wears off, and will not be consumed during WS. The master shares the attribute bonuses from the pet associated with maneuvers. AKA Fire - Thunder -Wind => Master has + atk +ws dmg +haste +double atk etc.

I would personally go 4/4 master and 2/4 ranged 2/4 spell

[Nezha]

Please, dear God, let this 2 hour summon a second automaton pet... With increased merits it could lower the time it takes to use the Job ability again. You could technically make your own party with your pets: Valor Edge (Tank), Master (DD), and soulsouther (Healing)... The combinations would be endless... Creating controls for two pets at a time might be hard, but you could target a pet specifically when using manuevers, or the manuevers you use could apply to both pets which might be a good consequence for having two pets out.

[Annahya]

I think it would be interesting if Overdrive was altered to give the Automaton its "job's two-hour" based on the head that is equipped.

For instance:
Harlequin Head - Hundred Fists(?)
Valoredge Head - Invincibility or Mighty Strikes
Sharpshot Head - Next /ra opportunity is an Eagle Eye Shot
Stormwaker Head - Chainspell
Soulsoother Head - Next curing spell opportunity triggers a use of Benediction
Spiritreaver Head - Manafont

As for additional two hours, I just don't see a second automaton to be a likely outcome. If I had to guess, and this is complete speculation based on what my feelings say about SE's thought process:

There could be one option where the master is enhanced by the puppet; another where the puppet is enhanced by the master; and a third that does the other things that Overdrive was rumored to do, but SE would not have included due to imbalance.

Totally fabricated theory 2-hours:
Embodiment - Through concentration, the puppetmaster is able to infuse their automaton with his or her own essence. Until the duration of Embodiment expires, or until the Puppetmaster takes any form of damage, all effects of enhancing magic, enfeebling magic, equipment, cruor buffs, atmacites, etc. are applied to the puppet. (In effect, your puppet is wearing all your gear, and has your buffs/debuffs).

Coordination - The automaton begins a routine of harrying, confounding and distracting an opponent instead of harming them directly. This allows the master to take greater advantage of their opponent. Until the duration of Coordination expires, all auto-attacks an automaton makes inflict 0 damage but give an opponent Harrying Daze. This daze effect allows the automaton's master to build, with each successful attack, their accuracy, evasion, critical hit rate and critical hit damage. (Think the opposite of an effect like Enlight, where instead of decaying, the more successful hits you get in before the effect ends, the greater the effect becomes, until some cap is reached).

Invigoration - By adding a secret ingredient to their Automaton Oil, a puppetmaster can invigorate their automaton and unlock previously unused potential. Upon use, this job ability consumes an Automaton Oil, and until the duration of the effect expires, each Manuever will be multiplied by the exceptional quality of the oil consumed (+2 Oil will result in each Maneuver counting as two, while +3 oil will make a Maneuver count as three). In addition to this, each weaponskill performed by the automaton will recieve a TP Bonus effect equal to the exceptional quality of the oil times 66 (0/66/132/198).

I make no pretense to the balance of these ideas, I am merely putting them out there because I think they are interesting, and feel in line with some of the changes they have made to Wyverns over time. I have included a complimentary grain of salt with which one can take them.

---Edit for somthing I forgot---
I honestly do not believe, unless SE has said otherwise, somewhere, that meritable 2-hours will allow us to purchase more than one.

I honestly think that it will play out something like (stated from a PUP perspective):

Merit Category 3
Overdrive Recast Timer: 0/5
Second Two-Hour Option 1: 0/5
Second Two-Hour Option 2: 0/5
Second Two-Hour Option 3: 0/5

I just think we are going to be allowed one new two-hour; and by placing a merit into one, we will lock out the other two until the value is lowered back to zero. I also think the recast timers of the old two-hours will be meritable so that we still only have one two-hour ability that represents kicking it into high-gear.

I cannot say that I have anything more than a gut feeling that this will be the case, and I fully admit that I could be wrong, but I honestly believe that this is what is going to happen.

We will be allowed to tailor our character to be a bit closer to our own preferred playstyle, by selecting which path we want our character to take with their new uber-ability - I just hope that they choices are balanced enough that there is a little chance as possible for one to be the hands-down best that you are an idiot for not choosing.

[Wolfandre]

Now, I suppose limited thinking led me to believe most people wanted a second auto to come out, do a combo attack with the master/first automaton, then leave. But that's an interesting twist. 2hr = second automaton, much like Call Wyvern used to be DRG's 2hr. I like it. I could really get behind that, and you're right: the drawback is split attention. Maneuvers apply to both autos.

I love the idea. With the upcoming changes to attachments, puppets could be a viable tank (notice I said could...gtfo plds). 2hr pops out Soulsoother and you have a self-contained party, with the master controlling the enmity flow. If that were the case, I could consider fully meriting Ventriloquy to lower it's recast. Add on the fact that Soulsoother will be able to buff via Prot, Shell, Stoneskin....I'm really excited for this. This could make things really interesting.

Adversely, you could go full DD with Sharpshot and Spritreaver. Granted, the maneuvers would be difficult to match up, but I'm sure there would be a way for us to make it work. Imagine pounding out Armor Shatterers and Thunder Vs, while still meleeing and putting out decent master numbers. It would be really difficult to get the hang of, but that's what makes PUP so fun.


Or...what about a 2hr that let us swap gear attributes? Kinda like 'Turns all magic stats into their melee equivalent and vice versa.' Then we would have a use for all of the laughable pieces we get put on. C'mon. Let me turn all that MATT, MND, and Fast Cast into ATT, STR, and Haste. Or, hell, give it to the auto.

I suppose what I'm really getting to, is PLEASE give me a reason to use Maneuvers. Kthxbai.

[Wolfandre]

---Edit for somthing I forgot---
I honestly do not believe, unless SE has said otherwise, somewhere, that meritable 2-hours will allow us to purchase more than one.

I honestly think that it will play out something like (stated from a PUP perspective):

Merit Category 3
Overdrive Recast Timer: 0/5
Second Two-Hour Option 1: 0/5
Second Two-Hour Option 2: 0/5
Second Two-Hour Option 3: 0/5

I just think we are going to be allowed one new two-hour; and by placing a merit into one, we will lock out the other two until the value is lowered back to zero. I also think the recast timers of the old two-hours will be meritable so that we still only have one two-hour ability that represents kicking it into high-gear.

I cannot say that I have anything more than a gut feeling that this will be the case, and I fully admit that I could be wrong, but I honestly believe that this is what is going to happen.

We will be allowed to tailor our character to be a bit closer to our own preferred playstyle, by selecting which path we want our character to take with their new uber-ability - I just hope that they choices are balanced enough that there is a little chance as possible for one to be the hands-down best that you are an idiot for not choosing.

I honestly don't believe we will get any recast changes. As it currently stands, Evoliths and Synergy are the only means we have at shortening 2hr recasts. SE, or at least the original Dev. Team, was very big on the 2hr being the paragon at what the class did, and that it should only be able to be used at long intervals. 2hrs are sacred. Proof to that is where they have only ever changed or modified two 2hrs in the game's history.

The fact that they are adding new ones does not support my theory, but having one 'true' 2hr (strinctly on a two hour recast) and one modifiable one is viable. Since we can already shorten our current 2hrs, that is the one I see them reducing.

However, I agree. Choices would be amazing, as long as the options offer truely differeing playstyles. Take BLU and it's merit abilities. If a BLU came up to you and told you that he had 5/5 Monster Correlation merits, what would you do? Laugh, most likely. There is one way, and only one way, to squeeze the most of out merits, in most cases, and you are considered 'lol' if you pick any other. Merits are supposed to be 'spec paths.' They aren't. They're just additions to your character that have good choices and awful choices.

[Nezha]

As for additional two hours, I just don't see a second automaton to be a likely outcome.

I wouldn't be so quick to assume what SE might or might not do. They've obviously showed us that they can go any way they want to with Puppetmaster after seperating spell timers and adding enhancing magic which is a totally new and job changing concept from how Puppetmaster has previously worked. Asking for 2 two pets isn't that much; afterall, we're supposed to be puppetmasters. Having two pets would first continue the whole concept with Ovjang/Mnejing (If I spelled that right) from the ToAU storyline, and it would estrapolate on the concept of puppetmasters being one of the better solo jobs because we'll be able to create our own parties with 2 automatons.
The 2 hour would be much like Dragoon's old Call Wyvern 2 hour as Wolfandre said, and they could also create a new set of pet job abilities like Deploy II, Retrieve II, Activate II (The 2 hour), and for manuevers you could either target a pet specifically with manuevers or have the manuevers apply to both pets if you don't target one.
*They could also use the same concept of paradigm shifts from FF13 where you can create different battle stances between the two pets. Using "Tactical Paradigm" might call forth White mage and Paladin pets, using "Magical paradigm" might call forth two black mage pets, and using "Melee Paradigm" might call forth two ranger pets.
- This would involve the concept of saving attachments, though, so you could easily switch between different pets fast.
- Another idea this brings to the plate is the fact that Ob can switch between frames during battle. I think Square Enix should give us something that allows us to switch from something like Ranger frame to White mage frame in a click of a button (Without using deactivate/Activate). This would help with paradigms because we could switch 2 pets all at once by clicking and paradigm during battle.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

This is SE so it'll be.

Merit Category 3:
Selecting one job will block all remaining jobs. Cost 20 Merits.
Puppetmaster 0/1
Red Mage 0/1
Blue Mage 0/1
etc....