Guard Skill.......

[Sarick]

Leveling guard skill is useless when mnk is fighting anything that matters (i.e., above T).

AFAIK, guard is floored to 5%, and capped skill will not get you above 5% procs on anything above T, certainly not at VT and above, so except for making EP farming easier (on mobs that you will evade or counter anyway) who cares.

If this is true (it kinda is) then why didn't the developers do anything to make raise within reason? I fight skill worthy stuff hours/days at a time and I'm lucky to get 0.5 skill up. I capped it at 75. Now It's 296 without gear. Go figure.

[Babekeke]

Proc rate is exactly the same as parrying (caps at 5%), and exactly like parrying it can also proc on TP moves from mobs, possibly completely nullifying moves like Spike Flail.

[Camate]

In regards to the rate of skill increases, we feel that there were positive effects from the adjustments made in the Feb. 2011 version update and currently have no plans to increase them further.

However, in regards to those difficult to increase skills such as guard and parry, we are planning to revamp them. The main reason why these skills are so hard to increase is due to the fact that skill increases only occur when the effect is elicited, so compared to evasion skill; the chances to increase these are lower.

With this said, we will be making adjustments so that it is possible to receive skill increases without parry or guard activation similar to evasion.

[Hayward]

One idea I'd like to see is for Counters to count toward Guarding skill since both are essentially the same defense, one stopping an attack partially and the other fully stopping an attack.

[Dragoy]

And this will be implemented conveniently just as I cap my Parrying skill. ^^;

Indeed.

[Glamdring]

In regards to the rate of skill increases, we feel that there were positive effects from the adjustments made in the Feb. 2011 version update and currently have no plans to increase them further.

With this said, we will be making adjustments so that it is possible to receive skill increases without parry or guard activation similar to evasion.

you feel wrong good sir... there WERE positive increases--to skills that can be used offensively. All of the defensive skills however only gain the benefit of food or the prouse ring or the GoV prowess, and the rates are nowhere near the bump that offensive skills (or in the case of healing magic, offensively curing undead) receive. The problem is, if high parry skill was in fact of part of-say-thief's design we simply aren't seeing it because not that many have gotten anywhere near it. to again use our thief as an example, they really didn't "tank" all that much until Abyssea and even if tanking IS working there it's because of the EVA-which block parry from even getting a chance to proc, let alone skill. As things currently stand, about the only way to skill this stuff is to stack all the eva down gear you can find and spam GoV. Let's face it, finding gear to knock eva down about 250 skill so that parry even has a CHANCE simply isn't going to happen.

Idea, an off switch in the combat skill menu so the skill can be blocked and hopefully the other stuff can get a chance to work. Yes, I know that's a completely unreasonable suggestion, but the way things currently work what other options are there? Wait. Time sink. I forgot. Solo tank (meaning ignore my pet jobs) 92,000 high acc/attack speed mobs in a row and hope you get lucky. Um... I don't like playing this game THAT much that I would bother.

BTW, I didn't pull that 92k outta my hat, I been playing 10 years-mostly solo-with a TON of kills and my parry is about 220; figuring my current EVA rate... yeah, 92k sounds about right.

[hideka]

In regards to the rate of skill increases, we feel that there were positive effects from the adjustments made in the Feb. 2011 version update and currently have no plans to increase them further.

However, in regards to those difficult to increase skills such as guard and parry, we are planning to revamp them. The main reason why these skills are so hard to increase is due to the fact that skill increases only occur when the effect is elicited, so compared to evasion skill; the chances to increase these are lower.

With this said, we will be making adjustments so that it is possible to receive skill increases without parry or guard activation similar to evasion.

wow now i have an excuse to play monk again. i cried for a month after i capped guard skilll the week before you guys announced cap increase.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

In regards to the rate of skill increases, we feel that there were positive effects from the adjustments made in the Feb. 2011 version update and currently have no plans to increase them further.

However, in regards to those difficult to increase skills such as guard and parry, we are planning to revamp them. The main reason why these skills are so hard to increase is due to the fact that skill increases only occur when the effect is elicited, so compared to evasion skill; the chances to increase these are lower.

With this said, we will be making adjustments so that it is possible to receive skill increases without parry or guard activation similar to evasion.

For your reference Camate, pass this allong to the dev team too. I have pulled every, yes every single fear doug in abyssea altep that are near flux 6. Taken them to a wall so they clump together, ensuring that I am facing every single one of them. And proceeded to attack. After killing all of them I gained no guard skill ups what so ever. Which should be statistically impossible. Further more, I reapeated this another 7 times. All without any guard skill gain. Something with it is still broken.

[Dragoy]

I haven't got any Guarding job up (yet), but for Parrying, I have been getting it up a lot by basically full-timing the Prouesse Ring, and getting more monsters than necessary at me when possible. Issekigan obviously helps greatly, too, but I would certainly appreciate some more help before I have the skill at its limits.

Sometimes I stack up the gear with Parrying skill just to get some more chances of it activating, and I think with all the gear I carry with me these days, I get it around 380~ and with Issekigan, it activates a lot then. Can't wait for having the skill maximised (I've tried that on the test-server and it's niiice).

Even if they do enhance it after I have no use of it, I'd still say it's worth it just because I know it will ease the life of many a Vana'diel life.

Even though Parrying and Guarding haven't yet been really improved upon, it is certainly far away from the days at 75 when it could be very difficult indeed to get these skills up, and I already did it back then, which I don't regret, though.

[Bulrogg]

And this will be implemented conveniently just as I cap my Parrying skill. ^^;

Indeed.

Capped Parry last week. /sigh
At least I know to hold off on Guard for now.