A QoL/Balance Shortlist for DPS (Tanks/Healers only as additional context)

[Shurrikhan]

So. Please now re-do all this with that new MP only gauge in mind.
;D

That actually shouldn't take too long and I will do exactly that once we get the later wave of info to confirm the nature of the changes!

I'm actually pretty pleased with the consolidation; I think it's been a long time in coming.

[AppleJinx]

Ahh. I hadn't started playing Dragoon seriously until after that change and hadn't noticed. Could we end the window immediately upon the third Nostrond by default then, adding what time remains on Nostrond to the 20 seconds of reverted BotD, for a minor output gain without breaking timing alignments in other ways?

Do you mean the DPS difference between optimal and suboptimal life windows? The difference is quite substantial because it's tons of different raid buffs acting on a 330 potency skill vs none.

[Shurrikhan]

Do you mean the DPS difference between optimal and suboptimal life windows? The difference is quite substantial because it's tons of different raid buffs acting on a 330 potency skill vs none.

I did mean that difference. I just meant it was small in comparison to DRG's overall dps, which is hardly stellar in itself and may fall behind a bit even in rDPS outside of specific comps (double-Ranged certainly affords it, but others less so), so I wouldn't mind giving such a buff, especially if just coming from correcting a particular wonky issue.

[Shurrikhan]

Made a final grammar/format check on the full list and tidied up the responses section (one reply formerly buried).

Still deciding whether or not to include a bypass of the Piercing Mechanic (allowing Bard and Machinist to apply their own variants via, say, procced Clean shot or a Straighter Shot/Refulgent Arrow) and to compensate Dragoon for the loss of unique rDPS within its personal contribution.

[Rongway]

Attack Magic Potency and Healing Magic Potency should just be become "Magic Power". Then Physical Properties and Mental Properties can be simplified down to:

Attack Power
Magic Power
Speed

[Shurrikhan]

Attack Magic Potency and Healing Magic Potency should just be become "Magic Power". Then Physical Properties and Mental Properties can be simplified down to:

Attack Power
Magic Power
Speed

At present this would fit perfectly, but I worry that certain traits to be attached to the 6.0 jobs may require that differentiation, so I'd not bothered to consolidate them as I have with Spell Speed and Skill Speed, which I thought essential to balancing any job that would make use of both. So long as the stats that Magic Power is derived from still varies, as per Mind and Intelligence, no power or balance changes relative to having Casters heal via Intelligence just as healers damage via Mind.

More simply put: yes, I love the clarity and intuitiveness of that, but I'd hate to see the slight adjustment applied just to be swapped back.

[XValenusX]

Massive Fan of this List. One suggestion i'd like to add to your general fixes is a QoL fix to the UI for all roles.

Enemy Frames now display only your Active Debuffs/Dots/Buffs etc and do not disappear when refreshed by another of the same class. It's something that always irks me when I see it.

Another step up from that (which i'd prefer even more) is to have the option to see specific dots, debuffs etc on the enemy frame (which you could select based on role, or whatever info you specifically want to see)

EX: As a monk, i want to see my own Demolish only, party debuffs only (TA, Dismantle, etc) and boss buffs like normal. I hate seeing 30 debuffs on a target only caring about maybe 5 of them in alliance raids or 8 mans with 2 of another class.

[BucklesTrespen]

Monk:

Form shift is now instant and has a X second cooldown and puts the Monk into Chimera form for 16 seconds:
Chimera form allows the use of any ability and grants the form based benefit of that ability.
(Basically Perfect Balance but with a single use, no more spamming form shift 1-3 times before a pull, between pulls, on jumps. Just press the button once when it is needed and use any ability.

Bootshine crits from behind always grant a Chakra.

The Monk can have 7 chakra. Abilities still only use 5.

Remove the god-awful wind tackles.

Riddle of Wind - Make it an actual ability with an actual icon and remove the second charge and just allow it to refresh or grant GL on the first shoulder tackle.

Riddle of Earth now pauses the GL timer for 16 seconds until either of the following occurs:
A) We take damage, upon which time it refreshes GL.
B) We move, upon which point the timer continues from where it paused (think of how Passage of Arms ends if the Paladin moves)

Riddle of Fire. Remove the damage boost and speed reduction. Just have every ability used for the duration grant a chakra or something. Adjust duration to balance. God I hate that slowdown effect.

Remove the fist stances. Give Monk a baseline +5% dmg increase from FoF rolled into traits.

Balance numbers and durations etc.

[Shurrikhan]

Monk:

Form shift is now instant and has a X second cooldown and puts the Monk into Chimera form for 16 seconds:
Chimera form allows the use of any ability and grants the form based benefit of that ability.
(Basically Perfect Balance but with a single use, no more spamming form shift 1-3 times before a pull, between pulls, on jumps. Just press the button once when it is needed and use any ability.

I avoided this because it has a distinct DPS advantage in continuous uptime, but also a granular disadvantage during frequent downtime. I have, however, considered improving its ease of access in the same vein as Meditation (reducing it to exactly a half-GCD) in order to make it more competitive against that downtime option.

Spitball thought -- what if Form Shift "gave full access to" the next Form, rather than swapping to it, meaning you could still use the trio of skill you would have had access to before, and after a second press from Opo-opo or a third press from stanceless--all of them? At that point you could allow for Meditate and Form Shift to regenerate passively outside of combat as a comprehensive QoL change to either, so long as their power is equal to that of manual options (e.g. starting a half-GCD later than you would manually have access to, but causing no GCD refresh, thus making their readiness exactly equally quick).

Bootshine crits from behind always grant a Chakra.

With Speed now affecting ability damage, this would force a 2301+ SkS build in order to double the uses of Bootshine per Dragon Kick. The 50% increased change of generating a Chakra atop the further direct damage of the auto-crit from Bootshine (and possibly the 50 extra potency from True Strike) would more than offset the 29 potency (to 58) loss.

The Monk can have 7 chakra. Abilities still only use 5.

I included this in a previous build as I preferred the more traditional count, but this runs into the same dilemma one would have in balancing, say, Mage's Ballad or Yaten (Enhanced Enpi), even if mostly just during downtime or Brotherhood. By removing the cooldown on The Forbidden Chakra, the functional advantage has already been dealt with, but thinking back on this, I do quite like that Meditation would always have downtime value, and that you'd have a bit more room by which to bank Chakra for Internal Release or Riddle of Fire... I may yet revert back to this. Hmm.

Remove the god-awful wind tackles.

I understand where you're coming from, but it seems a playstyle enjoyed by many, so my only intent for now is to see it more tightly balanced, with its advantage compressed. At present, tests place it as 30% more powerful than its stated value, as if "double-dipping" into the GL bonus. With that bug corrected, its use should be curtailed to a far more optional level.

Riddle of Wind - Make it an actual ability with an actual icon and remove the second charge and just allow it to refresh or grant GL on the first shoulder tackle.

Admittedly, I'm not wholly satisfied with leaving it as simply a free secondary charge available from FoW and would much prefer it to be an ability of its own, though I'm not dead set on what that ability should do or how it should best be used. Any suggestions?

Riddle of Earth now pauses the GL timer for 16 seconds until either of the following occurs:
A) We take damage, upon which time it refreshes GL.
B) We move, upon which point the timer continues from where it paused (think of how Passage of Arms ends if the Paladin moves)

I understand though that my suggestion, whereby you can retrigger GL from the first attack taken and each attack taken for 16 seconds after so long as you remain in FoE, would not work with your suggested removal of Fists, but I feel this would be little, if any, better than what we have now. You'd be forced to hit the skill in the very last second in order to get through many of the current jump phases if movement is required near to the time GL would fade whereas at present the damage has been purposely aligned such as to allow RoE to get you through that phase, meaning that you can just hit RoE and not worry about it until needing to FS two to three times in preparation for Coeurl upon the boss's return. If movement likewise gave a second refresh, same as taking damage (though I'd adjust that, again, to "upon being attacked" as not to be countered by your own party's shields), it would would see much increased QoL.

Riddle of Fire. Remove the damage boost and speed reduction. Just have every ability used for the duration grant a chakra or something. Adjust duration to balance. God I hate that slowdown effect.

I understand where you're coming from, but there do seem to be plenty of Monks who do enjoy the minor variation it can bring. At high Skill Speeds even now it does offer some interesting twist-points in rotations during and following it.

Remove the fist stances. Give Monk a baseline +5% dmg increase from FoF rolled into traits.

Again, I get where you're coming from, but there are others who'd prefer instead to see them enhanced. In this case, though, I'd be firmly among that group.

[Darkpaw]

So, question. Do you play machinist at all? Or did you speak to any MCH when you wrote the QoL changes you'd like to see for them? Because this doesn't sound like any of the QoL changes MCH's have been pleading to get for the entire expansion.. or perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you wrote.