Knives
07-23-2011, 09:19 AM
Final Fantasy XI Thief Player’s Job Adjustment Manifesto
Opening Statements
The Thief Job Class in Final Fantasy XI has many issues, and many players have been hoping for changes to how the job has been adjusted over the past few years. The exact issues players have with the job are quite varied, but many of them are rooted in how the job has progressed, Square-Enix’s vision for the job, and the underlying mechanics of the game itself.
I would like to invite other players of the Thief job to post their opinions on how the class has been handled and what they believe should be done to increase the job’s effectiveness. I would also like to do this myself to try and pinpoint exactly where we are now and what we can do together to remedy the situation.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v512/Knivesmcbride/FFXI/Kni030919170114a.jpg
Analysis
Abilities
Perfect Dodge
Allows you to dodge all melee attacks.
I will not spend too much time on Perfect Dodge. It is the job’s 2-Hour Ability, and so it’s only to be used for emergencies and important battles. That said, Perfect Dodge is far from perfect. Melee Attacks and Magic can still land on the acting Thief, and unlike Paladin’s Invincible, so can Ranged Attacks. Perfect Dodge is far from perfect.
Steal
Steal items from enemy.
If there is any ability Thief is known for in the Final Fantasy series, it is Steal. Steal has always been an integral part, and it started off as one in Final Fantasy XI. Over the years, Steal’s usage has degenerated into being used only as a Dispel ability when used in conjunction with the merit trait, Aura Steal.
In Final Fantasy XI, the majority of items Thief can steal are niche items used in crafting. Most items to be stolen for profit are Beastcoins, which can be sold in the Auction House for a profit or be turned into ingots using goldsmithing, or clothcrafting items like sarutabaruta cotton: an important item for leveling and utilizing clothcraft. These days, these items are far less important. As of yesterday, a stack of Silver Beastcoins that would normally go for 6-8k years ago are now only being sold for 2k.
Additionally, the only equipment to ever be stolen from a monster is the Buccaneer Knife, used in defeating the sky NM Brigandish Blade. I have always thought that being able to Steal equipment, even if they are only Ex and/or Augmented, would be a great idea and encourage more thieves to actually use the Steal Ability as more than a 5-minute Dispel.
Sneak Attack
Deals critical damage when striking from behind.
I do not have anything to say about Sneak Attack. It is one of my favorite abilities Thief acquires, and unless you really want to buff it, I don't think any changes need to be made.
Flee
Increases movement speed.
Flee is another ability I love due to its usefulness out of battle. Besides being great as a way to run away from enemies, it is also a great way to lower travel times when getting from place to place.
Trick Attack
Deals extra damage when striking from behind a party or alliance member
The Assassin ability, added years earlier, has solved most of my issues with this ability. I have no issues with it.
Mug
Steal gil from enemy.
Oh boy, here we go. Mug is absolutely worthless. On common beastmen, it will luckily net a thief 15 gil. Common monsters don't carry gil. The absolute only time when Mug is useful is when the player is fighting a very rare NM that carries tons of gil, and the Thief can potentially mug 1,500 gil in a single use. The downside is even larger though, as the ability is set at a 15 minute recast.
This isn't even counting Abyssea. As things are, Mug may as well be entirely taken out of Thief's moveset while in Abyssea. To remedy this, maybe add cruor to the list of monetary items Mug can steal, besides gil. Even then, the high recast time and low rewards for this ability make it nearly worthless outside of maybe 50 Vana'diel NMs.
Hide
User becomes invisible.
Hide starts out as a great ability. Besides being able to escape the enemy's aggressive behavior, it can act in conjunction with Sneak Attack when the user is unable to get behind the opponent. This, however, is mostly a novelty- most monsters do not only detect by sight, but also by hearing and smell. If you're fighting a Yagudo and want to use Hide, that's fine- but it's another story if you're fighting a Quadav or an Orc. One way to fix Hide could be to add Sneak and Deodorize to the list of sneaking abilities it proffers.
Accomplice & Collaborator
Steals (half/one quarter) of the target party member's enmity and redirects it to the thief.
I do not have much to say about these abilities. Years ago and in certain small party situations, the abilities could be used beneficially. These days in Abyssea-dominated gameplay, these abilities have not found nearly as much usefulness. That said, I don't think that Thief's entire style of play should be dominated by these two abilities. Thief's strong points lie elsewhere, especially since enmity is currently a huge problem in the game's mechanics.
Despoil
Steals items from an enemy while inflicting a status ailment upon it.
There are so many problems with Despoil. It shares a recast timer with Steal, it only inflicts a negative status ailment on the enemy if the using Thief obtains an item, the Thief cannot determine what status ailment the enemy while be afflicted with... I don't know how to fix this, but I do not think that it should share a recast timer with Steal.
Conspirator
Enhances accuracy and "Subtle Blow" effect for party members within area of effect. Does not affect the party member being targeted by the enemy.
I have no problems with this ability. It's not bad, but it's not great. It's useful when it is available.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v512/Knivesmcbride/thiefgets.png
Job Traits
Job Traits are likely the bigger issue here. Every job has many job traits, and Thief is no different. I will not list all of them, but I will list the ones I believe are important to Thief's success or downfall.
Treasure Hunter
Increases chance that treasure will be dropped by enemies.
Treasure Hunter is not a bad ability. Some may consider to be Thieves' salivation point, their raison d'etre. To many Thieves, Treasure Hunter is their curse. Many parties will only invite a Thief because of Treasure Hunter, because most of Thief's other abilities and traits are not as tantalizing as the game's 19 other jobs, due to the issues noted above in Abilities and issues I plan to get to below. Treasure Hunter itself is not a bad ability, as I said before- the issue is that players choose to invite Thieves solely for Treasure Hunter than for the other things in which Thief should excel.
Triple Attack
Occasionally attacks three times.
Triple Attack is quite amazing when a level 55 Thief first happens upon it. It still holds up well today, but many people choose not to look at Triple Attack when other jobs have access to Double Attack and equipment that increases Double Attack and Triple Attack by the time level 90 comes by.
Assassin
Enhances Trick Attack.
I think that Trick Attack saved Thief years ago, and now it is time to introduce more game changing abilities and fixes like Assassin. Square-Enix should look at Assassin when they try to fix the job as a whole.
Before Assassin was released, even level 75 Thieves relied on SATA/Fuidama, because Trick Attack just was not strong enough on its own to be a boon to the class. Once Assassin came to play, from level 60 on Thieves were able to stop relying on uncommunicative parties aimlessly ambling about to get in line for attack- something that should be simple, but became so much of a chore for most players that they would forego inviting Thieves entirely. Thief is in need of such a change once again.
Dual Wield
Allows user to equip two weapons at once.
When I heard that Thief was gaining Dual Wield, I was ecstatic. Dual Wield is the one ability I had been hoping for Thief to gain since I began playing the game. When Dancer obtained Dual Wield before Thief, I was jealous. I still am jealous. I love Dancer and it's not that I do not think that Dancer deserves Dual Wield, it's that I believe that Thief is just as deserving for Dual Wield as Dancer is. In the following Version Updates, Thief gained Dual Wield as well... but at level 83, when the job is nearly capped. Not only that, but Thieves gained the weakest form of Dual Wield.
Many Thieves feel that Square-Enix may as well not have given anything, as though the addition of Dual Wield 1 at level 83 was a sick practical joke at our expense. The addition of Dual Wield 1 at level 83 may have changed how the job works for a small amount of people, but the majority of Thieves were hoping for the same boost in power Dancer and other jobs were given.
Closing Statements
I do not think that what many other Thieves and I are asking is extreme. Most of us just want our fair share and feel as though we have been excluded for far too long. Our job abilities and traits are still living in 2007 while most other jobs are in 2011. We're not asking for buildings to be created in our honor. We're not asking for gold coins to be magically placed in our coffers. We just want our fair share in battle with others, where Square-Enix believes Thief belongs.
Steal
Despoil
The above abilities are not as useful as they should be, in part with the game's monster loot pools still carrying inferior items added in 2002.
Sneak Attack
Trick Attack
Accomplice
Collaborator
Assassin
Ambush
Conspirator
These abilities are all meant to be used in conjunction with party members. Thief may not be considered to be a solo job, but until the class is given its appropriate list of updates, they won't be able to properly make use of these abilities outside of Abyssea, where everything is invited to get 18 party members. Thank you, and I look forward to Square-Enix's response, as well as the opinions of other Thieves on how they feel the class should be improved.
Opening Statements
The Thief Job Class in Final Fantasy XI has many issues, and many players have been hoping for changes to how the job has been adjusted over the past few years. The exact issues players have with the job are quite varied, but many of them are rooted in how the job has progressed, Square-Enix’s vision for the job, and the underlying mechanics of the game itself.
I would like to invite other players of the Thief job to post their opinions on how the class has been handled and what they believe should be done to increase the job’s effectiveness. I would also like to do this myself to try and pinpoint exactly where we are now and what we can do together to remedy the situation.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v512/Knivesmcbride/FFXI/Kni030919170114a.jpg
Analysis
Abilities
Perfect Dodge
Allows you to dodge all melee attacks.
I will not spend too much time on Perfect Dodge. It is the job’s 2-Hour Ability, and so it’s only to be used for emergencies and important battles. That said, Perfect Dodge is far from perfect. Melee Attacks and Magic can still land on the acting Thief, and unlike Paladin’s Invincible, so can Ranged Attacks. Perfect Dodge is far from perfect.
Steal
Steal items from enemy.
If there is any ability Thief is known for in the Final Fantasy series, it is Steal. Steal has always been an integral part, and it started off as one in Final Fantasy XI. Over the years, Steal’s usage has degenerated into being used only as a Dispel ability when used in conjunction with the merit trait, Aura Steal.
In Final Fantasy XI, the majority of items Thief can steal are niche items used in crafting. Most items to be stolen for profit are Beastcoins, which can be sold in the Auction House for a profit or be turned into ingots using goldsmithing, or clothcrafting items like sarutabaruta cotton: an important item for leveling and utilizing clothcraft. These days, these items are far less important. As of yesterday, a stack of Silver Beastcoins that would normally go for 6-8k years ago are now only being sold for 2k.
Additionally, the only equipment to ever be stolen from a monster is the Buccaneer Knife, used in defeating the sky NM Brigandish Blade. I have always thought that being able to Steal equipment, even if they are only Ex and/or Augmented, would be a great idea and encourage more thieves to actually use the Steal Ability as more than a 5-minute Dispel.
Sneak Attack
Deals critical damage when striking from behind.
I do not have anything to say about Sneak Attack. It is one of my favorite abilities Thief acquires, and unless you really want to buff it, I don't think any changes need to be made.
Flee
Increases movement speed.
Flee is another ability I love due to its usefulness out of battle. Besides being great as a way to run away from enemies, it is also a great way to lower travel times when getting from place to place.
Trick Attack
Deals extra damage when striking from behind a party or alliance member
The Assassin ability, added years earlier, has solved most of my issues with this ability. I have no issues with it.
Mug
Steal gil from enemy.
Oh boy, here we go. Mug is absolutely worthless. On common beastmen, it will luckily net a thief 15 gil. Common monsters don't carry gil. The absolute only time when Mug is useful is when the player is fighting a very rare NM that carries tons of gil, and the Thief can potentially mug 1,500 gil in a single use. The downside is even larger though, as the ability is set at a 15 minute recast.
This isn't even counting Abyssea. As things are, Mug may as well be entirely taken out of Thief's moveset while in Abyssea. To remedy this, maybe add cruor to the list of monetary items Mug can steal, besides gil. Even then, the high recast time and low rewards for this ability make it nearly worthless outside of maybe 50 Vana'diel NMs.
Hide
User becomes invisible.
Hide starts out as a great ability. Besides being able to escape the enemy's aggressive behavior, it can act in conjunction with Sneak Attack when the user is unable to get behind the opponent. This, however, is mostly a novelty- most monsters do not only detect by sight, but also by hearing and smell. If you're fighting a Yagudo and want to use Hide, that's fine- but it's another story if you're fighting a Quadav or an Orc. One way to fix Hide could be to add Sneak and Deodorize to the list of sneaking abilities it proffers.
Accomplice & Collaborator
Steals (half/one quarter) of the target party member's enmity and redirects it to the thief.
I do not have much to say about these abilities. Years ago and in certain small party situations, the abilities could be used beneficially. These days in Abyssea-dominated gameplay, these abilities have not found nearly as much usefulness. That said, I don't think that Thief's entire style of play should be dominated by these two abilities. Thief's strong points lie elsewhere, especially since enmity is currently a huge problem in the game's mechanics.
Despoil
Steals items from an enemy while inflicting a status ailment upon it.
There are so many problems with Despoil. It shares a recast timer with Steal, it only inflicts a negative status ailment on the enemy if the using Thief obtains an item, the Thief cannot determine what status ailment the enemy while be afflicted with... I don't know how to fix this, but I do not think that it should share a recast timer with Steal.
Conspirator
Enhances accuracy and "Subtle Blow" effect for party members within area of effect. Does not affect the party member being targeted by the enemy.
I have no problems with this ability. It's not bad, but it's not great. It's useful when it is available.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v512/Knivesmcbride/thiefgets.png
Job Traits
Job Traits are likely the bigger issue here. Every job has many job traits, and Thief is no different. I will not list all of them, but I will list the ones I believe are important to Thief's success or downfall.
Treasure Hunter
Increases chance that treasure will be dropped by enemies.
Treasure Hunter is not a bad ability. Some may consider to be Thieves' salivation point, their raison d'etre. To many Thieves, Treasure Hunter is their curse. Many parties will only invite a Thief because of Treasure Hunter, because most of Thief's other abilities and traits are not as tantalizing as the game's 19 other jobs, due to the issues noted above in Abilities and issues I plan to get to below. Treasure Hunter itself is not a bad ability, as I said before- the issue is that players choose to invite Thieves solely for Treasure Hunter than for the other things in which Thief should excel.
Triple Attack
Occasionally attacks three times.
Triple Attack is quite amazing when a level 55 Thief first happens upon it. It still holds up well today, but many people choose not to look at Triple Attack when other jobs have access to Double Attack and equipment that increases Double Attack and Triple Attack by the time level 90 comes by.
Assassin
Enhances Trick Attack.
I think that Trick Attack saved Thief years ago, and now it is time to introduce more game changing abilities and fixes like Assassin. Square-Enix should look at Assassin when they try to fix the job as a whole.
Before Assassin was released, even level 75 Thieves relied on SATA/Fuidama, because Trick Attack just was not strong enough on its own to be a boon to the class. Once Assassin came to play, from level 60 on Thieves were able to stop relying on uncommunicative parties aimlessly ambling about to get in line for attack- something that should be simple, but became so much of a chore for most players that they would forego inviting Thieves entirely. Thief is in need of such a change once again.
Dual Wield
Allows user to equip two weapons at once.
When I heard that Thief was gaining Dual Wield, I was ecstatic. Dual Wield is the one ability I had been hoping for Thief to gain since I began playing the game. When Dancer obtained Dual Wield before Thief, I was jealous. I still am jealous. I love Dancer and it's not that I do not think that Dancer deserves Dual Wield, it's that I believe that Thief is just as deserving for Dual Wield as Dancer is. In the following Version Updates, Thief gained Dual Wield as well... but at level 83, when the job is nearly capped. Not only that, but Thieves gained the weakest form of Dual Wield.
Many Thieves feel that Square-Enix may as well not have given anything, as though the addition of Dual Wield 1 at level 83 was a sick practical joke at our expense. The addition of Dual Wield 1 at level 83 may have changed how the job works for a small amount of people, but the majority of Thieves were hoping for the same boost in power Dancer and other jobs were given.
Closing Statements
I do not think that what many other Thieves and I are asking is extreme. Most of us just want our fair share and feel as though we have been excluded for far too long. Our job abilities and traits are still living in 2007 while most other jobs are in 2011. We're not asking for buildings to be created in our honor. We're not asking for gold coins to be magically placed in our coffers. We just want our fair share in battle with others, where Square-Enix believes Thief belongs.
Steal
Despoil
The above abilities are not as useful as they should be, in part with the game's monster loot pools still carrying inferior items added in 2002.
Sneak Attack
Trick Attack
Accomplice
Collaborator
Assassin
Ambush
Conspirator
These abilities are all meant to be used in conjunction with party members. Thief may not be considered to be a solo job, but until the class is given its appropriate list of updates, they won't be able to properly make use of these abilities outside of Abyssea, where everything is invited to get 18 party members. Thank you, and I look forward to Square-Enix's response, as well as the opinions of other Thieves on how they feel the class should be improved.