Overall direction of FFXI and game balance

[Rambus]

I been playing FFXI less and less due to my back injury and the strange directions the development team have been taking FFXI since the raise of the level cap to 80. I Wanted to write something since I found out the vague job adjustments that the development team noted and the seal exchange.

First i want to say I made many threads and explanations in why the game is stuck with level 75 concepts. In many ways it feels like the cap is 75 still with 'fake' adjustments to make it appear we are progressing. I feel we been ignored addressing such issues and the biggest one is spell progress, job trait progress, and enmity caps.

Second, Why did you just make seals exchangeable at a 3 to 1 rate regardless of seals? this makes me feel you do not truly listen to what we say. This is the latest example on how we 'wish' something and you 'grant the wish' while corrupting it. This goes along with the 'evil genie' jokes i read in the past on these forums. basic question for seal exchange, why are they not tiered? what is so game braking about making BB items reasonably obtainable vs harder then in the past?

third, I want to ask why are you planing to update the jobs in the way you put the notes. most make no sense, some overpower a broken job more, while others does not fix the main underline issue.

Warrior
* Vision
Damage dealers who use their brawn to continuously pummel foes with a barrage of physical damage, but also use their brains to adapt to the situation at hand.

We will certainly preserve the warrior's physical prowess, which makes it such an imposing damage dealer, but we also want to make it a more flexible attacker. We hope to accomplish through such means as adding abilities that modify weapon properties, making for more enemy-overpowering carnage.

* Example Adjustments
o Adding new ability that would allow warriors to change a weapon's damage type (slashing/blunt/piercing) during combat.
o Adding a new ability that would ensure the next melee attack lands a critical hit.

why doe war NEED MORE damage? it is already broken with one of the strongest emp weapons. even at 75 war got really strong with the 2H update and ranging rush changes, so why is this needed? maybe add more abilities to allow tanking? why should PLD be the only one visioned to tank?

Monk
# Vision
Persistent pugilists whose fists speak louder than words, partially because they also render enemy attacks completely impotent.

We'd like to see monks further mature into an even more supportive attacking role within the party. There's still room to build upon their renowned self-defense tactics such as Chakra and Counter, and they can also benefit from some extra training in skills like Subtle Blow and Chi Blast that leave foes too weak to fend off attacks from other party members.

# Example Adjustments

* Adding a new effect to Boost that increases Chakra's effectiveness or makes Chakra's HP-recovery bonus gradually increase by level.
* Adding a new effect to Chi Blast that reduces an enemy's TP.

the game now is about how to kill a mob in 30 seconds, these changes does not effect anything, neat idea but the overall impact does nothing, waste of development time.

Vision, White Mage
Veritable all-purpose physicians that are always on call and ready to provide medical assistance even in the most harrowing situations, they remove status ailments with scalpel-like ｐｒｅｃｉｓｉｏｎ, nurse the dying back to life, and prescribe preventative measures to their party member patients to keep them healthy.

We aim to maintain their status as healing specialists while guiding them to new discoveries in the fields of magic defense and resistance. After mastering these new techniques, they should be able to protect their party members against any subsequent outbreaks of status ailments.

# Example Adjustments

* Adding a new ability that reduces magic damage taken by party members.
* Adding a new spell that removes Charm from a party member.

not bad but what about bar light? bardark? a way to remove amnesia? fixing level 75 merits to better suite a level 90/99 game? (shell and protect potency vs having the spell for merit)

Black Mage # Vision
Elemental magic wielders that bring colossal amounts of firepower to the battlefield, yet are weighed down heavily by the responsibility that accompanies such unbridled destruction.

Black mages know their role, and they know what they need to ensure triumph: more powerful magic. We'll continue to introduce elements that increase both the risks and rewards for these potent spellcasters.

# Example Adjustments

* Adding new abilities that increase the likelihood of dealing more elemental magic damage at the cost of greater risk.
* Adding a new ability that makes the next spell cast cost 0 MP.

Are elemental damage users ever going to get a relic/ emp/ mythic status like weapon? fix level 75 merits ( AM II)

Red Mage
* Vision
Support specialists who excel at transforming their allies from mere mortals into demigods with their enhancements, while rendering once-formidable enemies impotent with enfeebling magic.

We want to see red mages play a more vital role in HNM battles by making enfeebling magic more effective against high-level notorious monsters and their legendary levels of resistance as well as allowing them to better contribute to party member enhancement.

* Example Adjustments
o Adding abilities that reduce to zero the casting time or recast time for the next spell/ninjutsu/song.
o New enfeebling magic spells.

What is the point of zero casting time? to make the game easier for people? I do not understand. What about fixing the 75 job merits that would allow more freedom in delvopement of 90/99 spells? (like why can't whm get a weak slow II since cap will be 99 while RDM has a more potant slow II or slow III.
cure IV, why is RDM suck on the same cure power as a cure off a sub? give them cure V and drop the spechal emitiy rule on it. Haste spell, same with cure IV, why should a buff off a sub be same strenth as main job? RDM stoneskin vs /sch stoneskin, why can anyone sub SCH and give the same power stoneskin as a main job class? Red mage has no relic/emp/mythic status weapon to complement the main goals of a red mage, right now they are just toys.

Thief

* Vision
Stealthy pickpockets that duck and weave to land sneak attacks while keeping party enmity under control from the shadows.

We wish to see thieves further develop the cunning they are so aptly known for by providing them with even more means of manipulating enmity and continuing to fatten the party's coffers.

* Example Adjustments
o Adding a new ability that complements Sneak Attack and Trick Attack.
o Raising the chances of successfully executing Steal and Despoil commensurate with Treasure Hunter.
o Adding a new ability that intimidates an enemy in proportion to the number of members in the party.

interesting ideas, i am willing to say stay on the path and see how it plays out with other changes. Just remember it is not too appealing anymore to have weaponskills that are only good with sneak attack like the emp dagger ws is now.

Paladin

* Vision
Paragons of virtue who never hesitate to step in and defend their friends in a fight, nor to take the brunt of enemy attacks while wearing the heaviest armor imaginable.

We respect the unselfish and bold nature of the paladin, so we plan on further developing their ability to maintain control of battles and keeping others out of harm's way, if only temporarily.

* Example Adjustments
o Adding a new ability that reduces the amount of damage taken by a party member for one hit.
o Adding a new ability that slows enmity reduction.

Does not really do anything for the job. right now we tank though damage, thse changes still have PLD as a LOL job, especially in abyssea. People have been tanking with damage pre abyssea too so it might be a good idea to test turtle tanking vs damage tanking though testing in the new game content before the changes come out. Please do some testing before the players have to find every single flaw with ideas.

Dark Knight

* Vision
Purveyors of pain who can inflict crippling amounts of damage upon enemies while hardly breaking a sweat...at a cost that not many are willing to pay.

We intend to give dark knights a change of pace and introduce abilities that allow them to sacrifice something other than HP or MP to tap into veins of unrivaled strength.

* Example Adjustments
o A new ability that sacrifices TP gain to make attacks more powerful.
o A new ability that raises the amount of damage the dark knight takes, but also raises the amount of magic and elemental weapon skill damage it deals.

Right now the game is based on how fast you get tp to use WS, these notes does not complement that, so they are useless. Unless you really plan to revamp the game at 99 you might want to re-examine your vision.

Beastmaster

* Vision
Charmers (not necessarily the kind that would buy you a drink at the local tavern) and masters of animal communication that tame feral beasts and call them forth as pets to aid in combat and provide support to their allies.

We plan to broaden the range of monsters that beastmasters can coax into becoming their pets. Furthermore, we'd like to see beastmasters shed their reputation as lone wolves by endowing their pets with more abilities that provide assistance to party members.


* Example Adjustments
o A new ability to call forth pets that, like the avatars Odin and Alexander, immediately use their characteristic ability then disappear.
o Adding more pet-specific abilities.
o Revising the effects of the Familiar ability.

Why are you adding magic to a melee job? I do not like the idea at ALL to allow bst access anything from SMN. Odin and Alexander are GODS or based on god beings, not beasts to be used by a master. Why not allow more pet buffs be assessable like white wind or other support moves?

Bard

* Vision
Singing saviors who are constantly called upon to rouse a party to action with a marching tune, fortify a friend by playing an operetta, and countless other forms of succor.

While bards already possess a remarkable repertoire when it comes to enhancing and enfeebling, we want to expand their musical horizons into new genres that affect categories such as magic defense.

* Example Adjustments
o Adding a new song that reduces enemy magic defense.
o Revising enemy resistance to Foe Requiem.
o Adding a new ability that increases the effectiveness of the next song sung.

Ok, not bad but can we get etudes back to aoe because you gave bard Pianissimo? and lower the level for it to like level 30 so it can be used when etudes are obtained?

Ranger

*Vision
Hunters who use the wisdom they gain from tracking Vana'dielian beasts to deliver excruciatingly painful and precise attacks from long range, yet almost never draw the target's attention away from the front lines.

We plan to enhance rangers' ability to stay out of sight and out of the minds of their targets while rewarding their long-distance efforts.

* Example Adjustments
o Adding the effect of Subtle Blow to ranged attacks that are unleashed from a suitable distance.
o Adding an effect to ranged attacks from an enemy's side or back that reduces enmity.
o Adding an ability that increases enmity towards party members positioned between the ranger and his/her target.

Does nothing for the job with how people play the game at most efficiency. RNGs are hurt badly with TP gain and overall dot, haste spell and such does not effect them. WAR, MNK, so on will still be used over rng. It is one of the lest used jobs right now and these changes will not change that unless you totally rewrite the rules of the game.

Samurai

* Vision
Assiduous martial artists who become one with their weapons, enabling them to display flair and persistence when eviscerating those who dare challenge them.

We aim to give samurai the opportunity to hone their weapon skill proficiency down to a science, thus allowing them to walk further down the path of constant damage dealers.

* Example Adjustments
o Adding an ability that increases accuracy and damage of weapon skills.
o Adding an ability that augments the next weapon skill used with a TP bonus.

My vision is that samurai where suppose to be the most skillchain flexible job. In the past I remember them being used because they could fill any spot for that. Now no one skillchains (usually anyway). I was thinking can we get a fragmentation weaponskill that is good for damage without having a relic? nothing big, overall I would say I am willing to see how your changes play out, keep on the path i guess.

Ninja

* Vision
Masters of ninjutsu who can handle both offense and defense, adjusting to the tides of battle at a moment's notice.

We'd like to see ninjas succeed at taking the heat off other party members by drawing enemies' attention and adroitly evading their attacks or slinking around in the shadows to strike with physical attacks and elemental ninjutsu while the target is otherwise occupied.

* Example Adjustments
o New abilities that make it possible to turn aside enemy attacks and abilities.
o Adding a new ninjutsu that increases the effectiveness of one's own Store TP trait.

I do not know what turn aside enemy attacks and abilites mean. you mean give an amnesia/ terror effect? Why do Nin's need something to effect store tp? maybe these notes are good but I do not understand them.

Dragoon

* Vision
Experts with the lance who can take command of any battle with their wyverns, which can either deal heaping helpings of pain or relieve their party with a reinvigorating breath.

We aim to make jumping a more dynamic aspect of dragoons' fighting style and to have wyverns evolve into more versatile allies with the ability to enfeeble enemies.

* Example Adjustments
o Adding the effect of reducing magic resistance to certain wyvern breath attacks.
o Adding an ability that makes wyverns more difficult to KO.
o Adding an effect to Jump, High Jump, and Super Jump that reduces enmity of the player behind the dragoon.

breath attacks are nice but it is not like it matters in the long run, like you do nto see people saying 'OMG tatang mbed a breath for 3000 damage'. unless you plan on doing more with it, the path is a waste of time of development that can be better spent fixing other issues. second note is long overdue.
not sure what the 3rd note means, high jump and super jump already do that?

Summoner


* Vision
Mystics who conjure avatars to fight by their sides, then sit back and enjoy the show while paying close attention to their MP as their minions deliver devastating blows to adversaries and provide aid to allies

We intend to make it easier for avatars to wreak havoc upon enemies, but also emphasize how vital the act of managing the source of their magical powers is to summoners.

* Example Adjustments
o A new ability that expends an additional amount of MP to shorten the recast time for blood pacts.
o Introducing the avatars Cait Sith and Atomos.

ok, lets see how it plays out, look forward to it.

Blue Mage


* Vision
Veritable shape shifters on the battlefield who adjust their tactics to fit the constantly changing nature of a conflict, thanks to their combat-hardened veteran's experience, knowledge, and quick thinking.

We'd like to see blue mages live up to their Imperial roots and become even more versatile by adding new blue magic spells to their repertoire as well as high-level notorious monster abilities.

* Example Adjustments
o Adding new blue magic spells
o Additional HNM moves for the blue mage to learn.

first we need more set points or lower some cost of spells, we need more upgradable traits (poking back to how the game is stuck at 75, this is a good example) and those upgradable traits needs to come at a reasonable point cost. last i checked we got clear mind IV for around 30 set points, highly unreasonable. the voidwatch system with blue mage is barabic for that reason as well, I thought you could took a lesson from the problems we had from abyssea. I right out told my linkshell I am not doing it I can't do a blue mage role and set all proc spells. it is too many spells to set + to be able to function properly. you literally need a blue mage leech just to proc stuff, and that makes a game not fun. I had tempral shift set for stunning, it triggered a proc, i really want to know why a mob that changes weakness every 2 minutes relies on a spell with a 1 min and some odd seconds ( up to 1 min 50 i think), like i said where is the lesson learned from the issues in abyssea?

Corsair

* Vision
Gamblers at heart who share the benefits of their dice-rolling antics with a wider audience than bards' melodies, yet place themselves in debt when they bust.

Being a corsair is a risky profession, and we aim to keep it that way by upping the ante-extracting every conceivable onz of power from its support skills while preserving the risk that accompanies busting.

* Example Adjustments
o Allowing three phantom rolls to be in effect at the same time.
o Adding an ability that increases the effectiveness of phantom rolls.
o Revising the potency of certain rolls.

stay on the path, lets see how it plays out, though it might make cor too wanted over bard, we of course know brd and cor do really well but you still have 6 slots in a party. Something to think about.

Puppetmaster

* Vision
Puppetmasters feel comfortable in almost any type of role thanks to their automatons, but countless hours of research is needed to create the perfect puppet to deal with various and sundry situations.

We want to bring out the unique characteristics inherent in each automaton via creative new attachments as well as abilities that extract the potential latent in each frame.

* Example Adjustments
o Introducing an assortment of new attachments.
o Adding an ability that restores an automaton's HP.

No comment, I do not like the job at all and personally I wish it never came out. it was a rushed job and it took too much resources trying to fix it. Please do not take this statement personally because you like the job, to me what I stated is fact, and i wish time and resources went to fix other things vs fixing a rushed job. We are told by squre enix reps that this or that takes too much time or it is too hard, so i am pointing something in how to time manage.

Dancer

* Vision
Versatile entertainers who can both easily stand up for themselves in a brawl by trotting out sambas and steps to enfeeble their unlucky opponents, as well as stand on the front lines and invigorating their fellow party members with a dance.

We not only want dancers to continue to star as spectacular solo artists, but to enhance their teamwork skills and perform even better in ensemble casts as well.

* Example Adjustments
o Introducing an ability that consumes TP to imbue party members with the Regain effect.
o Adding an ability that allows for a triple attack.

sounds neat but I would be very carful with DNC changes, especially granting triple attack. I feel like DNC is upstaging THF more and more. Why should thf only be used for TH and be stuck on an emp ws that only works good with sneak attack?

Scholar


* Vision
Students in the art of war who employ stratagems to alter the tide of battle along with elemental magic to support their allies and annihilate their foes.

We wish for scholars to further their education in order to become absolute masters of their art, and the latter stages of their research will produce skills comparable to those of a white or black mage whose spells may take time to cast, but compensate with both the bliss and destruction they beget.

* Example Adjustments
o Adding spells which gradually reduce an enemy's TP or status enhancements.
o Adding a spell that can be cast while under the effect of Tabula Rasa.

neat ideas but there is some basic issues missed. Most merit stuff for SCH is useless, we are stuck on cure IV like rdm is , same cure power off sub, when you have 3-5k HP people in abyssea cure IV dependence is stupid. When is Modus Veritas going to be fixed? why is it a proc thing in void watch when higher mobs resist it to hell. same boat as blue mage, i have to ask, "what where you thinking?" Where is storm II spells? why should an anything/sch do what SCH main does? SCH been asking for a lot of fixes for a long time now from merits to modus veritas to stuck on cure IV in abyssea. very underwhelming update notes. SCH has no relic/ mythic/ emp nuking weapon. SCH still does not have a magic attack bonus, should sch really be suck subing red mage all the time for all the stuff SCH is missing spells and traits? why should SCH be stuck on magic attack bonus II though a sub?

Extras

* Additional Planned Adjustments
o Weapon skill refinements
o Adjustments to enfeebling magic
o Revisions to job-specific merit point enhancement attributes.

I know you wrote this and I have pointed out some merit problems but i hope they get fixed. My understanding of your 3rd statement does not fit in what i was commenting on.

lastly, higher exponential growth on buff spells like phalanx, stoneskin and en spells. If you plan on increasing the way mobs hit like some voidwach mobs do, buffs need to be increased to actually have meaning to be casted on people.

phalanx that can shave 40-80 damage ( depending what 99 is like) en spells that might add 50 ish damage, stoneskin that does 700 ish damage, is what i mean by exponential growth past 75. the ideas you had for those spells where meant for 75, not what we are dealing with today. spells like that should be worth casting.

One more thing about high end weapons. How come some emp weapons are weak like axe, polarm while others are really strong like sword, great axe, katana, and hand to hand? what happened to changing the aftermath on relics and letting them have 3 levels as well? did you want to keep a relic level weapon off the new jobs? are mythics going to get big boosts like staffs, blu sword, rdm sword so they complement the job's main purpose better? The mythic ws for blu is not good at all so it puts the mythic weapon in a bad spot. The mythic ws for thf also suffers the same boat as the emp ws, they are only good with sneak attack. Only crt hit ws are used in abyssea so that rules out a lot of mythic weapons/ ws to be used there. Only draksbane does well there. If you are continuing the path of making crt hit ws good, then ALL relics/ mythics/ emp ws need to naturally be critical along with other balance adjustments.

[Malamasala]

Revisions to job-specific merit point enhancement attributes.

Regarding this though. I always felt it was a pretty unfair move to give PUP "acc+att" and "macc+mab" merits, and SMN "acc" and "att" and "macc" and "mab" merits.

So Summoners need 10 merits to do what a Puppetmaster does in 5?

Could have been fair if at least the SMN merits gave more per point invested. Like 5 per merit or so, instead of 2-3.

[Leonlionheart]

Regarding this though. I always felt it was a pretty unfair move to give PUP "acc+att" and "macc+mab" merits, and SMN "acc" and "att" and "macc" and "mab" merits.

So Summoners need 10 merits to do what a Puppetmaster does in 5?

Could have been fair if at least the SMN merits gave more per point invested. Like 5 per merit or so, instead of 2-3.

Avatar attack is different than other attack iirc.

[Neisan_Quetz]

Even if it was, Avatars have weirdly high attack (at least for BPs) to the point the attack merits are mostly useless if you're using enhances avatar attack gear. Fairly certain the merits don't even make up the difference you get from gear pieces either.

[Malamasala]

Avatar attack is different than other attack iirc.

I believe it is sadly different in the wrong direction. Like it is worse than attack for an automaton. Which makes the whole thing make even less sense.

[Kraggy]

Why are you adding magic to a melee job? I do not like the idea at ALL to allow bst access anything from SMN. Odin and Alexander are GODS or based on god beings, not beasts to be used by a master. Why not allow more pet buffs be assessable like white wind or other support moves?

You completely failed to understand what SE wrote, they clearly used those two SMN avatars as ANALOGIES to the skill they're thinking of, ie. a jug pet that uses a skill then vanishes (unlike current jugs).

They did NOT say BST will get Odin and Alex!

[tlaloc]

A new ability to call forth pets that, like the avatars Odin and Alexander, immediately use their characteristic ability then disappear

and
A new ability to call forth pets Odin and Alexander, immediately use their characteristic ability then disappear.
Is not the same thing, they just used the avatars to illustrate how the new BST ability would work, that means they would call for instance, King Behemoth, use Meteor and then disapear.

[Alderin]

I do not know what turn aside enemy attacks and abilites mean. you mean give an amnesia/ terror effect? Why do Nin's need something to effect store tp? maybe these notes are good but I do not understand them.

No. They mean another defensive spell / job ability, perhaps something to do with Parry, or another migawari type spell for example. (Well thats what I am assuming).

NIN has ways of controlling enemy TP, yet it is lacking a bit of store TP. Due to having to tank on NIN most of the time, you lose some valuable downtime when casting Utsu / Migawari / Debuffs / Proc spells. Store TP will help negate this downtime a little so you can keep your aftermath up.

Most jobs with a useful Empyrean WS can full-time their aftermath, whereas a NIN can sometimes struggle due to the downtime of casting spells. I see a Store TP spell useful in this case.




Yes some jobs are becoming more useless. Like lets face it, RNG is a dying breed. It's a shame, but it's true. In order to revive some jobs they would have to do a rollback to lvl 75 and rework Abyssea. That or rework the whole job, potentially changing everything fun about it. Sad story but it's true, and unfortunately no small job adjustment will change that.


The difficulty with having so many different job choices is making them different enough, without overpowering each other. Hybrid jobs such as PUP, SCH (and now RDM) etc is as the level cap increases, the difference between Specialist and Hybrid jobs are increasing. Therefore making hybrid jobs semi-useless. Who would want an enfeeble, semi-healer, decent buffer, average nuker (RDM or SCH) vs. a decent enfeeble, amazing healer, amazing buffer (WHM) to keep you alive? I would personally go for the specialist.

Lastly, PLD is not a lolPLD. At least not the good ones. (I am far from good. My PLD is lvl 25). Especially with SE's new focus on Voidwatch. I wouldnt want any other job to tank some of the T3-T4's we have fought so far. An Ochain PLD who knows how to play their job (yes there are some stupid ochain PLD's out there) is amazing.

[Rambus]

You completely failed to understand what SE wrote, they clearly used those two SMN avatars as ANALOGIES to the skill they're thinking of, ie. a jug pet that uses a skill then vanishes (unlike current jugs).

They did NOT say BST will get Odin and Alex!

I still side with what I said then. don't you think Bsts should be a Beast master? not summoning beasts for a move? In any event it is not clear like half these notes are anyway.

No. They mean another defensive spell / job ability, perhaps something to do with Parry, or another migawari type spell for example. (Well thats what I am assuming).

NIN has ways of controlling enemy TP, yet it is lacking a bit of store TP. Due to having to tank on NIN most of the time, you lose some valuable downtime when casting Utsu / Migawari / Debuffs / Proc spells. Store TP will help negate this downtime a little so you can keep your aftermath up.

Most jobs with a useful Empyrean WS can full-time their aftermath, whereas a NIN can sometimes struggle due to the downtime of casting spells. I see a Store TP spell useful in this case.

Hmm, what about BLU, RNG, WHM, RDM, SCH, BRD, COR, BLM, and SMN? if you want to use weapon after effect argument because i am sure those jobs would struggle more then NIN would.

Also why is an Emp shield requred not to be lol? I do admit I am low in a counter for not using PLD on voidwatch past me saying i could care less for more abyssea like events. I am sure you can use other jobs to tank it but we would need someone with a lot exprence to quote what can be done.

[Alderin]

Hmm, what about BLU, RNG, WHM, RDM, SCH, BRD, COR, BLM, and SMN? if you want to use weapon after effect argument because i am sure those jobs would struggle more then NIN would.

Also why is an Emp shield requred not to be lol? I do admit I am low in a counter for not using PLD on voidwatch past me saying i could care less for more abyssea like events. I am sure you can use other jobs to tank it but we would need someone with a lot exprence to quote what can be done.

NIN is known as one of the best at controlling subtle blow. ie - Reducing TP a monster gains when being hit by the NIN or when the monster hits a player. Giving them a Store TP spell is not that far out of line. In fact it makes sense. NIN ws's more often, mob ws's less often.

That being said, all of the jobs you mentioned are laughable examples apart from *possibly* BLU. However being a melee-mage job, the focus point for a BLU should not be the aftermath of the weapon but the damage of their spells.

The rest of the jobs you mentioned are a joke. I mean come on, a BRD, a SCH needing store TP? BLM? Dude for crying out loud, when was the last time you stood there and melee'd on BLM (with the same staff!). A good BLM has the same staff on for about 10 seconds until they have to cast a spell. Put SCH & RDM in the same category there.

Your point is mute.

As for your last comment - Voidwatch - it is nothing like Abyssea. No, there are very few jobs that stand a chance tanking a mob in Voidwatch apart from a Ochain / Aegis PLD.

& as for PLD - feel sorry for DRK's that are still lolDRK even with an empy.