[byr1001] Uncapping the Merit Point Categories

[Camiie]

I could e-hug you, Byrth, but I dunno if you'd be comfortable with that. I love the idea and wholeheartedly support it. I've never been on the "people should be forced to specialized just because" bandwagon. As you say it goes totally against the freedom the job system gives us in the first place. As I've said before it's like they decided to jump the shark at the end.

The only limitations that would keep them from doing this are Tanaka Limitations. Unfortunately he's less flexible and has less memory than a PS2.

[Eric]

The only limitations that would keep them from doing this are Tanaka Limitations. Unfortunately he's less flexible and has less memory than a PS2.

QFT. I wonder if he actually realizes how the FFXI community holds him in contempt.

[Vinedrai]

if they ever remove the max point caps, they should make the extensive merits to be leveled through a separate exp category that can only be gained in areas out of abyssea. no wonder there will be so many people crying about slow xp if it ever happens but otherwise, we would still get all the merits in no time in abyssea compared to old days. it would force people to discover new xp sites which could actually be quite exciting unless you are a mindless grinder. i remember xping in promyvion and uleg range just before the release of abyssea. it was really refreshing after never ending colibri parties... too bad it didn't last long. i just hope there are still many people out there who are willing to live up to the nostalgia.

[Mirage]

In that case I would rather have a new set of merits that are directly related to the area you're fighting in, rather than having current merits only be obtainable by killing in certain areas.

Kill yagudos for "enhances yagudo killer effect", for example!

[Suteru]

This isn't a very good idea if you think about it for a couple of seconds.

#1. It puts a hard cap on the number of merits that can be earned. Once you hit that cap, there's nothing you can do.
#2. Specialization is a good thing sometimes. Merits help differentiate someone who has a main job from someone who actually puts care into it. Why should someone who leveled X job for bare minimum support get as much combat skill as someone who leveled it first and puts every minute of their gametime into it?

[Camiie]

This isn't a very good idea if you think about it for a couple of seconds.

#1. It puts a hard cap on the number of merits that can be earned. Once you hit that cap, there's nothing you can do.

What? So it's better to have people trash their merits every time they want to change something? People should be having fun and doing actual content, not wasting their time.

#2. Specialization is a good thing sometimes. Merits help differentiate someone who has a main job from someone who actually puts care into it. Why should someone who leveled X job for bare minimum support get as much combat skill as someone who leveled it first and puts every minute of their gametime into it?

If you want to differentiate yourself do so with your ability and playing style. Do so with the gear you're willing to earn and the research you're willing to do. YOU are the difference.

Why SHOULDN'T someone who earns 10 merits be able to put them where they damn well please?

[Raksha]

This isn't a very good idea if you think about it for a couple of seconds.

#1. It puts a hard cap on the number of merits that can be earned. Once you hit that cap, there's nothing you can do.

How is this different from what we have now? Do you really change your merits that often?

[Byrth]

#1. It puts a hard cap on the number of merits that can be earned. Once you hit that cap, there's nothing you can do.

I personally have four melee jobs that I'm semi-serious about. Beastmaster, Warrior, Thief, and Dancer. I have Great Axe, Axe, and Dagger merits. I have intentionally avoided gearing and playing other melee jobs because of the cap on melee merits. So I agree that there's nothing you can do, but that's how the system currently is in practice for the vast majority of the players and don't see it as a good thing.

#2. Specialization is a good thing sometimes. Why should someone who leveled X job for bare minimum support get as much combat skill as someone who leveled it first and puts every minute of their gametime into it?

Why shouldn't they? If you followed the plan proposed in the OP through to completion, people with multiple jobs would suddenly have a huge number of potential merit options available to them. There would still be prioritizing going on, and it would be just as invisible to the casual observer as it has always been. You can't look at another samurai and tell whether he has GKT merits, so how would it hurt you if he did despite having other weapons merited too?

I've farmed about a billion gil all-told for Dancer now and have 8 Dagger merits. It wouldn't bother me at all if every other Dancer on the server has 8 Dagger merits as well because SE removed the limitations from their merit system. In fact, I'd welcome it so that the server's Dancers could be a little better. The problems I have are more with people that fail to merit a job than those that would merit it and can't because of the merit system.

[Anapingofness]

@ Byrth and Camiie

Let me just say that I agree with the both you. I think you guys really hit the nail on the head, so to speak.

It really made me happy to see people that can see the bigger picture. Not that there haven't been people like that in this thread, I just think that the two of you put it most eloquently. ^^

[Sargent]

I agree, this would be a good idea. I don't know a single person who by now is not capped on Merits. As much as I don't see any reason why this is a bad idea, we all know SE won't do it because they are busy rehashing Lv.75 content to pass it off as "new".

At the very least let us cap at least one more weapon skill, only being allowed 3 at cap is rubbish.