Item Levels

[FrankReynolds]

And just to be clear here, they are basically saying that only the best players (who don't play nin, thf, blu, red, dnc or bst) who have a linkshell with a bunch of other really well geared friends can ever reach the level cap now.

They should have done this back at 75. They would all be working somewhere else on some modern game by now.

[Byrth]

Come august, I bet it is the opposite. Having massive acc boosts on your weapons will really make current content easier, which will make it easier to progress through the Fracture NMs and "level up." The skill weapons are enough of an Acc boost for Delve bosses and also provide a large attack boost. This means you can drop several songs (no daurd required) and maybe a roll too while still maintaining current kill speeds. I bet delve bosses are beatable in august with 4 songs and no COR rotation.

[FrankReynolds]

Come august, I bet it is the opposite. Having massive acc boosts on your weapons will really make current content easier, which will make it easier to progress through the Fracture NMs and "level up." The skill weapons are enough of an Acc boost for Delve bosses and also provide a large attack boost. This means you can drop several songs (no daurd required) and maybe a roll too while still maintaining current kill speeds. I bet delve bosses are beatable in august with 4 songs and no COR rotation.

Of course by then there will be some new awfulness to replace boss drops and the same groups will still be 20 levels higher than everyone else.

EDIT:And within two weeks, your delve weapons won't be good enough to get you into a group anymore either.

Rapid gear progression is great. I'm so glad they couldn't find a way to progress our characters through some sort of merit system...

[Rwolf]

Still in agreement this item level crap is poorly implemented. I own Ixtab (Great Axe) and Xbalanque (Scythe) now and I can notice the difference. Even with every weapon above Lv.100 getting it's own Combat Skill+, 2 handers once again completely overshadow 1 handers.

Problems I have with the item level system.
TL;DR: Item level sucks and combat skill+ sucks. I'd rather see a mix of new weapons and armor with old/new merit group expansions through battlefield wins to expand levels.

Poor implementation
Instead of waiting to implement it all at once with weapons across the board. We have to wait for these weapons to be implemented in the future. Effectively making some jobs "higher level" than others until everyone gets Level 118 weapons. Dual wielders will then have to find two of them that somehow equates to +188 skill each to even be back on the normal gap between 2 hand and 1 hand. Effectively solving nothing with 1 handed users for twice or more as much effort as gaining one 2 handed weapon.

Solution: Make it work like normal skill and apply to both weapons, only it adds the highest item level weapon of the two regardless of which hand. If I'm going to be "Level 118" regardless of what hand it's in, I should reap the benefits of being "Level 118" regardless. I also shouldn't be penalized for equipping a lower level weapon in my main hand because as others have stated. If I'm level 99 for instance using a level 66 dagger in my main hand. I still have the accuracy/attack of level 99 skill, just lower base damage. That should remain the same and makes the most sense. Why? Because some weapons have an additional effect I might want, who knows. Does it really break anything using a Oynos Knife in my main and a Macoquetza in my off? No, because you're already being penalized on your weapon skills which is penalty enough.

Weapons/Armor are quickly outdated
I don't like this whole push to constantly get new gear, especially in the current situation of inventory problems. Just having all jobs myself. I'm forced to drop something if I want all the job specific capes or mule them (if that's even possible, haven't tried). Not counting all the gear they are adding next update and with the fractures of the new naakauls opening. I'm all for better gear but they are pushing too much upgrades too fast.

I understand they are thinking in this process of get reive or AH weapons so you can get skirmish weapons, so you can get old wildskeeper weapons, so you can do delve nms, to do delve constantly until you get a delve weapon from current T4-5, then immediately go to the newer wildskeeper, so you can eventually do delve all over again. This is always the nature of MMO's but not in a matter of 4 months...

Solution: Slow down. Let people savor their accomplishments and showcase their results. Constantly adding new things that beat the last thing just makes everyone jump steps on your design ladder because it's silly and hard to get help for over time. Work on stuff that's been promised a long time ago. (Dark magic Fast Cast, Cait Sith & Atomos, Boost adjustments, etc.)

This removable level system is lame and in my personal opinion I'd rather see item levels abolished. At least with meriting I felt a sense of accomplishment because it's permanent upgrades to my character and I get a good sense of effort/reward. This new system is all about temporary reward where your accomplishments are negated in the next update. And if people feel like exp at this point is too mindnumbling easy. Then make it so each of these bosses drops a cap on new merits and raises caps on old merits so you have players who also have battle experience.

[darkhorror]

The other thing is that if you have two weapons with two different acc values, you will want to cap both. So you will need more acc to cap the offhand hit rate. Thus needing more acc gear instead of attack, and other damage type gear just for the offhand thus gimping the main hand since you don't need that extra acc for it. Where as 2hander will not have this problem.

What is going to be bad is when the +skill on the H2H weapon only effects main hand, and it wouldn't surprise me at all lol.

[Glamdring]

Matsui, could you PLEASE change the gear priorities so the r/m/e update takes place in August? Honestly, seeing all the whining on here is giving me migraines. As long as my rune AF comes out as advertised (the second time) I'll be happy.

[FrankReynolds]

The other thing is that if you have two weapons with two different acc values, you will want to cap both. So you will need more acc to cap the offhand hit rate. Thus needing more acc gear instead of attack, and other damage type gear just for the offhand thus gimping the main hand since you don't need that extra acc for it. Where as 2hander will not have this problem.

What is going to be bad is when the +skill on the H2H weapon only effects main hand, and it wouldn't surprise me at all lol.

I know right? How stupid would that be?

[Marianka]

Soooo. It seems you are really serious about killing this game with stuff from other rpgs people dont even want there. This may come as a shock to SE developers, but maybe you should give ppl actually stuff they want?

If it weren't for the other people on this game I would have given up ages ago because apparently SE does not understand the concept of customer

[Spiegel]

Matsui, could you PLEASE change the gear priorities so the r/m/e update takes place in August? Honestly, seeing all the whining on here is giving me migraines. As long as my rune AF comes out as advertised (the second time) I'll be happy.

Lol keep dreaming that is not going to happen before they release all delve mega bosses weapons. Hopefully in December update... If not maybe early 2014.

[FrankReynolds]

Lol keep dreaming that is not going to happen before they release all delve mega bosses weapons. Hopefully in December update... If not maybe early 2014.

I fully expect them to do one of two things:

A) Buff RME to the point that they render all the Adoulin weapons that people built obsolete

B) Buff them so little that everyone just dies of disappointment


The odds that they will somehow achieve any semblance of balance with the new gear they are currently adding are astronomically bad.