Job Adjustments for the Next Version Update

[Camate]

Greetings!

Below is a comment from Producer Akihiko Matsui in regards to adjustments to take place in the next version update.

In the next version update we will be making the job adjustments outlined below.

There are still aspects that have not been finalized, but please look it over as an outline of things to come. Once I have more concrete details I will be sure to share them with you all.

• Elemental magic adjustments
  We will be making the adjustments outlined here.
  
  
• One-handed weapon status modifier adjustments
  During the version update on March 27th, we performed adjustments so that "The maximum amount of damage dealt based upon the attack-to-defense ratio is now the same for both one-handed and two-handed weapons." As a next step to this, we will be adjusting the way in which status modifiers are applied.
  
  
• Pet job adjustments
  As long as characters are not increasing in level (fundamentally), pet job levels as well will not increase, so we are making it possible to further enhance pets through the equipment players wear. Below are the different plans we have for each of the pet jobs:
  
  • Beastmaster
    Addition of new familiar pets
    
    
  • Dragoon
    Addition of polearms that have stats to increase the parameters of wyverns.
    
    
  • Summoner
    Addition of grips that have stats to increase the parameters of avatars.
    
    
  • Puppetmaster
    Addition of animators that have stats to increase the parameters of automatons.
  
  
• Geomancer and rune fencer adjustments
  Addition of artifact equipment, merit points, and limit break quests.

[Zhronne]

That's a very very bad idea.
You can't force jobs to equip certain items to receive marginal boosts to their pets. What if Dragoons what to use another better Polearm? What if SMNs want to use another different grip?
What if BSTs want to use another pet and boost that instead of using one of the new ones?

Guess this doesn't apply to PUP since Animator is an unique equipment that they're forced to equip anyway.


In my opinion the only possible way to have a fair and balanced improvement of pets conditions is to have what we could call SCALING. Which is exactely the same as pet jobs are handled in 99% of the other MMOs.
You can't have the scaling be too big in a game like FFXI of course, it should be small, a small additional bonus that is calculated according to the master stats.
This way the stronger the stats of the master, the stronger the bonus the pets will receive.
Of course this bonus has to be small, so that "Pet: ..." gear will still be interesting to some extent, at least in certain slots, but that's where trial&error and a good balancement shows.
Imho it's the only possible solution, otherwise you'll be forced to develop more and more and more gear with every patch.

I mean... I like additional "Pet: ..." gear, I LOVE it, but you can't build the balancement of pet jobs around that. It should be a nice specific option, not the "key" to the balance of pet jobs.

[Duelle]

That's a very very bad idea.
You can't force jobs to equip certain items to receive marginal boosts to their pets. What if Dragoons what to use another better Polearm? What if SMNs want to use another different grip?
What if BSTs want to use another pet and boost that instead of using one of the new ones?

Guess this doesn't apply to PUP since Animator is an unique equipment that they're forced to equip anyway.


In my opinion the only possible way to have a fair and balanced improvement of pets conditions is to have what we could call SCALING. Which is exactely the same as pet jobs are handled in 99% of the other MMOs.
You can't have the scaling be too big in a game like FFXI of course, it should be small, a small additional bonus that is calculated according to the master stats.
This way the stronger the stats of the master, the stronger the bonus the pets will receive.

This.

I was hoping pet job changes could come along the lines of scaling rather than even more gear with "Pet: Stat".

[Losie]

That's a very very bad idea.
You can't force jobs to equip certain items to receive marginal boosts to their pets. What if Dragoons what to use another better Polearm? What if SMNs want to use another different grip?
What if BSTs want to use another pet and boost that instead of using one of the new ones?

Guess this doesn't apply to PUP since Animator is an unique equipment that they're forced to equip anyway.


In my opinion the only possible way to have a fair and balanced improvement of pets conditions is to have what we could call SCALING. Which is exactely the same as pet jobs are handled in 99% of the other MMOs.
You can't have the scaling be too big in a game like FFXI of course, it should be small, a small additional bonus that is calculated according to the master stats.
This way the stronger the stats of the master, the stronger the bonus the pets will receive.
Of course this bonus has to be small, so that "Pet: ..." gear will still be interesting to some extent, at least in certain slots, but that's where trial&error and a good balancement shows.
Imho it's the only possible solution, otherwise you'll be forced to develop more and more and more gear with every patch.

I mean... I like additional "Pet: ..." gear, I LOVE it, but you can't build the balancement of pet jobs around that. It should be a nice specific option, not the "key" to the balance of pet jobs.

You're jumping to conclusions. First off, they can balance it off that, because you're misthinking it. The wording implies that EVERY POLEARM henceforth will increase the petmoreso. So the drg won't have to give up a newer, better one, because it will improve their pet better. That's how the pet will improve via gear as well as the master. It's really that simple.

As for SMN, well.. Most grips, for 2h jobs and casters, aren't really superb anyway (far from as good as the stats you can get offhanding a dual-wielded one hander, to say the least) so it'll probably not be a hard slot to swap.

[Duelle]

You're jumping to conclusions. First off, they can balance it off that, because you're misthinking it. The wording implies that EVERY POLEARM henceforth will increase the petmoreso. So the drg won't have to give up a newer, better one, because it will improve their pet better. That's how the pet will improve via gear as well as the master. It's really that simple.

The limitation is the item budget and the fact the last thing we need is even more Pet: Stat gear. It's a band-aid that should really be sparsely used and ideally vanish altogether. Then again, design for DRG should focus on the DRG themselves as the Wyvern has always been supplemental.

The real risk is that polearms moving forward (if you're correct) will be relatively weaker to accommodate DRG and Wyvern stats. Especially for a pet that has paper defense and dies ridiculously easy.

[Sapphire]

Sooooooooo, RUN/GEO jobemotes? Y/Y?

I mean, this is crucial!!!

[Alhanelem]

Puppetmaster
Addition of animators that have stats to increase the parameters of automatons.

We already have an animator that gives +70 to all automaton stats- please take your adjustments in a different direction, thanks! Gear in *other slots* that gives haste to both master and pet would go a long way to closing the remaining power gap between PUP and other DDs.

Summoner
Addition of grips that have stats to increase the parameters of avatars.

Nice and all, but it doesn't address one single fundamental issue summoner has right now- most of which are not really stat-related at all.

Dragoon
Addition of polearms that have stats to increase the parameters of wyverns.

most DRG use their wyvern as a support tool. I doubt any weapon you could create will buff the wyvern enough for anyone to care.

Geomancer and rune fencer adjustments
Addition of artifact equipment, merit points, and limit break quests.

How about nerfing the ridiculous MP costs and casting times of geocolure spells? If you're not able to convince your party to pull monsters into your aura radius, you end up constantly having to cast and recast your luopoan in different locations, and this both burns your MP like fire burns gasoline and wastes your time since they take so long to cast.

As long as characters are not increasing in level (fundamentally), pet job levels as well will not increase ...

Camate, can you please explain to the dev team how fundamentally flawed their logic is here? Yes, we won't be increasing in level, but with the massive power jump in gear recently, we sure will be getting a lot stronger. Pardon my language here, but with a DMG:150 staff available, you'd need to release some pretty *#&^$ amazing grips to make up for the difference in player vs pet stats. I mean, I can cast a cure or two or take 2-3 swings from a DMG:93 staff and pull hate from the pet doing like 1500 damage, so giving me an even better weapon means the gap that the pet would have to make up is even more massive.

Pets need a NATURAL POWER INCREASE- not gear-based stat boosts. Summoners and Puppetmasters both need ABILITY ajustments to reduce the job ability delay burden and line up their pets ability to do damage with the current pace of battle in the game (e.g. cut BP timer and BP delay- items at least in half)

Honestly, I know people think I'm a white knight for SE all the time, but as a big fan of the game's pet jobs, I certainly have a lot to be frustrated about here, so I hope people agree with this.

[Tannlore]

Pardon my language here, but with a DMG:150 staff available, you'd need to release some pretty *#&^$ amazing grips to make up for the difference in player vs pet stats. I mean, I can cast a cure or two or take 2-3 swings from a DMG:93 staff and pull hate from the pet doing like 1500 damage, so giving me an even better weapon means the gap that the pet would have to make up is even more massive.

Well Tahn... You and I are in full agreement here. These grips better be mini-R/E/Ms for avatars in their own right so to speak. I am very dissapointed and hope this isn't the extent of their "adjustments" for smn.

[jake3614]

Well Tahn... You and I are in full agreement here. These grips better be mini-R/E/Ms for avatars in their own right so to speak. I am very disappointed and hope this isn't the extent of their "adjustments" for smn.

I could see them adding a grip for each individual avatar, similar to the Elemental Macc Grips. So get ready for INV+9! I only hope the stats are beneficial, and without latents like "if player's weapon isn't drawn, Garuda MACC/MAB/ACC/ATTK+50." I could see that happening, actually.

[Kojo]

Geomancer and rune fencer adjustments
Addition of artifact equipment, merit points, and limit break quests.

It is....it is so beautiful...