Future Plans for Equipment

[Glamdring]

actually Kari it's very hard. Competition to get the NMs is fierce. and before you say get a static, I've joined 3. all broke up before they even started on mine. I've gotten 8 souls so far, soloing on my rune because I got lucky and managed to get a claim while someone's static was busy and reacted just a second or 2 too slowly. between that, the low conversion rate on the abyssite and the long repop on the NMs I don't anticipate getting this anytime soon. and the 90-99 leg is going to be murder considering the volume of plates required, noone doing VW much and the requirement for procs meaning it cannot be meaningfully soloed.

My relic will be easier since I can solo it to 75, just needing time. but past that might be a problem if/when I have to go bard as even at 119 soloing is difficult on brd. I think my event shell will help on those fights since we can do most in a single run but I can't be certain, other players have their own priorities to make themselves tougher so making the bard even stronger for stuff we only do on events nights isn't as high on their priority list. And considering that I'm good enough as a bard that we beat most content with my measly 2 songs makes it even less of a priority-no content REQUIRES 3-4 songs to beat, it just makes it alot easier and more certain.

If anything, my worry is that a 3 song instrument will give them even less incentive to help me with the harp I really do want.

[Selindrile]

I own an Ochain and it was hellacious to get, but I am not bothered by the inclusion of these new shields, and welcome the new 3 song instrument as well.

In my perfect world Ochain/Aegis would remain the best shields and Daur/Gjaller the best instruments, but only by a small margin, would even love to see them reach iLv119, but I'd like the gap to be within something like 10~15% effectiveness of each other. Not the current world in which a max Daur literally double's a bard's effectiveness compared to any other option.

I still wish they would ease the requirements on getting Ochain, both the souls and the heavy metal plates part as well.

Shields, in actuality, are far closer, I tanked difficult AAs before getting my Ochain, with Beatific, and after recieving Ochain, I was surprised it wasn't a bigger difference, but I'm still satisified having done it, and would like to get it to 99 or 119, but as it is, I won't work on Heavy Metal Plates the way they are now.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

I think you're mistaking the word career for princess. No worries. It's a common mistake.

That would explain my Pretty Princess Pally Tiara Coronet...

[Peepiopi]

Greetings,

As we’ve mentioned before, the development team would like to add new shields and instruments so that both paladin and bard can have an easier time playing without being too focused on obtaining relics and empyreans. I'd like to share the development team's thoughts at the moment and what is planned for the future.

• Shields
  Currently, shield blocks and the amount of damage reduced are affected by the following:
  
  Damage reduced: type of shield and shield defense
  Block rate: type of shield, player shield skill, combat skill attributed to each monster
  
  Comparing Ochain and the easier to obtain Beatific Shield +1, damage reduction from the Beatific Shield is approximately 50%, while Ochain is around 60%, and the block rate, though it depends on the enemy, is very close between the two. On the other hand, the Killedar Shield’s damage reduction nearly reaches 70%, but the block rate is lower. While Ochain is still more powerful than both of these shields, we've managed to close the large gap that existed in the past.
  
  We plan on adding new item level 119 shields moving forward to close this gap even more.
  
  
• Instruments
  In the April version update we will be introducing a new instrument that grants an additional song. As this effect is extremely powerful, it won't be so easy to obtain; however, we'd like this to be another option in addition to Daurdabla.

While the treatment of powerful equipment can be difficult, we'd like to continue to increase other choices so that these jobs can join parties easier and have a more comfortable time playing.

I'm all for more non-RME options, but this feels like a little bandaid to the bigger issue. Yes this gives more non-RME users opportunities to participate in endgame boss fights, but at the end of the day, it still doesn't do anything to change the already monopolizing demand for Paladins and Bards. There are other jobs in the game you know..

[Zarchery]

I'm all for more non-RME options, but this feels like a little bandaid to the bigger issue. Yes this gives more non-RME users opportunities to participate in endgame boss fights, but at the end of the day, it still doesn't do anything to change the already monopolizing demand for Paladins and Bards. There are other jobs in the game you know..

What jobs do you put in the parties you create for endgame activities?

[Kimjongil]

I wish SE would buff other jobs so its not a seven to eight job game even though 22 jobs I game. Why can't cor and geo have an extra buff to give out?

Why cant war sam drk drg blu be buffed enough to be able to do endgame like mnk and rng?

SE shouldn't try to give options to fix a problem they made, but bring back Tanaka as he at least had job balance. Their is no balance right now.

While you are at it, for high end battlefields you should introduce a new item NOt AA fights but DM, the two tower fights and others. "Blank page" This item can be traded to a NPC for a chapter of your choice 6-10. This would make people do the fights.

[Demonjustin]

I wish SE would buff other jobs so its not a seven to eight job game even though 22 jobs I game. Why can't cor and geo have an extra buff to give out?

Why cant war sam drk drg blu be buffed enough to be able to do endgame like mnk and rng?

I agree although to some extent this is impossible to balance, or SE is incapable of balancing it. They have shown everything either hits to light to matter(Delve) or hit to hard to survive(AAs). In the first category everyone complains it's to easy and the difficulty lies solely in killing the monsters fast enough to finish the event, while they often add stupidly overpowered attacks in the mix to make up for the easier enemies such as Encumbrance, Weakness, Death, Doom, or Zombie. In the second category everyone takes only PLD, MNK, and RNG, due to the fact that PLD can mitigate a ton of DMG, MNK has the highest HP and can take a lot of DMG, and RNG is able to do a ton of DMG from a distance without pulling hate which allows them to take no DMG. So long as content falls into these 2 categories, things won't change much.

MNK also holds to much utility, not only is it the DD with the highest DPS but it also has the most HP, a JA to boost it's and everyone else's HP, and JA that lets it be the best magical DD there is. That results in a job which is basically made to be perfect. Why bring a DRK when it's only doing DMG? A MNK does more magic based DMG than a DRK ever could hope to hold a candle to and DPS wise DRK falls behind a MNK so far as I know, not only that but the MNK will take more hits. The same thing goes to WAR, but WAR is even worse off with no magic damage. DRG can lower monster's DEF and has the highest Accuracy in the game which is an edge for it, while BLU has a lot of things it can do, but neither in the end surpass MNK either.

To fix this though they would have to buff every DD to have great magic DMG while also giving them all an HP boost and more utility abilities overall so that they don't become a MNK clone.

SE shouldn't try to give options to fix a problem they made, but bring back Tanaka as he at least had job balance. Their is no balance right now.

Tanaka was no better, he made worse content by far, you could argue he had more job balance but nothing has really changed for the jobs except for the new weapons, which admittedly MNK's was unbalanced by the amount of skill placed on it and how MNK works, but outside of that nothing has actually changed in the end. The thing that changed job balance the most was the fact that PD went away as being a viable solution to all our problems, back when PD & Embrava were the be all end all solutions we did things like Legion using them and a verity of DDs. If PD never existed I have no doubt that eventually MNKs and Mantra cycles would have become the norm there too, we just took till Adoulin for it to happen because it wasn't till Adoulin that PD really fell out of use. If anything I would say the jobs were less balanced under him in the end though because at least Matsui has introduced things that have helped balance some of the more broken jobs such as the Animators which made PUP Automatons better, the Blood Pact Recast II stat that has helped fix SMN up a bit, and so on. In all honesty I feel like they are more balanced than before but at the same time still broken, Tanaka wasn't better when it came to balance in my opinion but he wasn't much worse either.

While you are at it, for high end battlefields you should introduce a new item NOt AA fights but DM, the two tower fights and others. "Blank page" This item can be traded to a NPC for a chapter of your choice 6-10. This would make people do the fights.

This I agree with completely. The fact it's random is a massive disincentive to do it, that and the low drop rate on the battery which seems like its 1%... those drop rates never made anyone want to do a piece of content.

[Kimjongil]

I agree although to some extent this is impossible to balance, or SE is incapable of balancing it. They have shown everything either hits to light to matter(Delve) or hit to hard to survive(AAs). In the first category everyone complains it's to easy and the difficulty lies solely in killing the monsters fast enough to finish the event, while they often add stupidly overpowered attacks in the mix to make up for the easier enemies such as Encumbrance, Weakness, Death, Doom, or Zombie. In the second category everyone takes only PLD, MNK, and RNG, due to the fact that PLD can mitigate a ton of DMG, MNK has the highest HP and can take a lot of DMG, and RNG is able to do a ton of DMG from a distance without pulling hate which allows them to take no DMG. So long as content falls into these 2 categories, things won't change much.

MNK also holds to much utility, not only is it the DD with the highest DPS but it also has the most HP, a JA to boost it's and everyone else's HP, and JA that lets it be the best magical DD there is. That results in a job which is basically made to be perfect. Why bring a DRK when it's only doing DMG? A MNK does more magic based DMG than a DRK ever could hope to hold a candle to and DPS wise DRK falls behind a MNK so far as I know, not only that but the MNK will take more hits. The same thing goes to WAR, but WAR is even worse off with no magic damage. DRG can lower monster's DEF and has the highest Accuracy in the game which is an edge for it, while BLU has a lot of things it can do, but neither in the end surpass MNK either.

To fix this though they would have to buff every DD to have great magic DMG while also giving them all an HP boost and more utility abilities overall so that they don't become a MNK clone.

Tanaka was no better, he made worse content by far, you could argue he had more job balance but nothing has really changed for the jobs except for the new weapons, which admittedly MNK's was unbalanced by the amount of skill placed on it and how MNK works, but outside of that nothing has actually changed in the end. The thing that changed job balance the most was the fact that PD went away as being a viable solution to all our problems, back when PD & Embrava were the be all end all solutions we did things like Legion using them and a verity of DDs. If PD never existed I have no doubt that eventually MNKs and Mantra cycles would have become the norm there too, we just took till Adoulin for it to happen because it wasn't till Adoulin that PD really fell out of use. If anything I would say the jobs were less balanced under him in the end though because at least Matsui has introduced things that have helped balance some of the more broken jobs such as the Animators which made PUP Automatons better, the Blood Pact Recast II stat that has helped fix SMN up a bit, and so on. In all honesty I feel like they are more balanced than before but at the same time still broken, Tanaka wasn't better when it came to balance in my opinion but he wasn't much worse either.

This I agree with completely. The fact it's random is a massive disincentive to do it, that and the low drop rate on the battery which seems like its 1%... those drop rates never made anyone want to do a piece of content.

Keep in mind, they nerfed twilight scythe. Magic dmg scythe for drk. But they don't nerf mnk JA process for magic. They nerf blood weapon, making monsters resist it or immune to it. But they don't nerf monks JA or hundred fist. They don't let souleater gear stack but will let counter or store TP.

They won't give blu a sword with +150-200 blu magic, or potency or magic. There are many things they could do. But they nerfed drk way into the ground and buffed mnk to their being little to no point in playing other jobs. YOu won't see invites andbe laughed at.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

it still doesn't do anything to change the already monopolizing demand for Paladins

Beatific ain't exactly PLD-only.

[Selindrile]

What jobs do you put in the parties you create for endgame activities?

The good ones, just like everyone else, which is the point of his gripe that he needs to do something of the sort.