Raise your item level to 119 by completing a tutorial quest!

[OmnysValefor]

I don't think ilvl should be removed. I didn't like it at first, and I'm not fond of it now, but it's here to stay and it would require significant resources to transfer everything over.

When ilvl first hit, the very first stuff was ilvl 100. There was 106, 113, 115, 119 and probably others, because this gear increased in power. While Kariyeh (the bayld stuff) made a mockery of our previously-hard earned gear. Manibohzo (delve 113 plate) laughed at that. It was sensible that this stuff was higher ilvl because it was clearly more powerful.

But now we've been stuck at "119" for almost three years, and the gear just keeps getting stronger and stronger. I realize that if our current gear said i129 on it, newbies in sparks would feel overwhelmed, but it's deceptive for the game to let them think they're so close when they're miles away.

It makes the players look like elitist when they look at someone in "full 119" and tell them that their gear simply isn't good enough.

And if you're a nice guy, telling someone that--or being told that, really really sucks.

[Olor]

I realize that if our current gear said i129 on it, newbies in sparks would feel overwhelmed, but it's deceptive for the game to let them think they're so close when they're miles away.

It makes the players look like elitist when they look at someone in "full 119" and tell them that their gear simply isn't good enough.

And if you're a nice guy, telling someone that--or being told that, really really sucks.

Honestly I think most people would much prefer the ilevel reflected the actual power level - for a noobie I imagine it is much more overwhelming to learn not all 119 gear is 119 gear and to have to know the systems etc so they can make sensible comparisons of items.

[Selindrile]

We just went from "FFXI will get no more content at all" to " content will continue, with a smaller dev team" and you want them to do something as massive an undertaking as increasing the level cap or something?

How about we leave the system as it is and not do any of that?

I know that's what we've been seeing Pixela, but did they actually say that as a mission statement at some point? If so I missed it.

And Omnys, it seems I've disagreed with you on a few topics lately as I've posted but on iLevel, we're pretty much on the same page on this one at least it seems so.

[Cabalabob]

While ilvl gear isn't the most elegant solution since as a SMN, I have i119 in gear but I'm currently i114 because all my best gear is stuff like RF gear. But I have a gearset to be 119 just for summoning trust. Which is a pain. I half hope they'll add a i119 body and leg slot with a can't equip head, hands and feet gear effect on it that gives buffs to trust like trust: acc/attack etc. That makes you 119 and gives trust buffs just so I have a reason to have a gear set specifically for summoning trust.

But I don't agree about power creep, yes there's a difference between delve and reisenjima gear but the same could be said about the 75 era and even the 99 era. You had your entry level gear then your endgame stuff. 75 it was relic gear then you got stuff from sky, limbus and einherjar which was far superior. Aby had the perle set etc. Then you got emp gear which was far superior, this is no different except people are getting hung up on the fact it has an ilvl tag on it.

[Catmato]

this is no different except people are getting hung up on the fact it has an ilvl tag on it.

Except that the entire idea behind item levels is to tell you how strong a piece of equipment is.

[Olor]

Except that the entire idea behind item levels is to tell you how strong a piece of equipment is.

Exactly lol.

First they changed the old system where gear was good based on stats... then they added this arbitrary nonsense ilevel to it - basically invalidating everything - but with the premise that gear would go up in ilevel with power - then they brought back the old style of system just with ilevel 119 and less overall choice and balance. What a mess.

They could have just continued adding gear - some of it really good, some of it not fantastic (but better than some other stuff or decent for certain macros) - but allowing the previous 11 years of ffxi gear to still have some meaning.

Instead they just wiped it out and brought in this poorly balanced mess where every new set erases the old.

And honestly we had some good old stuff - things like magian weapons or augmented abjuration gear were really cool and offered a nice customizability to players - they could have built on those systems or at least not invalidated them entirely.

Not only would that have not erased the work people put into them but given new players an avenue for making gear that they could use to climb the ladder.

[Pixela]

Except that the entire idea behind item levels is to tell you how strong a piece of equipment is.

Ilevel as a concept was abandoned and as such we will never go beyond 119, at least in terms of what people are complaining about here. The only reason the base system remains from the stall at 119 is because too many core features were built upon it. This new way to let everyone become 119 shows that as a feature Ilevel is gone and is now nothing more than a way to be "max level".

They can't remove Ilevel without massive reworks of the game, that is not going to happen at this point in time. So to all the people complaining, are you asking for higher quality 119 gear to be toned back or what? Given reality of the situation what are you trying to accomplish with the complaining exactly?

[Secondplanet]

It's not like our discussions have any bearing on what the devs do. But yeah, let's leave the broken item level system in place.

Considering that the JP boards get about 5-6 replies from the dev team compared to our 1 i have to agree with that statement. I think there was even a board on the JP portion where they could vote for the next mount that was released.

would be nice if we got a say in this game since you know.... we pay the same subscription.

[Pixela]

Considering that the JP boards get about 5-6 replies from the dev team compared to our 1 i have to agree with that statement. I think there was even a board on the JP portion where they could vote for the next mount that was released.

would be nice if we got a say in this game since you know.... we pay the same subscription.

The developers are Japanese, they probably can't read/write english at all (or not well enough to not cause a PR disaster). They can interact as posters in Japanese as they want to, they can't do that here. They don't hate us, just there is a barrier.

We get the admins here passing some things along and translating it but that's all you're going to get.

[Catmato]

They can't remove Ilevel without massive reworks of the game, that is not going to happen at this point in time. So to all the people complaining, are you asking for higher quality 119 gear to be toned back or what? Given reality of the situation what are you trying to accomplish with the complaining exactly?

I've already stated that I'd like item levels removed and the level cap raised instead. The only arguments against it have been that it would be too much work, not that it's a bad idea.