Artifact/Epic items

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Originally Posted by synaesthetic

You're joking, right? BLM is one of the most well-designed jobs in the game. It doesn't rely entirely upon a single skill (Invigorate) to keep it from running out of resources in long fights like MNK, DRG and BRD do. BLM has a perfect set-up with the "burn phase" with Astral Fire and the "recovery phase" with Umbral Ice. If only the rest of the jobs in the game had the same very active method of resource regeneration. Tanks are even more screwed, left just waiting for TP to regenerate. That's not fun; that's boring and uninvolved and frustrating.

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agree 10000%

Fixing the TP model isn't too hard, either. Have autoattacks regenerate TP in combat along with the normal TP ticks (though at a reduced rate), while utilizing the comboing system to reduce TP costs and give TP bonuses. Giving each TP-using class a "big attack" that hits very hard, but uses 1000 TP, and then they'd have a weaker small combo that restores TP, providing interesting variation in rotations.

I'm actually happy with the BLM model they have. I sometimes wish this game was more serious about its elemental properties, but then I remember how trivial they are in reality and how annoying it is to randomly be shafted by certain encounters because of spell distribution.

Giving BLM 3 attack spells of each element wouldn't have made it a better class or its combat any better. It'd just clog up my HUD. but the balance system FF14 uses is pretty awesome to me.


As for the "other" resources, I do pray that later on SE will introduce some armor/weapon/special abilities that use the second resource as a moderator, similar to the way Bard songs work.

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Originally Posted by Magis

Ugh =\ that sucks. Speaking of complex combat, I wish XIV had an elemental wheel. Did 1.0 have one too (I'd assume so)? It's always weird how you kill a fire elemental with Fire.

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A mild one, at least. I don't remember how large the variance was for each element as a spellcaster, but it was often huge for my Monk (which used to use en-[element] modifiers in Fists of [x]). Sometimes my defensive buff would cause me to hit harder than the primary damage buff (Earth over Fire), though gnats [lightning element] are the only example I can think of at the moment for that. Conjurer was an elementalist with the full elemental wheel and Thaumaturge was a spiritualist with Bio, Banish, Dia, Scourge, etc.

To be honest I kind of like that each is actually utility though, especially since it's currently limited to halves, each within a single caster class. I'd rather have slows/binds, DoTs, and direct damage than one third of my spells usable for the same effect but each only on certain enemies. That's not to say that one can't have both the wheel and variant uses/utility, but it can't be done in the simplicity that Yoshi seems to prefer.

Also, even if you're 'spicing' up different abilities through different item bonuses, the objective will remain the same as long as the basic purpose of any raid does: kill the enemy more quickly. Situation-specific dps maximization, survival maximization, total/crucial healing maximization. The less dully that attaches itself to gearing choices (the more fights and bonuses ideal for them vary), the more total sets you'll need to maximize your potential in each fight.

[A rework of materia could prevent that, by going more in the direction of talents with some XP-like stat (materia points or w/e) allotted into varying abilities through choices opened by armor you have spiritbonded, but even that would likely lead only to niching in due time and less understanding of your teammates' abilities, diminishing coordination.]

Tldr; there's always another way to have more 'fun' at your disposal without locking yourself into particular pieces of gear or specialization niches. Just have more tools than you can simultaneously use, some of which are ideal only situationally, and therefore do not create incredibly long and roundabout rotations among the elite (unless the entire party knows how to fit those tools in perfectly).

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Originally Posted by synaesthetic

You're joking, right? BLM is one of the most well-designed jobs in the game. It doesn't rely entirely upon a single skill (Invigorate) to keep it from running out of resources in long fights like MNK, DRG and BRD do. BLM has a perfect set-up with the "burn phase" with Astral Fire and the "recovery phase" with Umbral Ice. If only the rest of the jobs in the game had the same very active method of resource regeneration. Tanks are even more screwed, left just waiting for TP to regenerate. That's not fun; that's boring and uninvolved and frustrating.

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I somewhat have to disagree with TP regen being uninvolved in consideration of Monk conservation phases, etc, but... those could be more interesting too. I honestly wish BLM's invocation/evocation phasing was a bit more variable though. It's still a very simple and relatively rigid mechanic, with less actual choice-work than long-term dps as a Monk, though likely more than that of any other class (any combo class simply drops a primary combo or two, waiting to rebuff, and Bard just drops primary shots, which is fairly dull).