[devtalk] Learning skills and spells

Hi,

I would have posted that in the thread about money sink but I think this should be discussed seperatly.

I really hate the way how skills and spells are just learned as you level. Yes it's easier and I'm sure some players (not going to say casuals because I consider myself semi-casual) like it but it's really not that fun.

How is it even fun to just rank up and then learn something right there on the spot. I really wish they would go FFXI's way but improve it. I wish the spells would be learned by scrolls, sold by NPC or dropped from mobs as well like in FFXI. It gave you things to hunt and try to get for yourself. It made some content and you actually were happy to learn this new spell when you got to the appropriate level. In FFXIV it should be similar to that and should be the same for weapon skills and melee abilities.

Some could be obtained by quests, not all of them would have to be purchased but it would create a decent money sink for the purchased skills/spells.

What do you guys think? Do you really like this easy/let-me-hold-your-hand way we are getting the spells/skills? Or would you rather have them drops/purcharsed/quested so that it gave a meaning to them, added content AND gave a rewarding sense of accomplishment?

Yup everyone having the spell right away kinda takes from feeling unique. in this game theres no envy from other players cuz everyone can have everything.

i agree , would give more things to do and a sense of accomplishment

I don't really believe there's anything wrong with learning many of the lower skills just as you level up. New abilities help keep you interested and make combat much more enjoyable then when you have very little at your disposal. Also, considering how difficult in can be to track things down in most any FF game, most especially the MMO's, it might be a bit harsh on upcoming players to make them earn everything.

However, I very much agree with having to go out and earn, preferably through quests, higher level, more powerful abilities. During the latter half of the game, anyone still playing is already involved, and giving them more to do can hardly ever be a bad thing. Quests = more lore and interesting bits of progression, and I'll take those 'any' day of the week.

My idea:
Anytime you would learn a NEW SKILL (as in not a II or III spell), you instead have a class quest you have to do to earn those skills.

I hated scrolls in FFXI. Mages started off incredibly gimped and the RMT made it impossible for newbies wanting to start out as a mage to actually buy anything. Good luck trying to farm for a scroll when you have nothing but your basic skills.

I think maybe getting from 1- 50 it's okay to just learn things...but maybe as we get higher in rank once the cap is increased, something like this would be enjoyable content. Makes it feel like a larger achievement.

IMO 1~50 learning style is perfect. This way everyone has the basic of every class.

I'd like to see higher tier actions being quested tho...like me being able to quest a Skull Sunder III or a Fire III. Also, to raise the uniqueness feeling, would be nice a certain NPC offering the tier up quest of a bunch of actions (i'd say like 3~5 per NPC) and you have to pick which one you want...once you pick a certain action, all other quests become locked. This wouls stimulate a strategic picking of actions.

But, of course, an option for forgetting the action so you can redo the quest would be needed too for those that just accept it mistakenly or just think what they learned isn't worth having.

After reading you inputs, which I am very grateful for, I think I could conceed that the first ranks skills/spells could be learn the way they are now or maybe trained at the guild. I wouldn't say 1 ~ 50 though, maybe more like 1 ~ 30, even though it might not be all fair to new players since all those who are 50 won't have to go through that but hey, we stuck to the game and maybe it wouldn't be too unfair.

After 30 then they should be quested or dropped scrolls and not only for mages but for melees as well to even things out. I just really feel it would add a feel of accomplishment and would also add things to do instead of just this race to rank to max level. I want to be pulled away every now and then from SP and go out in the world to improve my character's job and not have everything handed to me on a silver plate.

Quests for higher level skills and spells would certainly be welcome ( and it sounds like that's what they're doing with the job system ). That's even casual-friendly content if done right, and the guild counters can make it easy to track down the quest's starting point.