Expanding Materia System

Here are a few ideas on how the Materia system could be improved, in a way that restores the awesomeness it has in FF7 and more!

[1] - Materia is separated into 5 types:
- Purple (Independent) - Stats - the current bonuses. There could also be percentage bonus Materia, if needed with a flat maximum like Food: +X% (max Y).
The flat bonus Materia "+5" would be best to compensate stats you might be lacking, and the percentage Materia "+5% (max 7)" ideal to maximize your best Stat(s).
- Green (Magic) - Magic
- Yellow (Command) - Skill
- Red (Summon) - Summon
- Blue (Support) - Utility & Linking with Green/Yellow/Red (see [2])
[1.1] - Green, Yellow, Red and Blue Materia do nothing on their own when melded. Instead, they can then be attached to Abilities.
Example:
Step 1 - You meld 4 Slots:
(Purple) +5 Str
(Green) Impact (adds AoE Splash to spell)
(Blue) HP Absorb (damage with attached skill partially absorbed as hp)
(Blue) Overcool (Cooldown on attached skill reduced by 1 sec when you use other skills)
Step 2 - Impact, Cooldown Recovery and HP Absorb become visible in the ability menu.
Step 3 - You attach Impact to Fire III, HP Absorb to Fire II and Overcool to Swiftcast.
[1.2] - You shouldn't be able to stack more than 1 of the same Materia in a piece of equipment, getting a penalty when you do.
Example: Having 2 "+5 Str" Materia might result in a 20% penalty, ending up with "+8 Str" from the two combined Materia.
This is aimed at helping make sure that Independent (Purple) Materia isn't just used on the "unlinked" chest/leg pieces, as you will not be able to just stack your favorite stat that way, thus allowing it to still be attractive for other pieces of gear.

[2] - Materia Slots in gear can have Linked slots (pairs only)
[2.1] - By default, an ability can only be affected by 1 Materia, but by linking a Blue Materia with a Green/Yellow/Red Materia, they both affect the same ability.
So in the example above, if the Impact (Green) and HP Absorb (Blue) Materia are in linked slots, they can both attach to Fire III.
[2.2] - Some Blue/Support Materia may be Link-Only.
Example: Added Effect (Blue/Support) - Adds attached Ability's effect to the Ability attached to Linked Green/Yellow/Red Materia.
(So you can attach Added Effect to Phlebotomize and Double Cut to True Thrust, and if Added Effect and Double Cut are linked, True Thrust will apply Phlebotomize's bleed on top of benefitting from Double Cut.)

[3] - Items could provide "set" bonuses for melding specific combinations of Materia (order/position does not matter).
Example:
A chest piece with 4 Slots might give you:
+2 Int if you meld at least 1 Purple Materia
+2 Crit if you meld at least 1 Purple and 1 Blue
+2 Determination if you meld at least 1 Purple 1 Blue and 1 Green.

[4] - Materia could be allowed to level up, unlock additional effects, and produce a new level 1 Materia once it reaches max (Master) level.
Example:
Double Cut Materia (Yellow/Command) -
Level 1 (2x-Cut) - Every 5th use of the attached damaging ability will hit the target 2 times for 90% damage each (180% total).
Level 2 (3x-Cut) - Every 5th use of the attached damaging ability will hit the target 3 times for 80% each (240% total).
Level 3 (4x-Cut) - Every 5th use of the attached damaging ability will hit the target 4 times for 70% each (280% total).
Level 4 (Master) - A level 1 Double Cut Materia is born.

Love the idea. We could even go as far as to remove cross class skills and add materia skills that can be be equip to the character like the cross class skills. To be honest most of the cross skills we don't use. For example we could even have several diff skills materia that one for DOW and DOM and even some that are seperated by role. Like a healer can equip a skill materia that can increase potency of next heal. Or a tank can equip a skill that heals for a small amount of hp but has a long cool down. I just like the whole ff7 materia system

Cross Class Skills should be improved, not removed.
They would be better off using an Allocation Point system instead of fixed slots.
So instead of 3 slots per Job, you might get 30 Points, and each skill would have a certain Allocation Cost.
So let's say Raging Blows uses up 12 - you'd be at 12/30 after equipping it.
This allows SE to fine tune Skill costs for each Class/Job.

And this system could also be made available for Traits and perhaps even Cross Class Traits. Many possibilities.

If they made materia do more than just increase raw stats, then they would need to add materia slots to all gear including raid stuff because everyone would want those advantages.

I think the reason they don't let you have that level of customisation is because it makes it much harder for them to balance it so certain combinations are not too powerful and deemed necessary to have.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rufalus

If they made materia do more than just increase raw stats, then they would need to add materia slots to all gear including raid stuff because everyone would want those advantages.

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If the effects aren't overpowered, then you will look at all materia and gear stats in the same way.
A +5 Str will affect all your abilities, while a "reduced cooldown on ability X" affects 1.
It's not meant to be a no-brainer, otherwise there would be no point having Independent Materia (Stats).
As long as it's not horrible done, it will be a meaningful decision.

That being said, yes, Gear Slots across different gear would need to be looked at.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rufalus

I think the reason they don't let you have that level of customisation is because it makes it much harder for them to balance it so certain combinations are not too powerful and deemed necessary to have.

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That just means SE needs to step up their game, because the balance in this game is not superior to that of games with build customizability (which this game does not yet have).
A certain popular MMO has 3-4 specs per class and many ways to customize each spec to a competitive level, and manages to keep the various DPS builds within a respectable proximity of each other accounting for what they bring besides damage, as well as making sure all tank and healer builds are competitive.

That means we are comparing FFXIV's 13 "builds" (which are not more balanced) with that other game's 100+ endgame builds.

Build diversity and skill cap are the only areas I consider FFXIV is behind when comparing to MMOs out there.
Between this kind of change to Materia, giving us real choices in Traits, Skills and Cross-Class Skills, and giving us more dynamic (not premeditated) decisions in our rotation, the above issues would most certainly be dealt with.

Still, that was not the only reason I posted this suggestion.
I find it sad that FFXIV used the name "Materia", which we recognize from FFVII, and turned that awesome concept into mere Gems (stat sticks) for FFXIV:ARR...
This suggestion is also an attempt to restore Materia's glory and dignity.

The same should be done to Limit Breaks, as we should have some form of personal Limit Break, but that's for another thread.