Letter from the Producer LIVE Part XXXVI Digest (6/13/2017)

We’re pleased to present a brief digest of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part XXXVI! If you missed the stream or if you just want to watch it again (and again), check it out below! This time Yoshi-P explained many aspects of the upcoming changes using live gameplay, so be sure to check out the video while reading through the digest.

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*Don’t forget to select the 720p option to watch the video in HD!

Please note, the gameplay shown in the video is from Tuesday, May 23. All information shown in the video had not been finalized at the time of the recording. We encourage everyone to try the adjustments and changes out for themselves during early access!

Battle System Changes

0:12:56

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In order to resolve various issues that FFXIV is currently facing, we have decided to make large-scale changes to the battle system in Patch 4.0.

Introduction of Role Actions
0:16:12

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Up until now, players needed to level other jobs to obtain additional actions, and this has been confusing for new players. In order to resolve this confusion, we are abolishing the additional actions and implementing a new role action system. With role actions, players will be able to select five actions from a list of actions shared by their role which includes existing actions, as well as new actions. With the implementation of this system, players will no longer be required to level other roles to unlock their job. (For example, players are now able to become a paladin by just leveling gladiator to 30.)

0:19:23
*The video showed live gameplay going through the details of role actions.

Cleric Stance
0:30:42
From Patch 4.0, the magic attack potency for healers will no longer be calculated using intelligence, but instead will be based on mind. You can think of this as being in Cleric Stance at all times. Cleric Stance has been changed to a healer role action, and the effect will be changed to where it will increase the attack magic potency for a certain duration. With this change, players will no longer need to use Cleric Stance again to switch out of the stance. Please note that this adjustment wasn’t made so that healers are forced to deal damage more often, but to simplify the controls and to make it easier for new players to play at the start. As this is now a role action, players have the option to set this ability or not.

Synergy between Jobs
0:35:51
When challenging a high-difficulty raid, we understand that players would often select jobs based on whether the setup could raise the overall party’s DPS. For this reason, in Patch 4.0, we made adjustments while considering the party’s total DPS.

Job Gauges
0:40:23

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We have implemented a unique HUD element for each job which will allow players to monitor things like their stance or elements unique to that job. This was done so that players don’t forget to utilize important buffs, and to maintain important aspects of their job to help lessen the gap between player DPS.

Like other HUD elements, you can adjust the size of this gauge. I believe some players may prefer a simpler design. For this reason, we’re currently looking into developing a simpler version. We would like to gather feedback regarding whether or not we should implement this, so be sure to try the current job gauge first and let us know.

0:52:28
*The video showed job gauges for black mage, red mage, and samurai. You can see the job gauges for the other jobs in this job actions video.

1:14:26
*Below are additional notes regarding the explanation Yoshida gave in the video.
For red mage, in the video Yoshida mentioned that if a spell procs then the spell cast time of the same mana type will be reduced; however, in actuality, these procs will allow red mages to cast spells which can only be cast when a spell procs.

In the job action video, ninja’s will use Ninki to use several actions, and one of them is Ten Chi Jin. While this ability is in effect, it will reduce ninjutsu recast time twice and eliminates required mudra consumption to execute ninjutsu. In the video Yoshida encouraged players to use a lot of ninjutsu, but he was referring to this ability.

New Job Actions

1:48:25
Along with level cap increase, new job actions will be added to all jobs. Some jobs may have more significant changes with these additions and adjustments, while other jobs may not see as many changes. For example, summoners will be able to summon Bahamut, so how you will fight will change a lot. On the other hand, astrologians will receive new actions, but their base design of healing and utilizing cards to buff party members will not change. There are also some actions that will replace existing ones.

*The video showed examples of new job actions.

Job Action Adjustments
2:02:24

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By converting existing actions into role actions, and with the automatic replacement of upgraded actions, we made adjustments so that the number of actions will not be more than what it was at Patch 3.0. The automatic replacement of upgraded spells will automatically change the spell to an appropriate one when level synced. By maintaining the number of actions, gamepad users can continue to play using the cross hotbar with less stress.

Adjustments to Paladin / New Actions
2:11:16
Up until now, a paladin’s shield only had a chance to block physical attacks; however, they will also be able to block magical attacks in Patch 4.0. Additionally, you can see the paladin use a new ability called Passage of Arms in the job action video. While this is active, their block rate is increased to 100%, and it creates a designated area in a cone behind the paladin in which damage to party members is reduced by 15%. The visual is very flashy, so please be sure to check out.

Removal of Cast Actions from Bard and Machinist
2:18:45
In the video, we explained this while showing the job action video, but cast actions have been removed from bards. Along with this, cast actions have also been removed from machinist. The reason for removal is because it created a large gap in DPS between casual players and hardcore players, and the number of players using the bard job have decreased. Both jobs continue to specialize in supporting party members, and we have made various additions and adjustments to them.

Adjustments to Attributes

2:21:22

Parry
2:21:37
Parry will be removed from equipment and replaced with a new attribute called Tenacity. Tenacity is an attribute which affects tank roles only. Tenacity increases your damage, and also reduces the amount of damage received. This removal will affect equipment only and parry will still remain as part of the battle formula. For this reason, you will continue to parry attacks in Patch 4.0 and moving forward. Also, until now, parry and blocking with a shield would only activate on attacks from front, but they will now activate no matter which direction the attack is coming from.

Accuracy
2:24:32
Accuracy will be removed and replaced with a new attribute called Direct Hit. Direct Hit is similar to critical hit. When compared to critical hit, direct hits have a higher activation frequency, but the damage increase is lower. Additionally, when it comes to the Critical attribute, you can expect damage to increase by a stable amount, and there is also a chance where both Direct Hit and Critical hit occur at the same time. Direct Hit is only available on equipment for DPS roles.

With accuracy being removed, players may be wondering what factor will determine if attacks land against the enemy or not. In Patch 4.0, it has been adjusted so that if a player attacks a monster from the front that is their same level then it will now hit 100% of the time. Raid monsters share the same level as player characters, so you will not need to worry about accuracy anymore. In addition to this, your accuracy will increase to 105% when attacking from the rear, and 110% when attacking from the flank. However, player accuracy can still decrease when suffering enfeeblements such as blind and other status effects, so there is still a chance of missing.
*In the video we mentioned different values; however, the above values are correct.

Piety
2:31:13
Piety will be moved from a main attribute to an attribute but the effect of increasing maximum MP will remain the same. This attribute will only affect healer roles, and will only be available on healer-specific equipment. With this change, the piety values set for each race will be removed, and the values that were changed will be distributed to other main attributes.

Effects from Materia
Materia with the above three attributes (Heavens’ Eye, Battledance, and Piety) will be changed to increase the corresponding new attribute.

Changes to Damage Calculation for Tanks / Accessories
2:33:24
Currently, tank damage calculations check the character’s Strength and Vitality values; however, this will be changed so that it is calculated with Strength only. I’m sure players may worry that you will now need to collect accessories with Strength attributes, but accessories added post Patch 4.0 will be different for each role. For example, tanks will have accessories with Vitality, and only monks and dragoons will be able to equip Strength accessories.

Ground Mount Speed Increase

2:37:51
As mentioned in the previous Letter from the Producer LIVE, ground mount speed can be increased in two steps. In the video we showed gameplay of how fast the speed has actually increased.

PvP System Changes

2:45:23

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In order for players to be able to participate in PvP easier, we have made large-scale changes and adjustments to the PvP system. We will also be introducing a PvP-specific hotbar which will be activated automatically upon entering PvP areas, such as the Wolves’ Den Pier.

PvP Action Changes
2:53:03

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We will be changing the overly complex controls and systems relating to PvP so that players can focus more on enjoying the thrilling battles. In the video we showed gameplay of the consolidated combos feature.

With the changes made so that PvP actions are now PvP-specific, melee DPS will not be able to use actions to stun opponents. For this reason, you can’t stun the opponent and follow up with Raw Destruction to take them out, so it becomes more important to come up with a strategy.

The video showcased a dragoon, but various changes and adjustments were made to other jobs as well. For example, for black mages, their main attacks will be Fire and Fire IV only, and by using a single Fire they will gain three stacks of Astral Fire. The overall control for each of the jobs are simpler, and adjusted so they can concentrate on their tactics. We also made adjustment to Sleep effect, which was very strong, so now it will completely resist after being slept once.

Beginning of the Season
Similar to previous seasons, we will hold a pre-season before the official ranking begins. By separating PvP from PvE actions completely, it is now possible to make PvP adjustments, so please try it out and give us your feedback.

Scenario Shortcut and Job Level-boost Items

3:11:48
We received various comments in regards to scenario shortcut and job level-boost items via our forum and from live events, and ultimately decided to implement them in Patch 4.0.

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We especially wanted to address the point where players who participate in raids did not have enough time to help their friends who started the game due to their daily raid schedule.

Scenario Shortcut Item
3:14:39

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If you purchase the Tales of Adventure: Heavensward, all the scenarios for A Realm Reborn will be completed as well, so you do not need to purchase the Tales of Adventure: A Realm Reborn separately. Please note that this item will not increase a job’s level.

For Japanese players, I understand there may be concerns about implementation of these types of boost items. We have sold similar items in the Chinese and Korean versions of the game, and there haven’t been too many players utilizing this. From the development team’s point of view, we would like players to go experience the main scenarios which we put our all into, but we would like to give an option to players who would like to come back and catch up to Patch 4.0, or those who may want to jump up to their friends quickly, and go through the main scenario on other characters.

Features for the Scenario Shortcut Item
3:19:44

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*In the slide and broadcast, we mention that all instanced dungeons related to the main scenario will be completed, but these will remain set as incomplete.

We set the dungeons to remain “incomplete” so that existing players can benefit from the new adventurer bonus when grouping with these players.

Job Level-boost Items
3:22:28

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For the purchasing restrictions placed per account, we’ll observe the situation and consider easing them in the future. Please note that there aren’t any job level-boost items for red mage or samurai.

Features for the Job Level-boost Items
3:25:02

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In other game titles, there is a trend where hardcore gamers use these types of boost items. If it’s an action game, it’s easy to get used to playing even after boosting with items; however, since FFXIV is an MMORPG with many classes and roles, we want to focus on the importance of learning how to play. For this reason, we have given access to Hall of the Novice as part of the feature.

In order to boost up to the start line for Stormblood, players will need to purchase the Tales of Adventurer: Heavensward, and Tales of Adventure for one of the jobs. When combined, the price is close to buying the full game, so please think of this as an option for those who would like to spend this amount to have their character boosted.