What if stat customization was purely cosmetic?

Just a thought...

We keep talking about class customization and stats...what if the customization part was purely cosmetic? For example, if you want to be an ice mage, invest all your points in ice-based spells. Over time, your equipment would "evolve" to show how much more in tune you were becoming with your chosen element. You wouldn't do any more direct damage than, say, a fire mage, but there would be differences in the way targets react of course.

What's more, it would finally give us a use for all that junk materia. Any class could attune to a specific element by dropping stat points and elemental materia into their weapon/armor slots. There would be a place for strength/vit/crit elements and a couple elemental-only slots. You could reset, but it would kind of be like changing your GC - you couldn't switch back for a couple weeks + there would be a hefty fee beyond the first change.


The starting quest for your chosen elemental mastery could have something to do with the primal that "owns" it. That would re-ignite interest in the primals. Going back to our earlier example, you could be an ice mage, and perhaps your attacks won't do quite as much damage to Shiva, but you wouldn't take as much damage from her either. It balances out that way.

What are your thoughts? This keeps things balanced class-wise, lets us have greater control over customization, uses existing elements and assets from the game (albeit with a few minor changes) and such.

Then it stops being cosmetic.

Honestly, if they can't manage the Dark Knight Aura then this is well beyond them.

But it would honestly be cool if the elemental material could be put on gear to add an elemental aura at the very least. Like, just as it's own special slot that appears once you've spirit bounded it. Would give a point to gear that can be spirit bonded, but can't be converted.

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Originally Posted by Stormfur

... but there would be differences in the way targets react of course.
... Any class could attune to a specific element by dropping stat points and elemental materia into their weapon/armor slots......

.... you could be an ice mage, and perhaps your attacks won't do quite as much damage to Shiva, but you wouldn't take as much damage from her either. It balances out that way.

What are your thoughts? This keeps things balanced class-wise, lets us have greater control over customization, uses existing elements and assets from the game (albeit with a few minor changes) and such.

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That's not cosmetic then.

If it's actually changing anything that's functional, it's not cosmetic.

You're talking about the Elemental Wheel. We don't have it.

Sorry! I should have clarified... I meant stats changing in a way that didn't give someone an advantage over being one versus the other UNLESS all the advantages were balanced (like in a primal battle..your ice mage might not be great at Shiva but they would kick *** with Ifrit) Even having cosmetic effects alongside that would give the game more realism -- frost sprites melt when touched by fire. Fire sprites sizzle and smoke when touched by ice or water, but spark when hit with lightning or fire.

I know I'm probably getting my hopes up after seeing what can/can't be done with darkside aura, but one can dream :)

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Originally Posted by Stormfur

Sorry! I should have clarified... I meant stats changing in a way that didn't give someone an advantage over being one versus the other UNLESS all the advantages were balanced (like in a primal battle..your ice mage might not be great at Shiva but they would kick *** with Ifrit.

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But thats still not balanced. You would be creating fights where either everyone respecs to the particular fight, or if they can't they won't be as welcome. You would then have to balance around the assumption that everyone in the group is the best element, or if you didn't, expect people to faceroll that content when that is exactly what occurs.

That's elemental wheel, which is a terrible concept in an mmo setting due to the nature of it favoring one over another.

Seems like the dev's need to keep this game as basic as possible for the sake of being basic, people will fight over stuff if it changes slightly, like that doesn't already happens in the game people tend to ruin the system that's been implemented it's not always the system itself that ruins it. /shrug

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Originally Posted by odintius

Seems like the dev's need to keep this game as basic as possible for the sake of being basic, people will fight over stuff if it changes slightly, like that doesn't already happens in the game people tend to ruin the system that's been implemented it's not always the system itself that ruins it. /shrug

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Changing something like the meta-setup for a boss fight is not "slight changes". The moment you design something like primal fights to favor one element or the other like someone has mentioned, you either end up tuning the fights around the optimal elements (essentially causing the illusion of choice fallacy) or the fight is tuned without, making it become an absolute joke if you stack the proper elements against it (which again causes the illusion of choice)

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Originally Posted by odintius

Seems like the dev's need to keep this game as basic as possible for the sake of being basic, people will fight over stuff if it changes slightly, like that doesn't already happens in the game people tend to ruin the system that's been implemented it's not always the system itself that ruins it. /shrug

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I rather have it basic and balanced then that it flies all out of control.
Do we really want groups with 4dps's the same job because they are obviously the best for a fight?