Suggestion: Gear with special effects on it.

We are now in the 5th version of FFXIV and gear has more or less stayed the same. My suggestion is what we have some more interesting special effects or set bonuses on weapons and gear.

Getting a new gear set each raid tier doesn't really change the gameplay of how the game plays very much but with special effects and set bonuses on gear it adds more flavor to gear and makes the game fun to play i think.

For example in FFXI you would gain a new weapon skill when you equipped a relic weapon. For FFXIV you could have weapons when you equip them give you a new skill or ability. It could also give you a special effect like double or triple auto attacks for example.

Set bonuses are also fun. There were some early on in FFXIV but they went away. This can reward people for collecting pieces from the same gear set even if they didn't say have the best sub stats the set bonus could make up for it. Say like if you had warrior their set bonus could be double attack, if you had 2 pieces of gear you could get 5% chance for weapon skills to do double damage but if you had 5 pieces of the gear set then you could have 25% double attack.

Different gear sets could have different effects. Like for a tank for example there could be a set that occasionally nulls damage taken based on how many pieces you had equipped. But you could choose to have an offensive set bonus that had a haste effect that would proc and lower your gcd by a lot.

I'm kinda mixed on this. I like the idea of bonuses for wearing a set, which I tend to do anyways cause I like matching. I think FFXI though kinda shows how special effects can go wrong though. Gearswapping so that you were wearing the best equipment for each ability use became necessary, making macros essential and pretty much requiring you to have like 30 pieces of gear per job which made limited storage that much more of a problem. There's also the possibility of issues like the elemental staves where a special ability makes a low end piece of gear more useful than any of the higher end gear.

The one exception I would like to see though would be something for the various relic weapons. It would serve to highlight that these are supposed to be legendary pieces of equipment.

You've still only suggested the same two gear types we already have in the game: BiS and garbage.

From the games that I've played with gear abilities and perks, I only usually only see two scenarios.
1. The perk is fun and useful, in which case you'll miss it when you can no longer justify using that piece of gear. I had a set bonus in WoW that made basic attacks hit all enemies in range, but had to sadly part with it when level cap went up. It's like a gut punch each patch.
2. The perk is just a stat thing. Honestly, I feel that belts are already like this. They offer nothing but stats, so boring, just get rid of them.

That being said, I'd like more items similar to the wedding rings (teleport to your partner). Give us accessories that do cool things, and I'll carry them around. Summon vendors or retainers, free teleports, cast holiday glamours on yourself, unlimited fireworks, etc.

Make it something I don't need to keep equipped, but will whip out when the moment is right.

I prefer the freedom of appearance vs the conformity that gear sets encourage.

The problem with things like set bonuses or special battle based perks is that they become mandatory and good luck getting them after the initial rush is over. Didn’t get that set bonus week 1 of the raid tier? Good luck finding a group to carry you.

If FFXIV were to try it, it would be in very small step like most other "systems" and end up as "bis or garbage" as prophetised. It only works when there is a real focus and work on it.

And it gets even worse with time : it was a reasonable demand 6-7 years ago, but the game has accumulated ton of fragile content that would break for any little change (see blue mage)

Problem I have with this kind of system is it usually results in holding onto equipment WAY past when they'd otherwise be useful, because the special effect it offers is vital to your build for one reason or another. Essentially all the gear that comes out afterwards is rendered completely and utterly irrelevant unless it specifically does better in that one special regard.

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Originally Posted by Gunspec

That being said, I'd like more items similar to the wedding rings (teleport to your partner). Give us accessories that do cool things, and I'll carry them around. Summon vendors or retainers, free teleports, cast holiday glamours on yourself, unlimited fireworks, etc.

Make it something I don't need to keep equipped, but will whip out when the moment is right.

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Strider boots give an extra 10 seconds of sprint in city-states.

But that's about the extent of special gear quirks, to my knowledge.

Boils up to balance. It’s already a struggle to balance the jobs as it is (see ranged dps) imagine then trying to balance set bonuses also. Plus, we the players would immediately find the best in slot and stick with that

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Originally Posted by Zumi

We are now in the 5th version of FFXIV and gear has more or less stayed the same. My suggestion is what we have some more interesting special effects or set bonuses on weapons and gear.

Getting a new gear set each raid tier doesn't really change the gameplay of how the game plays very much but with special effects and set bonuses on gear it adds more flavor to gear and makes the game fun to play i think.

For example in FFXI you would gain a new weapon skill when you equipped a relic weapon. For FFXIV you could have weapons when you equip them give you a new skill or ability. It could also give you a special effect like double or triple auto attacks for example.

Set bonuses are also fun. There were some early on in FFXIV but they went away. This can reward people for collecting pieces from the same gear set even if they didn't say have the best sub stats the set bonus could make up for it. Say like if you had warrior their set bonus could be double attack, if you had 2 pieces of gear you could get 5% chance for weapon skills to do double damage but if you had 5 pieces of the gear set then you could have 25% double attack.

Different gear sets could have different effects. Like for a tank for example there could be a set that occasionally nulls damage taken based on how many pieces you had equipped. But you could choose to have an offensive set bonus that had a haste effect that would proc and lower your gcd by a lot.

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As much as I have agreed with and stated that these should make their long awaited return to the game, I have accepted that they won't. The current playerbase has little to no interest in this type of gear. With how shallow the combat is and how it gets shallower every expansion, there really isn't a place for it anymore. I wish it wasn't true, but it is.

Game is not designed to work with varied stats and effects.

FFXI it worked because the game allowed it, fights were not balanced to be killed at certain gear levels. It was here is a boss go for it. Can take 10mins or 2hrs. You make your own strats, own comps, hell a mage or dps could even tank if you want it to and had the correct gear/subjob. People talk about gear swapping being bad, but it is what made that game last so long. And why FFXI never had a shortage of content could play 20hrs a week or 60hrs a week for 10yrs strait and never run out of stuff to work towards was always something to improve.

FFXIV is about hyper balancing and DPS output is ALL that matters for every class. Game is 100% on rails, no player decisions to be honest in anything. So if a set bonus came about and it was better, that is the go to gear. All non set gear gets the crafted gear treatment and is vendored after 3-4 weeks into an expansion. While I much much prefer a non-verticle system, ffxiv is pure vertical with no variation. Varied gear simply will not work without a core shift from the game design and lets be honest this game is too old to do that. And Yoshida does not believe in horizontal progression.

Gear used to be like this before 2.0, problem was it's exceedingly difficult to balance the game around it.

https://i.imgur.com/HLc3bx4.png

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Originally Posted by Hasrat

Strider boots give an extra 10 seconds of sprint in city-states.

But that's about the extent of special gear quirks, to my knowledge.

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What about their granddaddy the Hermes Shoes?
Provides endless sprinting in City States.
https://ffxiv.gamerescape.com/wiki/Hermes%27_Shoes