If it is not broken, DO NO FIX IT!

[Heartfire]

I think there should be a difference between customizing your character, and having a defined role.

As it stands, all of the classes feel the same. Cross classing abilities is almost useless, except for a few that you can easily get before rank 20.

So after getting all the classes you want, it's easy to just pick one and stick with it.

Everyone calls it "customization" but really it turns into "all of the best abilities." Where is the pick and choose? I like having to pick one ability over another. Or one (defined)class over another. "Custom" implies making choices: giving up one trait for another. That isn't what we have in XIV. All of the DoW, save archer, play exactly the same way. So I don't know that you really can call it "customized" when there isn't anything to customize with.

Once the classes have defined roles, unique abilities (that can only be used in their class). That's when people will have to make tough choices about the character they want to play. As it stands now, it's a collection game. Who can get the most abilities to throw into a hodgepodge character. There is no form, or definition to our characters. At the end of the day, we're all just spamming the 1 key.

[Xzen]

I think there should be a difference between customizing your character, and having a defined role.

As it stands, all of the classes feel the same. Cross classing abilities is almost useless, except for a few that you can easily get before rank 20.

So after getting all the classes you want, it's easy to just pick one and stick with it.

Everyone calls it "customization" but really it turns into "all of the best abilities." Where is the pick and choose? I like having to pick one ability over another. Or one (defined)class over another. "Custom" implies making choices: giving up one trait for another. That isn't what we have in XIV. All of the DoW, save archer, play exactly the same way. So I don't know that you really can call it "customized" when there isn't anything to customize with.

Once the classes have defined roles, unique abilities (that can only be used in their class). That's when people will have to make tough choices about the character they want to play. As it stands now, it's a collection game. Who can get the most abilities to throw into a hodgepodge character. There is no form, or definition to our characters. At the end of the day, we're all just spamming the 1 key.

Sorry but I tend to swap out many of my abilities and traits depending on if I'm tanking or DPS on my PUG as do the MRD I know.

[Abriael]

I think there should be a difference between customizing your character, and having a defined role.

As it stands, all of the classes feel the same. Cross classing abilities is almost useless, except for a few that you can easily get before rank 20.

So after getting all the classes you want, it's easy to just pick one and stick with it.

Everyone calls it "customization" but really it turns into "all of the best abilities." Where is the pick and choose? I like having to pick one ability over another. Or one (defined)class over another. "Custom" implies making choices: giving up one trait for another. That isn't what we have in XIV. All of the DoW, save archer, play exactly the same way. So I don't know that you really can call it "customized" when there isn't anything to customize with.

Once the classes have defined roles, unique abilities (that can only be used in their class). That's when people will have to make tough choices about the character they want to play. As it stands now, it's a collection game. Who can get the most abilities to throw into a hodgepodge character. There is no form, or definition to our characters. At the end of the day, we're all just spamming the 1 key.

Actually the more you raise in levels, the more you have to make a choice on what abilities to use. At the moment I deficinetly can't fit all the abilities I would like to use due to the action points limitation.

Also, as already said a thousand times, the current classes "feel" the same not because a ranger with some THM abilities is the same as a THM, but because there's no challenging content.

That ranger with THM abilities isn't challenged to the limit of it's skills, so his healing, despite being very limited by his mana, by the lack of class affinity, and by the fact that he cannot AOE heal, is still sufficent to be viable.

The introduction of actually challenging monsters and enemies would challenge the abilities to their limit, making the lack of affinity (lower heals), the low mana and the lack of AOE heals much more apparent, relegating the ranger's THM abilities to a support/solo role, while an actual THM would have to take up the role of the healer.

It's all a matter of balancing, not really a matter related to the basics of the system. We're pitched against total pushovers. Can't be surprised if we can pull every role without breaking a sweat.

there is no caps if you read my post you know the stat points do nothing what so ever

And you'd be wrong. The caps are in place, and the points do make a difference, albeit limited.

[Nephera]

If you're not at optimal rank you're going to be repairing your things five times as much

[Arya]

If you're not at optimal rank you're going to be repairing your things five times as much

True, but those who like wearing "any gear they wish regardless of the appropriateness" (I believe that was approximately stated by a few posts below the OP) wouldn't really care about things like item wear, otherwise they wouldn't be wearing inappropriate gear for whatever they were doing in the first place.

However, steering back on topic (it's so easy to end up talking about something else, isn't it ).........

1. I don't see an issue with the Armory system as such. However, considering that SE are going to be making changes to classes and battle, the Armory system may need to be modified to match. Hanging on to it for the sake of it doesn't seem helpful. The new Dev team are making many changes (some large, some small), and I like the direction we're moving in as a whole. If they see fit to alter the Armory system to something slightly (or perhaps even completely) different, I'm willing to put my trust in them.

2. Regarding the physical system.....Again, I like the idea, but I also like the idea of being given the points to each class, so that the game "remembers" what you allocation spread is for each class (ie: you don't have to keep re-assigning every time you change class). However, I would also like to see more consequences for our actions/choices in the game because I feel we have it too easy and that being able to chop and change at a whim every 5 seconds doesn't teach us to make our decisions with a little more consideration. If the points were remembered for each class (ie: so a change would only affect one class's stats at a time), then being limited in re-mapping one's stats once they were applied somehow would be a start (you could limit the number of times that a change can be done in a set period of time...etc...).