My problem with this amazing game.

[OldGeezer]

Its impossible to have every single build be ''viable'' in a game, so that point is irrelevant. My point was that trees can work and allow the player for more customization. Atleast more than we have now..

Customization is great for single-player games, but practically useless for MMO's. Customization in single player games is great because it enables you to use abilites for different scenarios. I use Ability A for Scenario X, and Ability B for Scenario Y. It's important because a single-player game's purpose is to change things around you and see how you act. MMO's are different. The questing phase can benefit from customization but once the quests are done, the abilities are useless. MMO's bread-and-butter are boss fights, and there is only one scenario: Tank, DPS, healer (except princess ant in Cutter, you can solo her). Customization is replaced with optimization. That becomes the main focus and your job is now to put out as much aggro, DPS, or heals as fast as you can as other exectuables proceed around you. Your customization doesn't do jack. That's why trees are useless, because you really don't customize, you're really just picking an optimization table for your rotations, and designers seldom get it right for all the classes.

[DrCake]

Words about cross class skills

If we could do this, then IT very well could just become the build that everyone uses. Even DAOC had the best builds that everyone used. Sadly, your asking to widen the sidewalk just because you will have more space to walk. When in fact, it has no change on you walking to the store at all.

Adding cross class skills, trees, these things wont change our game. Give us more stats to play with, more armor sets and melding on everything now we have a game!.... oh wait, nope, there will still be the best builds. :/

Adding more classes wont change this, but it would be nice not to see 15 of every class in the same armor at Toll.

[Doo]

Adding cross class skills, trees, these things wont change our game. Give us more stats to play with, more armor sets and melding on everything now we have a game!.... oh wait, nope, there will still be the best builds. :/

The way FFXI did it was more situational. If you needed safety, then go /nin. /war for more dmg, whm, for sneaking around or helping a newbie, etc. I.E Sam/rng for bomb cop boss spamming sidewinder. Cross class skills in ffxiv is a joke. You have like 2 useful skills for the most part only and you can only cross with 2 classes.

[Gilthas]

Adding more classes wont change this, but it would be nice not to see 15 of every class in the same armor at Toll.

The only way to prevent something like this would be to implement severe content lockouts like we had in FFXI.

The reason we didn't all wear the same thing in FFXI wasn't because there were a lot of viable builds, it was because only Nidhogg dropped E.Body, he only spawned every 3-4 days (the average was probably longer though, more so if you take into account that Nidhogg might not be spawning during your daily playtime) and you had to compete for claim with the whole ****ing server to get to fight him.

[DrCake]

FFXI

This is true. BUT, this isn't FFXI. The world is way different and there's really no need to be sneaky or have tons of other skills. Do I want the crit chance up skill on my WHM? You bet your bottom! Does it ruin the game that I can't? Absolutely not, and dwelling on such things to the point where "this game is no fun", is just ridiculous. Not that your doing that, but that seems to be the general theme on he board. Most people complaining haven't even finished endgame, I know for fact that Dhaenon hasn't done ANY endgame at all. People have no idea of the choices you actually get with ilvl90 gear. Or the crazy 1xtank 3xWHM WP runs. Lets do this, try to be creative and have fun, we have more choices than you think.

[KittenJitsu]

^ I heard crafting can be addicting. Go dip yo toes in other stuff.

:P

[xwxmeowxvvx]

I have also posted about the lack of customization in this game, but the majority of players seems to like the whole, one job does one role thing. Job customization and playing different jobs with different specializations takes skill and playing around with the jobs, which people do not seem to want to put the time into.

My hope is that with the addition of new jobs, (9 launch jobs is actually pretty good) there will be new branches for the classes. Not that they will add a DPS tree to WAR, but a job off Marauder that will be a DPS job. This is a different set up than other MMOs and I personally prefer the other way, but that looks to be how this game is going.

[Kailea_Nagisa]

No, FFXI had 11 jobs at JP release that were all fully different classes (Warrior, Monk, Thief, White Mage, Red Mage, Black Mage, Paladin, Bard, Darknight, Ranger, Beastmaster)
FFXIV has 9 jobs that are fully different classes (not so much for Summoner and Scholar but ok).
The other “classes” are not played post level 40 by 95% of the player base, so I do not see why we should count them.

May we add that this is a re-release and not a fully new game? I think expecting a bit more than what we got was not foolish.

This is incorrect..... relase date of FFXI Japan, PS2, May 16, 2002, There was no expansion and there where only 6 jobs, SMN was added in an update near the release of Rise of Zilart, but only Carbuncle was useable, then when the expansion hit (and US release) SMN was fully usable, along with the other jobs from the expansion. Also new game? no, completely rewritten game? yes, just because it is a reboot/relaunch, does not mean they did not work their butt off to recode the game into it's current state.

[jcw005]

Skill customization aside, I definitely wish there was an element of item customization along the lines of Borderlands where the same Legendaries would scale stat-wise dependent on your level (and which playthrough you were in). In ARR, that could be something to the effect of being able to run old dungeons at level 50 with the same items dropping, but with their stats being scaled to level 50 (same goes for mobs). Another option would be to allow you to spend Phil tomes to "upgrade" a given item to Darklight-like stats so that you could have a little more variety in your gear without being penalized in the min/max game. (That's an actually an area where ARR's emphasis on stats only for itemization would help.)

[xwxmeowxvvx]

Skill customization aside, I definitely wish there was an element of item customization along the lines of Borderlands where the same Legendaries would scale stat-wise dependent on your level (and which playthrough you were in). In ARR, that could be something to the effect of being able to run old dungeons at level 50 with the same items dropping, but with their stats being scaled to level 50 (same goes for mobs). Another option would be to allow you to spend Phil tomes to "upgrade" a given item to Darklight-like stats so that you could have a little more variety in your gear without being penalized in the min/max game. (That's an actually an area where ARR's emphasis on stats only for itemization would help.)

The entire game is dumbed down in pretty much every aspect. Only 6 main attributes with one per role/job actually being useful affects the items as well as every other aspect of the game. Elemental weaknesses have been completely taken out so that doesn't matter when it comes to items. Most of the time when you get new gear, its just better, no decision on whether you want the extra fire damage or weighing if you need the better defense or better skills from weapons or armor.