Future of the armory system

[Ransu]

I hope they "decide on an entirely new mechanism". The one we have now seems to hold back the potential jobs we can have.

I'd like to see the classes being removed. That's a left over from 1.0.

Just make jobs and make abilities available for other jobs to still have the cross class thing going on.

I don't see the point in having classes right now when it's too difficult to derrive a 2nd job out of them. I also don't understand why it's so difficult to come up with a solution for the attributes problem like smn/sch have now.

So yes, switch it up SE!

I agree that the class system should of never returned from 1.0. That imo was a terrible decision, but at this point the game is so far in that its kind of hard to remove the class system now. So I am curious what they plan to do with the expansion.

[Rbstr]

I like the idea of classes branching into two (or more) jobs and I think they should stick too it.

What it will require, maybe, is a bit of reworking of the basic classes in order to support two roles. I don't think it would be excruciatingly hard to fiddle with Gladiator a bit so that with the Job Stone it can be a DPS class. Insert abilities and change up some traits.

"Rules" like "there are four job abilities" are not something that must be set in stone. Really, they're arbitrary and can be messed with however they want to make things work.
They could easily have extra job abilities, have Job traits or add conditionals to existing abilities that act to transform the class.

I don't think all new jobs should be from the existing classes. But I think most classes should have two options. And I like jow specialties being available for leveling one thing. I think it's a nice bonus for people with tank/healer roles to get a "free" dps with their leveling

[rwyan]

Because each job has its own end-game progression with gear and weapons, I don't think it is so much an issue that jobs are insta-leveled.

The whole thing with weapons = class was always a bad idea. In 1.0, it worked in theory because classes really were flavorful labels for a skill (ex. Sentinel was the "class" name for the shield skill even though you could never equip a shield in your primary weapon slot). Unfortunately, the original system, while providing a great bit of freedom had so many problems like worthless abilities or broken abilities. You had players running around in their skivvies taking on NMs because gear and stats had such negligible impact.

The Job system did bring that iconic Final Fantasy flavor at the cost of all that freedom. It did provide an ultimately more fulfilling combat and grouping experience. However, now that the devs have gotten a handle on things, if they are planning on tinkering with the job/class system, I hope its to bring back some freedom.

I do think the current job/class relationships will make it difficult to add new classes and new jobs in the future. Each new class requires new weapons, new itemization, new quests, at least 1 job (which has its own itemization, quests, etc..)

[Deifact]

It's funny because when FFXIV was first announced and they introduced the armoury system I pictured it acting like in FFIX where abilities were attached to gear and by wearing the gear while gaining experience you unlock those abilities.

I still wish this were the case as I liked the system in FFIX but I can see how it'd make some gear really desirable...

But anyway, I'd like a lot more flexibility in the system. I'd like to be able to equip different weapons on a job (when you equip a job stone, there's no reason to be weapon locked anymore) and to get rid of the restrictions jobs have with cross classing.

I'd like to see all class skills available to everyone, with job skills being exclusive.

I'd like cross class skill potency to be based on that classes level like in 1.0, so if you equip your level 5 cnj stone spell on 50 BLM, it'll do less damage than if your cnj was 50.

I'd like to have traits cross class able.

I want more variety. I Want to be a spell wielding gladiator or a healing lancer etc. Etc.

[Hiruke]

I don't even see the point of classes. It's extremely rare that you find any reason at all to use them once you have jobs. Though if they're going to go back to the drawing board on established systems, they ought to do the same with FATEs and materia as well. The #1 thing is FUN, right? FATEs and materia seem to have missed the mark. :P

[Ransu]

if they are planning on tinkering with the job/class system, I hope its to bring back some freedom.

I hope it doesn't. I'd prefer they just remove classes and stick with the job system. "Freedom" of class skills is a balancing nightmare. It's why I generally despise skill trees that do not have restrictions. Swtor for example is constantly filled with hybrid classes because they refuse to force you to put 36 points into the main tree, so we constantly have these broken hybrids of 22/22/2 or 15/26/5 etc...

I like that the trees give the class different options, but the game needs to lock you to one tree that you chose till you reach 36 points then put the remaining points in an off tree. BW refuses to do that so they have to keep nerfing classes due to hybrids completely overpowering full spec trees. You want to see that crap in FFXIV? Cuz I don't. Hybrids are a terrible thing. "Freedom" of class builds just comes with constant nerfing trying to deal with broken hybrids.

[Theplatter]

Abolish classes, keep only jobs, make ninja and rogue their own jobs.

/thread

[rwyan]

I hope it doesn't. I'd prefer they just remove classes and stick with the job system. "Freedom" of class skills is a balancing nightmare.

As it stands, character development is pretty much spelled out for you. Are you a healer? Then you wear the <insert something here> of Healing. Are you a dps caster? Then you wear the <insert something here> of Casting. I'm actually glad they kept stat allocation per class as opposed to per job. For ACN, players have to make a choice... do I want to heal more or dps more? Or do I go for something in-between? I guess when I say "Freedom", I would like to see the element of "choice" introduced. I like "building" a character - its a habit from my pen-and-paper gaming - and while FF14 has its plus sides, character development isn't one of them (though the glamour system has certainly helped).

[Nana_Balthazar]

"Freedom" of class skills is a balancing nightmare.

If a dev find that game design is too hard, he should find a new job.
I hope that the FFXIV dev team isn't like that, right?

[Ransu]

If a dev find that game design is too hard, he should find a new job.
I hope that the FFXIV dev team isn't like that, right?

You haven't played very many MMO's have you? You have no idea the creativity players come up with when it comes to class builds that developers never intended or saw even being a thing. It's the very reason WoW completely locked out their skill tree's until you reached the capstone prior to completely removing them for their current system. Its why swtor needs to do the same thing but refuses so they have to keep rebalancing to stop broken hybrid builds while keeping full tree's viable...that is back and forth balancing nightmare that shouldnt even be a thing.

FFXIV is as balanced as it is because jobs play a specific roll with limitations to cross class abilities. Anymore "freedom" to that system would break the game.