Is this the road they will continue to take with items?

[Viridiana]

I also cant understand the need for unique stats

Well, let's take the current state of DPS stats as an example. For the melee classes, Skill Speed is absolute rubbish. Sure, it might maybe increase your dps some, but only until you TP starve, at which point you're actually worse off than if you had stacked Crit or Det. As such, everyone goes for the gearset that minimizes SS while maximizing the other two (and the main stat, of course). Mind you, even in the current state of the game, lower ilvl crafted pieces with loads of materia in them can actually be "better" pieces than even ilvl 110 gear, but you rarely see people taking advantage of this because it increases SS (either it's already on the piece or you're melding it on). As such, what should be a viable piece even for endgame content isn't being utilized. The same is true (as far as Spell Speed being useless) for SMN. The only DPS job that uses Speed to any degree is BLM; you'll note that different players focus on different stats, leading to some variety in gear choices. This also used to be the case with MNK when people would aim for a certain SS threshold to maintain buff uptimes. Basically, making more viable stats (unique or otherwise) means more potential variety in gear choices.

[StrejdaTom]

I would love some variety (some kind of choice) in this game. There aren't 2 equal equipment/ weapon/ materia/ whatever choices. If you want to be good, you have to stick to one thing.

Other mmos have skill builds/traits for example or different sets etc. We have nothing.

[SevValen]

Well, let's take the current state of DPS stats as an example. For the melee classes, Skill Speed is absolute rubbish. Su, it might maybe increase your dps some, but only until you TP starve, at which point you're actually worse off than if you had stacked Crit or Det. As such, rset thatcurrent state of the game, lower ilvl d pieces withyou rarely see people takingses SS (either it's already on the piece or you're melding it on). As such, what should be a viable pitent isn'uff uptimes. Basically, making more viable stats (unique or otherwise) means more potential variety in gear choices.

gear variety and player individuality doesnt interest me as much as it does as some of you but im not saying deny you guys of what you want I never understood the importance of being a special snowflake in games probably because of my gaming background

[Rustyhagun]

Very few even attempt it due to its shared lockout - Why do essentially experimental content for the same rewards when you can faceroll the easy versions you've been farming for a long time now? So it's hard to really use Savage Coil until they split the lockout when more groups will more than likely be willing to attempt it. It's like back in 1.x, few completed Relics but the reward was worth it because relics used to actually be...worth something:



This was far more interesting itemization and was actually worth the time it took to do it - Since this game they're only going with Stat+x/second stat+x style itemization..there's really no room for anything special or true 'options", since the options we get usually replaces a stat with something you don't want.

I want this back as well. Just like in FFXI (every weapon had a unique ability or stat buff to them. Some where even hidden effect that you had to discover). If they can mix this with their vertical progression I would be a happy camper.

I liked the horizontal progression DAoC had, they never raised max lvl thus allowing max lvl gear to be relevant for years to come.

To get around the whole BiS nonsense they did a combination of stat caps, and putting so many stats that affected your characters performance it was nearly impossible to cap them all(each class had roughly 15 stats including elemental/physical resists that affected them) And after a few expansions there was so much gear that could fit together to give you stats you wanted that a few people just created calculators to assist with gear builds, instead of relying on BiS since there was no true BiS. Also crafted gear while not as good as most end game drops, was still relevant to most builds.

Gotta wait till level 99.. as Im sure this game is going to have that as a lvl cap. it will come though, we just gotta wait for it.
Yoshi has a 10+ year life span for this game planned out(As he mentioned in an interview). So.. "look forward to it"

[SevValen]

But then again I have played dcuo where there is alpt of uniqueness

Ex:1 www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbAh57fjiM4

Ex:2 www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNnnz0vqApo

In that game weapons have unique sttats, like ignore toughness, defence , chance to cause fire explosion, armor has unique stats and abilities , some armor puts a shield around you. Even though there are powers that multiple people because of the way the skill point and power system is not one character is the same. Example a healer can do alot of damage

[LalaRu]

I have the impression you want a game that looks more than another game. In some producer/dev speaks it was told one of the basics around this game is have a simple system for stats, hope to get link about as long as it was time ago. Asking for a more complicated/refined/whatever stat system means redo the game and I guess it is a no-no.

The same applies to character "level", it has been fixed to 50, and after that it comes the armor iLevel progression, as you have noticed the next two continuation of the story have progressed in that direction. Sure nothing is written in stones, but all we have today hardly will be changed tomorrow.

About have multiple choices for "best" equip, it has been proven it does not adds nothing to the game (it is useful the f2p games only, because cash shop needs and rely on have multiple different things to achieve same result). Proof of that is the example given to us all by the old mmo GW, a game that everyone have real-easy access to best endgame armor, but if you wanted prevail on arena, that not suffice.

Asking to have a more detailed stat system, is as asking the community being more divided between the "pro" who place every single point of stat in "correct" place, and the "noob" that misplaced a single point out of 200, and will fuel more division about how any player thinks what the "correct" place is.

I am against it.

[Krr]

Vertical progression is fine. What is not fine is the explosive rate with which that verticality occurs.

[Duelle]

That problem is why FFXI had more relevant content then any other mmo ever made with literally hundreds of hours of week of relevant (non-vanity) content at endgame.

Actually, the fact the game was stuck with a lv75 cap for years is why it played out the way it did. Tanaka's team obviously didn't want to deal with the balance issues the subjob system created as the levels went up (non-ninja jobs having access to Utsusemi: Ni, DRK being able to do THF's hate-transfer gimmick better than a THF ever could at lv60, etc). Even the stuff they ended up making "main job only" seemed to be more concessions to game mechanics and exceptions to whatever rules they set out when they designed the battle system.

That said, it isn't something that should be emulated. Inability to move forward because of misguided value placed on gear isn't something that should be encouraged. And I say that as someone who has done numerous gear grinds.

The problem with the current item progression... there isn't any flavor, any texture or any sense of choice to it. As it stands, a player simply makes the choice whether or not he or she will continue the ilvl grind. If they do so, the options is either coil drops or tome gear. Whoop-dee-doo!

This points more to the lack of content from which the gear can come from. Granted, in beta I proposed that the primal's loot pools be expanded beyond weapons to actual gear to compliment stuff found in Coil, CT and so on. So you could have something like a breastplate dropping from Garuda with a similar ilvl to CT or tomestone gear as an alternative. Alternatives usually tend to be close to or at the same item level (ie: 3 chest pieces at ilvl110 rather than just 1). This hasn't happened to far which is why some of you feel funneled towards specific pieces, BiS notwithstanding.

However, in order to create that horizontal progression, they will need to make changes to the current class/job system. There needs to be valid reasons why a job would want to have stats outside their job's usual. Obviously, vertical progression needs to stay, but providing a variety of ways to attain a large variety of iLvl 110 gear would be best.

You'd essentially have to split the jobs into specs to give them a reason to go outside of what currently works. That would only work with those jobs that have multiple facets, and in doing so you're creating a bunch of balance issues. You also have the high risk of inviting drama and discrimination (my old "STR DRG vs Crit DRG" example comes to mind).

Now if you were asking for more pieces of high ilvl in the relevant tier, I'd get behind that because I agree, giving everyone one single item per slot can get on the nerves of certain individuals. I'm not particularly bothered by it, but that's because SE was smart and implemented Glamours as early as they did.

As it stands, there is very little to differentiate multiple players of the same jobs. They have the same abilities, will have pretty much the same stats and play identically for the most part. We need ways to further expand our jobs on an individual level and that needs to be reflected in the gear variety.

So my question is, why is it so important that you be mechanically different from the next player? Aesthetics give you enough individuality without putting game balance on the line. Sure, you might feel special if you were that Crit specced DRG but the moment the theorycrafters figure a STR DRG still does better DPS, you're going to get the boot and all DRGs will just stack STR because that generates the best DPS. The reverse scenario might play out but does not undo this type of problem in class balancing. The devs decided to avoid that problem entirely with the current design, which is why I find it odd some have chosen to demonize it instead of seeing why that decision was made.

There is a reason FFXI pretty much maintained its subs even through WoW and most every modern MMO release where others declined.

FFXI peaked at around 800K subs, and the numbers have gone down since then. It's still stable, but has also been around long enough that all that sub money is profit to SE.

WoW lost subs post cataclysm after making a bunch of changes that pissed off people (they made raiding in part exclusive after making raiding since Ulduar in WotLK inclusive, made a mess of PvP, changed classes that needed relatively few changes and further followed the loreLOL decline). Pandaria didn't help because the masses were convinced they were ripping off Kung Fu Panda (despite Pandaren being around WAY before that movie was a twinkle in the producer's eye). So you have questionable decisions and public ignorance/stupidity. Neither of which have anything to do with vertical progression.

[GalkaBikini]

WoW lost subs

WoW lost subs because we all wonder what in the heck Blizzard is doing with all that money the "#1 most successful/profitable MMORPG" is(was) making. They never add anything unique. It is the same boring kill 10 pigs quests, the same boring dungeon grind and the same boring raid grind. The same awful terrain/environment designs using SimCity MapMaker with some bumps and trees. It's OK for a little while but gets old fast. I don't know why Blizzard has failed to add any more systems than these. It's the same stuff year after year, despite other "less successful" MMORPGs adding just as much if not more content, including actual NEW (and creative!!) systems.

[Rhysati]

WoW lost subs post cataclysm after making a bunch of changes that pissed off people (they made raiding in part exclusive after making raiding since Ulduar in WotLK inclusive, made a mess of PvP, changed classes that needed relatively few changes and further followed the loreLOL decline). Pandaria didn't help because the masses were convinced they were ripping off Kung Fu Panda (despite Pandaren being around WAY before that movie was a twinkle in the producer's eye). So you have questionable decisions and public ignorance/stupidity. Neither of which have anything to do with vertical progression.

If you think the problem people had with Cata was raiding and the problem with Pandaria was because of a 'Kung Fu Panda' hatred...man you have a very skewed view of reality. The major problem players have had with those expansions is how dumbed down and streamlined the game has been becoming. Everything in the game now is about just getting bigger numbers on your screen to a point where they stop meaning anything.(Which is why in the new expansion they are fixing that).

They also completely stripped any ounce of customization of your character and their class from the game to make it so you effectively have zero choice in how you play. Some people claim there never WAS a choice to begin with(but I beg to differ since I usually played outside the 'meta' builds and did far better than those that stayed within because it fit my style).