Things that need to change for the better

[Aldarin]

So I actually agree with many of these things. While I did enjoy the overall direction things went, there is still alot that can be changed for the better.

1) Cures and MP costs. I thank god that SE finally restricted cures to single targets. It adds an element of strategy into the game that was lacking with AoE cures and no ST cures. I also approve of the fact that curaga is 3 times as much as cure. At the same time however, I feel that doing both this and increasing cure mp costs by 3.5 times is a little too much. A x2 increase in mana costs across the board would have made more sense, as would have halving the mp pools of all character (leaving item bonuses the same). I would say that halving MP pools all round would probably have been the better solution as the MP regeneration would not need to be changed. As is, the MP for 3 cure IIs takes about 3 minutes to regen while standing still, which is a large amount of downtime.

2) raise on seperate timers. Yes. The 3 different raises all serve different purposes and have different recast times, putting them on the same recast timer makes little sense.

3) Stat effects. Stats have very little effect right now. This needs work, but I suspect that the developers are already working on it. Why they messed with balancing issues before doing stat balancing I have no clue, since they will need to balance actions again afterwards anyways. It may simply be that the changing abilities and MP costs are simply a temporary test to see how the game plays as such. Slightly annoying if that is the case, but understandable if the developers need more testing and data.

4) Gear Damage from death. I haven't been dying a whole lot lately, but I did notice this on the few occasions that I have died. I like the concept, it gives players an incentive to not die. At the same time with the current rates of death due to the cure changes, it seems that the penalty should be reduced slightly. The current rate probably wouldn't be as bad without the increase death toll.

5) Dungeons being too hard. I don't especially agree with this. What I do agree with is that Enemy AoE attacks are completely overpowered. If a single AoE is enough to take everyone in the party down to 1/3 to 1/2 health, then there is an issue. Especially with mobs spamming AoE attacks. Not completely sure what would be good to balance this, but making sure AoE don't go back to back would probably do it. On the other hand, it may be that these AoE attacks are interrupt-able, in which case the current situation is fine, and people simply need to discover how to stop them. Such is the situation with the AoE from Dream Toads, though I don't know about others.

6) Enmity needs to be fixed. I completely agree with this. Provoke and Taunt are just about useless. The timer recast I could deal with, but they provide very little enmity in comparison. Both abilities, even together, are overwhelmed by one weapon-skill, which people can normally put off at the start of the fight. The tanking abilities need to be more effective. Not sure about the enmity of cures, since I don't really use them anymore, but given that the tanking abilities are ineffective in the face of WS, the same situation is probably true with cures.

7) The forum community. I think that most people can agree that the game could not last in the old state. I think most people can also agree that the game still needs a large amount of changes, including balancing and adding new content. At this point there are two types of posts that I dislike. One type of poster that I dislike are those who believe that the game should go back to the old version because it was easier or they dislike the changes. The other type of poster I dislike are those who believe the game is absolutely perfect and who rail on those offering changes. Changes to a game should attempt to accomplish as much effect with as little change as possible. Small changes with large effects are simpler for developer to implement, and they cause less outcry from conservatives.

All in all, I'm surprised that the developers are not doing many more small patches for tweeks, since they shouldn't take long and will allow changes to be smoother. It will also help make sure that changes don't interfere with each other. My suggestions to the developers would be thus.

1) wait a week, then halve MP cost for cures, see what the response is. The game can always be reverted easily if desired.
1a) if the halving MP costs is good, consider either returning Cure MP cost to their original values and halving the MP pools of all player.
1b) if 1a is not agreeable, consider increasing the MP costs of all other abilities so that Cure I costs about the same as Shock Spikes. This would help balance the differing MP costs of the different spells.

2) Fiddle with the tank enmity abilities, try increasing them from the current point since the consensus is that they are too low, and continually keep an eye on them for balancing purposes. They might need to be reduced or even further increased.

I am assuming that all of these factors are variables in the game program that will only need to be changed in a one to a few areas. If that is not the case, fire whatever idiot initially programmed the file and resign yourself to the delays it will cause during file editing.

[Kazimir]

5) the r45 dungeon needs a slight nerf. "CRY MOAR!" no seriously, the ogre opens up with AoE spam and the mages are usually dead in the first 30 seconds of the fight which leads to #6. Also, fix it so that if you wipe and have to return, that the mobs don't pop until you're team is inside the room. It is VERY hard to recover from a wipe on that fight as you will probably wipe again before your team is back into the fight (Stupid ghosts..)

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

[Kidkaze]

First of all Dubont, you, and I guess your other mage buddies in your LS, need moar VIT + MND and maybe PIE. Fuck everything else, seriously. checked your profile on Lodestone and its woefully lacking in VIT and MND.

Now to address the points you made:

1. Are you the only mage in your party? I Ask this because, whenever my LS do dungeon runs, we the mages share the load between ourselves, and while we do run out of mp, its rare.

2. Really? I think your party may be doing something wrong here, though I actually have no opinion on where they should be on separate timers or not, that will not affect the ability of the mages in our LS to play the game.

3. This I do agree, I think SE have said they will be addressing this issue soon though.

4. All I can really say here is that you and the party you run with need to reevaluate your strategies, as something is not right here.

5. This I disagree with the most. As someone before has rightly said (I forget who) this is the first REAL content we have gotten since the launch of the game that we can not blow through. It may be difficult, but its NOT impossible! keep at it, you'll get through it eventually. Pro tip though: let your tank come out of the cutscene first and get your DPS gather in one area, and the mages in another area, and watch the phases.

6. EMN seems sooo much better than it did pre nerf, at least for me. Not sure what to say here, refer to the above?

[Dubont]

First of all Dubont, you, and I guess your other mage buddies in your LS, need moar VIT + MND and maybe PIE. Fuck everything else, seriously. checked your profile on Lodestone and its woefully lacking in VIT and MND.

Vit is high enough for 1k HP..which SHOULD be enough to not get one shotted...but I'll look into it. MND is 170. That's only 4 points below cap..which isn't very much MP at all. I agree that I need more piety, but with the current way that stats are alloted and reset, it makes it difficult to play non-mage jobs and crafts without a few points in dex...but I'll definitely look into it. (GO GO SE response!)

[Kensei]

Dubont don't mind all the attacks you are getting. People here can't handle someone thinking different than them. Most of those here trying to ridicule you have done the same in my thread. They won't care no matter how many times you explain your point. They do trolling for a living as you've noticed. What do you do with a troll? Don't feed it. Stop replying to trolls, ignore them and only bother with those concerned with discussing the point of your thread.

Some of your concerns are very well founded especially the enmity one. It's a serious issue when combined with the higher MP costs.

[Seirra_Lanzce]

Dubont don't mind all the attacks you are getting. People here can't handle someone thinking different than them. Most of those here trying to ridicule you have done the same in my thread. They won't care no matter how many times you explain your point. They do trolling for a living as you've noticed. What do you do with a troll? Don't feed it. Stop replying to trolls, ignore them and only bother with those concerned with discussing the point of your thread.

Some of your concerns are very well founded especially the enmity one. It's a serious issue when combined with the higher MP costs.

Can say the same to you to sir! >:O

[Kensei]

Can say the same to you to sir! >:O

I have never gone into someone's thread and viciously attacked them continuously with the sole purpose of ridiculing them without regard for the thread's original point.

[AarosLunos]

I have never gone into someone's thread and viciously attacked them continuously with the sole purpose of ridiculing them without regard for the thread's original point.

There is difference between opinion and fact. If someone points out the facts and proves it, you consider yourself 'viciously attacked'. Says a lot about your character!

[Kensei]

There is difference between opinion and fact. If someone points out the facts and proves it, you consider yourself 'viciously attacked'. Says a lot about your character!

To prove something there has to be proof not unverifiable claims

I tell ya Dubont they follow you everywhere!

[MeowyWowie]

Dubont don't mind all the attacks you are getting. People here can't handle someone thinking different than them. Most of those here trying to ridicule you have done the same in my thread. They won't care no matter how many times you explain your point. They do trolling for a living as you've noticed. What do you do with a troll? Don't feed it. Stop replying to trolls, ignore them and only bother with those concerned with discussing the point of your thread.

Some of your concerns are very well founded especially the enmity one. It's a serious issue when combined with the higher MP costs.

That's all great and everything except your missing the main point. He's not just stating his opinion, he is asking SE to nerf the first REAL content this game has received since release.

Seeing how many others are not having the issues he is, his plea is extremely selfish. Destroy the game for others while making it more manageable for him. No thanks. The difficulty is perfectly fine. He needs to learn to form strategies, or at the very least ask for advice.