Will Parry become worthwhile in the next patch?

[Nalien]

Adding a counter-attack would be a step in the right direction, but still doesn't address the first point. I'm sure there are other reasons that make it undesirable besides these, just the top 3 off the top of my head.

Hmm... Well, I'm incline to think they should just remove Parry outright and treat it the same as Evasion... Replace it with Counter, and just give it some synergy with tanking... Something like;

"Grants a chance to preform an additional auto-attack every time your current target attacks, with an increased chance to Counter upon blocking, parrying, or dodging an attack".

That's still worthwhile when not tanking, it's just improved while tanking...

Really though... They could remove all stats and treat them like Evasion, and I'm not sure I'd notice... Itemization is just pathetic in this game... Secondary stats really need to have a more noticeable impact, IMO... People will always go for the best option here, because that's kinda the only option... If things worked differently, I could see people going for something like Critical Hit Rate + Skill Speed, because that combination is rewarding... Critical Hit Rate + Determination might still be superior, but if these stats had more of an impact, I can see the rational that would lead someone for favoring Skill Speed instead... It's a logical combination, more of your hits are critical, and you're getting more hits in... If the result of that combination was actually noticeable, I'm sure it would be satisfying to build your character in that way, even if it's not technically the best option... I mean, gearing Skill Speed can be noticeable, but for the wrong reasons... It's a really dumb stat in that regard, if you build it specifically you'll just run out of TP quicker and it's slowing you down instead... That's like making it so too much Accuracy has you missing more than you were with too little...

There is really just no satisfaction in stats, IMO... Parry is kind of the epitome of that... A Parry build is not satisfying, because it just doesn't do anything, even if you're main tanking... If it had a noticeable impact, then I could get the desire to gear for it... You wont always be the main tank, but you geared it for the satisfaction it brings when you are the main tank...

[Alberel]

In the Gamescom interviews Yoshi was pretty explicit about not wanting to make any major changes to stats and balancing before 4.0. He's aware of the problems with parry but they already have some major overhauls planned for 4.0 as it is so it makes sense to roll them all out together in the expansion. If they made any major changes now they would have to be revised again in 4.0 anyway due to the other changes so it would be a rather inefficient use of time.

[Phafi]

I don't feel like going and looking for the source, but we've been told it'll have an effect similar to determination. It's going to become an offensive stat, likely while keeping its current effect. Counter wouldn't solve the problem as it's still a CHANCE based defensive stat, meaning you still have to heal as if it didn't activate. Keen Flurry likely won't get super buffed as it would add activation rate to parry, similar to how Internal Release and Battle Litany don't add "+crit hit damage" like the "+critical hit rate" materia does.

[Awful]

They could just make crit = 1 parry and 1 crit double dipping the stats would make OT DPS not suffer either. They need to add what someone said above into something whether it be det or crit but I think double dipping crit and parry is the better option.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

Hmm... Well, I'm incline to think they should just remove Parry outright and treat it the same as Evasion... Replace it with Counter, and just give it some synergy with tanking... Something like;

"Grants a chance to preform an additional auto-attack every time your current target attacks, with an increased chance to Counter upon blocking, parrying, or dodging an attack".

The problem with Parry is it's entirely RNG based. You cannot structure your build around something like that, especially not mitigation. Even changing it to a potential free auto attack wouldn't make it worthwhile because Crit/Det is guaranteed damage throughout the fight.

[LineageRazor]

The problem with Parry is it's entirely RNG based. You cannot structure your build around something like that, especially not mitigation. Even changing it to a potential free auto attack wouldn't make it worthwhile because Crit/Det is guaranteed damage throughout the fight.

To be fair, Crit is also entirely RNG based, and yet it is the best possible secondary to stack for most jobs.

No, the problem with Parry, as has already been stated, is that no matter how you tool it, it's a worthless stat on the off tank. To parry something, you have to have an incoming attack - and the off-tank doesn't get any of those in most situations. Parry doesn't just need to be adjusted; it needs to be replaced altogether. Or, as a less savory alternative, it, and the monsters that tanks tank, could be buffed to the point where tanks HAVE to stack Parry just to survive - and even if that happened, you'd have tanks trying to figure out the minimal possible amount of Parry to stack while still getting the job done.

Counterattacks suffer from the same problem; the off-tank gets no benefit. That said, I DO like the idea of tanks getting the ability to counterattack... How about this for an idea? Rather than counterattack, call them opportunity attacks. When a main tank takes a hit, they have a chance to inflict an attack of opportunity - and if that chance succeeds, any other tanks attacking the same target ALSO get a free attack in. Similarly, an off-tank has a chance of triggering an opportunity attack every time they strike the mob, and if it succeeds, the main tank (and any other off-tank) also gets a free hit in. This chance, both when giving or receiving attacks, is greater the higher you stack the stat. The tank is goading the enemy into a vulnerable position, which she and the other tanks can then exploit - seems like a tanky sort of flavor to me.

[Kosmos992k]

No, the problem with Parry, as has already been stated, is that no matter how you tool it, it's a worthless stat on the off tank. To parry something, you have to have an incoming attack - and the off-tank doesn't get any of those in most situations. Parry doesn't just need to be adjusted; it needs to be replaced altogether.

I disagree completely with this. playing off tank is something that is only a thing in 8-player content. For Tanks Parry is always useful in any circumstance except being off-tank. For all players parry is useful anytime they are individually fighting one or more enemies. Parry as a skill does not exist for or depend on, the off-tank using it. It applies to everyone, and is a defensive stat. I feel that like auto attack it needs to be released a little and allow the parry rate to be assessed against all physical attacks regardless of facing, and the parry stat needs to have a measurable impact on either the rate or strength of the parry made.

But this idea that parry shouold go because off tanks can't use it is ludicrous. Parry exists for more than that.

[Brannigan]

Stats don't matter outside of 8 person content.

[Kosmos992k]

Stats don't matter outside of 8 person content.

1. they should.
2. the game is far larger than the 8 man content
3. if I wanted a game that was primarily about 8 man content (aka raiding) I would not be playing FFXIV.

[Tint]

i think they should seperate the parry stat and the parry battle-effect. make the parry battle-effect an fixed % chance to parry an attack and mitigate the damage by 20%. then they don't need to make any changes to skills with parry effects, like drg, war and drk have.

then they can take the parry stat and overhaul it to be something completely different. like a defensive determination-like stat or whatever.