Raid gear set bonus

[thegreatonemal]

I love set bonus just because it does add the slightest bit of choice.

BiS vs Set bonuse. If balanced it would be a good way to bring up crafted or dungeon gear. All pieces equally good on bare stats, but give raid gear set bonuses.

BIS and set bonus would be the same thing.

[Rongway]

I love set bonus just because it does add the slightest bit of choice.

It wouldn't though...nothing they do ever adds choice, because there's always a best choice, and when there's a best choice, there's only one choice that isn't bad.


I don't mean that in a cynical, snarky way. It's been cited more than once, by Yoshi-P even, as the reason we can't have nice things. If they added a particularly good set bonus, people would be expected to have that equipment, and excluded from activities for not having it.

[Belhi]

I think set bonuses would be interesting but hard to do without simply making whatever had the set bonus best in slot. Further set bonuses can be tricky. WoW has had the issue before where people have kept pieces of a gear set from previous raid teirs because it had a superior set bonus effect.

Gear that offered non combat, cosmetic bonuses or bonuses outside of instanced content wouldn't be too hard though I imagine. Say a BLM piece that made your Fire spells blue colored or something that give you a small passive bonus to currency or items dropped from mobs, increased out of combat run speed or caused you to take less damage against open world beastkin.

[Jennika]

Well we need something because right now stats and gear are BORING.

[Vulcwen]

If set bonusses do nothing but add stats, I think it's pointless, but something that has an effect on your rotation is something that can make loot feel more rewarding. A sense of impact is what makes these kind of things fun to have in an MMO, a choice element is irrelevant. Note that that kind of impact doesn't need to be in the form of a set bonus, it can also be on a single piece of gear.

I think the idea of non-combat related bonusses would be fun without upsetting balance tho.

[Canadane]

This would be a fantastic thing to have more of.
Sadly, Yoshida said in a recent interview that they'd be dumbing down stats more, rather than adding such variety.

[Zumi]

Considering how much BiS mixes and matches gear, I'm not really sure how well this would go over.

That is the thing with set bonuses you wear some pieces that may not have the bests stats to get a bonus.

[Shougun]

I think set bonuses would be interesting but hard to do without simply making whatever had the set bonus best in slot. Further set bonuses can be tricky. WoW has had the issue before where people have kept pieces of a gear set from previous raid teirs because it had a superior set bonus effect.

Is that a significant issue though? The fact that older gear could remain useful is an interesting point I think. I suppose it gets to that core issue where some people always want upgrades and to replace items and others think that perhaps things shouldn't be tossed out the second something else comes about. I mean I can see people arguing that both ways, I just meant to suggest that it isn't purely an issue.. could be argued as a double edged sword sort of deal~

Personally I'd really like to see unique actions, passives, ability tweaks, and effects on items, and do not think they should be walled behind raid set items (but don't mind that set items could exist simultaneously). Set bonuses have to be particularly well crafted if they want their tiny variation of gear to be a thing, but it doesn't have to be a limiter (as others have pointed out it may make BiS just most obviously the set complete, but it doesn't have to be that way - if they make the earlier bonuses more potent than the later people will still mix and match, a bit like WoW on good days lol).

To me the new item effects just revitalize content I've been playing for days worth of time, mixing it up on a regular interval even outside of expansions (new gear, new opportunity for a small bump in the road of sameness). Some of WoW's effects are much more than a blip (usually relegated to Legendaries) but that change in pace I welcome, and it works for vertical and horizontal systems - and for both there is always the same caution "do it mindfully, otherwise you'll cause imbalance" but that's always a thing even if SE didn't do unique item effects and just did stat breakdowns (like if they gave all the best damage secondary stats to one job and never gave it to the other, without any balance in the job itself to compensate).

Cosmetic set bonuses would be interesting and I like that idea. I feel they could make a whole system on cosmetically making your job unique - a cosmetic sphere grid with AP (ability points for certain effects on/off), FFIX AP, merit point, talent tree or something. Where like FFIX obtaining items could be part of unlocking some options (perhaps not all through items, but sets could unlock things at specific marker points). Adding to things to do once you're at the end of your levels, allowing unique choices that go beyond your gear, and also being irrelevant if you're new and level 1 merit vs level 200 merit (doesn't cause issue with a freshly geared level 60 vs a similarly geared much older level 60 - also casual friendly as everyone can take part so long as they're around their level).

I only suggest that item set bonuses go into this area because otherwise a cosmetic set bonus would have to work through glamour or I'm sure people would be annoyed but glamour isn't really wearing the item but a mirage of the item. Or, you may also have issue where they glamour one set but are also wearing another and so it would make sense to do the one worn right (but not everyone would want that). So in a lore point, the mirages interacting as a set would be a bit like "mirage set bonus" and at the point of being able to mirage the interaction of items magically ... feel like being able to collect them permanently into a page would be just as well lol. Of course like I said an AP (ability point) associated with the effects so you can't be a flaming blue yellow infused meteor fire throwing lightning sonic flash after image levitating mako eye glowing demon winged void smoke emitting black mage (pick and choose which effects are active, but can unlock them all over time, as well not all unlocks need relate to effects and could be things like BLM unlocking Golbez armor or include limit break glamours as others have requested to have before). WoW's glyps may be a similar system to example to this one, changing many side cosmetics outside of gear.

[Kit-Kat]

I would love set effects. I never completely understood why they make us mix different sets pieces for BiS stats. For some jobs, it makes running certain raid floors pointless. AS11 for example, if your BiS pants are from tome set and easily upgraded with the previous floor item, why would you go with the effort of farming AS11. Or even worse for AS12 and a chest piece, why go through all that effort if your BiS piece is from tomes and you already have a BiS relic weapon. Raid gear should reward raiding. So my idea is, to prevent BiS set being imposed in every piece of content outside raid or get kicked from normal dungeons and primals for not having them, make the set effects only apply in the raid instances, pretty much just like PvP gear with its morale and materia stats outside of PvP maps.

[Rongway]

So my idea is, to prevent BiS set being imposed in every piece of content outside raid or get kicked from normal dungeons and primals for not having them, make the set effects only apply in the raid instances, pretty much just like PvP gear with its morale and materia stats outside of PvP maps.

In what way would that make people not insist that party members are wearing set bonus gear for raids?