Equipment token system needs to be expanded to other content

[Shougun]

Suggested variations of this stuff and I think one thing I like is using the mother crystal in more things (like my love to see moogles used more lol). So you have /every/ content using this sort of aetherial charge and a unified screen that displays the types of charge and stores it (doesn't take up inventory). Through your communion with the mother crystal and enough energy you grant her she takes that and changes it into a desired item. Preferably they keep it simple and a long lasting system (not 150000 different currencies) however a unified screen would make many currencies easy to understand and track anyways, rather than trying to find all your actual item tokens.

I would actually suggest a mix of specific tokens and generic tokens, for a few reasons. Anything not end cap is under generic token system and everything capped is under a unique system (can move older more dead content into the noncapped too but lets go onto the issues). The reason being you don't want people farming a specific turn or version of the new end content because it's faster as they could then use those points to purchase the other content's gear (basically you dont want to encourage people to run specific content over other content more than they already will). So new/end content would need it's own turn/coil specific tokens (turn 1 aetherial charge doesn't purchase turn 2 items for example, but you can use your generic Aurum Vale all you want for Haukke Manor - as they'd be the same token type)

The generic content tokens would just be in tiers of rarity, or could all be one unified currency - depends on if SE wants to add "Legendary" super rare items to old content or not. Once you've earned enough points you can spend the money in the screen and the next time you run that content you will earn that item at the completion of it (unsynced or sycned doesn't matter) - if you get the item before the end of the content you will instead receive a refund on the points spent (that specific run, not all runs into the future too). This way even if you use the points you earned farming Aurum Value you still need to run Haukke Manor once to complete the transaction you issued - and if you get lucky and get the item you wanted you wont feel bad as you'll get the spent points back anyways.

If they add a glamour log like an item log, which is what I hope - so that you can see all the items you've collected, I think it might be nice to let that item log also act as connection into the mother crystal interface. Say you're looking at your glamour log and you notice a hat you don't have from a certain content, you try it on and you love the way it looks, and so you click on it and the game knows you dont have it so it asks if you'd like to spend "whatever currency name here" to bind that item's fate to yours. This way it would be super simple to both see what you have, don't have, what you want to get, and spend your tokens. Ideally they would also make it so if you are next to tome token exhange NPCs that you can just spend your tomes through your own interface rather than go through the 5 menus to purchase it (click on shire gear while next to Rowena's crew and it prompts you to spend the token).

To make this system smoother I would suggest tweaks to default loot and how you earn these atherial charges. There are a number of options like passing/not receiving loot/on fail rolls/by converting gear, but I would also recommend not to completely remove the RNG as the RNG does offer people a sort of fog between the grind. I /really/ believe that removing the endless hallway of RNG screwing you is important, so I believe in token systems being great and a must be added thing, but also it's nice for people not to think of every piece of gear as in "25 more runs". So a system that is always there to /fall back/ on, but still using RNG as the front runner is a great marriage of two system imo. Although for older content you can make the token system stand more center, like older content's cost slowly reduces over time so two years from now you can buy a set of dreadwyrm for like 7 runs for aetherial energy rather than 20.

(The other thing I thought using mother crystal for was making a rift/realm that would be an optional replacement to the current houses system - being an entirely instanced personal mini world like Wild Star, that you could invite people to of course, and everyone could obtain/upgrade over time).

[Bourne_Endeavor]

At the least in 4.X they mentioned they're gonna be making loot that drops only for a class that's actually in the instance, from what I remember

Initially, I loved this idea, but have since had mixed feelings. Depending how they implement it, this could make gearing secondary jobs much more of a pain since you'd have to play them in significantly worse gear.

[kattzkitti]

At the least in 4.X they mentioned they're gonna be making loot that drops only for a class that's actually in the instance, from what I remember

I agree with Bourne on this, that change would be cataclysmically terrible for anyone who uses more than one job on a character.

[Yeol]

At the least in 4.X they mentioned they're gonna be making loot that drops only for a class that's actually in the instance, from what I remember

In the past people would take gear for their mains and their secondary jobs depending on the drop.
This will help people gear their mains faster. This also means that you might have the same drops unless someone changes his job.

Example:
BRD/MCH pants dropped this week and your ranged took them. They might drop again next week but this time someone else in your party whos second role is ranged will take them.

I can see this hurting ONLY players whos secondary jobs are outside of the group composition. But other than that, the system is great at helping gearing main roles faster.

[Kaethra]

ESO had a not too bad compromise between tokens and RNG loot.

Each boss dropped loot for you and you only. It was random. You might get something you want or not. It also put a timer on loot you obtained. The timer was 2hrs I think. During that time you could trade loot to other players that were present when it dropped. In addition, there were dailies that would award keys. You used these keys to obtain loot from 3 different loot pools. This gear wasn't obtainable in the dungeons, but had a set bonus with gear that did.

The end result was something that was random, but allowed for player interaction. Basically each boss dropped 4 things of loot, one for each player. And then the players could trade loot at the end to get something they preferred.

I still prefer a mini-token system for dungeons though. Maybe something like each completion of a particular dungeon awards that dungeon's token. Five tokens allows you to pick a piece of loot from that dungeon. RNG is daunting for those who are unlucky. Hasn't been a good system since it was introduced 18 years ago.

[ThePatron13]

Each boss dropped loot for you and you only. It was random. You might get something you want or not. It also put a timer on loot you obtained. The timer was 2hrs I think. During that time you could trade loot to other players that were present when it dropped. In addition, there were dailies that would award keys. You used these keys to obtain loot from 3 different loot pools. This gear wasn't obtainable in the dungeons, but had a set bonus with gear that did.

I mean that just sounds like personal RNG which doesn't -really- change anything except in cases where certain pieces have more demand than others. The keys aren't a compromise to me, they're just something entirely different. If I want a certain piece of gear I want -that- piece of gear, I don't think people would accept that as a solution.

[Dzian]

At the least in 4.X they mentioned they're gonna be making loot that drops only for a class that's actually in the instance, from what I remember

Sounds like it could be good but how will it work?

If it's just based on jobs that enter then you might find nothing really changes.

2 dragoons in the party? Check. Let's drop a coat of maiming in the loot. But wait, both dragoons already have that item... or maybe they don't have that one but do have a better one....

Nothing then would change as it'd still be useless loot. Or would it check your equipment and armory chest and remove that item from the drop table if all eligible players in the party have it..

Or will it be weighted. If a party had 1 tank 5 casters and 2 healers would that mean a 12.5% chance a tank item will drop. While a 25% chance of a healer drop. Or a 62.5% of a casting piece?

Pretty sure most of us have been in a few of those parties especially in 24 man when virtually all the dps are the same type of class. 3 blm 2 smns or 4 brds and a mch or something. If they start weighting the loot like that could be very problematic

Then as someone mentioned earlier what if you want to gear an off class or something...

In 24 man especially usually get to a point where the piece I want drops of the second and third boss for example so if I haven't seen it. I might greed roll another piece off the last boss and be done for the week cos I really don't want to run he content yet again

[Felis]

Initially, I loved this idea, but have since had mixed feelings. Depending how they implement it, this could make gearing secondary jobs much more of a pain since you'd have to play them in significantly worse gear.

You can still roll greed on many gears and hope that the players with the specific job roll pass on the gear for another gear piece

[Synrin]

Big words. I feel like it distracts a lot of flaws with those statements.
...games with RNG grind have shown to have a longer shelf life than those of "instant gratification". Such as, WoW, Runescape, Diablo, and Borderlands. All of these games use RNG, even to an excessive amounts. Yet almost all of them are seen as works of art. Like it or not, RNG is not a "PoS". It has shown to work in numerous games and to extend a shelf life of a game.

Strong words, perhaps, but the point about RNG stands. Blizzard has over done it now in Legion with RNG (legendaries, warforged, titanforged, gem sockets) and that is why the game is going through its death throes at the moment. FFXIV is about to get bigger than WoW. So maybe it would be a good time to look at some alternative solutions that award playing and time input, that is not RNG.

ESO had a not too bad compromise between tokens and RNG loot.

Might be worth mentioning that in ESO you could craft amazing sets and gear, without relying on RNG AT ALL. The only two pieces were head and shoulders, perhaps a coouple of accessories. The rest was really easy to get.

[Dzian]

Something I put in another thread about alexanders loot and 24 man. basically adopt the primals loot system across all content
Here

When it comes to loot systems in FFXIV the best one in place is the Primal system. It's almost the perfect system for 3 reasons.

1:- There's no lockouts at all. If you so chose to do so you could have cleared zurvan ex yesterday and farmed the hell out it and quite possibly got EVERY weapon and the bird by now. what are we 36 hours into the patch give or take.. no lock outs at all and yet it works. so why does all other content need these lockouts?

2:- It has working RNG which can be hugely satisfying. just opened the loot chest and there's a nice shiny new gun for your machinist. it feels great when you win that roll. and makes things a lot more interesting than just loltomes.

3:- It guarantees progression. Even if the RNG in number 2 never ever drops a weapon for your jobs it doesn't matter because you also get totems. 10 of those totems and you get your weapon guaranteed. so you still win. it's impossible to lose or not progress if you clear the content.

The only thing that stops the primal system being perfect is that those totems in number 3 take up inventory space. it would be so much better if they separated in the key items tab for example or even currency tabs...

You could easily implement a similar system in Alex without to many changes.
you could keep the rng drops from various wings turns or whatever you call em. but also add another item. lets say for example "alexandrain screw" guaranteed to get one every time you clear the fight.

all you then need is a trade in system that would for example let you trade in 10 screws for a bolt, or 10 screws for a shaft spring or crank. and once you've got your 4 shafts you can still get your body piece. even if you had to clear the content 40 times to get 40 of the screws progression would be guaranteed. (on one hand 40 sounds a lot. but on the other some weeks ive prolly done it that many just to get my weekly)

it'd also work in 24 man raids. ive done dun scaith 3 times since the patch and seen 90% of the loot hit the floor. because everyone holds there 1 roll for the same pieces.
and it gets to the point where people are running it 15-20 times a week to try and get that 1 item and making no progress at all.

add another totem item guaranteed for the clear. trade in x number of them for a piece of your choosing. bam again guaranteed progression. even in the extreme worst cases of RNG.

going forward to 4.0 I really hope they do something like this. because 2.0 was much the same. how many times did I run t12 coil for a pair of bard pants I honestly can't tell you.

They have a really great loot system in XIV and it works well. they just need to implement it across all content