[dev1144] Effect of Core Stats on Skills Explained. Devs, We Need Answers Please

[Bluetaro]

I don't really understand how it can possibly take 4 STR = 1 Attack Power. (Or do you mean 4 STR = 1 Damage?)

If you look at materia, STR materia IV is ~16 str. While Heaven's Fist materia is ~26-30 Attack Power.

If STR materia is only 1/4 of a single attack power as far as damage output goes, that would make the attack power materia a whopping 8 times more effective than the strength materia. I.E. virtually securing it as the ONLY materia suitable for damage dealing. Something doesn't seem right with it.

Hachiko, the reason why attack doesn't trump strength despite needing 4 STR for every 1 attack is that the equations regulating damage done is affected in other ways. The damage we do is not simply drawn from one stat such as Attack.

In FFXI the "damage floor" was typically calculated by the player's STR and placed against the monsters VIT. The difference would affect the base damage you were able to do versus a monster.

Once you knew the base damage you could inflict, you then had to calculate the player's attack versus the monsters defense rating. This allowed you to modify the base damage by some multiplier.

That's kind of how FFXI worked but of course they had a lot more factors thrown in to compute the final damage (weapon damage for example, STR and Attack caps, etc).

I would imagine FFXIV is adopting their damage equations similar to what FFXI had. To be able to predict what kind of damage we can expect we'd have to throw in ALL the factors that influence it, which can include weapon damage, player level, elemental bonuses, STR caps and attack caps etc etc, the list can go on. I think it'd be great if SE can help us delineate that list of factors out a bit more.

+1 to the OP

[Deus]

In FFXI the "damage floor" was typically calculated by the player's STR and placed against the monsters VIT. The difference would affect the base damage you were able to do versus a monster.

Once you knew the base damage you could inflict, you then had to calculate the player's attack versus the monsters defense rating. This allowed you to modify the base damage by some multiplier.

I have the same assumptions regarding the FFXIV damage formula as it relates to the FFXI formula. My post on the ZAM forums (linked in my blog) goes into more detail. The basics are you have a core component YourSTR minus MobsVIT, which is then influenced by the Weapons Damage rating (could be a multiplier or a constant added on). Then you have a scalar or multiplier which is YourAttack divided by MobDefense. Most often a high MobVIT means a high MobDEF. But consider the case against a low rank mob where your STR is very high and MobVIT is very low. You then proceed to do several Attack buffs and deal ridiculous high damage compared to not using those Attack buffs. Your damage may be even 300% difference. Then consider a high rank mob where its VIT is so high your STR can barely touch it and you do very little damage. You then proceed to do several attack buffs, and you still barely scrape the mob. It may have only increased damage by 10%. This is what I experienced in FFXI.

The Devs told us "STR = Attack Power". Whether this means STR CONVERTS into the Attack RATING as we know it in the menu and on materia may or may not be the case. It may be ITS OWN VARIABLE in the damage equation, NOT converted into the Attack variable beforehand. Another potentially independent factor in the equation is the weapons' innate Damage rating. The Damage rating may also be ITS OWN VARIABLE in the damage equation, or could potentially also be converted beforehand into the menu's Attack rating.

If the devs would confirm basic relationships like this, we would be much further along being able to compare the benefits of adding Attack+ versus STR+ materia, when to upgrade weapons vs adding materia, how to figure out what is the best weapon for high and low rank mobs, and deciding if Ifrit weapons are worth it at all since you can't add materia...