Dev Team, show me you care about your players because I just don't see it (long read)

[RemVye]

I personally don't use any of them (I don't use a shield, so it never was a concern for me). The point is that if mages want to use slots for the shield skills they should be able to- having to level a completely different class is an unneeded extra amount of grind. At least with the old system, you could use the shield on CNJ/THM and play mage while getting your shield skills. Now if you do want the shield-focused skills, you have to level a class that you might have no interest in playing.

To be honest, the shield skills should have been Gladiator ones from the very start, rather than having Sentinel as a separate class. That way this problem might not have happened. People are just irritated that they need to grind more to get abilities that they may have already learned.

As I said, we do need to wait and see how SE are handling the skill changes, but it doesn't change the amount of extra grinding THM/CNJ players need to do if they want shield skills again. Doesn't affect me personally but I can see why some players are up in arms.

Don't get me wrong, I understand where the argument is coming from. But, this is what you get with the armory system. If you want to be as effective as you can, efficient as you can, the best that you can be... you will have to level other classes.

You could complain the same thing for any class, holding the fact that classes are solo / light parties and jobs will be for full party / end game. "I don't want to level pug to get second wind" "i dont want to level con to get cure" "i dont want to level thm to get sacrifice" "i dont want to level lancer to get invigorate" "i dont want to level mrd to get bloodbath / defender" "i dont want to level archer to get out of sight / quickstride"
-- "i dont want to level gladiator to get shield skills" With out some of the above skills solo play on a melee would be pretty hardcore.

So don't do it if you don't want to. When jobs come out this shouldn't be an issue if you're in a full party anyway.

New players won't know any different, old players know ahead of time and can "prepare", but really like I said what serious mage doesn't have gladiator to 36 for sentinel? Sentinel is 10x better than any shield skill, and has been deemed all but essential for Ifrit.

[Uriko]

Don't get me wrong, I understand where the argument is coming from. But, this is what you get with the armory system. If you want to be as effective as you can, efficient as you can, the best that you can be... you will have to level other classes.

You could complain the same thing for any class, holding the fact that classes are solo / light parties and jobs will be for full party / end game. "I don't want to level pug to get second wind" "i dont want to level con to get cure" "i dont want to level thm to get sacrifice" "i dont want to level lancer to get invigorate" "i dont want to level mrd to get bloodbath / defender" "i dont want to level archer to get out of sight / quickstride"
-- "i dont want to level gladiator to get shield skills" With out some of the above skills solo play on a melee would be pretty hardcore.

So don't do it if you don't want to. When jobs come out this shouldn't be an issue if you're in a full party anyway.

New players won't know any different, old players know ahead of time and can "prepare", but really like I said what serious mage doesn't have gladiator to 36 for sentinel? Sentinel is 10x better than any shield skill, and has been deemed all but essential for Ifrit.

The main difference being that many of these mages have already leveled Sentinel for the abilities, and will now be required to level a class to get the same abilities again. That'd be like leveling MRD to 48 for Defender II (regardless of whether you like MRD or not) , then Defender II getting switched to another class. I know shield leveling was a bit easier because you could do it on the fly at the same time as GLA/THM/CNJ, but the basic principle is the same.

No-one is asking for GLA to be leveled for free as 'payment' for losing shield skills, it just strikes me as odd that the dev team would wait this long to switch the skillset over. Obviously 1.20 is preparation for jobs in 1.21 but some of the changes seem to have come without much warning. Remember that not everyone has all DoW/DoM classes at 50; particularly newer players who might not have had time yet. You have to see it from both sides; if you were a CNJ/THM player who hadn't leveled GLA and all of your shield abilities suddenly disappeared you'd probably be a bit annoyed that you now need to level GLA as well.

For me, leveling Gladiator to get Sentinel was never a priority (I can't stand GLA so honestly the thought never occurred to me), so while I admit most 50 CNJ/THM will already have Sentinel, there will be a lot who are still adversely affected by the changes. All that can be said is to learn to adapt to them, but I think this is why a lot of people are kicking off over it. I really need to see a full list of the changes lined up before I make any decisions really.

[RemVye]

The main difference being that many of these mages have already leveled Sentinel for the abilities, and will now be required to level a class to get the same abilities again. That'd be like leveling MRD to 48 for Defender II (regardless of whether you like MRD or not) , then Defender II getting switched to another class. I know shield leveling was a bit easier because you could do it on the fly at the same time as GLA/THM/CNJ, but the basic principle is the same.

No-one is asking for GLA to be leveled for free as 'payment' for losing shield skills, it just strikes me as odd that the dev team would wait this long to switch the skillset over. Obviously 1.20 is preparation for jobs in 1.21 but some of the changes seem to have come without much warning. Remember that not everyone has all DoW/DoM classes at 50; particularly newer players who might not have had time yet. You have to see it from both sides; if you were a CNJ/THM player who hadn't leveled GLA and all of your shield abilities suddenly disappeared you'd probably be a bit annoyed that you now need to level GLA as well.

For me, leveling Gladiator to get Sentinel was never a priority (I can't stand GLA so honestly the thought never occurred to me), so while I admit most 50 CNJ/THM will already have Sentinel, there will be a lot who are still adversely affected by the changes. All that can be said is to learn to adapt to them, but I think this is why a lot of people are kicking off over it. I really need to see a full list of the changes lined up before I make any decisions really.

You do realize they are switching around abilities and actions right.... and there is a pretty high chance that Gladiator may get Defender.

You were made fully aware that the abilities of each class were going to be re-arranged and distributed, so I fail to see your complaint.

As far as having Sentinel skills on a mage, I've never used them... had zero need. The classes themselves have sufficient defensive abilities and offensive to carry me through any leve, quest, party, or dungeon.

[Griss]

The main difference being that many of these mages have already leveled Sentinel for the abilities.

The issue i have with this sentiment is how the game operates now. If we were still on the old chance of sp per action then this argument would hold some weight. Early on having a high shield level meant something and was cause for a bit of celebration when some one gained a new skill. these days you strap a shield to any class capable of using one and the skills just show up eventually.

No-one is asking for GLA to be leveled for free as 'payment' for losing shield skills,

actually Neptune kind of is.

so while I admit most 50 CNJ/THM will already have Sentinel, there will be a lot who are still adversely affected by the changes.

If the shield skills are staple of peoples play style and they have zero levels into glad. Once the new ability pools are announced they will have from that time till patch day to equip a sword and play whack a mob to get to the point where there style can continue on uninterrupted. Its the same for every body else no mater what they consider there main. Well except for the really bored people with every thing at 50.