Patch 1.20 Notes (12/12/2011)

[Rizon]

Many, many good things about this patch:

1. They have made a positive effort to address the loot problem with the Primal fights. Now you can collect Totems and exchange a certain number for loot. As long as the requirementsare not too high this is good.

2. Dispite the traveling Achievements look to be fun. Will definately give us thing to work towards while waiting for more content.

3. Revisions to the Dyeing procedures are definately a positive.

4. Rebalancing of Mob locations appear to be a positive.

5. Can now complete some of the open Class Quest with the revision to the synthing requirements

6. Changes to Battlecraft Levees are good. Unfortunately they did nothing to address the disparities to Local Levees balancing. Guess I will have to continue doing level 40 Weaver quests all the way to 50. Same with the other classes I am leveling.

7. Can finally ride my chicken out of Grdania and not make that long walk or payiny 800Gil to avoid it. The ability to see the cat ate the canary grin on my characters face again is worth it.

8. Combos look like they will have potential. My only concern is the TP requirements involved. Depending on the delay restrictions involved to execute the Combos this may or may not be a concern.

9. Increased Mob populations for farming and exp in certains areas will greatly assist in leveling.

10. Search function definately an improvement.

Some questions/concerns still exist.

1. SE mentions, repeatidly, schedule for sometine after patch 1.20a or 1.20b. What is actually involeved in those patches and when are they

2. Dispites the changes to the Grand Companies participations in them will continue to linger til the make GC levees worth the time and expendature in levee allotments. Right now I have better things to do with my limited supply of allotments.

3. failed to make adjustments to the Ifrit battle that will make it more appealing for more classes. Still having to level and learn to play LNC so maybe someday I can complete it.

All in all this patch is and excellent step forward and follows the roadmap as previously outlined.

[Radiator]

Excited overall, but there sure are a lot of typos in this - example- all the GC weapons with defense.

[Hulan]

8. Combos look like they will have potential. My only concern is the TP requirements involved. Depending on the delay restrictions involved to execute the Combos this may or may not be a concern.

3. failed to make adjustments to the Ifrit battle that will make it more appealing for more classes. Still having to level and learn to play LNC so maybe someday I can complete it.

As to point 8, the TP cost of Weapon Skills used in a combo (following the first) are waved. Not only does that make TP a none issue for timing, it also injects a substantial gap in damage between those that are practiced in their combo use and those that are not. The ability to chain 2-3 weapon skills for the cost of one is going to make things quite interesting.

As for concern 3, I would say that the adjustments made to the classes themselves are a suitable alternative to changing the Ifrit fight mechanics. It will depend greatly on whether players are willing to experiment with the new abilities, or stick to their established routines. The potency of the new abilities will have to wait to be seen, but from the looks of it, SE has done well in offsetting the LNC's ability to stay out of harms way with defensive or healing abilities on other classes. I suspect that, even while taking the AoE damage from Ifrit, some other class or even classes may knock LNC off of it's high horse. Hmmm, pardon me, I seem to have mixed my metaphors.

[FraenirVolsung]

One thing that I found interesting in the patch notes was the chart pasted below. Maybe this is old information. If so, I apologize as I've never seen it before. I find it interesting that each class has 2 damage modifiers for auto-attack. I wonder if each attribute provides an equal bonus, or if Bonus 1 is the primary modifier and Bonus 2 is a secondary modifier. Certainly would add more use for all of those lesser desired materia.

≪Auto-attack Damage Bonus≫

Class Bonus 1 Bonus 2
Pugilist Intelligence Strength
Gladiator Mind Strength
Marauder Vitality Strength
Archer Dexterity Piety
Lancer Piety Strength
Conjurer Mind Piety
Thaumaturge Mind Piety

[Kiara]

Hi All,

While seemingly "light" on content, there are a lot of fundamental, interesting changes in store. Some are shocking, many are exciting or different.

Here are some highlights / notes that stuck out for me:

• The effects of Protect and Shell have been made mutually exclusive, and one now overwrites the other. There's a thread on this. Definitely very weird or broken or mistranslated. Or that Protect w/ Enhanced Protect is both now. But it still makes no sense with the mention of Shell, though, since Shell doesn't exist now.

• I'm glad there are new Hunting Grounds for Parties. I can't wait to see these new EXP Areas (hopefully it helps and encourages players to move about and explore more).

• Are ALL current HQ Items (+1, 2, 3) going to be upgraded into the new "+1" (New HQ) status? It would be a nice surprise for all.
  
  "All HQ items have been consolidated into +1. All HQ items synthesized after patch 1.20 will be +1. Existing +2 and +3 items will continue to exist and will sell at the same price as before; their attributes, however, will be unified with those of their +1 counterparts.]"

• I LOVE how the Attribute Points Customization is what SE promised us: Some Points to Redistribute with most of the Stats Auto-Shifting still. This allows SE to properly balance each Class and Fight, and still grant some Customization. And it makes Stats still valuable (instead of the old way of being able to move HUNDREDS of Ability Points at once). Win-Win for everyone.

• Parry restored back for Gladiators? New Equipment for Gladiators now grants Parry Effect, so I hope this is SE acknowledging that Parry has been restored for Gladiators.

• Provoke - Not a Gladiator Ability? It's interesting / odd if they want to make Gladiator / Paladin the main tank, that they give Provoke to Marauder instead. I know they get Flash (nice to see a comeback) but still.

• 2 of the "biggest" Weaponskills for Gladiator are most effective as a Rear Attack? I can understand one, maybe, in case they lose aggro and it's a chance to do something chasing down a mob from behind, but 2 of their biggest Weaponskills grant bonus only from behind? Huh?
  
  Perhaps it's a move to make the Tank move (someone else stuns a target, the Gladiator runs behind and uses WS, but still).

• Conjurer: Auto-Refresh - Gradually regenerates MP. Nice!

• Protect vs. Enhanced Protect - One increases Defense. The other increases Magic Defense. Is that a typo? Or does Protect w/ Enhanced Protect Trait basically equal = the old "Protect & Shell"?

• Removing Rebirth, so now 1 Conjurer can Raise only 1 person every... 5 minutes. It makes dying more of a bad thing now, for sure. Less Raises available. BUT, looking at the White Mage Ability to "Remove Recast Time of next Spell," I think that'll make White Mage Job more valuable for that reason. Too bad we won't get that until 1.21, so we have to be more careful during this patch for sure.

• Traits have Recast Times. Interesting and different from the "always on" way they were before. Since Traits are passive, though, I'm not sure how easily we'll see or "know" if they're "on" or in the middle of "recasting."

• Interesting that they make all Conjurer Elemental Spells (Aero, Stone series) open to anyone, but Thaumaturge Elemental Spells are all Exclusive, except Fire.

• Using Numbering on *some* Abilities but removing them for others: It's a minor note, but it strikes me as a bit inconsistent for Square to remove the Numbering System for Weaponskills and Spells (e.g., Provoke, Provoke II, Fire I, II, etc.), but keep the Numbering for Gathering (Prospect I, II, III, IV).

• One thing that confused me for a sec was how the new list only includes the *Class* Abilities, and *not* the Job Abilities we got hinted at a few weeks ago. So those Job Abilities (not on this new list with Names) should make each "Class / Job" even more exciting and enjoyable.

While I'm listing mostly concerns, there are lots of good things in the patch! I love the Dyeing recipe changes. The Grand Company Ranks and new equipment!



I look forward to the class changes the Individual Combos.



I just hope we get some clarification on some of these issues.


Can't wait for the patch!

[Nakiamiie]

• Provoke - Not a Gladiator Ability? It's interesting / odd if they want to make Gladiator / Paladin the main tank, that they give Provoke to Marauder instead. I know they get Flash (nice to see a comeback) but still.

• 2 of the "biggest" Weaponskills for Gladiator are most effective as a Rear Attack? I can understand one, maybe, in case they lose aggro and it's a chance to do something chasing down a mob from behind, but 2 of their biggest Weaponskills grant bonus only from behind? Huh?
  
  Perhaps it's a move to make the Tank move (someone else stuns a target, the Gladiator runs behind and uses WS, but still).

Maybe that explains Marauder's provoke?

Using Numbering on *some* Abilities but removing them for others: It's a minor note, but it strikes me as a bit inconsistent for Square to remove the Numbering System for Weaponskills and Spells (e.g., Provoke, Provoke II, Fire I, II, etc.), but keep the Numbering for Gathering (Prospect I, II, III, IV).

Same thought here, most likely they are not done redoing the abilities of DoH and DoL.

[Fiosha_Maureiba]

When I read:

"Players are no longer bound by level restrictions when setting actions from other classes. For instance, a level 1 pugilist will be able to set a level 30 gladiator action. However, the effectiveness of that action will be scaled down accordingly."

Were we not supposed to be able to use a level 30 action or ability on a level 1 class? Were they optimal rank or restricted?

Ah well, the future indicates there will be ability scaling nonetheless.

The adjustment in Disciple of Hand class recipes is nice. But my giant butt is, I thought most of us were completing these quests to unlock access to guild abilities that we would spend guild marks on, where the gil and marks were secondary.

It's all good howe'er, since the abilities are awarded through level up and any lore in the quest can be resolved with resources presently available in-game.

[Munba]

Another great patch. Good job yoshi and devs.

[Inaaca]

So traits aren't passive enhancements like we thought, judging by the recast timers? Does this mean that we'll have to use two actions just to do one now in order to get only slightly better results?

For instance:
Enhanced Protect + Protect
Enhanced Healing + Cure
Enhanced Raise + Raise

It seems like a needless and redundant step to worry about whenever you do anything when it should just be a passive equippable upgrade for your actual abilities.

[Jennestia]

It's either that or how DoH traits/abilities appeared after set time etc.