6.1 and the frustration with job changes or: how I started worrying about XIV patches

[KurenXIV]

There's been a lot said recently by the player base around changes focusing around certain jobs and there's one thing that bothers me more than anything about all this: the timing.

A patch release shouldn't contain drastic job changes unless the job is fundamentally broken and beyond fixing with simple number adjustments.

There's a few core reasons to take this approach but it really boils down to respecting the players time.

Since subbing at the start of ARR, I have lauded Yoshi-P and the team for respecting our time. They designed the game to be played to a point where you can take breaks between content patches after all.

Additionally, they didn't make sweeping job changes post expansion launch unless something was really broken and even then I can't think of many instances of it happening.

Now we have 6.1, and while I can't speak for the NIN community, as a SAM main these are pretty substantial changes to make for a job that wasn't in need of changing.

From Kaitens removal (loss of job fantasy elements and a button that just felt good to press), to the guaranteed crits (less party synergy), to damage being spread across more moves (for more "consistent" dps). These are big changes which alter the core identity of SAM. Naturally this will turn players off to the job, including myself.

So how does this disrespect the players time?

Well, after I got out of my depressed state of losing the fun version of Samurai, I decided to go back to my main prior to SAM . . . Ninja.

With that . . . all these months I spent post EW launch have largely been wasted on putting time, effort and, most importantly, gear into a job I no longer want to play.

It sucks. It's frustrating. It's not fun.

Had these changes been a part of a samurai rework for EW release, it would have been a very different story. At least then I could say "wow, this isn't for me. I'll put effort into something else". Instead, we're blind sided and told "just try it and if you don't like it maybe things will change in the future".

This is something we shouldn't have to expect or tolerate.

With all that said, it is my hope that the main take away from the backlash of these 6.1 changes is that these sorts of alterations should only happen during an expansions launch (again, baring something that is so fundamentally broken that it needs emergency fixing).

Please Yoshi-P, don't make us fear every point release as a possible point where our favorite jobs become something we no longer enjoy. Please respect your players and their time again.

[Varilyon]

Welcome to a massive multi online game, where you are not the only one playing a class/job.

It makes no sense to change smth only just to disturb players. There will be many other people happy about the changes.


And yes, playing a subscription game always means change. Everything is changing

[KurenXIV]

Welcome to a massive multi online game, where you are not the only one playing a class/job.

It makes no sense to change smth only just to disturb players. There will be many other people happy about the changes.


And yes, playing a subscription game always means change. Everything is changing

I'm not against change, but change for the sake of change mid expansion for jobs that don't need the changes is what I am against.

If 7.0 rolled around and SAM was something I wasn't interested in any longer I wouldn't have as big an issue with it.

[HyoMinPark]

Welcome to a massive multi online game, where you are not the only one playing a class/job.

It makes no sense to change smth only just to disturb players. There will be many other people happy about the changes.

You say that, but all three communities have been in arms about the changes to both SAM and NIN—to the point that JP was demanding the person in charge of making said changes come forward and explain them during the Patch Notes reading on Twitch. The common sentiment that I’ve gathered from it all is “what was even the point of these changes” and “who even asked for them”.

It’s rare for all three communities to be up in arms over the same thing at the same time. And the changes to SAM and NIN—as well as the lack of meaningful changes to jobs like MCH—are slowly starting to highlight the problems that have already been present within the other jobs and roles.

[CuragaCura]

Welcome to a massive multi online game, where you are not the only one playing a class/job.

It makes no sense to change smth only just to disturb players. There will be many other people happy about the changes.


And yes, playing a subscription game always means change. Everything is changing

Yes and trying to smooth out the discontent by generalizing the change as acceptable across a greater audience does not resolve the issue. Blanket statements don't work.

[Atreides]

*looks at OPs Job*
Ah a Samurai, welcome to the guaranteed crit fold. Despised by DNC, SCH, DRG alike.

[Roxus]

Welcome to a massive multi online game, where you are not the only one playing a class/job.

It makes no sense to change smth only just to disturb players. There will be many other people happy about the changes.


And yes, playing a subscription game always means change. Everything is changing

Wow another person being dismissive. As far as I have read across several communities, it's almost unanimous that no one liked or even asked for the changes.

[KurenXIV]

*looks at OPs Job*
Ah a Samurai, welcome to the guaranteed crit fold. Despised by DNC, SCH, DRG alike.

Not anymore haha, dropping it for NIN which will be 90 in a few days. So I will be loved by all . . . right? ;D

[whitemoonflower]

Had these changes been a part of a samurai rework for EW release, it would have been a very different story. At least then I could say "wow, this isn't for me. I'll put effort into something else". Instead, we're blind sided and told "just try it and if you don't like it maybe things will change in the future".

This is something we shouldn't have to expect or tolerate.

With all that said, it is my hope that the main take away from the backlash of these 6.1 changes is that these sorts of alterations should only happen during an expansions launch (again, baring something that is so fundamentally broken that it needs emergency fixing).

Please Yoshi-P, don't make us fear every point release as a possible point where our favorite jobs become something we no longer enjoy. Please respect your players and their time again.

I agree. Presenting changes in such a tight timeframe gives little room for feedback. The devs may be perplexed at the seemingly sudden backlash, but "blindsided" is exactly the word I'd use to describe how these sudden changes left us feeling. On top of that, we feel unheard just as tank and healer mains have for years.

Late ShB's MNK changes were so disappointing for myself and many others, then they released it in its current NIN/MNK hybrid state for EW. We were further disappointed, but this was it's new starting point. I thought, "I miss the early ShB MNK, but maybe it'll change and play more true to MNK in time." SAM losing Hissatsu: Seigan and Merciful Eyes at the beginning of EW was likewise disappointing as countering was one of my favorite aspects of SAM, but I was glad to see the rest of the job still intact. I can't say the same for these 6.1 changes. They're abrupt, perplexing, and feel out of touch with the community.

Can the same degree of mindful development that BLM receives be applied to the rest of the jobs? If no one in charge of job changes understands how a particular job plays (or even enjoys playing it for that matter), can the community—those who main it, not just those who play it casually or to cap everything—be sought out on these changes?

We're asking for two things: meaningful changes and to be part of the process of reaching them. Please consider this.

[ArcaviusGreyashe]

Can the same degree of mindful development that BLM receives be applied to the rest of the jobs? If no one in charge of job changes understands how a particular job plays (or even enjoys playing it for that matter), can the community—those who main it, not just those who play it casually or to cap everything—be sought out on these changes?

We're asking for two things: meaningful changes and to be part of the process of reaching them. Please consider this.

I won't argue about whether those changes are good or bad, I occasionally play NIN but always hated SAM, so idk.

But what you think about is an utopia, there is no one out there that would be able to do that in a way that makes the community like it. I don't know what the meaning of those changes were (Most probable guess : run homogeneization), but say we ask 100 parsers how to adjust jobs. They might have ideas that feel good, but will they be balanced ? Will they really feel good on the long term, when you don't get THAT crit, or have .01 too much GCD and your whole rotation gets thrown overboard ? Won't those parsers be hated by the community ?

I'm not saying the changes they made are good, or even purposeful. I'm just saying reworks like that will always be criticized, and it's no surprise the community as a whole despise it, juste like they despise the SMN rework, or pretty much every rework ever. Let's wait and see, and discuss once we all know what exactly we're talking about.