An idea to make classes more interesting (wall of text warning)

[Vagrant-0]

The problem with the current system is this:

1. For those interested in playing a single role within a party there is no real benefit to raising more than one class to level 50 and the secondary class to 15.
   
2. Each class feels isolated on its own, with attribute points that have relatively little meaning.
   
3. The limited number of cross-class skills available results in only a few skills which have any meaningful impact. Many current cross-class skills are either an overlap with native skills to that class (cure/physic), or are too isolated to be useful outside rare situations (enmity skills on DoW).
4. Classes themselves lose their luster as soon as a job is obtained in many cases primarily because those classes are no less specialized than their job, no matter what current cross-class skills are used.

The result is a system that is incredibly static and prevents customization around how players choose to play. It also removes any incentive to raise secondary jobs outside of being some idle behavior for the sake of completion.


To improve upon this, I suggest the following:

1. Make attribute points count at the character level instead of the class level. This allows for a much wider range of character customization and opens the door for classes to be viable in roles they are not typically suited for.

   - Points obtained enter into a combined pool instead of a separated one.
   
   - The amount of points that can be invested in a single stat is capped at a value of 50*. This capped value is only raised with the level cap as new content is added.
   
   - The amount of points earned per level re-adjusted to be lower and more regular**.
   
   - To limit people from investing all points in a single stat, limit the benefit to 1 points per level on the currently active class: Eg.

   Character with 30 points invested in piety will have 30 extra piety on their level 50 classes, but only 15 of this can be used on their level 15 class

   - Spent attribute points could be carried over to DoL and DoH classes to infer additional benefits.
   
   - Current stat reset items would be increased in price or reworked to only return partial amounts (all that is invested in a single stat, or x points each use).
   
   - Content would need to be rebalanced around the stat changes, or adjust automatically depending on party makeup. Maybe even just force players to sync 1-3 levels lower than usual based on total levels.
   
   - Would alleviate concerns regarding stat distribution on current classes once more jobs are released by making them more central to the character, instead of the specific job/role they are using at the moment.
   

2. Broaden the range of cross-class skills now that characters are not so tightly bound by the primary stats of their current class. This allows for an even wider range of customization and for some classes to have greater use beyond level 30. This also allows some DPS classes to function in a Tanking role, Tanks in a DPS role, and DoM to function in a healing role... If however somewhat less capably.[indent]
   - Number of cross-class skills still capped at 5 per level.
   
   - Certain skills that are a signature of that class will remain exclusive to that class (summons, skills obtained from class quests, improved versions of skills (blizzard II)).
   
   - Certain additional effects, like umbral ice/astral fire changed to be class traits instead of being linked to the skill. Traits are not shared between classes.
   
   - DoW and DoM restrictions still enforced (no blizzard on pugilist).
   
   - Example skills that could be available to all melee DoW:

   #Gladiator: Fast Blade, Riot Blade, Tempered Will
   #Pugilist: Fists of Earth, Fists of Wind
   #Lancer: Life Surge, Impulse Drive, Disembowel
   #Marauder: Overpower, Heavy Swing, Holmgang
   

   - Example skills that could be available to DoM:

   #Conjurer: Stone, Medica
   #Thaumaturge: Blizzard, Fire, Sleep
   #Arcanist: Bio, Aetherflow (only restores MP, does not provide any stacks)
   

   - The following relates to archers instead of what is mentioned above:

   #Gains: Tempered Will, Impulse Drive (bow range), Steel Peak (melee range), Medica
   #Provides DoW: Shadowbind, Barrage
   #Provides DoM: Shadowbind

   - With the various attack spells being made available to all DoM, you also allow for elemental resistances to play a meaningful role both in PvE and PvP.
   
   - Some skills adjusted slightly or given additional effects to differentiate between overlapping skills (medica/medicaII/Sucor) (Fast blade&Riot blade/Heavy Swing&Skull Sunder) or given traits that grant extra benefit to native class (more healing for WMG, higher enmity for WAR).
   
   - Jobs would still be limited by the two secondary classes that they can currently borrow from.
   

With this, a character who has raised several classes would be able to select from a much broader range of abilities, and be reasonably competent in using them. Although this would not allow Lancers and Pugilists to queue as Tanks, or Thaumaturge and Arcanist to queue as a healer, or Conjurer and Marauder to queue as DPS, within pre-formed groups they could potentially fill these roles so that once additional jobs are added, it won't feel like such a drastic change compared to everything they could do before (similar to how arcanist's physic prepares them for scholar). More importantly, it adds that whole aspect of making a character unique to the person playing it as well as giving them incentive to go out and learn all they can about everything they can.

Dictating the specifics of how attribute points are earned, how they're spent, how much can apply at any level isn't my intention. Nor is it important which specific skills get made cross-class or how they're adjusted. Those making the game know more than I in this regard. Instead my intention was to suggest a possible way to enrich the current system and provide an example of how it can be done with existing terms.

This is not something that one would expect to happen any time soon, or even within the next year, but would work well as part of a transitioning patch for when more jobs/content is added.



*Currently it is 30 extra points to spend at level 50.

**Something like 1 point every 2 levels for a grand total of 168 points to distribute. The intent here is to allow characters to specialize in atleast 2 stats and have some points remaining to pass around to others so that they remain capable in a secondary job, and having a meaningful difference between a specialist and generalist approach.

***The justification for mentioned skills is based on not only those skills related to diversifying the types of roles a character may perform, but also skills which can be utilized by jobs current and future.

TLDR: To provide a greater interconnection between all classes on the same character through linked stat allocation and larger range of cross-class skills. To provide greater degree of customization so that each character feels more unique. This is not expected to be something that could be done in the near future, but may be worth considering before adding future jobs.

[TrystWildkey]

Not trolling, please read this in a reasonable tone of voice:

Your idea was actually already implemented. It was called 1.0. Personally, I think that 1.0 had some fantastic ideas regarding classes, character level vs. class level and cross-class abilities. It suffered from poor execution, really horrible UI, and very, very little content.

Sadly, these ideas that I liked were totally killed when the problems overwhelmed them. The great ideas were then lumped in with everything that was wrong, causing the management change to the game. Then, when fixes were promised, people complained that with so many cross class abilities, they lacked a final fantasy feel and lacked a 'job identity.' Thus, we got the job system, the limited cross class skills, and the same people complaining about lack of customization/flexibility for their class/job.

*shrug* I agree with you mate, I do, but "This is why we can't have nice things."

[Vagrant-0]

they lacked a final fantasy feel and lacked a 'job identity.'

That is one of the issues when you start allowing things to be brought from other classes or by allowing a character to become more generalized as they pick up more talents. But I believe how I have suggested things would still allow for each class to still excel in their current implementations (improved skills and traits cannot transfer). It also would not have any significant effect in how existing job roles would be handled as the number of cross-class skills available to jobs still remain mostly restricted.

We already have this to some degree in the Arcanist class. Arcanist is a class that can function as dps, healer, and tank by means of their pet, and even after opening up scholar/summoner, their methods of healing, dps, and tanking are very different than every other class due to the mechanics involved. Likewise, with all classes, there are specific mechanics, traits, or aesthetics which make them uniquely appealing.

The skills mentioned were chosen not because they fell into a laundry list of "wouldn't it be cool if" type stuff, but rather because those skills would not allow for any new abilities that were not already accounted for in current or future skills.

This will lead to "You need all 50's to do this dungeon".

Not quite. This is why stats have a cap based on level of current class and why the total number of points you can spend does not allow you to raise everything. At current, the difference between 0 and 20 points in any stat is little more than the difference between DL and AF2, or just what materia you have equipped. While putting 50 points in vitality would give you more health across the board for all classes, by design this would also leave you with fewer points to spend in those stats which are central to your primary job. A person specializing in 2 stats, vitality and intelligence, while being able to live longer and do more damage magic attacks would be, by comparison, be gimping their ability to function in other classes which do not have any great benefit from these two statistics.

Even from a "all classes to 50" mentality, this really isn't too meaningful in the greater scheme of things, and people will end up raising everything to 50 anyway just out of boredom and waiting between instances (most are already doing this even without linked benefits). There would still be min/maxing, as this will always exist. But the actual effect of this is minimized due to how the existing class system, equipment system, and materia system is implemented (once there is more to life than AF2 grind). Nevermind the fact of how dungeon mechanics are designed, where even 2000 extra health on a BMG does not mean much when that health is gone in 2 hits due to the low defense of worn equipment. Dungeons an encounters can also always be adjusted to help balance around this.

[Animation]

China wants their wall back.

I'm kidding.

1. wont work as it'll make classes OP. An example is casters they're notorious for having low HP, if you level a tank to 50 and put all points into 50 then switch to a caster you'll end up with like 2k more hp then you should have. This will lead to "You need all 50's to do this dungeon".