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**FFXIV Ranked System:** (A Replacement for Content walls, besides the iLv Hardcap)
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After leveling my third alt character, I've noticed and concluded that there are many player-made barriers to endgame content, specifically in an effort to alleviate stress by doing content with better geared players. However, a players ilvl is a very inefficient way to gauge skill. Shortly after hitting 50, I found it extremely painful to even hit iLv70 without grinding crafted gear on my main account. Even after getting an adequate iLv, it seemed like most parties my iLv would allow me to get into (<83) weren't quite up to par, and even while doing content on my main account, many iLv 85+ players aren't very good, considering how easy and quickly one can attain that iLv now.
And so, I've decided to suggest a very simple and widely used system of Ranked Instances.
In short, Ranked Instances would effect both the Duty Finder and Party Finder.
When using party finder to create a party, the option for "Ranked" will replace the iLv selector box (however iLv requirements for the selected instance will still hold true), and given the option is selected, a rank will be selected (Note: One cannot set a rank higher than their own).
While using Duty Finder, a player can select either ranked or un-ranked (similar to the "Join party in progress" option), which would evidently place them with other players in the same iRank category^1. Each job would have it's own Rank.
^1 iRank categories vary every 6 iRank levels, with each group pertaining to different iLvs:
1-6: Bronze | iLv 1-17 content
7-12: Silver | iLv 18-35
13-18: Gold | iLv 36-52
19-24: Platinum | iLv 53-70
25-30: Diamond | iLv 71+
With the release of new content, each players iRank would scale down appropriately (, as well as the iLv of content needed to gain exp to attain new levels. It is only possible to gain exp for content in your rank group or higher, as to differ people from abusing the ranking system, meaning clearing weekly content such as coil will net you the highest exp.
**Obtaining iRank exp:** By clearing content, players will be able to gain experience to bring them to the next level. Clearing content more quickly will net players more experience points, along with clearing content that is above a players iRank group.
Conversely, wiping content will result in a loss of iRank experience, with the possibility of losing iRanks if enough losses occur.
**Daily Roulette:** The daily roulette in addition will offer iRank experience up to once daily in addition to the myth/gil/etc rewards, with a 1.05x multiplier for healers and 1.1x for tanks (considering the great lack of these classes respectively playing, in order to alleviate other internal issues the game seems to be facing).
**Abuse of the system:** As expected, players will attempt to abuse the iRank for profit by bringing players who would typically have difficulty clearing higher content and "carrying" them through it. In an effort to combat this, the time and experience needed a level will be quite steep, as well as the experience earned when clearing content with players that are in a higher group than your own will be decreased accordingly depending on the number of party members outside your own iRank group.
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**Weekly-Lockout (Coil) Hard-modes:**
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With every other patch being a crystal tower update, those of us who have been clearing the last of the endgame content feel as though nothing is offered, and an easy way to fix this would be releasing "Hard-mode" versions of coil. These would be as simple as giving the enemies and bosses a determination buff/increasing aoe distances/randomized attack patterns to enhance the difficulty of the dungeon without having to invest too much time taking away from developing newer content. With these hard-mode dungeons, the weekly lockout would be shared with the normal-mode coil, allowing players to decide to either complete the regular version from the earlier patch, or work towards the difficult version. In addition to being more difficult, the new dungeons would have an upgraded loot list, dropping "+1" or "Zenith" versions of the original loot; for example:
Heavy Allagan Armor
iLvl 90
Defense: 158
Magic Defense: 158
Strength: 29
Vitality: 33
Parry: 24
Accuracy: 34
Heavy Allagan Armor HQ
iLvl 95
Defense: 160
Magic Defense: 160
Strength: 30
Vitality: 34
Parry: 26
Accuracy: 36
**Alternatively, the HQ could have the same stats as the NQ, however with an extra secondary stat on top of the already present stats to avoid the armor becoming too powerful.
This would keep endgame players interested in-between the new coil turn patches, because I know myself along with many others 1-shotting turn 5 love this game to death, but are bored with the content and looking for something fresh and new to do.
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**Primary and Secondary Merit Point allocation:**
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Progressing and building characters is one of the key aspects in an MMORPG. Unfortunately, once you've hit Lv 50 and gotten much of the easily obtainable endgame gear (sans Allagan weapons), progression because stagnant and almost non-existent. A Merit point system to upgrade primary/secondary stats, as well as the potency of certain skills would make building up characters fun and interesting again. A Merit point could be earned after earning 1,000,000 experience points post Lv50. Depending on the skill, a player can spent their saved merit points to unlock buffs that work on a PER CHARACTER basis (rather than per-job). Each primary stat upgrade would offer +1 to that particular stat a max of 10 times, each secondary would add 2 with a max of 10 upgrades, and each skill would add a +5 potency a max of 5 times. Each upgrade following the previous would cost more Merit points to unlock.
STR Merit Rank 1 (+1 STR): 1 Merit Point
STR Merit Rank 2 (+1 STR): 2 Merit point
Virus Merit R1 (8%->9%)
Fast Blade Merit R1 (100Pot -> 105Pot)
As it is a per-character basis, each point would carry over regardless of job.
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Other QoL fixes:
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-Allow Obey command without targeting an enemy, as well as your part starting in "Steady" mode initially.
-Show Marker icons next to enemy names on the enemy list.
-Confirm with an "Are you sure" when you attempt to leave an instance without rolling/passing on loot
-PF Refreshes itself every 5-10 seconds and updates PT status.
-Random Drop based on party comp rather than "random".
-Include a keybind option for cycling through enemy list without having to confirm the target.
-When players withdraw from a queue, it only removes the player instead of the entire party/alliance and replaces them.