Protect/Shell Duration Increase

[Frein]

No it's not a "horrible" way to look at things.

I mean it's almost the same thing as in other games. The stronger the attack (or job) the slower the class usually is. It's a trade off. They trade off duration for potency and vice versa. Makes perfect sense.

I think they should make the first protect and shell last a bit longer and the second teir protect/shell spells you get should be short like they are now but more potent.

Their logic isn't flawed, and it is supposed to be a nuisance. What will you do? Risk the enmity to cast an AoE buff or sit their and keep healing? The game is finally challenging and here we go with "ZOMG I'M TIRED OF CASTING PROTECT/SHELL"...

No, it actually is a horrible way to look at things. You cannot make short duration the trade-off for potency. People will simply keep re-casting it and remain annoyed because they feel they have to do it. If you really want to limit a strong buff, you put a cooldown on it (think Punishing Barbs) so that it actually cannot be used at all times.

Protect and Shell definitely could use a duration of 30 minutes or even 1 hour. There is nothing skillful about babysitting short buffs that don't drastically alter the outcome of a battle. It's merely incredibly annoying and I find it incredible that you're fine with something being a nuisance by design. We wouldn't want to have fun while playing a game, now would we? That would be just awful!

[Rexus]

Protect and Shell definitely could use a duration of 30 minutes or even 1 hour. There is nothing skillful about babysitting short buffs that don't drastically alter the outcome of a battle. It's merely incredibly annoying and I find it incredible that you're fine with something being a nuisance by design. We wouldn't want to have fun while playing a game, now would we? That would be just awful!

The problem with increasing duration of Pro/Shell is that they become gimmick spells. If you have them last 60 minutes, what is really the point? You could just lower the Att/M.Att of mobs and get the same result.

It 'worked' in FFXI because you needed a WHM to get Pro/Shell 5. Here, anyone can cast Pro/Shell if they really want. There will pretty much never be a situation where you don't have Pro/Shell due to the class system. So then whats the point in having them if they're on 24/7?

Is it also annoying to constantly re-apply poison/bio/dia/etc? Pro/Shell act like any other skill you have to re-apply every 30sec-3minutes. You can't single out these spells when nearly every other skill/ability acts the same way.

They definitely need to increase the potency of Pro/Shell, that's for sure.

[Jabo]

Checked in with the dev. team in regards to the effects or protect and shell and their duration. While there isn't much detail we can go into for specific spells/abilities, they wanted me to pass along their current vision for how they will address them going forward. The thinking is that if a spell has a "long duration," its effect should be less powerful, and on the flip side, a spell with a "short duration" will have a more ample effect alongside it.

I would like that very much.
But the general philosophy of protect and shell duration has to change, too. The duration has to increase in general.

Considering this, a Tier 3 Protect /Shell would be nice.
Protect I - very long duration (20min+), low damage reduction (~-5%), very low MP costs
Protect II - long duration (10-20min), decent damage reduction (~-15%), low MP costs
Protect III - medium duration 3-5min, high damage raduction (~25%), high MP costs

Protect II would be your allround Protect, which you are spamming during leves, battles and so on.
Protect III would be for really important fights, when you need every % reduction.

And i also would like to come back on my sugeestion to bind the duration with stats, f.e. Mind.
So the stats are going to balance it for you.

This would be also a nice additional motivation to increase your stat points, which is in my opinion extremely important for an rpg.

[Sorel]

Well, there are many things to weigh in regards to cost-benefit of buff spells like Protect & Shell.

Positive:

• Effectiveness
• Duration

Negative:

• AP Cost
• MP Cost
• Casting Time
• Recasting Time

I am confident that the Development Team can find a way to increase effectiveness and duration, by counterbalancing AP cost, MP cost, cast time, and recast time.

Personally, I prefer Duration and Recast Time to be as close to equal as possible. It is also my personal preference that buffing spells have generally a longer casting time than curing, direct damage, or debuffing. Something around 5 or 6 seconds. Nothing too severe though (SE please don't triple casting times). Just enough so that the mage has to make a tactical choice on either rebuffing mid-fight, or not doing so in order to heal or DD. Naturally, the effectiveness of Protect & Shell should be made potent enough to warrant considering such a tactic.

[Andrien]

I hope it last longer the higher rank you are. Would be better imo

[Nexxus]

Or simply a 30min duration. i would like to get some activate/desactivate skill, like the maraudeur Rank10 skills, as Glad using the shield by exemple.

[Meleena]

The protect and shell effects right now are non existent.
If they make them actually boost defence and magic defence I dont mind if they last 5 mins.
They have to make the spells working first.

[zaviermhigo]

Protect and shell should mean something more. Increased potency and duration up to 10 mins. Don't care if this means it costs more. And crap, if you're going to go the Cure Curaga route, why not the Protect Protectra, Shell Shellra, Stone Stonera. Like you did it in one aspect but not all, I get its already an AP problem, but seems weird only thing that has two spells like that in this game will be curing. Maybe not seem weird to people who didn't play a lot of FFs, but it seems really odd to me. Also in XI paralyze and slow were super important, whats up with paralyze slow silence bind and such being so completely useless, were you too afraid of RDM solo again? Even though we did it without those anyway in XIV? Why were those spells made so lame?
Spells need to be overhauled, not just Protect and Shell. For both mages too.

[Tezz_Xivectro]

SE, please stop thinking that you're making everything OVERPOWERING!

We're asking for a bare minimum of 10min duration with the same effects they currently have. However, it shouldn't have to always be the minimum for every single little thing. Give us 20, 30 or even 60min durations.
This whole stigma you have about needing to nerf/buff everything in the name of "balancing" is mostly just annoying.

Do you watch too much Full Metal Alchemist or something? Everything doesn't HAVE to come with a cost ("To obtain, something of equal value must be lost").

[Illy]

I honestly don't get the devs logic behind this. I mean in FFXI protect and shell has the same if not more of a effect as FFXIV's does and those lasted far longer so why not do the same in FFXIV? I mean with how fast paced the battles tend to be it's somewhat annoying having to stop and cast the spells over and over(what is basically every battle unless you are fighting something really weak that dies quickly).