Diversification

[Viviza]

It's an interesting idea, but you'll still have people crunch the numbers and produce a BiS set with the new conditions in mind.

If picking a normally sub-optimal stat unlocks a skill that now produces more overall dps, then it becomes the optimal stat and becomes BiS. You've gone in a circle.

[Maduro]

It's an interesting idea, but you'll still have people crunch the numbers and produce a BiS set with the new conditions in mind.

If picking a normally sub-optimal stat unlocks a skill that now produces more overall dps, then it becomes the optimal stat and becomes BiS. You've gone in a circle.

My original idea was more of a you can change your gear to help the overall party DPS or survivability. This would encourage people to accumulate more high level gear (multiple gear sets) and promote overall synergy among classes. As it stands right now, there are advantages to having certain classes in a party together (like DRG and BRD or BRD and BLM, etc) but there are several combinations that really have no synergy. They wouldn't all have to be based around this theory, but that idea could be a starting point.

To your point, there will always be a BiS, I completely agree. But the point would be a BiS for the optimal group setup.

I'm not a BLM, but I would imagine there are certain instances where a BLM would give up a damage buff cooldown for something like a move while casting cooldown.

It's kind of like the "extra" points you get for your main stats...why do they give you the option if in general you are forced into dumping all of your stats into the main character stat.

[Sonofbaldo]

I agree with you. There needs to be more gear diversity. I liked how in XI as a DPS you had accuracy gear and then when it was time to do a weapon skill or certain abilities you macro'd to different armor pieces and/or accessories because different attributes effected those abilities.

I also liked how jobs were more diverse. I dont mean in numbers, I mean in strengths and weaknesses. Sure it promotes some elitism, I know as an XI DRG in certain areas it became much harder to get a PT but there were several different places to PT to get around it most times.

What I meant is XIV is specifically designed to avoid that. They dont want one job being more dominant than another in the same role so I dont see them adding abilities unless they raise the level cap. And if they did, every DD job would basically get the same basic ability just with a different name, icon, and animation so in the end nothing has changed.

As for the gear...the only way they can do that is if they start implementing actual real NMs (not this lame Hunt crap) or other such events that drop rare items with extra high stats and extra low drop rates. I read a comment from someone earlier in another thread who bemoaned the fact that in XI had a piece of gear that was level 20 and was still relevant even at max level. The gear they chose in question was also a rare drop off an NM that was a pain to get, it's not like it was a common piece of gear everyone in the game had just by doing a quest to advance the story. If you wanted to buy it off the market it would run you several million in cash.

XIV seems to be against that because than a person that doesnt have the patience or time to put in farming such an item will cry that they dont have one and XIV is all about making sure everything is easy enough so a 4 year old with 2 hours to play a week can get everything a 20 year old with 15 hours to play a week has is all.

[Reynhart]

I read a comment from someone earlier in another thread who bemoaned the fact that in XI had a piece of gear that was level 20 and was still relevant even at max level.

This could happen in FFXI because you could change gear in the blink of an eye.
Were you stuck with only one headpiece, that Empress Hairpin would have accumulated dust very quickly

I don't think BiS is unavoidable, but it requires a lot of thinking to make abilities "incomparable".