Are cracks in the Armoury System beginning to surface?

[Krausus]

Such a system of power inflation works well in a single player game, where you want to reach a point where your player feels really powerfull. In an MMO such a system leads to pretty massive balance problems.

there isn't a balance issue when everyone has access to the same tools.

[Jobeto-Rin]

I see your point and it is valid and someone who does take the time to level should be rewarded in some way but I think this is too much. I mean when I invite a random GLA now is it going to get to the point where I start having to ask them or look them up on Lodestone just to make sure they have access to the skills needed to be an effective tank. In FFXI if I was to invite a PLD I knew what I was more or less getting with their Job/Sub Job in FFXIV you don't have a clue what they have access to.

For me levelling multiple Classes should just mean you should be able to switch to any Class and play it well, not be able to build a super tank just because you have done so.

Why not?

I find taking whats from the classes and utilizing them to your needs, being more resourceful.

I don't see why their skills should be degraded. If a player puts together a great build, then well more props to em.

[AlexiaKidd]

Why not?

I find taking whats from the classes and utilizing them to your needs, being more resourceful.

I don't see why their skills should be degraded. If a player puts together a great build, then well more props to em.

The problem is that it will eventually lead to people having to level things to not be considered gimp. For example say god forbid a skill like Utsusemi comes along in FFXIV, it won't matter what Class it is on or what Rank it is, you will be expected to have it. People moaned about having to go /NIN in FFXI and in FFXIV that could very well be 10x worse for the amount of time needed to get those skills and abilities.

However at least in FFXI there was balance within the Jobs/Classes for the most part if I had levelled every Job to Cap that did not give me a huge advantage over someone stood next to me with the same Job/Sub Job, we both had access to the same skills and abilities and it was gear and skill that was the difference maker.

This is why I am not and have never been a fan of the Armoury System as unless SE can get it balanced it will just create and army of over powered Classes with those elite builds while a newer player will have even more work to do to try and catch up. Just getting there Class to R50 will not be enough, they will also have to level another load of Classes just to be effective, the coming Job system will have to give huge benefits to using those Jobs to make them even worthwhile using over the power that cross classing can bring.

[Jobeto-Rin]

The problem is that it will eventually lead to people having to level things to not be considered gimp. For example say god forbid a skill like Utsusemi comes along in FFXIV, it won't matter what Class it is on or what Rank it is, you will be expected to have it. People moaned about having to go /NIN in FFXI and in FFXIV that could very well be 10x worse for the amount of time needed to get those skills and abilities.

However at least in FFXI there was balance within the Jobs/Classes for the most part if I had levelled every Job to Cap that did not give me a huge advantage over someone stood next to me with the same Job/Sub Job, we both had access to the same skills and abilities and it was gear and skill that was the difference maker.

This is why I am not and have never been a fan of the Armoury System as unless SE can get it balanced it will just create and army of over powered Classes with those elite builds while a newer player will have even more work to do to try and catch up. Just getting there Class to R50 will not be enough, they will also have to level another load of Classes just to be effective, the coming Job system will have to give huge benefits to using those Jobs to make them even worthwhile using over the power that cross classing can bring.

Really... a player shouldn't expect you to be good at whatever job you have in a specific manner. As long as they're tanking/healing/DD efficiently, there shouldn't be complaining about what skills your using to do so (in a perfect world).

But other than that if SE tried to balance this, they would have to forcibly entail:

1. Not much character improvement through cross classing.

or

2. Removing the difficulty from content down a notch so more linear characters can still feel as useful.

Doing either of those takes away from the game, and now my time invested feels little to nothing. Not really good choices.

[Aeyis]

The problem is that it will eventually lead to people having to level things to not be considered gimp.

You don't have to level things..most people just seem to believe that it matters.
I've had a lot of builds in games that were considered subpar, for example:

During TBC i used a 2H on my enhancement shaman in uh serpentshrine cavern.
On the other hand i also used both dual wielding and an elemental build, effectively putting them on the ''''uber'''' map for my guild, not cuz they were that good, but because apparently i did a lot of damage.

Which is ironically really, cuz it simply ment a change from being the number 4 on the dps/damage meters to being number 1/2...

You know all those high grade best of the best builds around in mmos?
Guess what, they were all made by someone who just liked to have fun or pride in his or her personal playing style..

[Sephr]

They need a better cost system with the armoury. Right now everyone can equip whatever they'd like, but in reality it should be fair more expensive to equip spells and abilities from a class other than your own.

For example, a Conjurer can equip Cure II for 3 points, but it costs a Gladiator 5 points. The reward is self-healing at the potential loss of other utilities.

[Spitfire]

They need a better cost system with the armoury. Right now everyone can equip whatever they'd like, but in reality it should be fair more expensive to equip spells and abilities from a class other than your own.

For example, a Conjurer can equip Cure II for 3 points, but it costs a Gladiator 5 points. The reward is self-healing at the potential loss of other utilities.

You know I've always though that cross class skills should cost more than native skills. This would cut down on some of the overpowerness of certain classes that can cherry pick some really good skills and then make that 1 super powered class. This way you have to think about your situation and whats you can put in; adds another layer of strategy in my opinion.

[viion]

I bet this is a very delicate and tough situation to handle for the development team.

While I know it is frustrating having someone who has more time and more classes be far-far-far superior, it does make sense in a way. The aim is to allow you to cross abilities.

Hopefully Job system will even things out, so you can either be 50 GLD with lots of abilities from other classes you have levelled OR 50 PLD with GLD and PLD unique skills and hopefully some of PLD unique skills allow a more even play style.

Maybe a rep will be able to ask about the future of the Job system.

[Javilen]

I’m fine with allowing someone who has all classes to lv 50 to be that much better then someone who does not, I will never have all classes to 50, or at least I am pretty sure I won’t anyway but if someone put that effort in then they should be reworded.

What I would have a problem with is if the dungeons become geared in such a way that ONLY someone who has that setup can be effective. Dungeons should be difficult but not impossible to play with just once class leveled, if you know how to play your class and have a good group of the same kind of people then you should be able to complete the dungeon.

If you leveled a multiple classes all the way to 50 and have access to some extra abilities then yeah, it should be a bit easier of a time but it shouldn’t be the only way to beat a dungeon.

[Rhomagus]

I’m fine with allowing someone who has all classes to lv 50 to be that much better then someone who does not, I will never have all classes to 50, or at least I am pretty sure I won’t anyway but if someone put that effort in then they should be reworded.

What I would have a problem with is if the dungeons become geared in such a way that ONLY someone who has that setup can be effective. Dungeons should be difficult but not impossible to play with just once class leveled, if you know how to play your class and have a good group of the same kind of people then you should be able to complete the dungeon.

If you leveled a multiple classes all the way to 50 and have access to some extra abilities then yeah, it should be a bit easier of a time but it shouldn’t be the only way to beat a dungeon.

Absolutely agree here. If it is the case that content is being developed for multiple high level classes to be required for gameplay that is the crack, but it wouldn't be in the Armoury system, it would be in the introduction of such content that required as such.