Are "custom attribute-points" really accomplishing anything right now?

[Terin]

I'll answer that:

No. No they are not.

The reason is simple; each and every Job has a "best stat", and the only real competition is between the Scholar and Summoner. Thus, there is no real choice, because the "choice" is simply "Do I want to purposely hinder my character".

As such, I'd like to recommend one of two options:

1.) Remove "Bonus Points" from the game entirely, and just roll them into the baseline stats for each Job. This effectively has zero impact on the game right now, other than it removes the possibility of someone unintentionally hindering themselves (ie. many Monks go into the game thinking Dexterity would be their primary attribute). Or...

2.) Make your Bonus Points universal, thus requiring a bit more personal investment into where those stats are allocated. That said, allow players to either spend Gil to reset their Attributes, or gain a free attribute-reset once each month. That way, you never have to worry about "permanently screwing your character up, and needing to create a new character in their place", but at the same time, adding a bit of *real* choice in there.

Just my thinking!

[MilesSaintboroguh]

If you make the points universal, then aren't you encouraging people to play only one role to get the most out of their points? I wouldn't want all my points I put into WHM become trash the minute I swap to PLD nor would I want to stretch myself thin spreading points over multiple classes or having to respec said points every time.

[MomomiMomi]

But my VIT!

[Naelle]

Our black mage is currently 29 int 1 piety for the extra fire cast per rotation. Not 100% useless. :/

[Sounders]

(ie. many Monks go into the game thinking Dexterity would be their primary attribute)

This can easily be fixed now with 240 GC seals

[alimdia]

2.) Make your Bonus Points universal, thus requiring a bit more personal investment into where those stats are allocated. That said, allow players to either spend Gil to reset their Attributes, or gain a free attribute-reset once each month. That way, you never have to worry about "permanently screwing your character up, and needing to create a new character in their place", but at the same time, adding a bit of *real* choice in there.

you mean the thing already existing in game right now?

[SarcasmMisser]

The OP clearly doesn't play BLM or knows how BLM works.

[Chiramu]

The OP clearly doesn't play BLM or knows how BLM works.

Or know how any other job works. The bonus points give a fantastic boost to the jobs you play. As WHM I needed to take so many points out of MND cause WHM and full MND is aggro-central, I currently love being able to boost my PIE. Why would I want universal attribute points? That would be the most useless thing in the whole game, there would be no swapping jobs because you wouldn't be able to take damage as a tank if your main is a healer or dps!

[Kelg]

As a tank main I say it's not useless. 99% of the time im 30 STR.

[Gyson]

I'll answer that:

No. No they are not.

The reason is simple; each and every Job has a "best stat", and the only real competition is between the Scholar and Summoner. Thus, there is no real choice, because the "choice" is simply "Do I want to purposely hinder my character".

Mentioned this elsewhere, but that completely depends on whether or not the content is designed around the requirement of min-maxing your character build, or whether it's just something the players have erroneously convinced themselves of being necessary (when it isn't).

If you can defeat all the content in this game with a reasonably chosen stat placement (rather than dumping every point in a single stat) then the system is working fine, and it's the players who are needlessly throwing flexibility away.