Why vertical progression is poorly implemented

[CyrilLucifer]

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Yes, I love the way gear works in modern XI far more than I did at 75. It allows for far more varied builds than 75 did.

For example, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, anything/SCH can actually nuke now for decent damage. My SCH actually power cures for more than a WHM due to weather effects and weather-enhancing gear (though WHM has stronger AOE) in its cure set, and I love it. Plus, Regen bonuses.

I don't really see those stats as too complex, you just need to have some minor experience with the XI meta to understand them. Haste increases attack speed, PDT is self explanatory, Subtle Blow reduces enemy TP gain from your attacks so they use skills less often. Triple attack gives you a chance of triple attacking.

I'm not sure how that's too complex? In fact, I'd say they're more self-explanatory than XIV's. How does Skill Speed effect my BRD, again?

Also, mages are a better example for specialized gear. You're not going to be using the same nuking gear on BLM and SCH because they have different skill caps and magic accuracy; they need different gear to compensate for these differences. And SMN needs something different all together, gear that provides bonuses for their pets and things like BP reduction. This is more what I'd like from XIV - gear that compliments the class's abilities, rather than the generic crap we get. It doesn't need to be overly complex.

PS: For anyone who doesn't know how the iLevel system works in XI, the physical cap is 99, so in order to raise the cap to 119, you use equipment to raise your level to compensate. Hence you have the physical stat bonuses being really high on them. It's a bit silly, but the argument is more about the special traits, rather than the stat vomit.