Skill Tree

[Chessala]

It's what I mean when I say "let us be different".

Why do we have to play a character in a pre-assigned role without having the possibility to change that?`Why does one WHM have to be the same as the one next to it? Give us freedom to build a character the way we want to play it. You can still give a general direction but instead but we'd havethe possibility to pick skills and also stats to truly build a character.

That being said, I am sure it won't happen. The reason is simple: it would require too much thought from the players. Currently FFXIV is aimed at the "pick it up and play it without knowing anything" system. That's great for drawing people in but also ensures they will drop the game as soon as they see everything they feel is worth seeing. On FFXIV, the "different builds" is covered by being able to switch classes.

However, that is and will never be the same. If I want to use my whm staff to whack people by investing into melee dmg, I should be able to do so. That is how you achieve versatility in a game.

[Caitlyn]

I dont like skill trees.

Better use that pvp-skill-upgrade-system for pve-skills and everything is fine : )

[Ashelia_Ferron]

Doesn't matter. Community wouldn't accept it.

Theory crafters would calculate the "optimal" build for each class. Then all PFs would be like "Farm party, need WHM with X build" etc.


So no, you wouldn't be able to play how you want unless you were doing casual content.

[Radacci]

I dont like skill trees.

Better use that pvp-skill-upgrade-system for pve-skills and everything is fine : )

that's kind of a simplified skill tree, but yah, that could work well.

Doesn't matter. Community wouldn't accept it.

Theory crafters would calculate the "optimal" build for each class. Then all PFs would be like "Farm party, need WHM with X build" etc.


So no, you wouldn't be able to play how you want unless you were doing casual content.

Each class/job has combos, with certain potency etc, and each role has their role to play. BRD isn't less valuable, just because they have less DPS than MNK. A dps PLD would obviously not que as tank, and their DPS would be balanced to be equal to other DPS (or they bring some other utility and get a little lower dps - as with BRD) so i don't see any issues arising.
Skill trees would just enable you to DPS or heal, as PLD, or heal/tank as MNK, etc - so instead of having 3 tanks to choose from, you get 10 - instead of ppl being upset about there being 3 tanks and 6 dps, it's equal, each job having their own flavor.

[Kaurie]

Doesn't matter. Community wouldn't accept it.

Theory crafters would calculate the "optimal" build for each class. Then all PFs would be like "Farm party, need WHM with X build" etc.


So no, you wouldn't be able to play how you want unless you were doing casual content.

or unless you were playing with friends/static/fc/made your own party.

Optimal builds don't have to be so different that it'd be any different than choosing an AST vs WHM or a MNK vs DRG. PF's currently don't set these requirements usually, so what makes you think builds would do that?

The biggest problem I see is the following situation:

Tank queues into a high level duty such as Midas.
Healer: "Why are you dying so quickly?"
Tank: "I went full DPS on my skill tree."

The idea is that if you spec a DPS spec, you queue in as a DPS and not a tank.

[Quor]

Doesn't matter. Community wouldn't accept it.

Theory crafters would calculate the "optimal" build for each class. Then all PFs would be like "Farm party, need WHM with X build" etc.


So no, you wouldn't be able to play how you want unless you were doing casual content.

So much this. People don't seem to realize that min/maxing will always take over and win out. This will trivialize content, which will force content to be built around the min/maxed state, until anyone who wants to succeed in that content will have to use the "cookie cutter" min/max build. Which will basically bring us back to where we are now.

[Roegadyn_Bear]

Doesn't matter. Community wouldn't accept it.

Theory crafters would calculate the "optimal" build for each class. Then all PFs would be like "Farm party, need WHM with X build" etc.


So no, you wouldn't be able to play how you want unless you were doing casual content.

This is ultimately the fate of all Skill Trees in most games these days, sadly.

"Fun" skills that don't offer a marginal increase or have any real effect other than flavor or complexity will be ignored for the ones Theorycrafters have mathematically proven to be superior under specific circumstances, in most serious groups. The gaming community has shifted into an increased focus on "efficiency" over the years that anyone not using optimal builds will be labeled as "bad" or "subpar", and in worse cases excluded from joining certain groups or removed from them because of that.

It's a shame, honestly.