Dragoon pet

[Hyrist]

There doesn't have to be any additional balancing at all. You could just take the damage a normal hit would do, take away 10% and add it to the pet. Sure, that would make the wyvern a mostly visual component, but that's perfectly fine with me. And I suppose many of those who are in favor of a pet would agree. Either way there are always other elements you could add on top of that.

Again, it's just the XI thinking that puts you off!

No really, it's not. Again, you claim I have a limited understanding of math, but you are the one looking at this from an overly simplistic standpoint.

First off. You're providing a flat value to one that cannot be applied? 10% Damage? How are you going to accomplish this? Flat, unresistable damage from the Wyvern? How will you counter that against high defence, or physically resistant monsters? What about spike damage? Given the frequency of Weaponskill use in FFXIV, how is that going to be balanced in? What about travel distance. Suddenly, you're wyvern is running of towards Ifrit Clones and doesn't return fast enough to accompany your damage when he lands again.

Not to mention, 10% is pathetically small for a pet. Even Wyvern enthusiasts are not going to sit content with that tiny amount of damage contribution from their constant companion, and to give it more, you'd have to TAKE more from Dragoon. Which is bad, considering limited control over pets. And speaking of control, if you are going to have more control over the pet, how are you going to balance that out against the limited command number/set number for the job?

I cannot stat this empatically enough: PET CLASSES IN MMOS ARE A NIGHTMARE TO CODE AND BALANCE PROPERLY. A job and class would have to be designed from the ground up in order for it to be done effectively, and given the fact that Lancer - the Core of Dragoon, is already established and balanced as a single entity, you're talking a massive overhaul in order to get the job working with a pet - work that could be used to flush out a better mount/pet system or be focused more wholly on a fully pet orientated class/job.

I'm already afraid of what they're going to have to do to make Summoner and Beastmaster effective, and honestly I would rather they focus on balancing those properly than trying to tack on a paltry pet for what is purely aesthetic reasons to Dragoon.

It's not FFXI that puts me off. It's my experience of Pet Classes in MMO's in general that tells me SE is better off keeping the concept of 'Wyvern Pets' for Dragoon limited to the Mount system. That makes far more sense to the mechanics, the overwhelming player demand for a powerful stand-alone Dragon then jumping into the coding nightmare that could completely undercut the development team's current imagining for the job: one that is highly popular, I might add.

You can try to justify whatever reasoning you want, you don't have any ground to stand on except "I want my pet!" Which can be done the same way you can make your chocobo fight with you, and to greater benefit for both Dragoon and Wyvern. You tie it to the direct mechanics of the job, and they'll BOTH seem weaker than the player-base will be satisfied with.

Better to sacrifice your Chocobo-fighter and have a Wyvern that actually feels like a PARTNER, then approach it with this 10% fluff you're imagining.

Of the two of us, I'd say you're stuck on FFXI far more than I.