Thread: We're getting stat allocation back in 1.20, right?

People can rant and whine all they want for 9, 10, 11 pages or more... The stat allocation is returning no matter what. I think it should be obvious it won't be as it was before, but rather you can allocate parts of it as you see fit. Take this for example... Your party needs a tank, using your extra points given you put those into the appropriate stats, bam, now you're a tank. Party gets a second tank and you don't wanna play one anymore. Swap your points back into different areas, bam, now you're still a tank, but rather a secondary one who can be more effective as a DPS. Basically you'll have a build that lets you change it at will slightly to fill a different role within the limitations of that class. Bolster your tanking abilities, or lower those and become a better damage dealer. I have absolutely no idea here why people must over complicate it when it's already set in stone that stat allocation will be returning.

Originally Posted by kensredemption

I sure hope so.

I can't really understand these comments in favor of Point Allocation. Stats didn't work properly for almost a year, while you were able to allocate them, now they work a little better than in the past (DEX is still useless) and you can really "feel" it in battle. So why all of you hope so strongly to have point allocation back? Did you notice stats differences in the past?

Originally Posted by Frein

No, it never worked in any MMO. There is always 1-3, usually just one, optimal builds for every class. Doing anything else is doing it wrong.

Oh yes it did. Ragnarök Online did it, and did it extremely well. There were indeed 1-3 builds at least for every class - and then there were god knows how many bizarre and still highly effective builds achieved through creative use of stat deployment and choice of gear, particularly gear that enabled the use of non-standard skills.

A few particular examples would be: the Battle Priest/Acolyte, a physical attack-based character inside a primarily magic-based class that capitalised either on high strength and vitality supported by their ability to heal, or certain items that converted high int to physical attack power. Or perhaps the Plagiarist Rogue, a normally physical character that could give mages a run for their money by stealing spells then using naturally high dexterity to hurl them back twice as fast. Or the Battle Sage, a high-strength magic-based build that relied on a quirk of a particular secondary skill that enabled spells to be fired in response to physical attacks. Then there's the Instant-Cast Super Novice, the Perma-Novice, Mug-based Rogue, Battle Mage, Magic Knight...

The long and short of it is that with the way it worked, RO's open stat assignment (with limitations coming from particular classes having to spend more on particular stats and the obvious downsides of having low numbers in particular fields) was able to support a stupidly large number of effective builds.

Another game did it extremely well was Mabinogi, which is completely class-less. Characters defined their roles simply through their stats and skills - and this is in a successful, casual MMORPG that didn't necessitate and would have died in the event it forced its players to breakout the spreadsheets.


So.. yeah, Ragnarök's one of the MMORPG's that defined the genre after Ultima Online and Everquest. Declaring free stat application has never worked serves no purpose besides illustrating just how little experience you must have within the genre. .. Lay off the blanket statements. The only issue is when the community gets stuck in the mindset that one build and one build only can be effective, itself a consequence of high-efficiency raiding and so forth that developers should be doing everything in their power to mitigate. Experimenting with builds and seeing people who fight in wildly varying ways within their own class is one of the things I happen to find really fun in this genre.

Frankly the only argument against free player-controlled character builds I can accept as logical is that the inevitable number of creative builds possible becomes difficult for the developers to keep in balance, the obvious example being in PvP. Not to mention PvE - one Sage build could, under certain very specific circumstances, rotate a skill that cast random abilities (including some GM ones like monster spawn control) until it was able to summon an endgame monster of their choice. There's also one Priest build that through a high luck (admittedly to the exclusion of everything else) was able to farm some of the highest-end bosses in the game using anti-undead spells.

With the separated class system I do not believe there will be any such thing as "Re-allocation" there will only be "Allocation" with significantly reduced amount of points you can allocate to each class when it levels up. You will not be able to change it after you have set it. This should maintain Balance. No on is going to put their 5 points per level on something stupid and they are not going to risk screwing up their class by dumping it all on one stat either.

*edit* Party roles are not going to be defined by stats. You wont need to max your VIT to be tank. That's what Jobs are for. you are going to be a tank? go to Paladin job. Going to be a DD? go to warrior.

How realistic would it be to give us total freedom when it comes to allotment?

If this happens, then all people would do is max STR and only use Attack gear and consistently get the highest DMG output they could. No one will be unique and nothing will be a challenge anymore.

Also, I am fairly certain they have already stated that it would be very light allotment. Which people are describing as a merit system because that's what it sounds more closely to, but not only that, it's what makes more sense to do. Expecting it to go back to being totally free is just ignorance. If you understood the stats, you'd quickly figure out how broken that would be with the new formulas.

Originally Posted by BruceyBruceyBangBang

How realistic would it be to give us total freedom when it comes to allotment?


No one will be unique and nothing will be a challenge anymore.

Wai...hu...wha.....what? Your saying we wouldn't be unique? Compared to what? You mean compared to a system in which every class is locked into the EXACT statistic clone of every other player in that class, also known as the current system?

Hmm, I hope this doesn't come back - I thought the gear and food was always for fine tuning your stats.

LOL! You are convinced that your uniqueness comes from the Stats Allocation?! Like in the past?! LOL! I'd prefer to see a real Merit System, and then with hard work you will can to boost a Stats. If you want to customize your PG you have Materia and equips.

...If only all Stats would work...

Originally Posted by Coglin

Wai...hu...wha.....what? Your saying we wouldn't be unique? Compared to what? You mean compared to a system in which every class is locked into the EXACT statistic clone of every other player in that class, also known as the current system?

You're not an exact static clone with very light allotment and if you work to get triple melded or more Materia on gear. Also, you're assuming with totally free allotment that people will be making all different types of builds. Trust me, they won't be. Also, with the way the formulas work, the end all be all gear at that moment will be even more limited since you will already have the ability to push your STR against or over high VIT mobs such as Ifrit.

What this will then do is make fights like that only about stacking attack. Even more linear than before. Also, not only that, with full freedom to allot everyone will be capable of 3 minute Ifrit runs. Last I checked, it was labeled "(hard)". In order to make fights like these hard again, you'll have to go back to overly complicated formulas that will require even more balancing.

Very light allotment is the way to go.