Dropped Items and Materia

[NoctisUmbra]

this has been discussed to death..

Future U/U items will likely be stronger than the current ones, but forbidden melds will always win out due to the high failure %.

I do not see any problems with this power structure:

1. Crafted - no materia
2. Crafted - 1 materia
3. U/U
4. Crafted - 2 materia
5. Crafted - 3 materia
6. etc..

More like:

1. Crafted
2. Green W
3. Crafted - 1M*
4. Green W - 1M
5. Crafted - 2M
6. Green - 2M
7. Crafted - 3M
8. Green - 3M
9. Crafted - 4M
10. Blue W**
11. Green - 4M
12. Crafted - 5M
13. Green - 5M

*M = Tier IV Materia
**Blue W gear will have unique stats that cannot be melded onto that specific slot and/or stats/bonuses that cannot be achieved by any other means (ie. Additional Fire damage, HP/MP recovery, high Damage value, etc.)

Keeps Blue W gear unmeldable. Allows for the melding of Green W gear, and makes it potentially the best gear in the game through participation of DoW/M, DoH and DoL.

[Celtodeno]

There is a simple solution to this situation believe it or not!

Allow U/U items to have ONE materia meld.

That a 100% meld. Multi-melds 'may' still be better, but dropped gear can now compete.

[Biggs]

Hi,

the materia system is a cool way to get crafted items out of the game and keep crafters making items. The big problem with it, though, is that because Unique/Untradeable items cannot be melded, they are basically (with a few exceptions) worthless.

Some might point to the Ifrit Lancer, Marauder, and Archer weapons for an example of dropped items that are better than their crafted/materia equivalent. Unfortunately under the current system items like these eventually make the materia system useless.

Basically, with the materia system the way it is now, I see two possibilities in the future. Either A) Materia remains king outside of a few pieces of gear, giving a lot less incentive to do actual content when it's easier to just buy cheap crafted gear in town and gamble on forbidden materia or B) Future content drops actual good gear, killing off the materia system.

They're both bad choices, but if I had to choose between the two, I'd go with B since going and getting items with a group is a lot more interesting than playing the materia slot machine.

There is another way, though! If U/U gear is allowed to meld materia, both situations are avoided. The materia system stays useful since people will need new materia every time they upgrade their gear, and dropped gear is actually worth getting. Crafted gear can remain a cheap, quick option for leveling up and fresh 50s and it can still be converted into materia. If you want good gear, you'll need to go fight some bosses and clear some dungeons and buy/convert some materia.

Of course, a system to meld another person's gear through the bazaar will be needed, but that was going to be needed eventually anyway.

I really hope that the devs take this into consideration for 2.0.

I think an interesting solution would be to balance the materia with gear sets that give stat bonuses when you wear 2 or more pieces of the set at one time. I really hope materia isnt always gonna be the king of better gear or it will really kill all the fun I used to have in XI that came with going on NM hunts and such.

[Jinko]

^ thats more complicated that it needs to be

Blue Gear should be the best gear in the game at the moment, its sad there is no reason to do content even the Primal weapons are overshadowed in some cases.

2 new dungeons in 1.21 and no reason to do them besides getting the achievement, sort it out Yoshi-p

[NoctisUmbra]

^ thats more complicated that it needs to be

Blue Gear should be the best gear in the game at the moment, its sad there is no reason to do content even the Primal weapons are overshadowed in some cases.

2 new dungeons in 1.21 and no reason to do them besides getting the achievement, sort it out Yoshi-p

Not complicated at all. Perhaps it looks more complicated than it needs to be because I spelled out each materia meld. Essentially:

4-5M Green > 4-5M Craft > Blue > 1-3M Green > 1-3M Craft.

Look simpler?

The gist is in terms of sheer power or materia-countable stats, Blue would be somewhere above triple melds, however to separate it from every gear in the game it would have something unique and unattainable through materia.

This would make it the best for certain strategies and scenarios, but not make it straight up best for slot. This gives it the true unique feel. If you just have Blue gear be undisputed best in slot, you're asking for each new primal to escalate stats on Blue gear and render previous ones obsolete.

As for melding Blue, I disagree completely/ it will definitely get re-balanced if they go with it so that the stats are lower. If anyone thinks they'll just keep Blue W gear stats the way they are and allow us to meld them, they're being naive.

[Agate]

Anything that cannot accept Materia is forever going to be inferior to something that can. Anyone wearing the rare/ex stronghold gear is doing so because they like the way it looks or because they can't afford Materia. It doesn't matter if that gear boosts a stat that cannot be boosted with Materia, that gear is still worthless. In the long run, insane boosts to a variety of stats is much more useful than giving up Materia slots just to stack one stat.

[Viridiana]

Here's an idea that doesn't involve adding in new features: go back to the old NM method of having the enemy drop materials to craft a meldable item. Silver Tricorne is still among the best head pieces in game. . .

Seriously, though, there's your DoW, DoM, DoH, and possibly DoL involvement, all in one fell swoop.

[YuriSan]

Here's an idea that doesn't involve adding in new features: go back to the old NM method of having the enemy drop materials to craft a meldable item.

That idea actually involves adding new features.

New Recipes for those synths.
New items that will be the mats for those synths.

[Agate]

That idea actually involves adding new features.

New Recipes for those synths.
New items that will be the mats for those synths.

You're just being difficult.

[YuriSan]

You're just being difficult.

Hehe ok i guess no coding is needed to add stuff that dont exist.

I would honestly prefer that no U/U stuff existed and all the gear was just unigue
and was made from mats that NMs dropped like the guys said.
Im just saying not one nor the other way can be done without work for the devs included.