Is limit break not a thing?

[Legion88]

I used LB once on my main (the job I'm posting on). It was in Castrum Abania, the part when you're on that narrow walkway and a bunch of adds come out on all sides. I figured now might be a good time to try it, and I actually asked the group before you using it. They said go for it. I clicked it and...

It did like no damage. Seriously. My own AoEs were stronger, and RDMs aren't known for strong AoE. Now at 70, I don't even bother. I just let melee or the healer use it.

you sure? In my experience the LB1 on that bridge halves the life of the mobs at least.

[Lynde]

There's no way that LB1 does LESS damage than normal RDM AoE. It's a good possibility that you either aimed the marker incorrectly, or the mobs were moved outside it's radius before it went off (both of which would cause it to miss the targets and do no damage). Caster LB1 should at least knock about 1/4th to 1/2 of most trash mobs HP. If it doesn't, it's probably just a mob that has lots of HP (and there are a few, especially in later duties).

[MoroMurasaki]

I used LB once on my main (the job I'm posting on). It was in Castrum Abania, the part when you're on that narrow walkway and a bunch of adds come out on all sides. I figured now might be a good time to try it, and I actually asked the group before you using it. They said go for it. I clicked it and...

It did like no damage. Seriously. My own AoEs were stronger, and RDMs aren't known for strong AoE. Now at 70, I don't even bother. I just let melee or the healer use it.

This isn't mathematically true. A caster LB1 is a 1.4k potency AoE.

In an absolute best-case scenario a RDM could hope to get off 1.2k potency spread over a bit more time using Scatter at full Mana and proccing enhanced Scatter/Dualcast(100) E.Moulinet×2(500) E.Scatter (600) Manafaction, E.Moulinet×3 (1.2k).

If you pop Embo after the first Scatter you'll have the first 2 E.Moulinets and E.Scatter buffed 10% (500×1.1=550) and the subsequent 3 E.Moulinets buffed 8% (600×1.08=648) so you end at a grand total of basically 1.3k potency over the course of 7GCDs. Add in Contre Sixte and on some of the enemies that are hit with the higher potencies of the attack you technically come out ahead of a caster LB1 but at the cost of gimping your ST in upcoming fights because you just burned all your Mana and CDs.

This is more time-consuming than Caster LB1, consumes more resources, has an adverse effect on upcoming damage you can put out and requires a perfect setup (beginning with full mana bars, getting the enhanced Scatter proc off of the first Scatter) which just isn't available all the time. Not to mention you need Embo and Manafaction off CD for it to even approach Caster LB1 damage.

tl;dr - just caster LB a large pack like that if you can. It's faster, easier and all around more efficent/accessible.

[KaldeaSahaline]

The thing I've come to despise when playing Ninja, is going to all the trouble of setting up a perfect Shadow Fang/TA LB to finish off the boss, only to have it taken by the ranged DPS, or worse, a tank or healer.

Shadow Fang's slashing bonus and TA have 0 impact on the damage a LB does. LB's damage calculation is a measure of average weapon ilvl of the party. Nothing external or internal impacts it, not even weakness.

[NewAgeDoom]

Shadow Fang's slashing bonus and TA have 0 impact on the damage a LB does. LB's damage calculation is a measure of average weapon ilvl of the party. Nothing external or internal impacts it, not even weakness.

That's showing my newness then. I apologize. Doesn't help it was still a physical ranged LB on a single target

[KaldeaSahaline]

That's showing my newness then. I apologize. Doesn't help it was still a physical ranged LB on a single target

All good - I just like to make sure there's no misinformation out there.

I actually forgot to mention there are some external factors that increase LB damage. I beleive Ravana's red phase does this, and there may be others, but that's the only example that comes to mind. However, the original statement, no player made external/internal effect changes LB damage.

[kikix12]

There are multiple issues with the limit break.

1) It's not explained nearly enough.
2) Players are not exposed to it nearly enough.
3) Limit break is too limited in the content that is done most often.
4) The shared resource makes it problematic to use.
5) The long cast time/animation lock really hurts, especially with a lot of the content being made to be a dance parade of AoE's.
6) It does have special mechanics that are non-intuitive.


For example, there was a poster that complained about ranged DPS often stealing the limit break before they could use it after "setting up for it" with skills that increase their damage output/enemies vulnerability. But limit break is raw damage based entirely on weapons average item level between all members (at least according to the wiki and what not from when I did read it). That means that:
1) If there are members with low item level weapons, limit break is very weak. Lvl1 at least may actually deal less damage than a highly geared DPS can do without it apparently.
2) It is not affected by the users damage increase, the bosses vulnerability debuffs or anything else. I don't think it can ever crit. This steams from the fact that the limit break does not actually come from the player in the first place for the system. User just defines which limit break is used and what is the target.

Then there is no information on what the limit break actually does, what are its traits and such for jobs.

Both could be solved by making the limit break icon change into what is the players current limit break for the class they use. Just like Samurai and their Iai skill. The limit break also should either deal damage based on the player that uses it, or based on the player with highest ilvl weapon. Not the average of the party.


Then there is the fact that solo there is no limit break. In dungeons there is only lvl1 limit break and lvl2 on final boss (not even ALL bosses, but only the final one). It also often does not even fill up to lvl2...or does so at a point where it is irrelevant.
Limit break should be unlocked in all party compositions, in all content, up to lvl3. Sure, it will charge slower solo than in 4-man. It will charge faster in 8-man than in 4-man. It will be something you can always depend on though, so you will get used to it. And it will manage to be a lot more relevant on the boss once it comes to fighting him.

Alternatively it should be an individual skill of every class.


The animation lock should be removed. Have the cast time, sure, but let the player move right after while the animation goes off. I mean, why does the caster need to stand in place when there is a meteor already falling on the head of the enemy?!



Basically, the limit break in Final Fantasy XIV is junk. It tried to make a single-player mechanic into a party-based mechanic and failed miserably. It does "work" and can be "used" pretty effectively, but the game does everything it can to make it obscure and unintuitive. It should get a complete overhaul and at least I believe that it should be a personal skill capped at 3 for any content. That would make it relevant for all classes, at all stages in every single piece of content in the game, if nothing else.

[AxlStream]

I mean if people would read tooltips (elitist, I know) and using a little logic (again, elitist, I know) people would atleast know how to use it properly. Looking at you mages and ranged DPS that use it when you got a perfectly able melee DPS.

[Lynde]

There's a time and place for each type of limit break.

There have been plenty of times I've been yelled at for "misuse". The funny thing is, most times it's happened I have a perfectly good reason to use it when I did. Here's the things people need to remember sometimes.

1. LB is not just for Melees (and Bosses)

Sometimes an AoE LB works wonders on certain pulls, and even on a few bosses (like Tioman). Just because you (melees) have the most single target LB doesnt mean you are ENTITLED to it.

2. Using LB before a reset (or a mass gain)

This applies more to 8 and 24 man content. People need to realize that when your party gains hate from any "boss" encounter that gives you the 3rd bar, it will totally reset, thus wasting any you've built up. I've popped LB1 a few times in some of the old 24 mans simply because I know a boss is on the next pull. Now granted you can LB pull a boss, but thats usually never done anymore so... Also some encounters have "enemies" that give you a massive boost to LB, meaning you can pop it more than once, if timed right. Sohr Kai and Proto Ultima are good examples of this.

[Sigma-Astra]

I mean if people would read tooltips (elitist, I know) and using a little logic (again, elitist, I know) people would atleast know how to use it properly. Looking at you mages and ranged DPS that use it when you got a perfectly able melee DPS.

Hey, I'll have you know that I know my place regarding the LB as a caster! D: