Thread: 5.0 Combat System Changes. Hopes and Expectations.

Originally Posted by Kalise

Yes, I'm cynical.

This is fair. I probably should have swapped sections 2 and 3 if I wanted a happier ending to each post, but was afraid the crippling reality prior would then quell any zeal for larger improvements bored forumers might otherwise have.

My two cents, as this thread will probably be buried soon (since Devil's 3/25 thread covers the same content):

1. What changes do you think would be beneficial and mostly reasonable?

• Cutting back on fluff raid buffs, especially ones that don't notably adjust gameplay or composition in any way -- in favor of shorter bursts of effect that are more rewarding to coordinate in what few cases they're kept at all. Thus, something like Trick Attack would obviously stay, but Devotion or Bard's passive buff from when singing would not.

  Raid shield abilities, likewise, must be either significant enough to shave a GCD of intensive healing or shielding, or they're gone. (Divine Veil, for instance, might absorb damage and then further heal it for a %MissingHP-dependent amount once actually damaged, as not to outpace a good Succor, while Shake it Off would be replaced by Thrill of Battle + Warcry, granting additional %maximum HP and some lifesteal to all allies, as to again be significant without breaking the threat behind upcoming raidwide damage.)

• Replace permanent typal damage-vulnerability debuffs. Broaden effects such as Embolden and Brotherhood. Revise effects such as Contagion.
• More skills will no longer break combos. Combo cancellation will now only occur with the completion of actions which can cancel combos, rather than the beginnings of their attempts.
• Raid buffs which grant bonus chance (e.g. Crit chance) where that chance is normally afforded by stats now reroll the relevant stat cost for its higher tier, effectively keeping its stat-to-%throughput value equal with or without the buff. Higher base %stats, due in part to less deflation over leveling, but lower growth over time. Every job will have about the same dependency on Critical Hit, mechanically speaking, for greater or lesser accordant gameplay dependence across the game.
• Stat growths made more linear in their effectiveness, making it less obligatory to specialize in one extreme or another.
• Further consolidation of mutually exclusive keys, such as Blizzard IV and Fire IV or Ley Lines and Between the Lines.
• Trimming of Role Actions to just the most effective or interesting. If obligatory, they're now part of the base kit in varying, synergetic manners.

Examples among the Healer Role Actions:

• Protect removed.
• Break removed. Stone (I-IV) now have a unique-DR stacking-duration heavy effect. Miasma (I-III) again heavy enemies, stacking between I/III and II. Stella returned, with both a heavy effect that can ramp up in duration and intensity and a chance to rip buffs from enemies.
• Largesse removed. Healing jobs have been given new mechanics to allow for choice burst GCD healing beyond the mere choice of more expensive or more direct healing spells.
• Lucid Dreaming removed from Healers. Base MP regen and offensive spells' MP costs reduced to compensate.
• Esuna removed. Esuna-equivalents included in base healer toolkits, in varying synergetic forms. Esuna returned to White Mage as a somewhat expensive half-GCD with a 50% chance of procs that make its next use free and oGCD. Energy Drain and Stella may now be used on allies, whereby Energy Drain steals and banks the cleansable debuff to be used against an enemy and makes the next Energy Drain cast free while Stella cleanses the debuff and immunizes the ally to the cleansable status effects of the same type for up to 5 seconds.
• Surecast removed. Replaced with Sacred Shroud, which doubles as Surecast + Lucid Dreaming's enmity reduction. If used on self, this purges debuffs and restores 20% missing HP, trims enmity based on %HP, and grants Sacred Shroud for 3 seconds, reducing damage taken by 20% and preventing debuffs and most knockbacks from being afflicted against you.Used on allies, this cleanses debuffs and grants Veil for 3 seconds, preventing debuffs and most knockbacks. 60-second cooldown.
• Rescue replaced with Lifeline, which gives both caster and target access to Lifeline, which causes would-be critical-HP damage to be siphoned from one to the other and allows the target to use the Lifeline Duty Action to teleport to the caster's position. Possession swaps any time the Lifeline duty action is used (treating the former target as the caster and former caster as the target). 12-second duration. Any use (siphon or duty action) trims 3 seconds of duration. 90-second cooldown. (This damage-transfer will only occur if the original damage would kill neither the caster nor target. It will not be able to act as a half-immunity.)
• Cleric Stance changed to Dilemma. Each healing or damaging spell cast now grants 10% of its potency to the next healing or damaging spell, compounding. If one casts the opposite category of spell, the potency reward is doubled but the effect ends upon the cast's completion. Lasts up to 12 seconds. 2 minute cooldown. 6 seconds of cooldown refunded for each second of duration wasted.
• Eye for an Eye revised. Each time the target ally takes damage, 15% of its HP lost will generate Eye for an Eye, which increases the damage or healing dealt by your or the tank's own skills, up to a maximum of 10% increased damage or healing per skill, to a maximum of the stored amount. Lasts 12 seconds. 2 minute cooldown.
• Pick 2 of 4, or, if more are added, 3 of 5-6.

2. What changes, no holds barred, would you like to see? Pipedreams welcome.

Too long for now; will add in via [HB] later.

What changes do you expect we'll get?

• Streamlining.
• Negligent pruning sure to create issues later for those who actually play the affected jobs at a decent level.
• Potency-buff traits/"Masteries".
• Vaguely to scarcely useful traits.
• Revamps to the most cohesive jobs. Clunkiest classes gutted in the process of "smoothing" or left just as haphazard.