Allowing Gear Change in Active Mode

[Braxton]

After reading majority of the comments... son I am disappoint. Skilled players can do well enough without equipment swaps? You could, but why use a wrench to bang in nails when you have a hammer? Jesus. If you couldn't tell already, I support equipment swapping mid battle. It's retarded not to. Even if they did add it you don't have to use it. And inventory wouldn't be an issue. You already had a full set of gear + situation gear as well as this new AF. It would be, I don't know, like 4 or more extra slots per class? And most of the gear is classstackable, lol.

[Nekirr]

I think it is funny that so many people are against Gear swapping. It's just a bunch of people trying to excuse mediocrity. If you had trouble switching to MDT/PDT sets when NMs were doing certain moves etc in FFXI, then I feel bad for you. like the guy above me said, if it is implemented, you don't need to use it. Let the people who like to become the best they can possibly be, do just that. I find it funny that people use the term "elitist" to give a bad name to people who like to not suck.

[Dragon]

Certainly wouldn't mind it being introduced into FFXIV, but I wouldn't miss it by a long shot either if it doesn't get implemented.

[Mychael]

While I agree with you statement to a certain extent. In my opinion, that's part of the gear selection process. Take your BLM AF hat for example, you may say that it is a piece of gear designed to be "swapped" when you cast Convert. I would argue that, in most scenarios when MP isn't an issue for the length of the fight or the mechanism of the fight. I would simply ditch the BLM AF hat entirely and go for a straight damage/accuracy upgrade hat. However, if today I was soloing my way into a stronghold where I may run into situations where I will need emergency MP to get out of a sticky situation, then I will choose to go in the stronghold with my BLM AF hat for the extra insurance. Moreover, if I went into a instance, and the group is clearing/running our way towards the boss. During the run, I will also switch to my BLM AF hat so that I have more MP on demand, thus reducing the downtime. Once the group have arrived at the boss, then I will switch to the damage/accuracy hat for more reliable source of damage on the boss.

There are other MMOs that have done things more in line with what you said (a more definitive bis), for example: tier sets in WoW. Most of the time, the stats on the tier sets do not make them the bis, but combined with the tier bonus, the gears become desirable. However, in WoW, the tier bonus is usually overwhelmingly powerful, so that picking up tiers is inevitable and no gear selection decisions are required (other than figuring out which piece out of the five is the weakest, usually the case for dps, not always the case for healer/tank). But in the case of FFXIV, some of the bonuses on the AF fall into the category of "nice to have" and is at best a sidegrade, but depending on the situation/encounter it may become the bis. This to me is a more ideal way of balancing the gear.

This of course is simply my point of view, and you are more than welcome to agree to disagree.

I didn't say it in my last post, but I also meant to say something like "If we must go without swapping gear, then..." Because frankly, I am in favor of having various sets that can be swapped in a moment's notice.

In my opinion, it adds more meaning to getting individual pieces of gear--not that your scenario doesn't, but I'd be much more likely to get three nearly-impossible bodies for my WHM if I could use all three--Regen Potency, Cure Potency, Stoneskin Potency, or something. While you're right that, even with the current system, you should have all three and select based upon the situation, the fact is all three of these are powerful pieces and, if SE could manage to make them difficult, but not tedious, to acquire, it would be much more interesting than getting a +Cure body and wearing it over anything else because, in general, it will be the best. Of course a fight here and there would be different, but...

I also do like your ideas--especially since we have two WHMs (normally) in a party, it's interesting to think that one could gear towards higher buffs and lower cures, while the other gears toward higher cures and just lets the other buff--or something like that--but I think that in the end, it would be more worthwhile to focus on Healing Potency over anything for most fights--or just buff in different gear then change back before entering combat. I like being able to use the advantages of all my hard-earned gear.

The reason I suggested making better "all-around" pieces was that, if we have to stick with a single piece, I don't want to worry about sacrificing X for Y. I'd rather have a piece that gives 35% cure potency and 15% regen potency than choose between two pieces, one that gives 50% cure potency, and one that gives 25% regen potency. If I could switch, I'd be more likely to use the last two, but if I couldn't I'd lean toward the first one. Sadly, we can't switch, but there isn't anything like the former.

[Eruantien]

hated it in xi, definitly would hate it in xiv.I know its a fantasy game but unless its built into the story like dresspheres or something it just seems stupid

[Dzian]

Gear swap Macros in battle... NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

And he mean's it so much he typed every single one of those NO's by hand.

[Rowyne]

While I agree with you statement to a certain extent. In my opinion, that's part of the gear selection process. Take your BLM AF hat for example, you may say that it is a piece of gear designed to be "swapped" when you cast Convert. I would argue that, in most scenarios when MP isn't an issue for the length of the fight or the mechanism of the fight. I would simply ditch the BLM AF hat entirely and go for a straight damage/accuracy upgrade hat. However, if today I was soloing my way into a stronghold where I may run into situations where I will need emergency MP to get out of a sticky situation, then I will choose to go in the stronghold with my BLM AF hat for the extra insurance. Moreover, if I went into a instance, and the group is clearing/running our way towards the boss. During the run, I will also switch to my BLM AF hat so that I have more MP on demand, thus reducing the downtime. Once the group have arrived at the boss, then I will switch to the damage/accuracy hat for more reliable source of damage on the boss.

There are other MMOs that have done things more in line with what you said (a more definitive bis), for example: tier sets in WoW. Most of the time, the stats on the tier sets do not make them the bis, but combined with the tier bonus, the gears become desirable. However, in WoW, the tier bonus is usually overwhelmingly powerful, so that picking up tiers is inevitable and no gear selection decisions are required (other than figuring out which piece out of the five is the weakest, usually the case for dps, not always the case for healer/tank). But in the case of FFXIV, some of the bonuses on the AF fall into the category of "nice to have" and is at best a sidegrade, but depending on the situation/encounter it may become the bis. This to me is a more ideal way of balancing the gear.

WoW definitely does take the guesswork out of endgame gear. They've used the same methodology for the last two expansions (BC started moving toward this model, but WotLK really locked it into place). You run normal dungeons to gear up for heroic dungeons. You run heroics to gear up for raids. Your raid drops are placeholders for your tier pieces, which are bought with points you get in heroics and raids. As you said, the 2/4 piece set bonuses are too powerful to ignore so even if your raid drops are on par, you'll still always be working for at least 4 pieces of the tier set. In the end, the only decision you make is how to gem/enchant/reforge each piece.

Even with this idiot-proof gearing model, I was still always dragging around three gear sets in WoW - my raid healing set, my solo DPS set, and my PvP healing set.

As much as I hated it eating up my precious bag space, I can understand having a couple different sets or key pieces for generally different situations. The example you gave with the BLM AF hat is reasonable.

What I don't like is situational gear specifically tailored to one raid, or one encounter, or even one spell. Like how back in the day your guild wouldn't take you to 40 man Molten Core if you didn't have a certain level of fire resistance gear. Or how in FFXI you had to have an arsenal of wands and staves and MP regen gear you were constantly switching out during combat and while resting (needed to hire myself a taru caddy squire to lug all that stuff around).

I'm certainly not saying I want this game to emulate the formulaic end game gear grind that WoW has down to a science. But I have no desire to get back into the ridiculousness that was FFXI's gear swap macros. As others have said, I would rather be more focused on combat and my abilities than playing with my wardrobe. If that means fewer situational gear pieces and more sets that are overall generally better for a class/job, I think it's a fair tradeoff.

[KumaAkuma]

If you're a Black Mage and don't gear swap: you suck!

[Riaayo]

I personally just want a final decision by SE as to whether we can gear-swap or not. Currently we can but it's slow and clunky. I would like to see the macros either sped up in 2.0 and full swapping allowed, or a complete cut off of our ability to change gear while in combat alltogether.

The plus side to gear swapping is it opens up almost every piece of gear to a use for players. When you can't swap gear, you will generally only wear the best-in-slot piece for all around play. When swapping is opened, suddenly hands that would be horrible to wear all the time, but are awesome for casting stoneskin in, are a viable piece of gear and desirable by high end players willing to put together these gear sets to further their character.

While the swapping was tedious in XI, I actually really liked it despite how completely silly the idea of it is (I tended to think of it visually as some sort of magical "poof" into another pair of clothes).

But in the end, I'm kind of fine either way... I would just like to see it done one way or another officially and not have to worry about it anymore.

[viion]

I support gear swapping, it was really good in XI and made the battles much more interesting, dynamic and skillful, it also gave you more purpose as right now its: Get all AF and you're set. There is nothing else to do, no reason to have any other piece of gear. In XI you could build sets and have all these different types of gear for different situations. XIV is very dull, boring and sits in a "1 fits everything" station that I dont enjoy.