Keep skills when level sync’d

[Taiyoji]

Hope we’re all having a good day. I wish we keep our skills when synced to a lower to duty /fate but at reduced power to make it fair. This would make it more enjoyable to get lower level duties and let us enjoy using higher level abilities no matter where we are as long as they have been earned. Thank you for reading!

[Snek]

Would this be fun and make the lower level content enjoyable and allow for jobs to use what feels sometime like mandatory skills at levels they don't have them? Yes. I'd certainly love it and prefer it. But can you imagine being a sprout, first ever dungeon in Sastasha, and you get 3 level 80s? Sure they're synced down, but the dungeon wasn't designed for so many skills and it'd feel pretty bad for that sprout. They'd very much feel like a dead weight being dragged through the dungeon.

[Jojoya]

It's very unlikely SE would ever do this because of how much additional work it would require and the potential problems it would create with random groups.

It would be a balancing nightmare. A level 80 toolkit is much more powerful than a level 60 toolkit. Both of those are more powerful than a level 40 toolkit and all of them are more powerful than a level 20 toolkit. They would need to separately adjust potencies for every toolkit variation where a new skill with potencies or that impacted potencies was introduced and they would have to do it for each dungeon. They would have to repeat the process every time the level cap is increased or toolkits have major changes.

It would likely lead to more kicks for new players as well since they'd still lack the enhanced toolkits. Right now, there's nothing to be gained by kicking a new player because they'd be replaced by someone with the same basic toolkit. With your system, a party could kick the new player and likely end up with someone with party utility to make it a smoother run.

Worst of all, it's not going to make low level dungeons any more interesting. They're still very basic with very basic mechanics that you would have seen many times already. Retaining access to your full toolkit isn't going to improve the experience enough to make it satisfying.

If you want to be using your full toolkit, stick to doing content your level. You'll miss out on roulette bonuses but you'll have a more enjoyable experience if access to your full toolkit makes that much of a difference to you.

[Brightamethyst]

IMO that would just make it worse for higher level players. You'd have to do your full rotation against mobs that die in 5 seconds while the level 20 player out DPSs you with one button. That sure sounds fun.

[Taiyoji]

ohh - thanks for pointing this stuff out. I’m just coming from another game where this kinda thing goes down. Thanks again for the discussion!

[ReiMakoto]

IMO that would just make it worse for higher level players. You'd have to do your full rotation against mobs that die in 5 seconds while the level 20 player out DPSs you with one button. That sure sounds fun.

I think it would be fun enough, reason i dont do lower level content anymore is because its boring to miss all the buttons. If it was an option in the DF id been down for it, so player could choose if they wanted full kit with capped/gimped output or the usual level skill. Doubt SE would do it tho

[Tulzscha]

That'd be nice, especially for Fates. One of my biggest gripes with the game is how I'll be leveling some job, just unlock some cool new ability and not be able to use it for a while after because I always get down-leveled, or I'll play SMN at all and it's just soooooo boring.

[Whatzituyah]

I tend to agree that not having all your abilities at a certain level is boring but what they are trying to do is avoid negativity in the game to make it accessible for everyone. Also beyond that some skills are just plain out upgrades from others like Jolt 1 to Jolt 2 or Thunder 2 to Thunder 4 for instance.

[Rollout]

I feel like it could work if all the classes started with the "core" skills from the beginning, but at reduced potency, only to have their potency bumped up when he originally unlocked them. And then upon unlocking the job, you get a few more skills to ease you into things.

Like, let's take Thaumaturge to start with. Let them begin with Fire, Fire II, Fire III, Blizzard, Blizzard II, Blizzard III, along with Thunder and Thunder II, so they can learn immediately what each of those spells are meant to be used for. Then, once Black Mage unlocks, they gain access to Enochian, without it's damage buff, and Blizzard IV and Fire IV, with reduced potency, allowing them to figure out the proper rotation as early as level 30. Once they reach the level where they would originally have unlocked those actions, they get traits instead, Enochian getting it's damage buff, and Blizzard IV and Fire IV getting its increased potency.

Lancer can start out with both the Full Thrust combo and Chaos Thrust combo, so they can get used to keeping their damage buff and DoT up super early in their formative levels, while using the damage combo in between. Once they would learn them originally, the potency gets bumped up. This would also teach them to be using Life Surge on Full Thrust for the maximum damage. Upon becoming a Dragoon, they get Wheeling Thrust and Fang & Claw alongside Jump, to get used to the fourth step in the combo, at a reduced potency. When they would originally learn those weaponskills, they would instead get a trait that improves their potency.

Gladiator can start out with the Rage of Halone combo and Goring Blade combo. Upon becoming a Paladin, they can learn Holy Spirit and Holy Circle, both at a reduced potency, and Requiescat, which only has it's damage effect at a reduced potency. This will teach players to use Requiescat when they have full MP for big damage, then burn away that MP on Holy Spirit/Circle, before restoring it with their melee combo. Upon reaching the level they'd learn Holy Spirit and Holy Circe, they get traits that increase their potencies, and when they'd learn Requiescat, it gets its proper potency and the 50% increased magic damage effect when above 80% MP, which they should have already learned from using Requiescat for so long for it's increased damage.

[Styrmwyda]

I feel like it could work if all the classes started with the "core" skills from the beginning, but at reduced potency, only to have their potency bumped up when he originally unlocked them. And then upon unlocking the job, you get a few more skills to ease you into things.

Like, let's take Thaumaturge to start with. Let them begin with Fire, Fire II, Fire III, Blizzard, Blizzard II, Blizzard III, along with Thunder and Thunder II, so they can learn immediately what each of those spells are meant to be used for. Then, once Black Mage unlocks, they gain access to Enochian, without it's damage buff, and Blizzard IV and Fire IV, with reduced potency, allowing them to figure out the proper rotation as early as level 30. Once they reach the level where they would originally have unlocked those actions, they get traits instead, Enochian getting it's damage buff, and Blizzard IV and Fire IV getting its increased potency.

Lancer can start out with both the Full Thrust combo and Chaos Thrust combo, so they can get used to keeping their damage buff and DoT up super early in their formative levels, while using the damage combo in between. Once they would learn them originally, the potency gets bumped up. This would also teach them to be using Life Surge on Full Thrust for the maximum damage. Upon becoming a Dragoon, they get Wheeling Thrust and Fang & Claw alongside Jump, to get used to the fourth step in the combo, at a reduced potency. When they would originally learn those weaponskills, they would instead get a trait that improves their potency.

Gladiator can start out with the Rage of Halone combo and Goring Blade combo. Upon becoming a Paladin, they can learn Holy Spirit and Holy Circle, both at a reduced potency, and Requiescat, which only has it's damage effect at a reduced potency. This will teach players to use Requiescat when they have full MP for big damage, then burn away that MP on Holy Spirit/Circle, before restoring it with their melee combo. Upon reaching the level they'd learn Holy Spirit and Holy Circe, they get traits that increase their potencies, and when they'd learn Requiescat, it gets its proper potency and the 50% increased magic damage effect when above 80% MP, which they should have already learned from using Requiescat for so long for it's increased damage.

I like this idea!