Skill trees and Alternate Advancement

[Ksenia]

FF14 is one of the few games where they have the ability to keep us unique because they didn't make crafting a sub menu for your combat. Allowing us to be unique crafters also avoids the FotM of min/max. I would prefer a Ranger that was a split with a gathering class and able to set loot priority so they became a master at gathering hides or shells, capable of unlocking unique loot tables only a Ranger can get. Break that down further and make a Specialist Ranger who can loot unique or rare gems from the beasts they slay. Dragons Eye or Tortoise pearls. Needing Mining, Jewel crafting and a combat quest line for such a specialist.

[Nazrakin]

Ive already explained 100 times in this thread why there wouldnt be an "ultimate" build for each class. Use your imaginations and creative thinking proccesses which i know a lot of people dont seem to have.

Also yes.. a skill tree could be a 1 path only thing OR they could also let you max all the paths if you wanted but only after you have maxed 1 specific path. And then the exp required to get skills from another path would be exponential and very time consuming. Some players would be happy with the path they have chosen and leave it at that, while more hardcore players would want to push there character even further and im talking 500k+ exp just for 1 skill upgrade on a second path so it would really be an endgame form of character advancement that would take a lot of time. But its there as a choice if you wanted.

What you're describing will do nothing but foster animosity and frustration throughout the entire player base and cause a balancing nightmare for the developers. This isn't a fresh idea, many MMOs have (unsuccessfully) tried to balance around these types of conventions and it just doesn't work. Players are left on the bench or forced to play specs/classes they don't enjoy. Developers have to balance the game around 3x as many character choices. It just becomes a mess and I'd rather they devote that time to giving us new classes.

I'm not saying that there is no place for skill customization, I just don't think skill trees belong here. Instead, I'd like to see a resurrection of the merit system that isn't just tied into grinding mindlessly.

[Kyra]

What you're describing will do nothing but foster animosity and frustration throughout the entire player base and cause a balancing nightmare for the developers. This isn't a fresh idea, many MMOs have (unsuccessfully) tried to balance around these types of conventions and it just doesn't work. Players are left on the bench or forced to play specs/classes they don't enjoy. Developers have to balance the game around 3x as many character choices. It just becomes a mess and I'd rather they devote that time to giving us new classes.

I'm not saying that there is no place for skill customization, I just don't think skill trees belong here. Instead, I'd like to see a resurrection of the merit system that isn't just tied into grinding mindlessly.

The game isnt balanced and it never will be, I can make my character stronger with gear making me unbalanced compared to someone in lesser gear than me. Why cant I do this with skill growth to. So its ok for an unbalance between characters if its gear related because you have worked on getting that gear, but its not ok to be unbalanced with upgraded skills because you have worked on getting those skills?

If you guys want a gear orientated game then you have it, there is no real customisation with skills once you have all classes to 50 which doesnt take long. All my class and jobs action bars are set with the skills i need, maybe one or two i would swap out depending on the situation but thats it.

Basicaly I feel like i completed the game 6 months ago in terms of my character growth. All it has been since then is about getting new gear, adding materia to gear, or other game content for gear or achievments. I just dont get excited when they add new gear each patch, im quite happy with my sets i have for this level cap. I want to grow my character another way. Anything... something, stop adding more stupid gear lol.

[Fiosha_Maureiba]

Throwing some of these out here to flesh it out possibilities a little more. Some of these modifications may already be in the game under some of the items or patch notes beyond 1.20. (whether these end up as traits from items, materia, level cap increase, or an alternate advancement system)

Examples/Sample (not full listing):

Gladiator

• Reduces TP cost of Fast Blade by 250.
• Savage Blade grants Savage Might, increasing Critical Attack Power for 20 seconds.
• Reduce recast time of Riot Blade by 20 seconds.
• Expand Savage Might to affect you and nearby party members.
• Increase range of Enhanced Rampart by X yalms.
• Increase enmity generated by Phalanx.
• Triggers Sentinel at low health for 15 seconds. This effect may occur once every 3 minutes. Does not affect recast time of Sentinel.
• Expand Sentinel to affect you and nearby party members.
• Increase healing receive by 8%.
• Grants chance to stun with Phalanx.
• Grants TP on successful block.
• Increases magic damage reduction by 8% when using a shield.
• Expand Tempered Will to affect you and nearby party members.

Archer

• Ranged attacks sometimes do not consume arrows.
• Increases Light Shot damage by 20% when attacking within 8 yalms of target.
• Reduces recast time of Decoy by 30 seconds.
• Increases critical rate when using Hawk's Eye.
• Increases maximum stack of Raging Strike by X.
• Reduces recast time of Shadowbind by 20 seconds.
• Increases resistance to Accuracy Down and Blind effects by 20.
• When Raging Strike is at 3 stacks, Light Shot generates TP for allies near target.
• Increases critical rate against a target afflicted by Bind or Heavy.
• Increases number of attacks granted by Barrage by 1.
• Increases range of songs by 10 yalms.

Pugilist

• Generate additional TP when attacking from the rear.
• Reduced enmity when attacking from the rear.
• Generate TP on successful evasion.
• Generate TP for party members when Featherfoot effect fades.
• Reduces damage received from most area attacks by 15%.
• Increases evasion against physical area attacks by X.
• Increases healing received by 8%.
• Increases damage against a target afflicted by Stun or Bind.
• Counter attacks deal additional damage.
• Throwing weapons deal damage to an area of enemies, but generate less TP per additional target.

Marauder

• Generate TP on successful parry.
• Generate TP for party members when Foresight effect fades.
• Enduring March reduces damage received by 8%.
• Increases duration of Pacification by 20%.
• Increases resistance to Pacification and Paralysis by 20.
• Provoke lowers target's resistance to Critical Hits.
• Maim reduces healing effects received on target by 50%.
• Grants Overpower a chance to afflict Paralysis for 5 seconds.
• Throwing weapons have a chance to stun enemies.

Lancer

• Generate additional TP on successful critical hit.
• Reduces damage received from most area attacks by 15%.
• Throwing weapons ignore some of target's physical defense.
• Generate TP for party members when Invigorate effect fades.
• Feint reduces enmity on target.
• Increases resistance to Heavy and Slow by 20.
• Increases the maximum stacks of Power Surge and Life Surge by 1.
• Power Surge grants Attack Up to nearby party members for 15 seconds.
• Life Surge increases healing received by nearby party members for 15 seconds.

Conjurer

• Blissful Mind increases Magic Accuracy.
• Gradually regenerate HP.
• When Stoneskin effect fades, increase Earth Magic Potency for 15 seconds. Maximum stack of 3.
• Shroud of Saints reduce enmity of nearby party members.
• Repose reduces target's Earth Resistance for 30 seconds.
• Stonera afflicts Rasp for 20 seconds.
• Aerora afflicts Choke for 20 seconds.
• Increases resilience (resistance to ailments) by 10.
• Triggers Shroud of Saints at low health for 20 seconds. This effect may occur once every 3 minutes. Does not affect recast time of Shroud of Saints.

Thaumaturge

• Increases range of Blizzara by X yalms.
• Dark Seal increases effectiveness of the Combo Bonus of the next spell.
• Increases resistance to Silence and Amnesia by 20.
• Reduces MP cost of Thunder spells.
• Reduces enmity generated by Fire spells.
• Resonance extends the duration of the next spell's enfeebling effect.
• Increase elemental resistance by 8.
• Restores MP when resisting or partially resisting a spell.
• Sanguine Rite deals a small amount of umbral damage to the attacker.
• Triggers Sanguine Rite at low health for 10 seconds. This effect may occur once every 3 minutes. Does not affect recast time of Sanguine Rite.

[Shurrikhan]

Throwing some of these out here to flesh it out possibilities a little more. Some of these modifications may already be in the game under some of the items or patch notes beyond 1.20. (whether these end up as traits from items, materia, level cap increase, or an alternate advancement system)

[HIDE]Examples/Sample (not full listing):

***See previous page. It'll be worth your time.***

Great list. It's fun even just imagining the bonuses in use. Being the nit-pick I am I'd like slightly more unique effects like the AoE resistance for PGL being based on number of recent attacks and current TP remaining (less so), or increased when next to someone else (Fleeting Dance), while the one for Lancer protected himself and others in a conical area facing away from the target he's attacking (Strike Leader). Something of that sort that gives identical effects not so identical applications and feel like their classes.

[Elexia]

Skill tree type systems just simply doesn't work in MMOs like XI/XIV because they're not designed to allow specialized progression on the one and only single class you can be on your character, you can be multiple classes with jobs adding some more specialization to the base. Merit type system can work depending, but XIV still has a flawed attribute system ontop of a flawed dlvl calculation to even think of stat/ability specialization.

[Jokerz]

Love this concept but as such with this community the strongest/most useful abilities would be the only ones to be used. I seriously doubt SE could fairly balance something that will allow everyone to be "unique"