Potency boost for Trust/Duty Support NPCs

[lilmoon]

DPS role queue time for dungeons and raids is getting worse due to the new addition of 2 more DPS jobs in the game.
Can we have more reasonable ways to play the game solo, bypassing the obnoxious queue times using the duty support/trust system?
Currently, the NPCs in the system are too weak, making the dungeon run very slow, so it is still better to queue the roulette while doing FATE or something when trying to level up your job.
Can we please have some NPC potency boost across the board or at least have some dynamic potency boost system that boosts the potency of the NPCs depending on the queue times?
This will also help some people who play the game at odd hours when the server population is pretty low, finding dungeon matches almost impossible.

[Icecylee]

If trust were any better, there'd be absolutely no reason to ever queue for anything.

[RaZz0r]

Yeah, the Trust system was not designed to be a tool for leveling It's to add flavor to the leveling process with some unique dialog with the ncps, and you can freely watch cutscenes without feeling like you're wasting other people's time.
Also, NGL I have seen actual players perform worse with less output than trusts during the game's off hours

[TheGrimace]

I think Trusts should do more damage or be a little more responsive in Dawntrail due to the increased number of mechanics each boss has, especially in later dungeons. I'll never ask them to be as efficient as players, but it is extremely frustrating maneuvering between Trusts during targeted party attacks. Trusts' programming do not account for the player's location, and so they have no qualms about unintentionally sharing target damage. I have to anticipate where the Trusts will move during these times, and with them repeatedly starting off grouped in one location, the player's agency has to be spot-on to prevent taking life threatening damage.

This is increasingly dangerous as the fight gets close to the end, when most Dawntrail bosses decide to start heavily repeating big mechanics in quick secession, and have attacks with two or more damage boxes overlapping. Trust healers are very slow with recovering HP because their coding places dodging top priority.

The increased dungeon activity, while great when playing with other players, has largely put a target on just how limited the Trust system is. Looking at Shadowbringers and Endwalker, I infer the development team will lower the amount of EXP needed for Trusts to go from 91-100 in the future. I think this is only a band-aid though, because if you're leveling trusts just to get them from 91-100 and not because it's fun content, the system needs to be intrinsically adjusted.

If players want to do dungeons fast, we level with other players. If we want to do dungeons for story and practice through sacrificing speed, we use Duty Support. Where do Trusts play into this? Trusts in leveling dungeons can be one level higher than Duty Support NPCs. Are Trusts not meant to be a mid-way gap between the options of Players and Duty Support? The increased damage from their additional level is negligible, so if this is the intention, it's not working as a reasonable bonus. Trusts still only give one treasure per chest, so it is not anymore lucrative than Duty Support.

The balance needs to be adjusted so that Trusts are noticeably stronger as they level. They do not need to damage as reliably as players, but they need to be more powerful than they are.

[Kalinas]

I don't think they really need to do too much more damage though for a few reasons. The first being that, it's an MMO and playing with others is kind of what XIV is built around. This is coming from someone who loves the Duty Support and Trusts for going through the story unrushed and extra dialogue bits in the dungeons. That's another reason they probably shouldn't do more damage is that it would shorten the length of each fight so you may start to skip those bits of character dialogue like the 24 man raids do once you over gear them....maybe a small damage buff for AoE damage to speed up the trash pulls since those don't even give exp and exist to extend dungeon time. This wouldn't mess with the bosses as those are single target anyway.

I use the Trusts mostly to level up jobs I don't usually play and don't want to inflict on other players when I try (same with Frontlines and queuing on one job for exp, then swapping to the usual one I play). While they usually nerf the EXP needed to level Trusts eventually, I usually get them maxed just causally doing the dungeons while leveling and watching something on my other screen. It's also nice not having to pause real players if I need to use the restroom/get a drink/take a mine for something like a phone call or knock at the door. I also don't worry about the limited loot from doing dungeons with Trusts as I tend to do them so many times that I get full sets from each one between the boss drops/chests/then the job coded freebie they drop in your inventory.

For a long time, I was honestly a little confused with Trusts/Duty Support as they seemed like the same thing when they were introduced. It finally clicked that the Duty support is just for supporting the narrative of the MSQ and Trusts just exist to give players more to do and unlock since as they level, then the Trust npcs do too. I like that the flexibility of choosing my party to take in to the fights with Trusts, what they wear, and the fact they added dialogue for characters that weren't even in the MSQ for that part of the story like in Ktisis dungeon. Not the best reason for grinding something, but it's an MMO and players do silly things with our time anyway in game.

The one thing...the one thing, I do really wish they would give you one of the "Willful" buffs for boss fights when you're using Trusts/Duty Support since Trusts will sometimes not top you off after AoEs as quickly and they will also always go to "their" spots so you have to be learn those or be very quick with adjusting (if possible). It's the same buff you get when you use the Duty Support option for trial fights. The description of it is "Burning for battle. Sustaining most damage that would normally result in a KO will instead ignite the Will to Live." It's bad on those rare times when a Trust/Duty Support npc stacks on you while you dodge AoEs which typically ends in a wipe and total reset....super annoying if you were close to the end of the fight especially.

[wildvenonat]

In my experience duty support and trusts take 25 minutes per dungeon clear, which is worse than the median party but not so bad that I haven't seen a worse group within the past week.

[Blindheart]

Trusts are fine... just which they gained more exp per run. Trying to relearn how to play ninja and the low stakes slow pace of trusts works well. Far better than fumbling ninjutsu in a party with real people and getting rushed along.

[Eastwall]

Just bring back the squadron system. It was so much fun recruiting a lala squad, level them up to see their damage from suck to be good, and put glamour on them.

[Teryrula]

I have question
https://ibb.co/KbB1jJP

Dungeon Holminster Switch. Below Lv.80 3091000, Above Lv.81 1236400
I exp Sage level 74. I gain only 1236400 exp. Why is that?

The trust system is pretty good (i play before 4 years wow), but the NPCs attack very slowly, as if there was no aoe, there is no wall-to-wall. And for now I'm learning like this, because a few times the tank went so hard that I got lost.

[Kimmay]

I have question
https://ibb.co/KbB1jJP

Dungeon Holminster Switch. Below Lv.80 3091000, Above Lv.81 1236400
I exp Sage level 74. I gain only 1236400 exp. Why is that?

The trust system is pretty good (i play before 4 years wow), but the NPCs attack very slowly, as if there was no aoe, there is no wall-to-wall. And for now I'm learning like this, because a few times the tank went so hard that I got lost.

That's the amount of exp that they're gaining, so the level is also about them. You being lv74 is irrelevant to the level they are.