[Suggestion] Evergreen content: New Job+

[LalaLuna]

What is evergreen content?

Evergreen content refers to content that will never lose relevance, even as the game expands. Some examples include mounts, minions, titles, all duties due to level sync, etc.


What is New Job+?

New Job+ takes inspiration from New Game+, yet instead of replaying the Main Scenario Quest, you'll get to level jobs again that you have previously leveled/maxed.


I don't like leveling, why would I want that?

There are various ways in which you can directly and indirectly benefit from such a system.

• For one, if people level their jobs again, that means that (lower level) duties will see more players. This will help with queue timers for roulettes
• If you bring a friend into the game, then you can pick your favourite job and level it alongside them as they progress through the game, without having to worry about level syncing. In the overworld, if you're max level and in the same zone and party as your friend, then you will significantly reduce their experience gain from monster kills unless you go to a local FATE and sync your level there
• Players leveling their jobs again may use the market board for gear upgrades, offering renewed opportunities to make some gil
• That fresh new job that you started at level 80 or 90 and never quite got the hang of / fully understood (if applicable)? You can now take your time to level it from a point that you prefer (more on that below), so that you can better understand the fundamentals and how traits come into play. This will benefit you in endgame content
• Each new expansion tends to come with job changes. Having to learn 5-20 jobs that you previously mastered all over again, from the previous level cap, can get daunting. If you can take your time with that, then that will take some of that stress off.

[LalaLuna]

How would it work?

Before I get into the details, I want to touch upon the following. We have earrings that scale with character level and adjusts the item's stats accordingly. I propose using this very system on starter weapons for each job

• Like New Game+, a player can choose to level a job again. This will start a new starting point for that job from which a player can level that job
• The player gets to choose their starting level. I propose the following options:
  • Level 1, 30, 50, 60, 70, 80, etc. (as new expansions add new starting levels)
• The original starting weapon that each job offers will scale with player level, up to the point where it was 'originally' given, so level 50 for Red Mage. This solves the issue of designing weapons for lower levels for each job, which is resource intensive
• By having the option to select their own starting point, players can pick one that they feel most comfortable with
• A player can pause this New Job+ playthrough at any given moment, so that they can level with their friend / pause their own playthrough to return to the original level and raid with friends, and hop back to the New Job+ playthrough whenever they desire
• New Job+ will only offer the starting weapon. Gear will only be given if the starting level matches the original starting level (like when you unlock the job). Gear could be given, but that takes some additional resources to implement. Players can source their own gear at this point, be it through vendors, crafting or allagan tomestones (offering gil sinks, market board opportunities and tomestone sinks respectively)
• New Job+ unlocks for a Job when its final job quest has been completed
• One job at a time can be leveled through New Job+, unless it's feasibly to allow multiple jobs at once
• Gearsets for New Job+ playthroughs should have a dedicated icon or equivalent to allow for gear to be stored separately for that job and still be noticeable
• New Job+ ends once that playthrough has reached that job's original level

[LalaLuna]

But players can just create alt characters if they want to level jobs again, no?

Technically yes, but this comes with significant downsides. For one, that alt character has to play through the entirety of the MSQ again. Furthermore, any store purchases, emotes obtained, titles acquired, glamours sorted, mounts won, event rewards obtained and materials acquired will not transfer to a new character. You cannot mail items to your alt characters from your main. And most importantly: it's not your main character.

You could suggest just buying all the relevant stuff from the store, but that's a very expensive suggestion. Buying an MSQ skip, should a player desire that, is also not cheap.

Furthermore, any new events will make you feel forced to do said event on every single character that you have. That gets tedious, fast.


Why do you suggest this?

I like leveling. I honestly do. But I feel like I shouldn't level all my jobs on my main, because I fear maxing them out and no longer having anything to do. Which ironically led to me not playing my main, for fear of maxing out jobs. Furthermore, I just like the feeling of progression in most of my games, especially those with RPG elements. Leveling offers this to me. Finally, it'll give me something to do on my main character in times of content lulls.
I just created my fifth alt because I want to play the game, but felt that I couldn't do so on my other characters. Finally, this game needs more evergreen content.

[Auro_Seldaris]

How about they just let me keep all my job abilites, even when synced down? I am a BLM main, do you know how exasperating it is to sync down to lower-level content? They have had to go back and change when you get core abilities in the class progression, because BLM is possibly the worst experience when synced down out of all jobs. The end result of that is that it discourages me from running roulettes or volunteering to help newer players with older content, because it's such a pain in the ass. I shouldn't feel that way about my main job. I don't care if they have to nerf my potencies to kingdom come, just let me keep all my abilities for the love of Hydaelyn.

EDIT Besides, if people see me doing cool wizard biz, they might be encouraged to play the job themselves. That goes for all jobs, really. Just let us keep stuff, SE.

[LalaLuna]

How about they just let me keep all my job abilites, even when synced down? I am a BLM main, do you know how exasperating it is to sync down to lower-level content? They have had to go back and change when you get core abilities in the class progression, because BLM is possibly the worst experience when synced down out of all jobs. The end result of that is that it discourages me from running roulettes or volunteering to help newer players with older content, because it's such a pain in the ass. I shouldn't feel that way about my main job. I don't care if they have to nerf my potencies to kingdom come, just let me keep all my abilities for the love of Hydaelyn.

EDIT Besides, if people see me doing cool wizard biz, they might be encouraged to play the job themselves. That goes for all jobs, really. Just let us keep stuff, SE.

I personally suggest giving each job its basic toolkit at level 50, then expand upon that using traits from that point onwards and give a new skill/ability every 10 levels. But that's a separate suggestion from this post.

[Kaurhz]

My only issue against this is FFXIV has a pretty rigid path to levelling up anyway, so it's enjoyable for a few times, but then it's just the same routine.

If there were more methods to levelling up, if the gearing was actually fun, or if they could create a prestige system out of it or something then I might feel differently.

To me with how streamlined the game is, something like New Job+ just feels like a chore than something to get excited about levelling.

[LalaLuna]

My only issue against this is FFXIV has a pretty rigid path to levelling up anyway, so it's enjoyable for a few times, but then it's just the same routine.

If there were more methods to levelling up, if the gearing was actually fun, or if they could create a prestige system out of it or something then I might feel differently.

To me with how streamlined the game is, something like New Job+ just feels like a chore than something to get excited about levelling.

A great suggestion that could work in tandem with this one! Make Leveling Great Again!

[Auro_Seldaris]

I personally suggest giving each job its basic toolkit at level 50, then expand upon that using traits from that point onwards and give a new skill/ability every 10 levels. But that's a separate suggestion from this post.

That is... literally just how job progression works. I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to do with your suggestion.

[LalaLuna]

That is... literally just how job progression works. I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to do with your suggestion.

With "basic toolkit" I don't mean the current L50 one, but the current L100 one. The difference is the amount of buttons to press, which is painfully low at L50 as of now.

[Shougun]

If you edit your main post you can go past the character limit, that way you can organize it all into one post. It's only a limit to create a post, edit goes past it once created.

For the idea I'm not sure it's technically evergreen how most people think about that, but honestly doesn't matter. If SE can lower your level, and there is enough demand for that then sure why not.

Wonder how many people would choose to do that, would be interesting if others here can chime in. Personally wouldn't use that, but that's not a meter to decide if something should be a thing or not lol.

When first reading I thought you were going into a merit system. Like FFXI. Maybe I'll find the post later but one suggestion tangentially related was bring in progression mechanics like a sphere grid and license board.

Players could earn special experience that can be spent unlocking glamours, and neat options like glyphs in WoW. Non-combat effects could be in here too. Like dragoon earning 50% and then 100% fall damage reduction. Experience would be from some content in small amounts, so as you progress the game there is some progression and then at end game you get more as excess exp is converted (non-linearly) into this progression mechanic. Other things like a toggle that makes your black mage frost theme'd, or customization options to your reaper form.

Id caution a combat impacting merit system outside of the standard progression expectations though, because you'll see that then into "yes you're level 100 but you're not level 100 (150), which is 200 hours of grinding exp away" lol