[dev1014][dev1012][dev1015][dev1030]The Armory System: How it isn't quite working.

[Shoopdadoopdoop]

Let me begin this topic by stating that I love the way gear looks in XIV. Well, for that matter, I love the way everything looks in XIV since the re-scaling of enemies. It is rare to see another character in the same outfit as you, and while that is a nice luxury, I'm not sure I like it that way.

A former staple of FFXI was the importance of equipment, food, and knowing your role and where you could contribute effectively. I know this is not XI-2, and I for one do not wish it was. XI had its obvious flaws (the pace of combat, the pace of leveling, the pace of acquiring gil in a deflated market) but the armory system was not one of them.

XIV needs to begin requiring ranks for class specific, "top-of-the-line" gear. For now, there is no incentive to level into gear. If I buy Mosshorn Scalemail, I can wear it at level 1. In my opinion, that is broken. The satisfaction of hitting the required rank for my Haubergeon way back in the day kept me up until 5AM playing my character. Now, as long as I can buy, I can wear. Where is the achievement?

To accomodate this change and provide mid-rank players with gear that both suits their rank and helps their performance more than the standard Market Ward gear, I believe a new type of armory system should be implemented. These new PvE dungeons mentioned in the Producer's Letters present an opportunity to provide Rare/Untradable gear that is class specific, rank required, and is extremely helpful and visually indicative of the class you are wearing it on.


In short, class and rank requirements are important in defining class roles, strengths, and weaknesses. For example, in XI, a NIN could not effectively tank until level 37 when it reached rank for Utsusemi: Ni. A WAR was a sub-par damage dealer until 60 when it reached the level for Haubergeon and Rampage as well as Tungi. I miss this aspect of the FF MMO experience and hope it returns to XIV.

What are your thoughts?

[Dreamer]

XIV needs to begin requiring ranks for class specific, "top-of-the-line" gear. For now, there is no incentive to level into gear. If I buy Mosshorn Scalemail, I can wear it at level 1. In my opinion, that is broken. The satisfaction of hitting the required rank for my Haubergeon way back in the day kept me up until 5AM playing my character. Now, as long as I can buy, I can wear. Where is the achievement?

What are your thoughts?

You realize that until you reach about level 40, that item will do absolutely nothing for you, right? You can wear it, but you'll receive zero benefit.

I'd like to see some class-specific gear, but I actually like the rank flexibility. It gives you more option about what's available to wear when you're doing non-leveling stuffs.

[Reika]

You realize that until you reach about level 40, that item will do absolutely nothing for you, right? You can wear it, but you'll receive zero benefit.

I'd like to see some class-specific gear, but I actually like the rank flexibility. It gives you more option about what's available to wear when you're doing non-leveling stuffs.

You dont recieve 'zero' benefit for equipping stuff above your rank... you recieve less benefit depending on your rank. If you are R1 equipping a r40 item, you will see barely any change over an actual rank 1 item, however if you are r39 equipping a r40 item, it will be closer to the stats of the item. Tho the benefit drop is the most at that one rank difference, each additional rank is only minor loss.

EX:

R40 Armor A Has 100 defense
Equip at R39, it will give 90 Defense
Equip at R38, it will give 88 Defense.

so on and so forth. Its roughly a 10% drop from that first rank, and slightly more each additional rank under you are.

[Dreamer]

You dont recieve 'zero' benefit for equipping stuff above your rank... you recieve less benefit depending on your rank. If you are R1 equipping a r40 item, you will see barely any change over an actual rank 1 item, however if you are r39 equipping a r40 item, it will be closer to the stats of the item. Tho the benefit drop is the most at that one rank difference, each additional rank is only minor loss.

EX:

R40 Armor A Has 100 defense
Equip at R39, it will give 90 Defense
Equip at R38, it will give 88 Defense.

so on and so forth. Its roughly a 10% drop from that first rank, and slightly more each additional rank under you are.

I'm pretty sure it's more substantial than that. I have a level 26 robe and the next tier up, which is level 34 or so - the level 26 gives me a noticeably higher stat increase.

The few times I've equipped high level stuff as a single-digit rank character the effect has been nearly nonexistent. Maybe it varies between equipment types, however.

[Shoopdadoopdoop]

My response to the discussion so far would be this:

Why allow a level 1 player to diminish their stats in a R50 piece of armor? Why not just make a "minimum" rank and an "optimal" rank for each piece of gear so that you are restricted from equipping high level items until they are at least worth owning?

Does the freedom of being able to equip whatever, wherever, whenever transcend the feeling of accomplish that should come with finally equipping your "LEET" gear? I think not.

What FFXIV so clearly needs is an incentive to play. Leves are stale and boring, side quests are empty time sinks that grant the player virtually nothing worthwhile. Crafting is fun for an hour until you hit level 15 and the levels start getting longer and longer. (I understand that increased intervals is the basic foundation of any MMO endeavor, but I'm talking about playability here.)

In FFXI, my first time through the levels, I didn't know the first thing about Zilart missions, Promyvions, SKY, SEA, anything involved with acquiring the rarest end-game gear. And while FFXIV lacks an end-game to begin with, the game can become playable if it can duplicate the notion, present in FFXI, that leveling will make you stronger beyond just acquiring new abilities. Getting my conjurer from 35 to 37 should make me stronger beyond just the stat points i get along the way. I should get stronger at 36 when I can wear all my Velveteen attire without being below optimal rank. I should get WAY stronger at 37 when I switch from a level 27 NQ wand to a Walnut Wand +2. I observed a minimal increase when testing these things on my (currently rank 37) conjurer. No sense of accomplishment. THAT is what FFXIV is missing, and that is the ticket to saving the game.

As it stands, I don't CARE whether or not the MRDs in my behest are using the right gear. But I should! It should make all the difference if the player is wearing INT rings on his MRD. But it doesn't. It should matter if a player is wearing vintage scale mail at level 20. But it doesn't. This needs to be fixed.

[PM1337]

If you can afford a really nice piece of equipment then why can't you wear it. I don't need to be a certain level to wear a shirt in real life and I think it should hold true here as well. My example is this: If a rich spoiled kid want to buy the best clothes (R50) while learning to ride a skateboard (R1) then he should be able to. It won't help him rid the skateboard any better (decreased stats) and when he falls off it will cause the clothes to become ruined (increased wear). This is the current system, and I am ok with it, may increase wear of item a little more as the player is out of the optimal rank and the stats. Heres what I think would help make people think twice about wearing R50 gear at R1 or even having mages wearing WAR type armor. If you are wearing something that isn't right for you or if the lv difference is to great then it should take unrepairable damage. So if you are lv CON and you are level 1 and you are wearing lv 50 WAR gear then the gear takes massive damage. You take it to your blacksmithing friend, but because of the improper use of the armor even the best blacksmith might only be able to repair your gear to 90%. Keep on fighting with it and the best repair might be 75%. and so on. When the gear reaches 0 and cannot be repair sorry but your armor is useless and the only thing left to do is to give it to the blacksmith and let him/her salvage it for spare parts. That way people aren't willing to spend 1mil or more gil on Armor that might only last a few levels tops.

[Jabo]

I'm pretty sure it's more substantial than that. I have a level 26 robe and the next tier up, which is level 34 or so - the level 26 gives me a noticeably higher stat increase.

The few times I've equipped high level stuff as a single-digit rank character the effect has been nearly nonexistent. Maybe it varies between equipment types, however.

I can tell you by changing at 27/37 to Iron Haubergeon an 38/48 on Iron Cuirass that the new equipment is already starting roughly in between ranks to be better --> Haubergeon 32+ Cuirass 43+.

@Topic
One thing is clear. The system must be changed!
People always talk about flexibility and room space... I play 4 classes and i need for every class a specific gear set. One is Rank 40+, one is DoM, one can wear the "good stuff", otherone can not.
So even now i have to carry 4 different sets of euipment. (and i have no problems with the room btw)
In my opinion the system now, has very little on the pro site.
So I am strongly for a system with 2 types of armor. One with strict regulations and one without.

1. Armor with restriction.
The armor with rank restriction can be some kind of premium armor, but not only for rank 50.
So you have a goal in getting them, because they have better stats and not everyone belove its rank is already running around in it.
I think that the already exsisting good equipment, which "belongs" to a class could be like that. (Haubergeons and Cuirass and so on).
This "premium armor" also has to consist of more than just a few peaces (I'm thinking of a 50/50 ratio).

2. Armor without
We have already armor with no rank requirement nor class requirement. These items could stay how they are.
People who want flexibility can get it. The downside would be the looks and the non ideal stats.

The good armor would be a motivation again and people who play a lot of different classes the same time have their felxibility. It's the good parts from FFXI and FFXIV.

It is also interesting for casual gamers, who have maybe only one main class. They can have their main class armor and a "allround set", if they want to try something new.

[Jinko]

I agree, in fact I want all armor to have level and class restrictions on them, in most MMO's I look forward to being able to wear something but with FF14 it doesn't matter because as soon as I can afford something I can wear it, kind of ruins the experience a bit.

Granted you won't get the same benifits if you are underleveled but would still rather see the restrictions in place.

[Akira]

actually the armor will give some benefit just with decreased stats, it would give more def then nothing and add some of its stats but not all, yes wearing rank appropiate gear is better, but a lot of people dont do that due to storage space, once gear requirements come storage is going to get limited. what i think they should do is add some gear with rank requirements but not all, but of course the best gear will have a rank req on it and for economy purposes untradeable

[Betelgeuzah]

I'd really just want to be informed better regarding the stats on the gear for my current class and rank. Class specific gear is good, but not everything has to be that way, nor have strict equipping restrictions.