Skillchains/Magicbursts; How they can work in ARR.

[TaalAzura]

Skillchain/Magicburst - This could easily add a bit of depth to playing. How it would work, is player 1 uses a spell or skill, and as a reaction player 2 must also use a skill or spell in a short window. If all goes well, following the second skill an option to SC/MB will proc on a separate hotbar icon much like Limit breaks (or automatically occur without confirming on a proc'd action press). Each job would have one spell or skill that works in conjunction with another job's spell or skill respectively. Here's an example:

-BLM uses Fire3 on the enemy
-PLD uses Rage of Halone 1.5 seconds afterwards
-both players after seeing the Skillchain action proc, hit the action within the 5.5 second window.
-Skillchain "Red Lotus Blade" occurs dealing damage with additional DoT burn effect.

== Ex2 ==

-PLD uses rampart
-WHM uses Aero
-Both proc
-Party gains "Wind Spikes" buff for 15 seconds

== Ex3==

-SCH1 uses physick
-SCH2 also uses physick
-Proc
-"Physickaga" cures entire party a small percentage of HP.

Adding status effects, both beneficial and detrimental, adds another layer to combat. Putting a limit of a 3 minute cool down of skillchaining per player can prevent abusing them, and make players more likely to use them during more important fights, like the boss and sub-boss, as opposed to trash mobs. If stacking certains jobs becomes too prevalent (such as the all OP BRD), removing skill chains with 2 identical jobs and making skill chains worth the different job positions can help with this issue (more of a reason to bring WAR/MNK/DRG to endgame content if their SC made their presence more valuable)."

[Lisotte]

With the horrible latency problems we have? Impossible.

[oda]

I would be extremely happy if they added skillchains and magic burst to FFXIV. This is one of the major things I have found lacking in all MMORPG I have played after FFXI -- there is just no interactions between party/raid members outside of healing. Skillchains would make combat far more interesting and engaging and would "solve" the issue of (DPS) players in a party simply moving through their rotation with no need to worry about what anyone else is doing.

[TaalAzura]

With the horrible latency problems we have? Impossible.

With a 6 second window, latency wouldn't effect it that much.

[Goggo]

I really miss magic bursts and skill chains...

that was a unique flavour from FFXI, I really hope they bring them back.

[Quitesa]

I think this could be a good thing

[jcw005]

Biotic explosions~

[EmiliM]

It depends on how it's implemented. Currently the game is built around working out an optimal skill rotation for yourself, which can get hectic if you're a rotation-heavy class like a Monk in a full party where everyone's button smashing. Even if the skillchain effect is enough to compensate for everyone inevitably having to slow down, if my experience in XI taught me anything, it's that pugs and skillchains don't mix well. End-game pugs are already problematic as it is, if we throw in skillchains too I can imagine at least a few people reenacting the Keyboard Crasher kid.

Not saying it shouldn't be done, but right now the game is kind of built to be unfriendly to these kind of features.

[Trife]

Skill chains/magic bursts beats rotation fighting anyday.

Skill chains was the best thing that ever happened to MMO's. I play every new MMO hoping to relive the fun I had in FFXI, largely in part due to skill chains. Even if the system had to be overhauled, I'd gladly welcome them back.

How SE could abandon such a great system they had with SC's and MB's really perplexes me...

[TaalAzura]

It depends on how it's implemented. Currently the game is built around working out an optimal skill rotation for yourself, which can get hectic if you're a rotation-heavy class like a Monk in a full party where everyone's button smashing. Even if the skillchain effect is enough to compensate for everyone inevitably having to slow down, if my experience in XI taught me anything, it's that pugs and skillchains don't mix well. End-game pugs are already problematic as it is, if we throw in skillchains too I can imagine at least a few people reenacting the Keyboard Crasher kid.

Not saying it shouldn't be done, but right now the game is kind of built to be unfriendly to these kind of features.

Ive been thinking about your response, and I think I've come up with a way to not slow down gameplay; if the move that would create the SC would proc blue, it would let the player know that they can create a SC without any prior discussion, so:

-Player A uses "Fire 3".
-As the spell lands, Player B's "Rage of Halone" gets a blue colored proc.
-At this point, the SC action with proc, not going off unless both players hit it.

Obviously this would be more alarming to the player who cast first who wasn't aware the SC would go off, but for the time being I can't think of any way around it. Of course, setting up a macro for it to post text into /p could help too.