Dev Tracker - News, Discussions

Tidis, for the rest of the game's life, we probably won't frequently bring mixed party setups to most content, especially when we're just talking six-man parties.

Based on that, the number of buffs GEO provides probably won't be an issue. Every mage, except whm, benefits from the same buffs that geo can provide. Every melee benefits from the same buffs that geo can provide.

As others have pointed out, Frailty and Malaise still appear to be safe.

This isn't really a nerf to GEO, it's standardizing the potency of buffers (hopefully). We'll actually see what happens when the update hits.

I'm seeing so many people get their RDM sets out of the Porter Moogle.

I cant wait to see what they do to buff duration. My self-haste with composure is already 22 minutes, my haste on others is 8 minutes.

Maybe we will see major increase to Dia, that would be wonderful if they brought it up to match GEO debuffs.

All I've read about is the 5 minute duration for Frazzle/Distract

I just wish they'd let RDM's cap magic haste so I could have one in my melee party.

For GEO, it's only a correction of enfeebling geomancy effects when using dunna, idris and that other +geomancy bell. Buffs on players are working perfectly and offensive geomancy when not using those equipments are applying correctly.

The need for GEO in itself won't change as many of their effects are unique (Malaise) or additive to other options (Frail/Torp/etc) The reliance on solely a GEO for buff or debuff will change drastically. The challenge will be to attain the same effect as the current multiplied effect, which currently has such a substantial impact and role in groups. This may be the catalyst that will push strategies to be more versatile in compositions. To get to the same level as current effect, this might push us in a direction of: GEO idris + other buff/debuff vs current GEO alone.

This is particularly true in regards to the effects of VEX. To test out the magnitude of the difference currently, just try using Attunement instead of Vex (from 900 skill/idris) on VD avatar HTB, and see the drastic impact on resist rates when they should be applying the exact same effect (+125 m.eva or -125 m.acc)

Adjusting the monsters' stats will normalize some of the changes for sure, but I still think we will see an increase in need of defense party effects and much more activity from underused tools (Carols vs Teles?, Status resistance equipement), jobs (Offensive RUN, RDM, BRD) and abilities (RUN magic shields, Vallation), which is great. It will definitely be interesting and a much needed breath of fresh air.

As for their oversight of this effect, to be fair, it took a long time before Idris became widely used, and a long time after the release of geomancy+ equipment (Dunna)/ reaching high potency through skill (900), in relation to the release of Adoulin and geomancy. Yes there should have probably been better testing, but I can understand the delay in catching this bug. What I cannot support is having this catch/fix in early 2017 instead of late 2014 or early 2015.

More in general I'd love to see Enhancing magic skill be meaningful for more than like 4 spells in the game.
Making so some enhancing spells (haste could be one of those!) scale with enhancing skill would be a neat idea, if developed the right way of course.

I don't play RDM but I do see what's happening (or what could happen, rather). I personally feel that RDM will potentially play a much larger role here in the upcoming days beyond just being given a longer Frazzle/Duration buff.

Depending on how the adjustments to geocolure are math'd out in detail after the version update releases, RDM could be instrumental in a GEO's ability to either land unresisted spells (less resisted) or just to work in concert with BRD and GEO to make party dynamics 'normal' again.

This will especially be interesting to see with top tier content (especially Master Trials where there's very little room for error).

Yep, I've proposed this idea before. Let Haste 2 scale with Enhancing Magic. Proper set let's it cap magic haste at 45%. Similar thing with Summoning skill and Garuda's hastega. They're capped on spell slots so this is the only way to really do it since Haste 3 isn't an option. That opens up backline to be GEO/RDM/WHM or GEO/BRD/WHM, swap around as you desire and depending on content.

If RDM could cap magic haste I'd probably play it again. Without that it'll never happen though.

Well, I can tell you Camate got into it about this very topic with his JP counterpart just before he left. So this update is reflecting his feedback, and hopefully they keep going down that line.

I've been thinking about this since I read it. I am finding it odd because I completely agree in fact, and completely disagree with the negative sentiment behind it. This is a Massively Multiplayer Online game. Relationships you create and foster, and the perception you create for yourself on a server with a relatively small populations matter. There is a pretty low cap on how powerful you can become alone. You help people do things because A) Playing the game is fun and B) You are going to need help too.

Additionally, it's a game that's rooted in a history of harsher access than a lot of other games (crazy HNM pop times, very specific job setups required, forever to get max level with party leveling as the only option, low item drop rates). While they have certainly made things easier as the game has aged, and rightfully so, conceptually it's still the foundation that built the game and got most of us here. The idea that a new player is going to need some help being viewed negatively is crazy to me. That's the way it's supposed to be. Of course they are going to need help. It's not grueling, it's entertaining.

I played at original NA release through some of the TOAU expansion, quit, and returned 5-6 months ago on a brand new account. I started as DRG and after hitting 99 and working to get to 119, some old friends totally carried me through some Ambuscade (I was doing like 20 dps in VD) to nab the Sulevia set, and as that made me a little better, Sulevia+1. They then nabbed me a Rhomphaia from Hanbi, and at that point I was pretty much not a liability anymore and could work on gearing appropriately as a functional member of partys. It wasn't even all of a week that I really needed some help, and have paid that back 10 times over at this point.

Given you seem to view that process negatively I am surprised you are still here. To me, that's a large part of what made, and is still making FFXI great. Make friends, rely on each other, have fun together. This is different than a lot of other modern games where you often queue and play with strangers you may never meet again. It's not better or worse, it's just different, and people will play what is most to their liking.

RIP GEO, welcome back BRD.

Geomancy was already seriously gimped in some of those Master Battles.
Or at least some Geomancy spells were.
Wonder if that's how they found out the GEO bug. Wonder if they will fix stuff to work 100% correctly now that they're fixing things.

nerfing a few bubbles, especially ones that aren't frailty or malaise isn't going to make GEO any less relevant. keep dreaming m8

The "nerfs" won't make a lick of difference for GEO. Hoping the buffs do make a positive impact on BRD and RDM.

But they will be less effective then the current error/application.

That's like saying a new Lamborghini will be less effective at transporting luggage than the previous version because they shrank the size of the trunk. Yeah it's a thing that they do and it is a true statement, but nobody is really using the Lambo specifically for that purpose.

Relative to their competition, yes. Relative to their current capabilities as applied to endgame content, probably not.

To expand on Sath's analogy, the size of one's luggage will also shrink slightly (monster macc/meva nerfs). For all intents and purposes, the functionality of the Lambo is (probably) not changing by any significant margin.

You're not looking at a secondary function of the job, you're looking at an impact on their primary function. Your comparison would be more apt as saying there's a drop in top speed from last year model. Does it make the job / car less relevant? No, it is still the best as what it does, but where you could cap with that one aspect alone before, you'll need to compensate with something else moving forward.

I'm just happy SE is finally releasing the starting quests for the new crafting gear. It really sucks seeing one seller control the market for some Voodoo/Jinxed items because no one without Kupo Shield can make the items at a profit or even breakeven. Two sellers on my server (could be the same guy, just different mules) control the market on two of the HQ Carmine pieces with 25 out of the last 25 sales on one piece and 23 out of the last 25 sales on another.

The new items should help buyers by adding more competition and also allow some other crafters to profit and not just people who got lucky once picking marbles.

That might be true on some of the lower tier Abj items, but because kupo shield in itself exists, those same owners will still have an advantage/break tiers into higher level synths with Escutcheons.

The only difference will be shifting the markets upwards, but these same individuals will still maintain complete control of markets where they can break a tier with Kupo Shield vs those that do not own one.

Hopefully, that edge might be lessened with the release of similar bonused sub slot items.

Unless SE puts a stop to players using their Crafting Mitts on their feet, and other exploits, I don't think the market will truly be fair play across the board (excluding Kupo Shield owners).

I don't think there is any evidence to say one way or another whether or not escutcheon will be different skill+ from kupo shield?

If they want to make RDM's Enhancing Magic relevant give it a JA that lets it cast it's next spell on any party member, at the cost of ignoring Composure duration bonuses but still factoring in duration bonus equipment.

Temper II on a melee would make it VERY sought-after.

Pretty much this. With a multitude of ways to spell-haste cap, there's nothing wrong with Haste II scaling (with Enhancing) to cap. I'd also have no problem with it working with Accession (even though you'd have a lot of RDMs doing it one at a time because they wanted to be in the mix meleeing as well), and good for them.

I'd also work on the healing prowess of an RDM/WHM. Saevel likes to talk about bringing Curaga III to tto /whm49. That and making Puppet-in-Peril's pants (or some better version) available to all healers and buffers would go a long way.

Unrelated, since SCH has Myrkr, I think a healing/enhancing Occult Acumen for SCH could, with the right formulas, make mp a non-issue for curaga-spamming healing SCH.

They've been kind of vague on it but from what I remember seeing way back when they started talking about it they seemed to imply it would give as much but would be craft specific. Assuming it was and still is that way will kind of depend on the synth. A lot (namely all single craft) escutcheon will function the same. A few that need extra skill in more than 1 craft Kupo would be better. Would be a way to appeal to both groups

I just had a thunk when talking to a frund.

It would be kind of interesting to have Frazzle I/II/III reduce the target's magic evasion by 10/20/30%, maybe even allowing dMND to scale it higher, like it currently does. The percents might not be enough, I don't know what a mob's magic evasion number actually is.

But since unenhanced focus/languor wasn't always enough (focus as much as doubling one's magic accuracy), I'd say the number is pretty fairly high.

Clearly, the capability is there, lol.

Temper / Temper II would then be nerfed into the ground. This was discussed directly with SE, one of the few times they actually replied to NA discussions. Temper was originally +5% DA static and we begged SE to make it scale with enhancing magic. The devs replied that they discussed it and since it was RDM self cast only they didn't have a problem making it scale. It was a spell deliberately designed to boost RDM's melee power and specifically designed not to be cast on others. RUN got Temper because it's basically melee RDM from 2005 with vastly superior gear. What I'd like to see would be Enspell II's castable on other players, that would create a very interesting situation because not only do they do damage but they also reduce magic resistance. Haste II scaling with enhancing would be freaking awesome. Make it 30% at 300 enhancing and 44.3% (cap) at like 550 or something. The game still has dispells, slowga and slow aura so it's not going to be game breaking, just a nice boost to RDM support.


Lack of Curaga III is what hurts RDM and SCH for main healing DD parties, single target healing isn't fast enough due to the 3s global lockout timer after casting a spell. Curaga II helps but it's not powerful enough. LA should work from /SCH but only at the strength of the sub level, meaning +12HP/tick and +24s duration on regens. Not enough to challenge SCH's regen power but enough to make /SCH more interesting. Then to compensate give WHM Erase II, removes 1~4 debuffs based on healing magic skill, Erasega (60s recast) and allow normal Haste to be accessionable.

That just *fixed* healing balance for FFXI. WHM/SCH best aoe healing and status removal by far, SCH and RDM each have different Pro / Con. SCH has best regen's but must decide between AoE from /WHM or buffs / debuffs from /RDM. RDM has super haste and it's unique buffs / debuffs but must choose between the power of /SCH or the heal healing of /WHM. So yeah lots more options and unique party setup options.

Yeah and the reason this game is so amazing is largely because of the subjob system. It still bothers me that one of the oldest MMOs got it right and everyone else (including FF14) has been floundering with other pale imitations or locked to talent trees like WoW.

I think subjobs shine, right now, the most for tanks but /war /blu and /nin completely change what they optimum for. (I only PLD/NIN for one fight though, mage burn Yakshi)

And there's nothing wrong with some fights requiring certain jobs, we all know that the problem is that it's not certain fights, it's most fights.

I've had an RDM healer on "serious" content one time in 18 months. (It was melee-yilan and we were all appropriately geared to find the content challenging) and if my PLD hadn't helped him heal, A LOT, we would have wiped.