Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

[Mhurron]

The forthcoming minor version update will usher in a host of battle-related refinements, including increased experience point yield and eased skill gain conditions.

Increased Experience Point Yield

The amount of experience points obtained by defeating monsters in non-Abyssea areas will be revised across the board. For instance, defeating an "Even Match" foe will yield roughly double the current amount of experience points. This adjustment will also benefit dragoon wyverns and adventuring fellow NPCs.

Eased Skill Gain Conditions

At present, only by fighting foes rated "Even Match" or stronger can players raise their combat and magic skills to their upper limits. With the February version update, however, this requirement will be reduced to "Decent Challenge." Further, players will find that actions targeting themselves or party members will raise the corresponding skill at a faster rate. Once these changes come into effect, players can expect larger figures to accompany each rise in skill. Puppetmasters should also be pleased to know that automatons, too, will benefit from this adjustment.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

Double exp? Jesus...

Is that how bad things have become since Abyssea showed up?

[Kailea]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

wow......that's a little crazy

[Aksannyi]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

Wow.

Gotta say the skill thing is long overdue, probably should have been done when Level Sync was added, since people would sync to 20, then 37, then 55. Still that looks nice, and they didn't forget automatons, either, which is surprising, because usually SE overlooks crap like that.

Personally I have always believed that mobs that con EP (thus granting experience points) should give skill ups, but changing it to DC is still welcome. I guess that solves the problem of leeching your jobs up 40 levels in four hours. XD Skilling up is still a chore, I remember that was the huge cockblock to me leveling my WAR, because I had started leveling it when it was WAR/NIN dual wielding axes or gtfo, and when I started it back up, it was GAxe onry, but by then my shit was gimp. Stopped it at 73 because I didn't wanna be a gimpass at 75, and for some reason, I could never find skill up parties when I wasn't already supposed to be running to a camp or an event.

[DakAttack]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

The change to skill-rate is LONG overdue. LOOOOONG CAT LONG.

[Mhurron]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

Double exp? Jesus...

Is that how bad things have become since Abyssea showed up?

Yes. I doubt this will do much for the 'hit 30 wait for abyssea' mode of leveling either.

[Armando]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

I'm somewhere between "The skill up patch is awesome" and "Damn it Square, skill-up rates should've been like this all along." I mean, skilling up is just another pointless timesink SE throws in to keep us playing. It's done more harm than good.

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

Well, not that I'm saying it's a bad thing, but easier/faster skill and exp makes leveling up job and skill feel like less of an accomplishment.

Keep in mind that just everything in a game is artificial, and that includes any and all 'difficulty'; the long road to those blue numbers only became 'pointless' when the player don't feel a sense of excitement or satisfaction at the "Level up!" animation (or "<player>'s <some> skill has reached ___!").

While I can definitely make use of these two changes, at the same time I can't but feel the game is losing a little something. Big deal? Probably not, yet I'm still a bit wistful.

[Armando]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

Well, not that I'm saying it's a bad thing, but easier/faster skill and exp makes leveling up job and skill feel like less of an accomplishment.

I could agree to some extent with leveling, but skilling up is entirely mindless and took so long you can't help but feel you're a masochist. At least leveling serves some practical purpose.

[Aksannyi]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

As much as I hate to keep playing the comparison game, I do love how they removed the need to level up your weapon skills in WoW. Not that it was hard to level in the first place, but it was just annoying if you wanted to switch to two-handed sword after using axes for 80 levels.

Seems some skills shouldn't really need leveled. Parry? Guard (lol guard yeah I've heard stories about that shit). It should just be a passive ability, and if it's a B+ skill on X job, and when you level up, you gain the skill points automatically. So many people are maxers and want to see those blue numbers, parry, guard, shield (for some), evasion (for some) are tough to skill up as there's no real good way to do it unless you do a lot of tanking. Then again, the bonuses (if there are any) from having these skills leveled might then need to be looked at, but I can't remember when having your guarding skill at cap really made that much of a noticeable difference, and it's certainly not a requirement that I've ever seen. (Perhaps useful in Salvage, but I've never really seen anyone struggle without it.)

The entire skill system could stand to be reworked. It still irked the hell out of me that BLMs could enfeeble an HNM as well as I could on RDM with capped merits + gear because all they had to do was ES it - which was basically what a RDM needed to do, as well. Skill levels should matter on things like that. I've always felt the skill system was kind of retarded. But it is nice anyway that people who wish to cap their skills are going to have an easier time doing so, especially because of how much harder it is to get an actual party at your actual level ever since Sync and of course on through SMN burning and now Abyssea.

[Mhurron]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

Well, not that I'm saying it's a bad thing, but easier/faster skill and exp makes leveling up job and skill feel like less of an accomplishment.

Abyssea let that cat out of the bag and its not going back in. This change might make it a little easer to actually get parties between 30 and 50 for those of us who do not think 'woo abyssea leach' the moment they hit 30; though, as I said before, I doubt it.

[Malacite]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

I'm somewhere between "The skill up patch is awesome" and "Damn it Square, skill-up rates should've been like this all along." I mean, skilling up is just another pointless timesink SE throws in to keep us playing. It's done more harm than good.

Which is why I'm so happy it doesn't exist in 14. Your stats simply go up as you level.

I was really hoping they'd adjust Guard & Parry though, ugh. Those two skills are such a nightmare to level (and so is summoning magic for that matter) but maybe this means I can sit there and cycle avatars and get .5's now?

Note that when they said faster rate, they seemed to imply just bigger numbers per skill up - they didn't say shit about the actual rate of said skill ups occurring. And that's the biggest god damn problem. It should not have taken me over 2 hours to cap my great katana in an Abys. EXP PT using Soboro and spamming Tachi: Rana. That's a bit insane for 30-something skill levels.

[Takelli]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

This may actually make me want to come back. O.O

[Raydeus]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

Considering how many jobs you can level up and how many of those are "required" as subs I think this was very overdue. Kinda late, but still welcomed.

Hopefully the game will keep getting better for my return once the level cap is rised to 99. Too many jobs and things for me to catch up by then.



PS > Oh and leveling enhancing and sword skill was one of the things that made me quit this time, so hopefully that's resolved now.

[Malacite]

Re: Battle Adjustments (02/01/2011)

Kinda late, but still welcomed.

The story of XI's life.