Leveling DRG right now, definitely the most annoying skill and the one I forget most. It just doesn't fit. Stands out like a sore thumb.
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That's how I understood it. Kinda the way BM hunter used to be played.
Yes, the class is absolutely hideous to play. Feels frantic, disorganized... and way too RNG influenced.
This may be a bit odd but one of the things I really hope for...is a good paladin story this time around.
In ARR, it was decent. Not great but not bad. It was interesting that we didn't get the sword back but the moral of the story was that the sword didn't really matter.
Then come HW apparantly the sword does matter, enough so that the same guy fakes his death in a weird and convoluted plot not to get the sword back, that happened off screen, but to get it to glow again?
Then come SB and...it's a tournament arc with 0 stakes. As a GLADIATOR story it was okay I guess and fun to see the gladiator characters again, but as a paladin story it fell flat.
I really hope in ShB we get to go out and do some good, maybe get up to some knight errantry helping people. Do some actual good, help somebody, not run around with our thumbs up our asses not accomplishing anything.
Agree, it just doesn't fit into the rotation at all, which I guess is kind of the point as it's a thing you have to pay attention to for refreshing....I really wish they'd get rid of their obsession with that kind of crap. Why does almost every single DPS class have some kind of buff or debuff to track for maximizing DPS. Again, the only one I can think of that doesn't is RDM, lol, yet another reason I love the class so much.
Why can't classes just be about the rotation/ abilities themselves?
I agree with how RNG it feels, doesn't feel great, but it was tolerable given how quickly the reload/ quick reload abilities are off cooldown. I honestly REALLY just liked the visual and audio effects for the "hot" abilities, they felt satisfying to use. But If the game play is built around purposely overheating and then scrambling to get stuff done in that window, that's awful.That's how I understood it. Kinda the way BM hunter used to be played.
Yes, the class is absolutely hideous to play. Feels frantic, disorganized... and way too RNG influenced.
I prefer smooth game play, not a lot of clunkyness, maybe a proc here and there. I really liked Bard, Summoner standard rotation (can't stand how reliant it is on Bahamut ability though), and of course Red Mage. Samurai isn't bad either, as it's pretty smooth and consistent, I just typically prefer ranged classes because of how frantic melee DPS in encounters can be due to dodging PBAoE's and stuff.
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Yeah that sounds terrible.
The only point of timer is difference between two or three Nastronds depending on how you maintained rotation.
With Lance Mastery you just refresh Heavy Thrust after your two combos, so it doesn't really stand out that much. I agree on the rest of your post though, if the game has some buff or debuff you are expected to maintain 100% of the time, what's even the point?
Servers are up for anybody following this thread. New MSQ and everything
Patch notes
There can be some interesting play in these types of things. Like a WoW Rogues Slice and Dice (Or roll the bones, whatever it is now) buff, where the play is in keeping the buff running while also using your combo points on your other finishers. That creates an interesting dynamic, where you've got to decide if you've got enough time to build combo points for another finisher, should pool your energy and wait for your current Slice and Dice to run out to recast, or as in previous expansions, use a finisher with less than 5 points so as not to waste your combo points.
Obviously that example relies on other core class mechanics to make it work, but having those mechanics tied to an important buff makes it an interesting and crucial part of your gameplay. Simple maintainance buffs/debuffs can be an important part of the overall package.
The problem FF14 has is that not many of it's Jobs have their own unique mechanics, most usually have unique gimicks, but not actual mechanical differences. The only way they can really add these kinds of buffs is as "Press this button once every 30 seconds" type skills. That doesn't make for an interesting decision regarding how you're going to allocate your resources the same way Combo Points and Energy do, it reduces the play around the ability to pressing it pre-determined intervals.
While a fair point, if that's the ONLY reason, that's a pretty terrible reason IMO. If they have to have something like this for whatever reason, at least make it interesting to use. As it is now, it's an annoying upkeep type of ability that only ever gets used to keep the buff up, that's not interesting or fun IMO. The effect and positional requirement could easily be baked into Vorpal Thrust or Heavy Thrust and game play would hardly change at all.
This may be a stupid question, but why couldn't they just balance a class around NOT having something like that to upkeep? Or would that just skew the DPS because that class would outperform everything else because of it's lack of upkeep, because it's "easier" than the others that do have an upkeep mechanic?
I really do hope SE gets away from that style of class design, everything is far too similar. The only two I ever felt stood out as a bit different were RDM and SAM. RDM has no upkeep mechanic of any kind and SAM upkeep flows naturally as you do your rotation. Everything else requires you to pay attention and use an ability or skill chain you wouldn't normally use to maintain a buff/debuff.
The classes still feel fine, it's just so obvious how similar they are in their design with these maintenance/upkeep mechanics.
Agreed, I just really like how straight forward it is to play and how much utility it has. The dualcast mechanic just clicked with me and I love it. I can't even count how many wipes I've prevented or clutch saves I've done with RDM and it's heals and resurrection along with it's Mana Shift ability to give healers mana as they get rezzed. Plus, I really like their aesthetic.
Agreed on all accounts, just want to add I think the other problem FFXIV has is that too many of the classes have the same mechanic. It doesn't even feel different between classes.
Having a buff to maintain is fine, it CAN be part of the core class mechanics, but not THE core class mechanic. However, having the buff/debuff be applied by a single button press that does nothing else is pretty boring. Your Rogue example is a good one, because it's a decision: spend combo points on buff refresh/maintenance or spend on another finisher? In FFXIV, some classes have the buff maintained by a combo, which isn't bad either, but if that's the only reason you ever do the combo, IMO, it's just a longer button press, it's not really a decision (insofar as the decision is binary: have DPS drop or put up the buff...the answer is obvious) and therefore uninteresting or fun, it FEELS like maintenance.
Samurai does it well I think, because the buffs/debuffs you maintain are applied naturally as you do your combos to build for the big hit (forget what the points and sword draw ability is called), so eve though you're maintaining them, it's not cumbersome and doesn't disrupt the flow of the class game play.
Again though, I don't think it would feel so bad if not every DPS class had something like this, but almost all do, with RDM being the only exception.
Boy the credits to the MSQ rolled real early this time, but the final shot makes me wonder Is he actually crazy, like multiple personality crazy?
Has anyone else put themselves on the waiting list for the Shadowbringers Physical Collector's Edition for PC? Been on it a couple weeks and am just wondering if anyone did it earlier and been notified of additional stock. Getting a bit anxious at this point since I haven't seen anything online or on the store page regarding replenishment happening at a certain time. I know there's plenty of time...just getting excited and want to have it ordered ASAP.
I know they're working on it, or at least assuming they are because this happened last year. I just haven't heard anything.
Tinfoil hat theory: The Garlean flag is one big joke, with two black things closing in around a white one its the third eye representing the puppet on the throne and the ascians around them, but in this case its more literal with the two bodyguards whispering in his ear like Xorne and Thorne in FFIX
Hildi : It was me, Greg!
MSQ : What is truly behind the mind of Creepy Daddy ? And ma boi Real!Zenos will stall Garlemald during our travel to the first shard, The Truest of Bro right here.
Last edited by MrTharne; 2019-03-26 at 06:26 PM.
Yeah after the credits i was like "oh, they DID remember him!"