FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > The MMO HMO > FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Ciaphas posted:

If MCH didn't seem so dependent still on getting good Wildfires (and now more of them per encounter!!) I'd probably be staring at them too, but alas

Yeah. I really really want to play MCH this expansion, especially now that there's no cast times, but it somehow wound up more complex after the big skill simplification revamp. And it was already one of the most obnoxious DPS classes to play. :smith:

Honestly it's really kind of baffling overall, since the heat mechanic isn't a bad idea but it seems like the sort of thing they'd use to replace wildfire. Not... have both at the same time. Ah well.

# ¿ Jun 16, 2017 04:58

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# ¿ May 7, 2024 10:57

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

FactsAreUseless posted:

What's Red Mage's gimmick?

Being fabulous.

Also having to juggle between two different resources and between ranged and melee or something I guess.

# ¿ Jun 16, 2017 13:33

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Also I was completely wrong about MCH. Yeah you have to juggle the heat thing and wildfire, but that's because there's literally nothing else to worry about. There's keeping hot shot up and the few oGCDs but otherwise it's just the 1-2-3 RNG combo. It by far seems like the easiest DPS class to play outside of maxing wildfire, and even that's easier to manage now that 1) you don't have to click a half-dozen different buffs, and 2) the buffs you do have sync up with it.

I'll probably regret it horribly when it turns out ranged DPS is poo poo this expansion or something but I think I found my main. :toot:

# ¿ Jun 16, 2017 13:41

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Waci posted:

There's been no word yet on when server transfers will be re-enabled, right?

It probably would require the servers to actually be functioning first.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2017 04:12

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Still can't even get into a working instance at god forsaken morning hours. How the hell is Square so bad at this? :toot:

# ¿ Jun 17, 2017 09:24

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Dr Pepper posted:

Wow PVP is really fun now.

Wow yeah PVP is so much more fun and faster-paced now. And you get XP for it too! :eyepop:

# ¿ Jun 17, 2017 10:05

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

If the instances are still hosed up tomorrow I think I'm just gonna PVP all day. gently caress it, may as well get the last few garo sets while the priest is still there, maybe even get the 60 win horse.

Ibblebibble posted:

I lost my PvP virginity today and it was fun as hell.

It was way worse before. I mean not really bad, just... slow paced with high time to kills since everyone had their full PVE abilities. It rewarded coordination a bit but was just kind of a slog sometimes. With the current setup combat's way quicker and the front lines shift rapidly, it just feels so much more active.

Also I think the PVP skillsets are more fun than the PVE ones for a lot of classes. :ohdear:

# ¿ Jun 17, 2017 10:19

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Finally managed to get through both instanced duties. Luckily I was up at odd hours anyway. Wound up having to do Pipin's twice, as it unceremoniously dropped me mid-battle the first time. Not even disconnected or duty failed or something, just a sudden fade to black and dropped back on the world map with no warning. :shepicide:

Hopefully it will be a bit smoother sailing from here. There will probably be similar issues later, but being in a new zone and the population spreading out a bit will probably help...

# ¿ Jun 17, 2017 13:21

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Holy crap the Heated <Attack> weaponskills for MCH look amazing. Some real Bayonetta poo poo there. :eyepop:

# ¿ Jun 18, 2017 23:49

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Oh holy crap I just did (fourth dungeon) Doma Castle and the duties keep getting better and better. And they started strong! :stonk:

Also I loved how (music/plot) in the cutscenes afterwards as Doma is liberated there's an orchestral remix of the FF6 Doma theme.

# ¿ Jun 20, 2017 08:23

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

gently caress. I was loving the new MCH... but then I tried to do a FATE. Leveling down unequips gauss barrel just like it did in Heavensward, but while it was previously only a mild annoyance it now costs you all your heat. :argh:

Honestly the heat mechanic is really interesting but it also seems horribly half baked and unfriendly. There's a lot of little tweaks they could do to make it better, but I don't imagine any of it happening quickly.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2017 01:24

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

I just got 90002'd...

... attempting to start a triple triad match. :munch:

# ¿ Jun 21, 2017 04:28

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

nuru posted:

PVP changes are interesting. Also fantastic xp for the roulette.

Yeah it's way faster for leveling than POTD, at least post-60. Probably pre-60 too if you're PUGging it.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2017 04:37

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

famfrit, mid-dungeon. :toot:

# ¿ Jun 21, 2017 04:45

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

nuru posted:

I'm curious if some dialog I saw in the MSQ was because I cleared Bahamut in 2.x, or if everyone sees that.

I suspect it's completion-triggered like the Alisaie stuff in 3.5 just because it makes little sense otherwise, if it's the line I'm thinking of.

Specifically this one.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2017 06:37

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Shy posted:

Nah I saw this and I haven't touched coils

Gruckles posted:

I never finishedFinal Coil and got that line too. They probably decided to go, "ok you might not have actually fought Bahamut, but as far as the story is concerned you did" since despite being optional that's kind of a major thing to leave as never being mentioned as or only being minor references. Or to leave as a plothole as to why Allisaie and Alphinaud aren't constantly begging you to please go back and finish the last couple Turns before he's restored and the world ends.

Aww. That's kinda sad, considering they included quest-specific details in the plot before. Definitely a fun line if you have beaten Coils though!

# ¿ Jun 21, 2017 07:08

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

I have chosen my first class to 70 wisely.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2017 06:19

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Whelp, just beat the final boss.

Short summary: If you thought Thordan or Nidhogg was a spectacle... :stonk:

# ¿ Jun 23, 2017 02:05

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Yeah, while it isn't as important, flamethrower for MCH has the same sort of issue where if you so much as turn in place it instantly breaks. I get the feeling their tech for channeled abilities is something of a kludge.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2017 02:19

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Yeah that's what I did, leveled MCH with the main quest and side quest XP, sucking up the queue times for the single mandatory runs of stuff, and now I'm just leveling up PLD since gently caress waiting in 50 minute DPS queues.

# ¿ Jun 25, 2017 01:46

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Jade Rider posted:

Are all the jobs people say are bad at 70 OK enough at lower levels? I've been working on WAR and SCH to play with some friends, we're pretty casual but I don't want to really be a huge burden.

Every job is fine at 70. Some are better than others and some are more or less fun than they were in Heavensward, but the class balance and encounter design in this game is good enough that it doesn't really matter in anything but the most absurdly top end raiding content. And there isn't even any of that released yet for Stormblood. :v:

If you're having fun with something then just keep playing it and don't stress the details.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2017 04:08

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

ApplesandOranges posted:

If nothing else, MCH is (...) a pretty fun job overall.

This is the biggest thing, it's basically tailor made for me. There's really not a whole lot of buttons to hit... you're using all of like five or six in a single-target situation outside of wildfire. But this is made up for by having to watch your heat and this gets you into a nice rhythm of building and dumping and chaining ammo, and it's so satisfying to do the flashy heated combo. And of course it's all instant attacks so you're free to maneuver at will during it. I think it's the most fun I've been having with a DPS class, though SAM and RDM come close.

Problem is... yeah both it and BRD kind of hit like kittens and BRD definitely has more utility. I think I like playing MCH more right now though, when it was the opposite in Heavensward.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2017 10:31

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Thumbtacks posted:

I mean if it's fun, that's what matters.

What's MCH AoE, anyway? AoE turret and Spread Shot while you keep HS up and make sure your heat doesn't gently caress up?

Also Ricochet, but that's a 60s cooldown. There's also obviously flamethrower, but that better for quickly going into overheat due to its relatively low potency compared to spread shot. A big thing is that the heat doesn't affect MCH AOEs at all, only their primary single-target combo, so unless you really need it at a good level shortly there's no real reason to worry about overheating since it's just bonus damage while it lasts.

Captain Oblivious posted:

Hey, I hate my old main too but I can still distance myself from it. After loving ARR and Heavensward Summoner, I find SB Summoner janky and viscerally unfun. Hasn't really hurt my perception of the expansion, I shrugged and moved on to one of the other Jobs I play and enjoy.

Yeah, they really kind of botched SMN. :sigh:

Bahamut seems cool and all, but the changes to Aetherflow seem to be intended to make it simpler to play but actually wound up making it trickier and more complex. They really shouldn't have rolled Aetherflow and Aethertrail Attunement into the same gauge, since while it used to be painful to fat-finger a Bane or Fester (and be honest, you have at least once) it's absolutely crippling now, since not only do you miss out on a dreadwyrm trance you wind up not only having to wait but wasting most of the next aetherflow too, and both of it winds up pushing your bahamut summon even father back. And even when you're playing fine it just feels... plodding. I don't mind simple classes, I'm old and incompetent and actually prefer them given the option, but you still lack easy burst and the AOE is weaker and you spend a lot of time spamming Ruin and... eeh. I guess the numbers and sustained damage are alright? But it just isn't fun.

I mean I don't really mind that much, RDM seems to be way more interesting and I really need to level it more, but I can't help but feel the SMN changes just didn't get thorough playtesting.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2017 11:45

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Fister Roboto posted:

Summoner feels really fun in PVP, although that might just be a byproduct of PVP being really fun.

Yeah PVP right now is genuinely fast paced and fun. It's probably the most entertaining PVP mode in a live MMO right now, and it's easily the best single improvement in Stormblood.

(The best PVP mode in an MMO ever was Warhammer Online in the 1-10 bracket though.)

# ¿ Jul 2, 2017 08:50

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Hotbars and keybinds and such are saved locally, so maybe the related files got deleted or corrupted somehow? It's the only thing I can think of there.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2017 00:17

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

SettingSun posted:

I actually like the other direction where strength adds to your HP if you're a tank. That way all the fending gear can have strength as a mainstat with a smattering of vit as a sort of bonus.

Problem is, Square seems to want to avoid the situation where HP (and especially tank HP) is affected by the death penalty in combat, so putting it on strength just causes that again.

Of course the obvious solution would just be to have a damage/healing penalty rather than reducing stats directly but god only knows what 1.0 spaghetti code we're dealing with here.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2017 06:10

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Mordiceius posted:

Omega uses the Alex token system. (WHY?!)

Oh for gently caress's sake. :ughh:

Mordiceius posted:

Class/Job EXP gained from participating in PvP encounters has been adjusted to take match durations into account.

Hope you didn't want DPS queues to be shorter!

# ¿ Jul 4, 2017 06:22

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

SonicRulez posted:

Using the Alexander token poo poo system again. Cool, so I get to run O4 20 times in a row just praying that I can roll high enough to get my 1 body token for the week. For what purpose?

My record was 26, with A12. And I never actually won one in the end, it just rolled over before I could. :shepicide:

Such a horrible loving system.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2017 06:57

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Now just imagine trying to get your weekly drop with 50 minutes of DPS queues between attempts. :iamafag:

It really is the worst possible combination of random drop and token-based systems.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2017 07:28

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Countblanc posted:

also there is no shortage of "need heals/tank for exdr" that goes unanswered in PBC and I assume the other free companies too.

I've been leveling a tank class second specifically to get around the queue bullshit since I don't mind the role, but the current situation is just completely untenable. Why should people even bother logging in if it's going to take an hour and a half to get a random dungeon done, let alone a raid you may or may not even clear? I totally queue with friends to do stuff, but it's really nice to not have to to do basic content. The only upside is it probably won't get much worse over time since we'll see slightly more tanks queuing and slightly more DPS not even bothering to log in at all, but the latter isn't a good outcome for Square.

Failboattootoot posted:

I cannot believe they haven't switched to trading in generic tokens you get 1 of per floor automatically each week. What the gently caress is the point of forcing people to almost assuredly have to do multiple runs of something in a week?

The assumption is that it will keep people in the queue longer since they'll have to run the content over and over multiple times a week to get their drop. Which to be fair isn't really incorrect... but the problem is it inevitably results in a not insignificant number of people being unable to get their token because you can only run a finite number of attempts per week and some people are just unlucky.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2017 08:14

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Freak Futanari posted:

2: That's subjective, personally i think PvP was better before SB. It's still decent, but they made some really weird design decisions when redoing it.

Why?

# ¿ Jul 4, 2017 13:51

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Freak Futanari posted:

When simplifying the PvP battle system, they removed a lot of class utility and tactical options in favor of one-button combos. Some jobs suffered more heavily from this than others, but nearly every class lost a lot depth and complexity. And that was the good kind of complexity, where you had a lot of options for approaching different situations and a lot of interesting PvP-exclusive tools to use. It's now a lot less hectic in terms of execution, and probably a lot more beginner-friendly, but it also reduces the gameplay to just gathering into a murderball, marking a target, and then having everyone mash their attack button.

Buuuuullshit. Having the full suite of PVE abilities in PVP was a mess, since shock of shocks having tanks and healers set up with multiple cooldowns and options made for an intolerable goddamn slog. Let alone having a bunch of extra PVP cooldowns on top of your three hotbars filled with your PVE abilities. This is not good complexity! The only people it was better for was premades on voice chat stomping people who couldn't coordinate as well.

Stormblood PVP is faster, more accessible, has fronts that actually move, and has kills actually be a deciding factor in Shatter for once. All you lose is not having another dozen buttons to juggle. This is good.

Also,

Cao Ni Ma posted:

I used to not AFK in PVP but now that I'm almost guaranteed to get less exp 66% of the time I might as well afk.

This is the actual consequence of the change. It's a hard thing to reliably quantify but I wouldn't be surprised to actually see more AFKers than there were before, on top of queues taking five or ten minutes longer as people give up bothering after repeatedly losing. I have a lifetime win rate of around 44% and not only is that obviously a crazy anomaly it still means I'm losing more than half the time.

Truga posted:

I'm glad they'll roll the one button per combo thing into pve in the next expansion.

Unironically agreed. The game would be a lot better if it was designed and balanced closer to the current PVP design. Although realistically you'd probably want to add a few cooldowns and similar things back in to allow for more varied encounter design with tankbusters, burn phases, and such that PVP doesn't really have equivalents for.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2017 14:13

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Monks are the only class where combos are actually meaningful.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2017 14:17

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

To be fair, MCH being ruined by being given a one-button combo says more about how crappily MCH itself is designed than 1-button combos being a bad idea.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2017 21:45

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Yeah, I actually kind of liked Alexander, but the adventures of Nero and Cid being catty to each other is already better than the entirety of Alex' plot.

# ¿ Jul 5, 2017 02:49

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

The early leveling gear is a holdover from 1.0 and horrible and almost everything added after it is superior, yeah.

# ¿ Jul 5, 2017 03:37

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Dear Square, please have the next omega raid's boss be Zeromus. :pray:

# ¿ Jul 5, 2017 06:42

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

Retainers function like banks and are unlocked... relatively early in. Level 15ish along the main quest?

# ¿ Jul 5, 2017 11:14

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

With Omega, yeah one of the big things that came up is that it fundamentally doesn't understand human emotion or motivation. It might not even really be sapient, and instead is just an elaborate and powerful automaton operating out of control.

# ¿ Jul 5, 2017 12:40

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# ¿ May 7, 2024 10:57

Asimo: Sep 23, 2007

There's also some fluff text somewhere (fractal continuum maybe?) about a researcher breaking open some old Allagan experiment and the horrible ooze inside extruding "small, distinctly lalafelian hands". But there's a lot of differently horrifying ways to take that.

# ¿ Jul 5, 2017 14:00

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