Questions from a non-beta tester

I've been super busy in RL but I have a break coming in August, so I pre-ordered the game.   I understand the NDA is mostly off now so I'm hoping to get a couple questions answered.

Race choice

I'm baffled by design choice to make race affect your stats.  If starting stats actually make a difference, then your race is going to be wrong for some jobs if you level all jobs on a single character (which I plan to do).

How much impact do starting stats have in the higher levels?

How does the 2.5s GCD affect combat?

To someone who's never played the game, a 2.5s global cooldown sounds terribad.  I have visions of watching youtube on the side while I wait for my next action to come off cooldown.

How does combat actually feel?  What do you do with the other 2.25s after you've fired off a skill?  Are there skills/actions that are off the GCD that you can use in between?

Renkei vs. Skill Breaks

Back in XI, being in a group that had their Renkei (group skill chains) dialed in made a huge difference in effectiveness (and fun).  Renkei were more or less like Skill Breaks, I guess, but more conditional based on the weather, phase of the moon and desired effect.

So Skill Breaks.  Are these for groups, or just raids?  Do they have enough effect to be worth using?

Rumored Fishing nerf

I've read that fishing is just selecting a rod and bait, and then going AFK while fish magically appear in your bags.  Not even a minigame like harvesting.

Is this true? 

(If so, wow, HUGE disappointment.  I thought the implementation of fishing in XI was the best in any MMO, ever.  I subscribed for months after my LS moved on just to fish from the boat and compare my rare catches with other fisherman.)

thanks!  Looking forward to playing this.  My attempts to get into the beta have been unsuccessful but I preordered the collector's edition so I expect to be able to join for headstart.

Hi Lakshmi! :D

Race choice: This video handles your question very well. The gist of it is, at level 50, the difference will be negligible (unlike how it was in say, XI for the first few years).

If you are looking to min/max though, the stats are displayed at the character creation screen (during race selection). So there aren't any surprises.

GCD: For me, the GCD feels fine (though I honestly wouldn't complain if it was shortened slightly). Yes, there are abilities off the GCD to keep you engaged. Right now,

it reminds me a lot of XI in how there was a steady ramp-up of player focus needed to win your battles efficiently (especially in groups). If anything, resource management

and monsters' ability tells (or target cast bars) are what will keep your attention early on (besides the flashy combat animations). Even before level 20, in our Light Parties, we

were achieving some fairly frantic paces, with non-stop action from, and for, all roles. I would place more criticism on the current Disciple of Magic classes' cast times myself. Considering how

easily they can be interrupted, I think they need to either shorten them, or provide better interrupt protection in the early levels (this criticism is intended for solo encounters, before chocobos

and magitek armor come into play).

Renkei vs Limit Breaks: I loved and miss Renkei. Of the few interviews I've watched/read where this topic was brought up, it doesn't seem like Renkei will be making a return. I believe Yoshi-P

stated that that system would alienate casual players too much, or that it places unnecessary burdens on groups (something to that effect). Limit Breaks work in Light Parties

and up (at least 4 people). The larger the group, the more bars you get for the LB (up to 3), and they both grow in power and change/extend their animations per bar. The Limit Break bar fills

up as you fight. You can kind of think of them as the final weapon skill in a skill chain from XI (or the Magic Burst bit, if a Disciple of Magic uses it). Limit Breaks are initiated by one member

of the group, and performs a different ability based on that group member's class/job.  Once activated, the Limit Break is performed, the bar is drained, and you start filling it up again. As

for their effect: Yes, they are most definitely worth using, and your party should be proactive in planning its use (i.e., saving them for difficult encounters). A two-bar LB from a

decently geared Pugilist, for example, can do over 3k damage on a level 17 dungeon boss (At least a quarter of its health from what I saw). Plus, they're flashy and look cool. :P

Fishing: I loved fishing. Was fun in XI, and it was my main class in XIV 1.0. Yoshi-P did describe it as you've read, unfortunately. I think we'll be seeing a new, official Live Letter soon which

should be the same one from E3 (which goes into this topic a bit). If you can't wait, you can watch the fishing segment here (this unofficial version has small parts missing/skipped though).

I'm just like you though, in that I remained subbed just to fish, so I'm very disappointed from what I've read/watched so far; at least, when comparing the new concept for fishing compared

to what they have done before (well...aside from dropping PC players' FPS to 30 while fishing in XI, that was a terrible decision. Same with those evil goblins!). The only glimmer of hope I

suppose is that we just haven't had any hands-on with the new system yet. It may still be enjoyable *shrug.* Yoshi-P also mentioned that there may be the possibility of fishing up treasure

maps, with quests tied to them. We'll find out in Phase 4, as that's when it will be available to test.

Hope you and RustedCrown get sent a key, so that you can join us soon and start enjoying 2.0. If not, we'll definitely see you at Early Access! ^_^

(Mij and I are happy you're joining us!)

just to add. botany is no longer the mini game it was. you get a menu of items to try to collect now. and let me just say, i am GLAD! i hated the mini game before. when i am gathering, i dont want to think. i just want to do it. when i want to think, i go do dungeons or try to take on huge monsters or something that uses strategy. i use gathering as my cool down time. i like it the way they have now. it is fun and still engaging, but i dont have to play "whack-a-mole" just for ingredients.

I (and Hex, from our chats about 2.0), most definitely agree with Larela that the new systems for the non-Fisher, Disciples of the Hand/Land are a huge improvement from 1.0.

There is still enough strategy to keep it interesting while trying to level up (Max XP - GO!), as well as while your're shooting for HQ synths, or rare items from nodes.

Just don't divide by zero while synthing...:

I like the crafting as well (I did before, except for the 1000 menus game). They have really cleaned it up and made it efficient. As least from what I played. Hope to level up weaving more this weekend :) I like feeling like I'm actually making something, just don't want it to be a huge chore, yanno? Knitting in real life isn't that boring, though it is harder on my poor carpal tunnels!

also, I can't wait for Friday!!

Persosonally, though I think the current crafting system is ok, to me it is now just mearly ok. I prefer the old 1.0 system better.

While I will probably still craft in FFXIV 2.0, I don't know that I will be as into it in 2.0. I preferred the "whack-a-mole" botony/mining minigames to just picking off a list as what is needed.

Also, I preferred that the things you gathered used to actually sell for some money instead of now being able to buy them off a store for 2-10 gil each. If you are looking to make money any money whatsoever off of crafting, you may be disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the game and will probably play it forever, but to me they took away the crafting that I loved ;)

I believe you can only buy the crafting ingredients off the merchant up to a certain level (15?)...after that you are either buying them from other players or gathering them yourself. 

I think this is fair as you it openly allows you to get into those professions and learn the basics without being forced to initially run around outside towns looking for random materials.

@Saren

I feel you may have jumped the gun on this one completely bud, we haven't even seen level 30 content, much less see maxed crafting. What's in beta is not, as Yoshi P has stated numerous times, what will also be defined at release, we still have the entirety of Phase 4 to go, and we aren't even out of phase 3 yet.

I would count the chickens quite yet, a lot is bound to change, and I know you won't just be buying every mat for crafting until you hit max. There will still be plenty to grind and obtain from various places - Otherwise there's zero point to crafting especially if you raid.

I will be waiting to see, along with you, how it all flesh's out - I don't think they would take something awesome like the original crafting system and throw it away for a more pandering version of the same.

@ Shmi:

Crafting

I love the new crafting system because I found the old one the most tedious grind ever invented.  The actual "crafting" was fine but the crafts you needed per level were a bit crazy. I played for 6 months - ish and my weaving only got to level 16! I think the new crafting has a good balance for those who love to craft and those who don't as it meets somewhere in the middle. I got to level 10 alchemy last beta and although I could buy mats, I could also farm them. 

As for gathering, I got mining to level 5 and botany tested as well, I liked both. Chris levelled goldsmithing to 20 and worked out how to make materia for the slots, which is a whole nother thread in itself (fairly complex til you get the hang of it). The actual melding is not hard, it is just making sure you read up on what you are melding to ensure you get the stats you are after.

I think of all the crafts, fishing will be the most underwhelming, and a disappointment to 1.0 crafters.

While I totally understand that "hardcore" crafters will not get the challenge they did in 1.0, I think the changes have made crafting more accessible to those who do not want to have the whole game revolve around crafts.  So it suits me, but probably will not be to everyone's taste. That said, I think the crafting is superior to other MMOs I have tested recently! It has more longevity to keep the crafters interested for longer.

Edit: to amend "c farting" to "crafting" ...lols!

Limit Breaks

I did not play XI enough to know about Renkei, so I cannot comment on it.  What I do know is that limit breaks are hella fun.  In the 3 dungeons we completed we assigned one dps to be in charge of limit breaks on bosses, and they looked pretty spectacular. I thought the system was cool!  It may be annoying if you had a pug though and they used it on trash would be my only observation.  We looked at the mechanics of the boss fights and used it at a key point in the fight. Samion's was a massive aoe (THM) and our pug took a ton off the boss using his as a single target (PUG).

2.5 GCD

I played a conjurer to 18 and a thaumaterge (mage) to 17. I found the cast times fine on my healer, and I stacked spell speed whenever I could, which reduced my GCD. I found healing threat not too bad and tank aggro great, so I was rarely interrupted BUT I only played in groups of 2 - 8 and Chris was playing a Gladiator so I did not get aggro apart from adds in one boss fight, and Samion quickly aoe'd them on to him.  I imagine interrupts would be annoying if you were soloing, but after level 20 you would have your chocobo to tank for you, or if playing a pet class. I found the GCD great for heals and I had no problem at all with casting speed or mana in the instances. The skills were a lot more responsive than I remember form 1.0 and the UI a lot better.

Instances

I found these to be a lot of fun.  I liked the idea of the timer for better loot if you wanted to be hardcore about it, or the fact you could play at your own pace whilst learning. They were tuned a little easy for my taste at first, but Yoshi explained in his last interveiew that they get challenging from level 35. Plus you can try to beat the clock for better rewards. I could see the learning curve and the introduction of boss mechanics starting to filter in. Situational awareness is apparently a big part of the later instances, which I am really looking forward to.

They have announced a token system for instances to buy gear with, and the loot drops were good.  Seemed pretty balanced, and actually worth it. Apparently, the lower tokens can be cashed in for higher ones as well (of course as a ratio, but we do not know what the conversion rate will be yet). You have to do a quest chain to unlock the dungeons and cannot enter them unless you have done this. However, you only do that quest chain once per character, so when you come back to level new jobs and want to instance, the instances are already unlocked for you.

Loot can only be needed by a class that can use it, which I thought was great. It is split by job.  Some items only were available to 2 jobs (eg tanking shields), others were available to 3 or 4 (eg caster robes). The loot window opens a split second before combat ends which stops ninjas switching jobs to get gear...which is awesome!  (So in effect, you can only roll on gear for the job you are playing as before the boss fight starts.)

There will be a duty finder to cross server group, which will be awesome for people like me who play at odd hours. You can take higher level players through the dungeon with you, but they will be level synced down to the appropriate level. The only thing that I did not like about the dungeons was that you cannot whisper anyone while you are in one, and people who send you a tell get a message saying you cannot reply while duty bound. I thought that setting should be optional.

Fishing: we cannot try it til Phase 4, and I do not think there is any way to gloss it up and call it awesome.  I think resigning yourself to it potentially sucking would be wise at this point!

Good to have you along Lakshmi! I look forward to many instances with you, like old times!

Thanks for the great responses!  Good stuff :)

And, of course, more questions:

- Summoner was one of my fav jobs in XI (loved the payoff for mastering the high skill cap).  Did anyone get a chance to try Arcanist this past weekend?  How does the play feel?  Lots of skills with long cast times like Conjurer / THM?

- What's the 15 point class to unlock Summoner?  Scholar?

- And speaking of cast times:   can you move while casting a non-instant ability? 

@Hex - thanks for the prognosis on fishing.  /sigh.  At least we get c-farting!

thanks!

Summoner and Scholar are both "souls" stemming from arcanist, however we do not know what the 15 point job will be. They can be played from level 30 ARC plus one other job at 15, and by completing the relevant soul quest.

All I know about summoners is that they have a Carbuncle pet, and various Egi Avatars (like mini-primals, Ifrit etc). The job has been described to me as likening to a wow affliction warlock, using stacking dots and debuffs, combined with pet damage.

Scholars are going to be AOE healers specialising in hots and regen. Although WHMs can single target heal, they are much more effective at single target heals, because their AOE heals are weaker and more mana intensive. Scholars will also have beneficial buffs to add to the party. They have a fairy pet, which changes klook and colour depending on its abilities.

Casting whilst moving only works for instant casts on a THM and CNJ, I have not tried the other classes yet though, so I am not sure on those.

Makes me want to try this out more.  Right now I'm in the put me in beta please queue.  =) So not sure if I'll be in the next phase.  I also have not prepaid only because I have a HUGE possible change in income.  Worse case scenario, 1K less a month.  Best case scenario, I get a lump sum settlement that pays all my debt and I can happily play even a sub game or two at once and not worry.  ::chuckles:: 

Anyway, if it can be worked out, I'll be there.  At the moment, I'm keeping myself entertained with Neverwinter as a change of scenery and pace from GW2.  

PS I love crafting in games, but Neverwinter's idea is NOT it even if I'm still messing with it.  LOL!  I actually really liked EQ1 and was making cultural stuff with my dark elf, so that is where I started with crafting in games.  Liked Vanguard's idea too though it was a tad more convoluted than needed in a game, but the realism was a nice touch.  And a little fishing on the side wondering if you would get some old boot or something good was always a nice touch in a game, though way too many impatient people in the world can't stand it.  Hehe.

see, i am actually looking forward to the new fishing...I agree with yoshida, fishing should not be stressful. It is not stressful in real life. It's something a lot of people do to chill and take their mind off things. As it was before, I would rather go park my car out at a back water on the snake river and chill for a few hours, than play fishing as it was in 1.0. People think it needs to be exciting and fun, they are missing the point, imo. If you want exciting and fun fishing, there are umpteen "bass fisher 2010-13" games out there, trying to make an uneventful hobby eventful.

the same with the other gathering, I confess I never did mining in 1.0, but the botany was ridiculous. It doesn't take that much work to pick flowers in real life, why should it be harder in a game? tree-felling obviously takes work, but you don't have to hit a tree in the -exact- right spot to get it to fall down. A especially if you're not worried about where it lands. And most of the actual work was after the tree was down!

it completely broke my immersion to have the system set up this way. I'm not suggesting hyper realistic resource gathering, although I would die of laughter if they may fishing that way. The minigames made something tedious even more so. And, just for reference, I do not like to fish. The idea is great, but it is dreadfully boring and uncaring fisher people wreck the environment. I don't want to tiptoe over fish guts and loose line all day, so I choose to fish in a game, if I fish at all. Sometimes it's really nice to sit there for hours with no bites and just unwind, especially if you find an unsullied fishing spot. 

@Conner To be honest, what we see now is most likely what we will see in release, as was when they did the 1.0 beta. The only classes they haven't released is arcanist and fisher. The chance of them changing what we have seen in phase 3 to phase 4 (the full game) is slight at best.

I'm also stating my opinion of crafting from what I have seen ;P

I was a hardcore crafter in 1.0 and probably won't be a hardcore crafter in 2.0. To me, it's just to...mmm easy ;P Keep in mind that is just my opinoin of what I have seen to this point.

I may change my mind after phase 4, but I've seen the crafting classes I wanted to play from 1.0 in 2.0 now and IMO it has taken the majority of the challenge out of it and I preferred the challenge.

Again these are the opinions of a 1.0 hardcore crafter who loved the 1.0 system ;P Others may not agree with them and that's ok :D  Not everyone likes the same things after all hehehe

Yeah I toltally can see how a hardcore crafter would be disappointed Saren...that 1.0  system was brutal!!! I am only happy about crafting in that I never had much time to do it, and it seemed insurmountable to me at the time.  Now I can do all my pve stuff and craft. I like that I have time for both, but then I have  a very limited timeframe in which to play.

I am sorry for those who had time and hardcore crafted, it must be disappointing for you guys. Fortunately, the new system is at least better than crafting in other games, so I spose it is a bit of a compromise. Here's hoping it gets harder the higher you go to provide a challenge for you "hafties" (that is my shorthand for hardcore crafters!).

Right now I'm in the put me in beta please queue.

If you signed up using a Hotmail, Live or Outlook email, check it again and/or watch it closely.  Apparently they had problems with invites sent to players using those email addresses, so they are resending them.

Oh, the email I used gets checked regularly enough, believe me!  It's more that fact I signed up late.

Same for me, Bri.  I guess I'll see the game for the first time in head start.

I really enjoyed the 1.0 crafting!  In the beta, I have dabbled a bit and it is definitely easier now, and seems less fun.

Someone commented above about crafting not making money, I disagree. I think with people constantly trying to level new jobs, new low and mid level gear will always be in demand, which creates a market. I am not so sure about an endgame market.

Also I am unsure if other players can slot your Materia for you, if not it makes crafting a necessity.

Sandolphan: Yes, Disciples of the Hand (though not Culinarians at this time) are needed to meld Materia.

They need to be at least level 19 to complete the Materia quest.

Item tooltips will display the specific DoH requirement(s) needed to complete the meld:

In regards to DoH/DoL making gil:

Grand Companies have supply missions which require items that can be either gathered or synthesized by DoH/DoL.

These supply missions reward you with seals, which you can turn in for promotion ranks and items through your

respective Grand Company Personal Officer and Quartermasters. Here are a few examples of what you can buy

with those seals:

Your chocobo, or more specifically - the item required to complete the chocobo quest, and earn your Chocobo Whistle (woo!):

Promotions:

Set items:

Experience Manuals:

Chocobo Saddles/Armor (click for comparison gif):

Random unique items (items gain Spiritbond as you use them, and must be at 100% Spiritbond in order to be turned into Materia):

And a bunch of other random things, but you get the idea.

Disciples of the Hand/Land can look forward to making gil through the items they craft and gather (for both actual character use, and 

to turn in for GC Seals), repair services (which can still cost a fair amount from what I noticed after the mid-20's), and Materia Melding

services (as well as selling the Materia orbs themselves). Also, it was confirmed that they will be able to create housing items on top of

all that. Keep in mind that items are broken down (destroyed in the process) to extract Materia, so that should help keep a steady revenue

stream for DoH/DoL players, as new items will constantly be added to the game with further content patches.

Can other players put your Materia on for you, or do you have to be the crafter to "socket" the Materia?

Unless they decided to change it recently (I didn't get a chance to test it this weekend), others can still do it for you.