Aetheryte Help Tome

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

Easier game balance, Balfree. In your proposed system, for example, and all other things being equal, nearly everybody would use Wind and nobody would use Ice.

The way I see it, Ice only beat Wind in XI for the same reason Paper beats Rock. It's just that simple.

[Malacite]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

Winds strong enough to hurt large living beings aren't going to nurture fire, they'll put it out like a match. You could argue that a big enough fire will be boosted, but if you go to extremes then everything falls apart (a small flame won't melt a glacier, an ice cube doesn't impede wind, etc.)

Yes but my point was it'd be cool to see them go with something akin to how Grandia Handles it;

You have 4 basic elements, and then you have compound elements when you mix them (Water & Wind = Ice/Snow, Fire & Water gives Steam, Fire & Wind Lightning etc etc...)

Or at least maybe give us new spells that comprise multiple elements for a boost, or something 'cause Wind + Ice = hello frostbite. (Boo @ Canadian Winters @_@)

Also I've always assumed that wind > earth because Wind is usually the Domain of Aerial beings vs Groundlings so... yeah. Because Wind sure as shit doesn't > Earth, in fact it's usually the other way around (why do you think people hide underground when a Tornado hits >.>)

Again though, it'd be awesome to see combination elemental spells. Earth + Fire = Magma? (or even better, flaming Meteors!)

[Taskmage]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

An elemental wheel isn't necessary. The only times it was ever relevant in XI were fighting elementals/avatars, casting elemental DoTs and crafting. If FFXI used Balfree's system everyone would still use Blizzard IV on pretty much everything.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

If FFXI used Balfree's system everyone would still use Blizzard IV on pretty much everything.

Things have changed??

[Balfree]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

The elements dont even play that much of a role on XI unless you're fighting elementals (stupid resistant to magic anyway) or other special mobs.

YM, it was just an example, Ice is mildly affected by wind and freezes water, im sure we could come up with a balanced system.

[Malacite]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

I'm just glad they're going back to the traditional style with elemental modifiers instead of just XI's system of different resist rates...


Still mystified @ the Fire vs Water though, wtf...

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

Things have changed??

Ok, I was serious...did things change in FFXI and elemental spells other than ice and thunder are useful? Anyone?

[Taskmage]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

Ok, I was serious...did things change in FFXI and elemental spells other than ice and thunder are useful? Anyone?

Yes and no. Blm & rdm respectively got access to tier V and IV versions of Stone and Water, so that's the big damage now until the level cap moves again.

[Malacite]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

Which will be in... I'd say 4~7 weeks?

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

Ah yes, I keep forgetting about the level cap. I doubt things will change much....for a second my little heart was pitter pattering with the thought that things were changing.... /sigh...

[Ziero]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

To be perfectly frank I don't even get why Ice is an element; it's just another state of Water.

the same reason why Lightning is an element, despite being just another form of fire. But with this being Final Fantasy, Ice, Fire and Thunder will always be "elements" since they were the first three.

Because Ice = Shiva.

And Shiva = Blue Tits.

Blue Tits = Still Tits.

QED, Ice Element = Tits.

Ice + Tits = hard nipples?

Not sure why games repeatedly throw the element wheel at us...

When it's done right, it has a very good use. Sadly, in XI they screwed the system up completely. By making Ice and Thunder based spells have a natually higher base damage, and then going on to make the most common mobs people killed weak to Ice and Thunder, it literally screwed over the entire idea of a circle.

But to be perfectly blunt, I'd much prefer one big circle over two small triangles. The elemental affinities in XIV at this moment just seem all kinds of screwy now.

[Cotners]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

Yes and no. Blm & rdm respectively got access to tier V and IV versions of Stone and Water, so that's the big damage now until the level cap moves again.

I still stick mainly with bliz4 and thun4 because I have ice/thun potency merits and they are more MP efficiant.

[Taskmage]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

Is the damage to mp ratio really better for tier IVs than tier Vs? I have no idea. I actually didn't think about the new spells when I posted that everyone would still be using Blizzard IV. I was just saying that they could turn the elemental wheel inside out and it wouldn't make any difference.

[Malacite]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

Err, Lightning is not another form of Fire, where in the hell did you get that from? I'll admit I don't know the exact scientific/chemical composition of electricity, but I'm pretty sure charged Ions in the atmosphere don't qualify as flame.

And then there's Plasma, which is in it's own category of matter altogether but let's not get into that...

[Kida]

Re: Aetheryte Help Tome

Very good information. This certainly explained a lot as I am not in beta.