About Optimal Rank

[Zyrusticae]

IT MATTERS.

 

STOP WEARING GEAR MADE FOR SOMEONE TEN OR TWENTY+ RANKS HIGHER THAN YOU!

 

YOUR POCKETBOOK WILL THANK YOU! (And it'll stop considering committing suicide, if it hasn't already. Poor thing. I don't even wanna know how you guys pay for repairs...)

[Freyar]

Part of what the community needs is the math behind it. It'll take awhile to get it since we all know SE doesn't like to share, but that will help get people towards the right gear. For now, the detriment isn't shown well enough.

[Skye]

Looks > Optimal rank

[Satisiun]

Looks > Optimal rank

 

Sadly. In the end, the lack of a hard level requirement for all gear has led to fashion over efficiency.

[Anka]

Actually, if inventory wasn't so darn limited I'd happily have one or five outfits for hanging around and then one dedicated to crafting and another to kick ass in.

 

Now I settle for just one outfit, with an extra torso item for when i go kicking ass. *is a sad panda*

[Satisiun]

Actually, if inventory wasn't so darn limited I'd happily have one or five outfits for hanging around and then one dedicated to crafting and another to kick ass in.

 

Now I settle for just one outfit, with an extra torso item for when i go kicking ass. *is a sad panda*

 

What, seriously? Your signature indicates you're about as obsessed with multi-jobbing as I am, but I still manage to find enough space for battle, crafting, gathering, and RP ensembles. :lol: You must be drowning in materials or something.

 

Which, admittedly, I was as well for a while due to similar obsessions with every craft job. But some pieces overlap ensembles, and I also started condensing as many materials as possible by crafting them in to other things.

 

Ah well. Hopefully SE gets those new retainers in soon to alleviate inventory issues, regardless.

[Vareal]

I don't wear things that are out of my rank range, but perhaps there should a lock on equipment that is above your rank; in being that you cannot equip it until you are that rank, and if you can there needs to be an obvious penalty. In Lineage 2, the equipment grade's go as followed, No Grade, D, C, B, A, S, S-80 and S-84. If you equip something above your level range (say you equip B grade when your level only permits C grade) you get a serious movement weakness, your defense drops, your attack weakens etc.

 

Something like that would be preferable, but it's not really needed I suppose.

[Satisiun]

I don't wear things that are out of my rank range' date=' but perhaps there should a lock on equipment that is above your rank; in being that you cannot equip it until you are that rank, and if you can there needs to be an obvious penalty. In Lineage 2, the equipment grade's go as followed, No Grade, D, C, B, A, S, S-80 and S-84. If you equip something above your level range (say you equip B grade when your level only permits C grade) you get a serious movement weakness, your defense drops, your attack weakens etc.[/quote']

 

Well, the thing is that you already do get penalized in a similar manner in FFXIV. Just to cite a few examples, I have both a Bronze Needle and an Iron Needle (weaving), as well as a Bronze Doming Hammer and a Iron Doming Hammer (armorer). They're levels 12 and 22, respectively, in their hierarchy of tradecraft tools (I got them early because I saw some great prices, and just wanted to keep ahead of the price curve). If I try and equip the latter tool, I see a severe reduction in all my craft stat points (both those crafts are level 12 to me).

 

But the problem is that your average schmoe isn't really taking stock of this. Or they're too lazy or uncaring. Honestly, if I found out I was commissioning a crafter to make me a Super Mega Ultra Armor of Awesome +2, and I came to realize he was using a tool 10+ levels above his level, I think I'd just walk away from the deal and find someone else.

 

Anyway, I can see a point to this system. FFXI players know very well about the Level Sync system, and how it was meant to allow for more accessibility to playing with lower level friends without the hassle of having to get brand spanking new low-level equipment. The system effectively pared down your armor and weapon stats, even removing some of its beneficial effects, so while you could keep wearing your level 75 gear, you were not still a God of Death at the same time.

 

Now in FFXIV, where inventory space is about as limited as my patience for Tea Party enthusiasts (hah, hah! Topical humor!), there's a reason to be thankful that you can recycle equipment to your other jobs, and it's even justified to a degree. But there's a limit to that justification.

[ArmachiA]

All my leveling gear is within my range, my rp gear is no where NEAR my range (Too high or too low)

 

I regret nothing!

[Sweet Spirit]

I actually think the gear level requirement that makes your stats not worth it but you can still equipt it makes a lot of sense.

 

Not to compare this game to WoW like every single person who has played an MMO after WoW does, but it infuriated me that nobody could ever wear leather if they were a priest and nobody colud wear a hat until they were a specific level.

 

What, was putting a darn hat on top of their head too complicated of a task to accomplish? This feels more realistic to me, yet not game-breaking at all, from what i've heard of it