Merits

This is another attempt to address two potential difficulties or common frustrations with Final Fantasy XIV's job system as compared to other games in the genre. This system is based both on the Merits system from Final Fantasy XI and the Companion system from Final Fantasy XIV. I have only a passing familiarity with the idea of merits from XI, but I wanted to be sure to acknowledge the similarity and inspiration. The purpose of this system is two-fold: first, this allows some measure of customization for characters going on beyond the level 60 cap, and it also attempts to address the issue of ability creep; that is, this system is intended to expand upon the existing system without adding additional abilities that may or may not fit into the existing rotations, hotbars, and what-have-you.

After level 60, instead of experience points (EXP), characters will accumulate merit points. Either these points will accrue one-to-one at the same rate as experience points, or else at a one-to-ten rate in order to give them the feeling of differing from EXP. Alternatively, merit ranks may be gained by continuing to accrue EXP as per usual.

Upon completing a simple level 60 quest to unlock Merits, the character will gain one merit rank and will have the option to choose Merits from different schools, tracks, or specializations, akin to the Companion specializations of Defender, Healer, and Attacker. Similarly, players will not be locked into a single specialization, but they will not be able to attain the highest Merits in each specialization without dedicating all of their merit ranks to a single specialization. From then on, each subsequent rank will be achieved by earning merit points. Each merit rank a character gains will grant a number of points equal to that rank, and the cost of purchasing a Merit is equal to its rank.

Merits should function near-identically to Traits in that they will modify existing abilities, grant stat boosts, or introduce special mechanics to existing abilities. Ideally, all merit paths for each job should be mostly balanced in terms of overall benefit, but the following values are a starting point. Being familiar only with a few jobs at level 60, I'll be presenting my ideas for Merits for those jobs: Warrior, Scholar, Summoner, and Machinist, here. I encourage those who are interested to respond with critique and suggestions for improving these ideas, as well as additional ideas for the remaining jobs.

Respecialization

By obtaining as special multi-aspected crystal, each character can return all of the existing merit ranks earned by their current class to their unassigned status, which will allow them to reallocate the ranks to different Merits. To obtain this crystal, the character must complete a repeatable quest by performing the following actions.

Purchase a special "aether-thirsty" unaspected crystal with some amount of Allagan Tomestones of Law,

"Charge" the Aether-thirsty Crystal with aether aspected to each element, as well as umbral and astral aspected aether, by completing the following trials:



The Howling Eye (Extreme)

The Navel (Extreme)

The Bowl of Embers (Extreme)

The Whorleater (Extreme)

(Extreme) The Striking Tree (Extreme)

The Akh Afah Amphitheatre (Extreme)

Thornmarch (Extreme)

Urth's Fount

Marauder

Fury Warrior

Merit Rank Description Enhanced Storm's Eye 1 Extends Storm's Eye duration to 30 seconds, improves the slashing damage resistance decrease to 15%, and improves the curing magic effectiveness decrease to 60%. Enhanced Deliverance 2 Increases the critical hit bonus granted by each unit of Abandon to 3%. Enhanced Unchained 3 Shortens Unchained cooldown to 90 seconds. Enhanced Maim II 4 Improves the damage increase granted by Maim to 25% when used with Deliverance. Enhanced Berserk 5 Shortens Berserk cooldown to 60 seconds when used with Deliverance. Furious Vengeance 6 When used with Deliverance, Vengeance increases damage dealt by 10% and delivers an attack with a potency of 100 every time you suffer physical damage for 15 seconds. Enhanced Maim III 7 Improves the damage increase granted by Maim to 25% and to 30% when used with Deliverance. Enhanced Decimate 8 Increases the attack potency of Decimate to 300. Expanded Fracture 9 When used with Deliverance, Fracture delivers an attack with a potency of 100 to all enemies in a cone in front of you. Additional Effect: Damage over time with a potency of 20 for 18s, combined total potency of 300. Potency halved for all enemies beyond the third. Laceration 10 Increases the attack potency of Fell Cleave to 600. As an Added Effect, Fell Cleave reduces the target's damage dealt by 5% and inflicts damage over time with a potency of 50 for 8 seconds.

Blood Warrior

Merit Rank Description Bloodstorm 1 Extends Bloodbath's duration to 90 seconds and increases the HP restored to 35% of damage dealt. Enhanced Defiance 2 Increases the parry rate bonus granted by each unit of Wrath to 3%. Enhanced Equilibrium 3 Increases the Cure Potency when used with Defiance to 2000, and increases the TP restored when used with Deliverance to 300. Enhanced Mercy Stroke II 4 Increases the potency of Mercy Stroke to 300 and the HP restoration to 30% of your maximum HP. Enhanced Foresight II 5 As an Added Effect, Foresight increases your parry rate by 50%. Bloody Vengeance 6 When used with Defiance, Vengeance reduces damage taken by 35% and restores 100% of damage dealt by the counterattack as HP for 15 seconds. Enhanced Thrill of Battle 7 Increases the maximum HP boost to 20%. Enhanced Steel Cyclone 8 As an Added Effect, Steel Cyclone restores 100% of damage dealt as HP. Expanded Storm's Path 9 When used with Defiance, Storm's Path delivers an attack with a potency of 100 to all enemies in a cone in front of you. Combo Action: Maim, Combo Potency: 250. Combo Bonus: Absorbs 50% of damage dealt as HP and lowers all enemies damage dealt by 10% for 20s; damage reduction halved for all enemies beyond the third. Enhanced Inner Beast 10 Increases the attack potency of Inner Beast to 400, the HP absorbed to 150% of damage dealt, and the damage reduction to 30%.

Arcanist

The Arcanist Merits differ in that there are two jobs available to an Arcanist. In this case, characters will accrue Arcanist merit points and then have a choice from among three paths, one of which will affect both Summoner and Scholar, and two of which will affect only one or the other.

Cabal Summoner

Merit Rank Description Symbiosis 1 "Virus" becomes "Symbiosis." Symbiosis increases target pet or party member's STR, DEX, INT, and MND by 15% for 15s. Tooth for a Tooth 2 "Eye for an Eye" becomes "Tooth for a Tooth." Tooth for a Tooth grants a 20% chance for 30 seconds that target enemy's physical attacks will grant 10% increased damage dealt to its target for 30 seconds. Enhanced Bane 3 Increases the number of enemies affected at full potency to 5 and increases the chance to refresh the duration of damage over time effects to 25%. Enhanced Ruin 4 Ruin has a 2% chance to refresh the duration of Bio, Miasma, and Bio II. Enhanced Fester 5 Increases the potency of Fester to 150 for each effect (max 450 potency). Aethercabal 6 Allows the stacking of up to four Aetherflows. As an Additional Effect, Aetherflow increases your Spell Speed by 10% for 20 seconds. Enhanced Ruin II 7 Improves the chance to refresh the duration of damage over time effects to 5%. Extended Tri-disaster 8 Extends the duration of the damage over time effects inflicted by 50%. Tri-asma 9 When used under the effect of Aethercabal, as an Added Effect, Tri-bind inflicts Miasma, Malady, Heavy and Miasma II on the target and all targets nearby it. Enhanced Tri-disaster 10 Increases the potency of the damage over time effects inflicted by 50%.

Control Summoner / Scholar

Merit Rank Description Enhanced Sustain 1 Improves the rate of HP restoration to 10% of the summon's HP up to a total of 90% of the summon's HP and reduces the cast time to Instant. Enhanced Pet Actions II 2 While under the effect of Obey, improves the chance to increase spell speed to 25% and extends the duration of the effect to 12 seconds. Enhanced Summon 3 While under the effect of Obey, increases pet damage dealt, Cure magic potency, and maximum HP by 10%. Enhanced Rouse II 4 Shortens Rouse cooldown to 40 seconds and Spur cooldown to 90 seconds. Enhanced Pet Actions III 5 While under the effect of Obey, increases the potency of pet damage over time and heal over time effects by 10%. Grants a 20% chance that your next attack or healing action is guaranteed critical damage or healing when a pet's damage over time deals critical damage or healing over time effect grants critical healing. Lifelink 6 Most magical attacks cannot reduce your HP to less than 1 as long as your pet's HP is greater than 1. If your HP is 1, magical damage that would reduce your HP reduces your pet's HP instead. Enhanced Pet Actions IV 7 While under the effect of Obey, shortens the cast times and cooldowns of all pet actions by 10%. Enhanced Summon II 8 While under the effect of Obey, improves the damage dealt, Cure magic potency, and maximum HP increase to 15%. Synergistic Interaction 9 Reduces the cooldowns of Enkindle and Dissipation by 25%. Increases the potency of pets' signature attacks by 25%. Improves the attack magic potency of Deathflare to 500 and the healing magic potency increase of Disspation to 25%. Expanded Summon 10 Grants a 5% chance that upon using Aetherflow, you may summon a second pet as an NPC for 15 seconds. This pet will automatically be set to Sic and Guard, it will not appear in your party list, and it cannot be targeted by you or party members, nor can it receive the effects of any spells, traits, abilities, or merits. The second pet will automatically withdraw when the effect ends.

Corps Scholar

Merit Rank Description Enhanced Supervirus 1 Improves the enfeeblements to 15% and extends the duration to 15 seconds. Enhanced Eye for an Eye II 2 Extends the duration of the damage dealt reduction to 30 seconds. Enhanced Deployment Tactics 3 Grants a 25% chance to refresh the duration of the effects to full and a 10% chance to add 20% of your maximum HP to the strength of Galvanize effects. Enhanced Physick 4 Physick has a 2% chance to increase the strength of Galvanize by the amount healed. Enhanced Emergency Tactics 5 Shortens the cooldown of Emergency Tactics to 20 seconds. Aethercorps 6 Allows the stacking of up to four Aetherflows. As an Additional Effect, Aetherflow increases your healing magic potency by 5% for 20 seconds. Enhanced Physick II 7 Improves the chance to increase the strength of Galvanize effects to 5%. Enhanced Succor 8 When critical HP is restored, damage nullification is doubled. Expanded Sacred Soil 9 When used under the effect of Aethercorps, grants 10% damage reduction for 18 seconds to party members who enter the area of effect. Healing Touch 10 Grants a 10% chance that using Energy Drain, Lustrate, or Indomitability will not use an Aetherflow charge.

Machinist

Sharpshooter

Merit Rank Description Hotter Shot 1 Extends the duration of Hot Shot to 45 seconds and improves the physical damage dealt increase to 8%. Enhanced Gauss Barrel 2 Shortens the cast time of weaponskills by 25%. Enhanced Gauss Round 3 Shortens the recast time to 12 seconds. Quickest Reload 4 Shortens the recast time of Quick Reload to 10 seconds and improves the TP restored to 50. Firestorm 5 Improves the damage dealt at the end of Wildfire's duration to 35%. Overload 6 Allows the stacking of up to six units of special ammunition. As an Additional Effect, Overload increases your Skill Speed by 10% for 20 seconds. Eagle Eye Shot 7 Improves the chances of Split Shot and Slug Shot to increase the potencies of the next respective weaponskill and to trigger the Gauss Barrel effect to 65%. Lead Spread 8 Grants a 50% chance that Spead Shot will inflict Lead Shot on each target for 15 seconds. Potency halved on all targets after the fifth. Garlean Fire 9 Grants a 10% chance that each Gauss Round will add 5 seconds to Wildfire's duration. Enhanced Ricochet 10 Ricochet delivers an attack with a potency of 200 to target and 100 to all nearby targets. Additional Effect: When under the effect of Overload, grants a 2% chance for each additional target that Ricochet will inflict Wildfire on the target.

Gadgeteer