FF14 October 22nd Developers Questions and Answers

We all know ff14 has had one of the worst launches in recent mmo history from a major company.  Well the developers are working hard on fixing a ton of bugs, but they took some time to ask major questions from the community about the state of the game and what can be down to fix it.  The major questions asked are about party bonuses, guildleves and usage, and why certain quests for your level arent available anymore to you.  The feedback is great but what more players want to know is when the market search button, map fall through, combat lag, and ease of travel features will be addressed.  Those few are pretty much right now killing the game.

The development and management teams continue to address the questions and concerns of the community in an ongoing FAQ. The topics addressed this time around are party-based combat, guildleves, and quests.

Party-Based Combat

Q. What is all this hubbub about a so-called “party bonus?
A. The party bonus is a feature that increases the amount of skill points awarded to players from combat while in a party. This feature will be in effect so long as the difference in class ranks between all party members is between the range of 5. In addition, the bonus will be greater the more party members there are.

Q. Why did the version update that went live on October 15, 2010 alter the party bonus to be based upon class rank rather than the number of party members?
A. Under the previous settings, since party bonuses were calculated solely on the number of party members, even players who were too low-level to effectively participate in combat were being awarded extra skill points simply by being present in the party. The alterations to the system were made to prevent exploitation of this in the form of “power leveling.”

Q. If I am in a party with someone beyond the 5 class rank range, will I be getting less skill points than I would be if I were playing solo?
A. No. Rather, the amount of skill points awarded in these two instances would be the same, regardless of whether the player is solo or in a party. If a party bonus is not in effect, the amount of skill points capable of being obtained will be the same.

Q. Is it possible the class rank range for party bonuses will be adjusted in the future?
A. We initially set the difference to 5 to combat the issue mentioned above. We will continue to monitor community feedback and look at how parties are formed – depending on these results we may tweak these values in the future.

Guildleves

Q. What can you tell me about exchanging regional leves?
A. The exchange of regional leves may be carried out under any of the following circumstances: The maximum of eight plates has been reached for the regional leve in your possessionYou wish to abandon the duty of the regional leve in your possessionSupplementation of a completion bonus to the regional leve you wish to undertake

When exchanging regional leves, you may select up to four to exchange for the one you wish to receive. Should a regional leve in your possession be displayed in a white font, regardless of whether its status is completed, failed, or not yet undertaken, it may be selected for exchange. In the event that you select a leve already in your possession, your current leve will automatically be exchanged for the newer of the two.

Q. What should I do if I want to place a completion bonus on a regional leve?
A. When exchanging regional leves, a completion bonus will be attached should the number of marks be more than one. The bonus will be greater the larger the number of  marks, up to a maximum of eight.

A regional leve with no completion bonus applied.

A regional leve with a completion bonus applied.

When a completion bonus is applied, the reward in the leve completion window will be displayed in an orange font.

Q. How do I increase the number of  marks?
A. Either of the following two methods may be used to increase the number of  marks. Exchange for a regional leve with a different issuing authority ( +1) Exchange for a regional leve with a different motif ( +1)

Increasing the number of  marks related to a leve’s reward in no way influences its degree of difficulty, nor impacts it in any other adverse way.

Q. What type of specific effects does increasing a regional leve’s degree of difficulty have?
A. Increasing the degree of difficulty will result in more powerful enemies, larger amounts of experience and skill points, and greater rewards. At present, the degree of difficulty may not be changed once a regional leve is underway, but the version update scheduled for late November will introduce a feature which allows players the option do so.

Lowering the degree of difficulty will also cause the reward to be scaled down accordingly.

Q. I saw a treasure chest while I was out doing a regional levequest! Is there always a treasure chest somewhere on a levequest!?
A. While on a regional levequest, treasure chests may appear based on the levequest location, but there is no guarantee. The chances of a treasure chest appearing, however, may be increased through leve linking.* Upon opening these chests, players will be rewarded with gil and, in rare instances, items. Should a chest be opened by a player in a party, gil will be automatically split and distributed to party members on the levequest, while items will be placed in a random member’s loot list.

A leve link is created when a party member initiates a regional leve of which other party members are also in possession. Party members not in possession of the guildleve will not be part of the link, but instead will be leve sharing.
Select the Examine command which appears in the Interactions menu when in proximity to a chest to open it.

Q. Why are there no rank 20 regional leves for miners outside of Limsa Lominsa?
A. Beyond rank 20, regional leves for Disciple of the Land classes are issued only from certain authorities. Below is a table displaying which nations issue leves for which classes.

After the November version update, all nations will issue regional leves for all classes, regardless of rank.

Quests

Q. Why can I no longer undertake the rank 20 armorer quest after accepting the rank 20 blacksmith quest?
A. The blacksmith and armorer class quests have been grouped together. Though players are free to choose either of the classes they wish, they will only be able to complete the quest for one of the two. For example, if a player has undertaken the rank 20 blacksmith quest, the rank 20 armorer quest will become unavailable. The player will, however, again become free to choose either blacksmith or armorer for the rank 30 quest. Quest content and rewards will be adjusted to fit the class chosen for the each quest.

Quest progress for both classes can be viewed by opening main menu >> Journal >> Blacksmith & Armorer Quests.
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