[Agis]

Hi all,

I've thoroughly enjoyed the Lancer job throughout the open beta test, during which I have tried two primary point allotments:

The first allotment is

VIT=STR=DEX

This makes for a standard, well-rounded Lancer. Very fun, and probably viable for the long-run including end-game.


The second distribution is:

100% DEX

Ultimately, this high dexterity is a very good quick Lancer and I would actually recommend using this strategy for those considering a more fast-paced strategy.

I just wanted to indicate for folks that play a lancer that these are both "viable" and actually that the latter I find much more enjoyable.


For those of you beginning your adventures in Ul'Dah, I would also offer this suggestion:

The walls south of Ul'Dah are inhabited by Copper Coblyns, all of which have 200HP and are good for leveling up in the early stages of character advancement, since it's not likely you'll die too much, and even if you do, you're right by the city walls.

or those undecided about what to do "out the gates" this is a solid, and rather relaxing area to burn some time while advancing the character you've created.

Have fun,

Agis


This is just some support I gave after receiving criticism of the point allotment above, so feel free to check it out! Be warned, it's out of context.


I agree! I'd hope some theory-crafters could provide more and more input, so long as its friendly. I've tried a well-rounded "build" as well, but I found that build to be more of a job than entertainment. My good ole' pure Dexterity is downright fuun!

You should really see how fast the TP Gauge rises when you use just Dex. I have no complaints about the character advancement through Physical level 10. In fact, that is an understatement; it's r-e-a-l-l-y fun.

I'd also mention that it's nice to know that ya don't have to wait around for a lot of HP to regenerate when you keep your HP to a minimum to begin with, which means having high Dexterity means having a lower VIT, so ya don't have a slow play style if there's no healer to back you up.

As for strength, you could probably incorporate it into the build just for a power up, but truthfully I find it unnecessary based on the experience I've had so far; it would probably come up in conversation down the road, however only for the "nosier" analysts.

P-l-u-s, you always have the option to dump your remaining point allotment into STR after, say, level 10, just to equal out your allotment, and that applies to VIT as well. Let's just say it's a very strong move for the beginning levels, and lends itself to versatility as your character advances.

Anyway, if ya like to experiment, go ahead and give Dex a try knowing that you're not the first (or only) one. There's still a lot of time left in Open Beta to fiddle with Point allotments.

And for those of you that enjoy images, here are a few "profile" shots I took:

 gallery_23_4_17399.jpg (71.81K)
Number of downloads: 6

 med_gallery_23_4_58958.jpg (134.54K)
Number of downloads: 6

Agis :-)

P.S. - After playing Lancer, I forgot about Gladiator *completely.* So for those of you that are apprehensive about making a job-switch, I say definitely go for it.

This post has been edited by Agis: Sep 13, 2010 - 11:00 AM

[Dalkor]

I also enjoyed Lancer, but you NEED Vitality if you want to survive mobs past the first area, they hit for 100+ easily. The best point to start evening out is 40 (the end of 1 point=1 attribute increase) . The lancer is probly gonna be my starting class now, and so far in beta i am rank 11 Lancer and PL 19. I can't seem to find any armor that is recommended for the class though... the entire armor system in this game is kind of confusing to be honest. Anyway, Lancers get three very powerful weaponskills before level 10 which can allow you to completely destroy a monster before it has a chance to blink. if you are able to line up your fights Skewer can prove to be an insanely useful WS when coupled with Ferocity, one time I hit three mobs for 350 each!


Since Dragoon was my favorite class in FFXI the lancer really brought up the nostalgia of playing my first real MMO. Hope this added to your post Agis!

[Agis]

Dalkor, on Sep 13, 2010 - 10:58 AM, said:

I also enjoyed Lancer, but you NEED Vitality if you want to survive mobs past the first area, they hit for 100+ easily. The best point to start evening out is 40 (the end of 1 point=1 attribute increase) . The lancer is probly gonna be my starting class now, and so far in beta i am rank 11 Lancer and PL 19. I can't seem to find any armor that is recommended for the class though... the entire armor system in this game is kind of confusing to be honest. Anyway, Lancers get three very powerful weaponskills before level 10 which can allow you to completely destroy a monster before it has a chance to blink. if you are able to line up your fights Skewer can prove to be an insanely useful WS when coupled with Ferocity, one time I hit three mobs for 350 each!


Since Dragoon was my favorite class in FFXI the lancer really brought up the nostalgia of playing my first real MMO. Hope this added to your post Agis!

It sure did. Thanks a lot for letting me know about the hard cap for Statistics, too.

WS with Ferocity I totally agree on; a very powerful melee combination.

Armor you can usually get by doing the early regional Levequests; the equipment I have on my character's screencap is actually given by the Camp Blackbrush levequests.

However, the jewelry (which also contributes to the statistics of your character) I did get at the Aesthetic shop in Ul'Dah.

Agis :-)

This post has been edited by Agis: Sep 13, 2010 - 11:28 AM

[Randan]

Oooh i like the 100% into DEX idea. I should try that out. I decided to try out Lancer and i really enjoyed it. For stats i was just doing a fairly balanced set up (a bit more in str) to try and get some big numbers when i used Ferocity+Skewer combo. All-in-all really fun class from what i have played (currently at rank 6). I also have combined this with my Conjurer so i can use Cure to reduce downtime by quite a bit. I think using Cure with high DEX stats would make for a faced-paced super killer

[Agis]

Randan, on Sep 13, 2010 - 6:43 PM, said:

Oooh i like the 100% into DEX idea. I should try that out. I decided to try out Lancer and i really enjoyed it. For stats i was just doing a fairly balanced set up (a bit more in str) to try and get some big numbers when i used Ferocity+Skewer combo. All-in-all really fun class from what i have played (currently at rank 6). I also have combined this with my Conjurer so i can use Cure to reduce downtime by quite a bit. I think using Cure with high DEX stats would make for a faced-paced super killer

Cool! I'm glad you liked the Statistical distribution.

Here's a write-up I did as a continuation, if you care to read more about the strategy;


TP builds faster because you're building more accuracy, meaning more successful hits are achieved. A better description for said phenomenon is "TP is more reliable." Hence, a very good Dexterity rating makes perfect sense, because combat or "Active Mode" in game is contingent upon how much a player can rely on his or her TP bar to perform new attacks when he or she's turn comes up again.

To clarify better, I would actually call it an Active Mode Priority, whereas the rest of the bits and pieces players get to choose from are more or less "Options" for them. I've given a bit of a hazy description here, however I hope you roughly comprehend my (possibly the best) outlook on Active Mode: That Dexterity and its relationship with TP are what's important, whereas most of the other statistics are purely optional on the basis of player or personal preference to play toward a certain strong area in their "characterization" as a Gamer or in Combat with enemies.

More or less, when you make the decision to perform well (or at your peak / best) , the maximum TP possible is a requirement, then perhaps you would simply be able to raise your secondary statistics through the use of proper equipment. In fact, I'm sure using equipment to upgrade the weaker Statistical areas is the ideal scenario. By scenario I mean "Long-term vision."

A bit of substantiation to the rationale: You are likely to scale the secondary statistics through completing leves to get better items. This strategy lends itself to conquering the Statistic debate in one fell swoop, since we can agree that TP is the broader priority in Active Mode, meaning secondary statistics are probably included for the sake of being scaled by Hand-crafting trade wares or equipment attained through adventuring / Gaming. <-- Also stimulating economic growth in game.

Thanks a lot for contributing to this discussion, Xanthes.
If there are any naysayers, be sure to post your attempt at refutation of this strategy, because I will gladly read your response as best I can. I will read your answer, then try to get back to you as soon as possible with a PM, if you choose to continue the discussion, as I find it quite appealing.

To substantiate that level of commitment, I'm simply loving the Lancer class, which I'll be playing upon release, with a minor strategic setback since I wasn't given access to closed beta; hence some initial "roadblocks" are set in the way of catching up on understanding the class. It would have been nicer to have a slow & steady learning curve by being in Closed Beta, however for the rest of us, this class is open to hypothesize about until we "figure it out" or sum up a nice strategy to use."

And yes, Strength is a key stat, however i think it's better to stick with dexterity until we understand the "embedded" stat value in the items that are attainable through adventuring, because you'll never run out of TP, making it a l-o-t easier to continue your current "game plan" to a finish.


Blackvein / Agis :-)

This post has been edited by Agis: Sep 18, 2010 - 12:57 PM

[Dyft]

Few issues with the full dex "build"

First off... I dont know how many times my rank 4 conjy would have more hp then lancers and even muraders... for the love of all thats holy... put some points in vitality people. I dont care if your not a gladiator, you need to survive more then 2 hits from what your fighting. This was a HUGE issue with people I would allow to party with me in open beta.

next... Nothing in str? I know we havent played long enough to disect the weaponskills and combat statistics yet but lets use a little bit of common sense. When I added 10 points to my STR.. my LANCER weapon skills started to hit noticably harder. as I havent done enough playing around with ACT to get it to work in FFXIV yet It was enough to see my average Trammel go from 175ish up to 250+, and lets not get started on skewer. This was further impacted by the +ATK skill (cant recall name off the top of my head) that they get(rank 4 I think). From what I could tell it would multiply the end result. Basically meaning a 50 dmg difference would end up as a 150 dmg difference total when enhanced with the +ATK ability.

Please dont get me wrong, I think Dex is VERY important for a lancer. Infact, I think Dex is important for EVERY class... INCLUDING the casters. However, I feel that putting all your points into any 1 stat is about the least intelegent route you can go. I would be willing to bet that a player that just randomly added stats would have a better setup.

Something more like

Str: 20%
Dex: 40%
Vit: 20%
Int: 10%
Mnd: 05%
6thstat: 05%

Would be MUCH MUCH superior. This would still give you a TON of dex insuring that your quite accurate and build TP at a great rate while giving you some much needed HP for when you pull agro (because you will ESPECIALLY until some tanks unlock provoke) as well as some Str so you can actually fight your way out of a wet paper bag.

Having said all that, during the open beta I raised ALL stats to 40 at the get go (stats raise by 1 point per point spent until 40 at which point they cost 2 points per stat increse. I then put points into Str and Dex at a 2 to 1 rate to Vit. This basically left me with my stats looking something like

Str: 60
Dex: 60
Vit: 50
Int: 40
Mnd: 40
6thstat: 40

I had far more HP then anyone I came across, I hit harder then any one I came across, I had More MP then MOST players I came across, I was easily out damaging everyone I came across, but I think player skill effected the overall DPS more than anything. Its not hard to out dps people when you can get the mob to 50% life by the time they get it targeted.

Now I know what your thinking, why in the hell would I care about MP as a lancer?!?!

Simple answer: use Stygian Spikes/Shock spikes on your lancer (you cant stack them) Shock Spikes for DMG then Stygian Spikes to regen MP as needed then back to Shock Spikes. Those 2 Spells alone which can be cast between fights make a HUGE difference. Lets not even begin to go into being able to cast Shell and Protect.

I used to play a "Shock Trooper"(Drg/Rdm) in FFXI and used to make peoples jaws drop on the ground with what I could do. The ONLY thing that I enjoyed playing or was even remotely as effective was when I played Drg/Blu which was what we called Azure Trooper.

Was even able to solo the RJ BCNM numerious times as Drg/Rdm.

The one thing I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt from having played in the beta is this: Building Across will be MUCH more effective then Building Up.

What that means is having 3 Level 10 Jobs will make you more effective then having 1 level 20 Job. Sure the 20 will be able to kill a harder mob, but once the other guy gets to 20 hes gonna be facerolling the same stuff that was destroying the single job guy.

Case in point. During beta my rank 4 lancer was dropping Puk Hatchlings getting 500+ xp per while I was watching groups of 2-3 rank 8-10 players wipe on the same mobs. Gotta love only getting hit 3x because the mobs stunned from shock spikes 95% of the fight. Gives you plenty of time to bring them to their knees.

Sorry for the long post/rant. It's just this is a Final Fantasy.... sure you can kill the wall the hard way.... or you can just use an x-potion and be done in 5 seconds...For those of you who know what that means then theres hope for you.. those of you that dont.. well good luck... I will be playing with my fellow FFXI Vet friends and we are LOVING this game. As it stands at this point, they give you the tools to essentually make your character a god.. If your willing to put in the effort.

1 Subjob HAH.... My rank 2 lancer had Shockspikes and Light/Heavy Thrust.. as soon as he had 6 points he had Light/Heavy Thrust, ShockSpikes, and Cure. Then I added Skewer, Then Styg Spikes, etc etc.. Point is, by Rank 10 my lancer was using abilities from Conj, Theurg, Lancer, Murader, and Gladiator. I can only imagine what its going to be like at level 50. I wouldnt be supprised if your using skills from EVERY job in the game. (combat jobs... not refering to harvesting or crafting here) I might be the last person on the server to get a job to 50 but you better watch out when im there.

[Takhimar]

Dyft, on Sep 21, 2010 - 12:10 PM, said:

6thstat

Heh.

Excellent posts!

I can see boths validity though personally I agree with Dyft, given how the the classes are setup it seems more likely.

Specialized builds may become more and more useful as the game goes on, however, given how MMOs late game monsters tend to turn out.

Of course having many abilities across classes will be useful to everyone, specialized (stat wise here) or not. Looking forward to seeing some great synergy from this system.

[Dalkor]

The great thing about the system is how much control you DO have over your stats. Most games that do the stat allocation system are either Free to play MMOs or of course the Diablo type RPGs. Lancers seem to generate alot less TP than the other two classes I tried in beta (Marauder and Pug). Marauders generated a truckload with their AoE attack. Another thing I noticed rather obviously is the speed of stamina recovery between the marauder and Lancer.

For the marauder, I actually ran out of stamina to use for my attacks (this is NOT with the AoE, I know that takes more than normal). This means that marauders get less attacks, which means missing hurts them more than a lancer would, who gets in more attacks. So really, Lancers rely on Dexterity LESS than some classes who have a slower stamina regeneration.

Cool stuff Dyft, too bad I detest caster classes in Final Fantasy... I was able to kill Puks around rank 6 though since my PL was so insanely high (like 18). I really hope not wanting to play casters won't hurt my character but using all those spells you give up other options... so I guess not.

Anyways those are some more of my thoughts, some info on the stamina regen comparison between marauder and lancer

[Dyft]

You definatly give up some things to be be able to use spells. There is no doubt about that. The thing thats odd to me though is that I was never able to have enough WSs to use up all my TP. This is when I would be using all Lancer WSs and WSs from other jobs.

I had 1 setup using Trammel, Skewer, Radiance, Shadowbind and Paummel or whatever that pugilist WS is called. I know when you sub a WS it makes the cooldown take a bit longer but even using all the WSs my class had avaialable for me I was unable to keep my TP spent.

Then again getting hit generates TP as well I believe (It did in FFXI and I thought I noticed it doing that in FFXIV as well but its been a few days since i played OB and I havnt recieved my CE yet.... go FexEx... 3 months to deliever something yet cant seem to make it happen.