Ask the Devs! (10/22/2010)

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 skillpoints awarded to players from combat while in a party. This featurewill be in effect so long as the difference in class ranks between allparty members is between the range of ±5. In addition, the bonus willbe greater the more party members there are.

Q. Why did the version update that went live on October 15, 2010 alterthe party bonus to be based upon class rank rather than the number ofparty members?
A. Under the previous settings, since party bonuses were calculatedsolely on the number of party members, even players who were toolow-level to effectively participate in combat were being awarded extraskill points simply by being present in the party. The alterations tothe 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, willI 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 twoinstances would be the same, regardless of whether the player is soloor in a party. If a party bonus is not in effect, the amount of skillpoints capable of being obtained will be the same.Q. Is it possible the class rank range for party bonuses will beadjusted in the future?A. We initially set the difference to 5 to combat the issue mentionedabove. We will continue to monitor community feedback and look at howparties are formed - depending on these results we may tweak thesevalues 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 thefollowing circumstances:The maximum of eight plates has been reached for the regional leve inyour possessionYou wish to abandon the duty of the regional leve in your possessionSupplementation of a completion bonus to the regional leve you wish toundertakeWhen exchanging regional leves, you may select up to four to exchangefor the one you wish to receive. Should a regional leve in yourpossession be displayed in a white font, regardless of whether itsstatus is completed, failed, or not yet undertaken, it may be selectedfor exchange. In the event that you select a leve already in yourpossession, your current leve will automatically be exchanged for thenewer 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 attachedshould the number of ☆ marks be more than one. The bonus will begreater 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 completionwindow 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 thenumber 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 wayinfluences its degree of difficulty, nor impacts it in any otheradverse 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 powerfulenemies, larger amounts of experience and skill points, and greaterrewards. At present, the degree of difficulty may not be changed once aregional leve is underway, but the version update scheduled for lateNovember will introduce a feature which allows players the option doso.* Lowering the degree of difficulty will also cause the reward to bescaled 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 onthe levequest location, but there is no guarantee. The chances of atreasure chest appearing, however, may be increased through levelinking.* Upon opening these chests,** players will be rewarded withgil and, in rare instances, items. Should a chest be opened by a playerin a party, gil will be automatically split and distributed to partymembers on the levequest, while items will be placed in a randommember’s loot list.* A leve link is created when a party member initiates a regional leveof which other party members are also in possession. Party members notin possession of the guildleve will not be part of the link, butinstead will be leve sharing.** Select the Examine command which appears in the Interactions menuwhen 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.

Class Issuing AuthorityRank 20 Rank 30 Rank 40
Miner Limsa Lominsa Ul’dah Gridania
Botanist Ul’dah Gridania Limsa Lominsa
Fisher Gridania Limsa Lominsa Ul’dah
* 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, theywill only be able to complete the quest for one of the two. Forexample, if a player has undertaken the rank 20 blacksmith quest, therank 20 armorer quest will become unavailable. The player will,however, again become free to choose either blacksmith or armorer forthe rank 30 quest. Quest content and rewards will be adjusted to fitthe class chosen for the each quest.* Quest progress for both classes can be viewed by opening main menu>> Journal >> Blacksmith & Armorer Quests.