Crystals to Glyphform

Bastolve · November 2016

As title says, I've been thinking about different ways that crystals could be changed to reduce the much too linear playstyle that current crystal builds face.
It's always a matter of 4x Hardy, typically a focused, bitter, savage and forceful/pounding for a lot of DPS...

"What if we could setup the crystals in our crystal slots regardless of their color?".

Having full control over the amount of defensive crystals, offensive crystals and green crystals doesn't seem harmful or overpowered in anyway, assuming the regular limitations still apply such as unique crystals being incompatible with the same effects. Just unlocking the color of crystals doesn't seem perfect yet, why not just have the effects of the crystals saved in a fourth tab in your Skills UI upon right-clicking and learning its effect?
Much like how glyphs are done, you learn them once and toggle them off/on based on your maximum glyph points.

So, my idea in two words is "Crystal Glyphs" I'll explain.
To bring this into perspective; imagine a glyph tab for crystals, a similar cost to each crystal as glyphs with an added detail of being able to apply multiple of the same crystal, much similar to how you're able to run multiple pounding/hardy crystals at once.
This would allow for more diverse setups, giving people who are inexperienced in an instance the option to stack their defensive crystals at the cost of some damage while allowing for skilled players to sacrifice their hardy crystals in order to boost their own clear times, assuming they can dodge mechanics.

So what are the actual pros and cons of this change?

Pros

- Less inventory clutter, no more would you have to keep different crystals to switch between depending on the instance.
- Effects of crystals are not lost and won't bind to equipment.
- Crystal presets could technically use the same preset saves as glyphs, allowing you to both switch crystal effects and glyphs in one click.
- More freedom to create your own crystal preset based on your playstyle, friendly to both glasscanon gameplay and defensive play. (May need some adjusted balancing.)

Cons

- Since right-clicking a crystal would let you learn the effect, this would mean Dyad crystals would have to change in some way, to either become permanent but harder to fetch or non-permanent, either by timer, restoring energy with feedstock or other means.
- With less limitations to your setup of crystals, this could potentially confuse players.
- If crystals were to be moved to the Skills UI as a new tab, this would likely prohibit players from inspecting eachother's crystal structures. A workaround could be to put the new tab in the Profile UI.
- EDIT: If crystals were to become permanent effects, this would make crystalbind redundant. However, crystalbind could be re-used as a feedstock for Dyad fusion, perhaps to reinvigorate the secondary effect of some crystals for extended periods.

Here's my inventory's situation. As you can see, I'd find this change to be very convenient as I like to duel, pve and pvp when I feel like it.

If anyone is up for it, I'd like an honest opinion on this. What are your thoughts?

TheTarget · November 2016

I think that this is a legit idea. I feel that this would be quite nice for newcomers to Tera. It seems very user-friendly and might help balance classes in both PVE and PVP depending on how this idea is executed.
So, what would happen to Complete Crystalbinds? Would they just not have a roll to play anymore? Do you think that this could have an impact on Vanguard Credits?

Bastolve · November 2016

TheTarget wrote: »

I think that this is a legit idea. I feel that this would be quite nice for newcomers to Tera. It seems very user-friendly and might help balance classes in both PVE and PVP depending on how this idea is executed.
So, what would happen to Complete Crystalbinds? Would they just not have a roll to play anymore? Do you think that this could have an impact on Vanguard Credits?

That's true. I didn't quite take complete crystalbinds into consideration but I'd suggest re-using the item as a form of feedstock for dyads. Say, they could have the dyad first effect be permanent once learned but have the secondary effect last a limited duration, such as those 12 hours. That'd of course feel a bit cheap.

As for vanguard credits, it might have a miniscule effect, you'll of course still need the vanguard niveot crystals for dyad fusion and for this system too so I don't see a big change there... Well, since you'll be learning the effect of a crystal, you'll be consuming it so once it's learned then it's gone from your inventory. That'll definitely hinder reusability.

Deleted User · November 2016

I think it's a great idea, I hope it gets some attention, though it does remove a (Very small but still present) end game gold sink.

Honestly I am just excited to see that I am not the only one that saves a billion stacks of vanguard boxes. I open them all on christmas to get a ton of garbage.

Deleted User · January 2017

Reading this it has a very nice idea too it, but it's hard for me to imagine "crystals" as learned effects, this would make better sense if they were renamed, since the word "crystal" applies to a very real object with mass.

But, adding my own ideas, if you renamed the crystals your idea would make sense, but if you kept them crystals then I would propose a type of "crystal infusion" in this way items wouldn't become unusable, however instead of buying a "Fine Bitter Niveot" you'd buy a "Fine Niveot Structure" and learn the skill "Crystal Infusion: Bitter" learning to enchant any kind of base you have to the desired effects. This would be extremely useful in dyads, since it would increase their rarity but you could effectively choose the dyads you create, let me explain;

Say you got a "Dyad Crystal Infusion: Hardy" and a "Dyad Crystal Infusion: Swift", You'd then combine these into a one use infusion called "Dyad Crystal Infusio: Swiftingly Hardy".

With this style of crystal management it would be easier to get lower crystals but harder to get dyads, however you can chose Dyads, with my revision of your original ideas I think crystal bases (except Dyads) would be trade-able, as well as the infusion skill. however, I think that once you combined two Dyad infusion skills would be when it becomes non trade able.

Adding this method to the game as well would also leave open "crystals" as a new crafting, presumably working he same as etching, players could create crystal bases and infusion skills, whereas critical crafting of master tier crystal crafting would produce Dyad materials.

kedros · January 2017

This is really interesting. At first i thought it would just become the same problem because everyone would just go for their optimal build (focus, bitter, savage, and rest pounding seems like the highest dps), but noobs would rather o for more security, and switch the poungings for hardy perhaps.

However this can quickly become either a powercreep or overly defensive... as a tank, you might want to have as much hardy as you want, meaning that all the keen vyrsks would become hardy too => 8.1% x8 = 64.8% damage reduction. he can probably go up to 10 hardies (keeping wrathful and focused) and have 81% dmg reduction making him near invincible imo. only one shots would kill him.
DPS wise, you would do the same with pounding (8 x pounding => 64.8% dps increase) for only losing 32% dmg reduction. even if you keep hardies in, losing 4x6 crit for 32% increase is a small bargain. and its already the difference between having mid tier weapon vs VM

ofc, this is pve wise and is equal for everyone without any added difficulty or RNG like +15 presents. This is purely skill based. A noob that plays save should do less dmg than a pro that knows the dungeon in and out, and this rewards a pro for playing skillfully (much like how slaying does it).

I dont know enough of pvp to determine if pvp builds would be affected much?

but this leaves with the glaring problem of Dyads... I can't wrap my head around any sort of way that does dyads right! atm they are a lot of RNG but once you have the right ones, they last an entire patch. while providing some sort of goldsink, it is equally rewarding as costly it seems to me.
in this system they seem like either permanent versions, or temporary or even dyad versions you need to "feed" to prolong the effect, which in turn could be problematic, making dyads either too easy or too hard too use. certainly for casual players

SaphirKanzaki · January 2017

Okay, this is politically incorrect, but I use the crystal setup as "sub-experienced indicator".

You can't see other people's glyphing, rotation, knowledge or skill. When IMS cross-server, you can't even see the rolls or the equipment. But you can always see the crystals. I'm good with people running full pounding. But seeing that someone has zero crystals does indicate that this one is dying a lot (besides the missing CCB). So .. I kinda like the crystals we have now.

Crystals to Glyphform

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