FFXIV Suggestion to fix the lack of Character Customization and Horizontal Progression: Action Glamours

Action Glamours? What are you talking about?

Action Glamours. Like the discussed egi-glamours for Summoner, only for each class.
There are several repeat complaints I see on the forums, in game, and in this subreddit. There is no method of character customization, such as a skill tree of sorts, there is no real end horizontal progression, such as variations on gear and the such, and there is no real rewarding reason to do some of the old content other than seals/tomes. And we all know that glamour is the one true endgame. So why not make it so you can get action based glamours?

You've said Action Glamours more than enough times now, care to actually say what you are suggesting?

So, as 1.0 players know, there used to be a significant number more animations (as each race/class had a unique stances per combination), and spells for Thaumaturge and Conjurer used to be much different. What I am proposing is make those achievable through content, allow those players to earn glamours to the basic actions they have, to change the effect and animations. And to add more animation and effects for player usage, even if just pulling animation/effects from current monsters.

For example:
After meeting the conditions, you earn a scroll that allow you to glamour over Conjurer's Stone spell with Fire.
Now this could be meet in various ways that could make old content rewarding again and give more reason to do them for older players.

Here are some conditions I thought of:
Defeat Ifrit (Extreme) synced 30 times to get an item to trade for the scroll.
Defeat Ifrit (Extreme) and each time a fire over-aspected crystal drops for you as a token, which you can trade in for the scroll. This crystal can drop from other fire based encounters as well so you can collect them from various content to trade in.
Complete a time challenge for Ifrit (Extreme) and each time this challenge is completed the token mentioned above drops

This reward would be something permanent instead of something that would be instantly replaced a month or so down the line. You can then start collecting these glamours and customizing your character a bit (which allows the dev goal of not having a skill tree, but still allow players to be different from someone of the same class)

And I think it could be taken one step further as well. A lot of people have no desire to complete certain tasks, the anima weapon comes to mind due to all the controversy the arose when it was released. Well, make it so not only that you get the weapon, but a action glamour as well. For paladin this could be that using hallowed ground has angelic wings burst from the back, Warrior gets a primal beast roar when using berserk and the eye glow a bright red during it's uptime, etc etc.

So how would this work?

First, there needs to be an option to disable glamours on the local client, so instead of showing everyone's glamoured actions, you just see the normal actions, normal text.
Second, it should be in the same menu as actions, and above traits. You go through the list, select the action, select the glamour. I feel it should get the same glamour icon as gear, with the base icon still the normal action to avoid confusion. (I.E. even though Stone was glamoured to be Fire, it is still a stone icon with the plus on the corner.)
Third, the text should read in a way that people can tell it's a glamoured action, but the base action is still in text. (Again, example: You cast fire (stone). or You cast a glamoured stone. Something among those lines)
So, effectively, the action would look different, but everything is still the same, no balance changes needed, no new locks, nothing. To go with my example, the stone spell would still work like stone, but look like fire instead.

And what is it you are looking to resolve with this?

Something permanent to earn that will last and be used despite future patches, something that can show off hard work and make your character feel more your character without changing any of the numbers or the actions. or needing a skill tree. Making old content something worth doing without just being more tomes or something forced to be done to get done for some questline, making it truly optional.
Not only that, instead of it just being titles, the truly hard and difficult content can give rewards like this as well, allowing players who work hard to pass, say, SA4 something they will have forever to use that isn't just a weapon drop that will be replaced. An example I can think of this is if you are a Black Mage and defeat Bahamut Prime, you would get a scroll to glamour your Flare as Flare Star. Summoner getting to summon a bahamut egi. Dragonkick showing a bahamuts head when you use it as a monk.

Oh, I think I get it, can you give more examples for glamour ideas?

Banish, Dark (which used to be scourge in 1.0) can be regained and used for those players who enjoyed the spells they had as a thaumaturge in 1.0.
Meeting conditions for defeating Ravana in some way could provide an alternate combat stance for sword users, Paladins getting more a phalanx stance, or Dark knight getting a 'soldier stance scroll' that turns the weapon pose into one similar to Cloud's from FFVII instead of Cecil's dark knight pose.
Monk's getting a more boxing based stance.
Egi glamours for each primal for summoner.
Conjurers/White mages getting use the elements like they did in 1.0 (examples given throughout this page on such, fire replacing stone).
Same for Black Mages, getting to choose what element to use and replace for glamour purposes (instead of feeling awkward using fire against Ifrit, ice against Shiva, and lightning against Ramuh).
Dragoons getting for stabs instead of heavy swings, getting to pick the style of attacks they wish for, after say defeating gilgamesh's conditions, potentially a gunlance style.
Machinist getting the more 'musketeer' like stances and actions we see in some cutscenes for taking on leviathan and finishing those conditions.

These shows off my suggestion to help fix the game, and because these would stay on the character to be used, it would feel better achieving these alternation stances, spells and actions because you know they aren't going to be immediately replaced.Good luck!