I get that some people like the sidegrade game, but it's not for everyone and brings its own degree of staleness. Power of gear post-75 isn't the problem, while aside from maybe stuff added 91+ noticeably leveling off back toward sidegrade model, but the challenges presented with the new gear in mind were what the main issue is. SE got a bit too fixated on throwing out mobs with various "fuck you" mechanics because they couldn't figure out how to balance around their own engine. Heck, just look at the enmity system. You'll get some people foolishly clamoring that PLDs should be able to break the cap, but the real issue is the system needs a total revamp to not be designed around a level 60 game. Gear, brews, AoA, Abyssea, or whatever some people think "killed" FFXI are most of the time missing the mark. The real problems are usually rooted in SE just being dumb, and we can't cure that if they don't listen.
Oh I completely agree, and I also agree that SE is incompetent. But even if the side-grade design was far from perfect, at least it kept players at a similar level of strength. Because like you said, the devs have thus far shown that they're completely incapable of adapting to the 'new' FFXI, so maybe we'd all have been better off if they'd not raised the bar so high so quickly.I get that some people like the sidegrade game, but it's not for everyone and brings its own degree of staleness.
This conversation probably would've been happening 2 years ago if they hadn't.
Yeah, I'm not saying Abyssea itself wasn't a good thing overall, just that I thought they went kinda overboard with the gear stats considering the devs clearly aren't competent enough to increase monster difficulty correspondingly.
Play as a monster system = Pankration 2.0
You heard it here first.
Just a thought regarding gear and sidegrades etc. We still have 40 more levels of crafting cap expansion to go... I don't think we're going to be in full on sidegrade territory again until that cap is reached.
Another thing to consider, where the fuck are 40 levels worth of crafting mats going to come from? Certainly not all from vw, expanded events, or old mobs I'd imagine. I think all of this stuff is just laying the groundwork for a new expansion. Making the old game "current" for the new level caps, and to some extent, for potential new players (interface updates), before they hit us with something brand new.
We are already in the sidegrade territory. I'd say 90% of crafted gear has always been outdated by rare/ex. I didn't think Gear could get much better then what AF3 was for a lot of jobs. The improvements were just that big. Then Neo nyzul came out And every peice of gear that has come out since then has been side grade or just flat out worse then 100 floor.
We may have 40 more levels of crafting, there is no telling if they will take us to 150 or not.
And if is as fucking miserable to take a craft to 120 as it is to take one to 110, there probably won't be a lot of 120 crafters.
"Why are you so salty about this Septimus," you ask? How about 6 fucking hours in Fort Karugo-Narugo (S) logging up Dragon Fruit to wind up with 3 stacks of them, which if I am lucky will get 0.5 skill ups. Hate.
I don't think the power creep for gear is over, nor that nyzul 100 stuff if going to remain on the top forever. The new abjuration gear is going to be a T2 synth once they finish the cap increase. Think about it in that context. I know I'm being a little optimistic here, but I can't believe we're permanently in marginal increase land yet again. Not with what's currently in the pipe.
Maybe it's my imagination, but a lot of the hexed gear doesn't seem to be all that mind-blowingly fantastic even when HQed. Maybe the augments with Abdhaljs's Honor will be great, but the teaser image to whet our appetites was just Double Attack +1. If that isn't side-grade land, I am not sure what it.
windower is so gonna break.
Ugol Brayettes 97 [Legs] All Races
DEF:51 STR+6 VIT+6 AGI-5 [Fire] +10 [Water] +10 Attack+8
LV 97 WAR PLD DRK BST SAM NIN
Ugol Haubert 97 [Body] All Races
DEF:74 STR+11 VIT+11 AGI-6 [Thunder] +10 [Water] +10 Attack+13
LV 97 WAR PLD DRK BST SAM NIN
Ugol Moufles 97 [Hands] All Races
DEF:34 STR+8 VIT+8 AGI-4 [Ice] +10 [Air] +10 Attack+7
LV 97 WAR PLD DRK BST SAM NIN
Ugol Salade 97 [Head] All Races
DEF:42 STR+7 VIT+7 AGI-3 [Fire] +10 [Ice] +10 Attack+6
LV 97 WAR PLD DRK BST SAM NIN
Ugol Solerets 97 [Feet] All Races
DEF:23 STR+6 VIT+6 AGI-3 [Air] +10 [Earth] +10 Attack+6
LV 97 WAR PLD DRK BST SAM NIN
Does any of that look remotely useful?
Spolia Chapeau 97 [Head] All Races
DEF:27 MP+30 INT+6 MND+6CHR+6 Magic Accuracy+3
LV 97 WHM BLM RDM BRD SMN BLU PUP SCH
Spolia Cuffs 97 [Hands] All Races
DEF:24 MP+30 Magic Attack+7 Enmity-5
LV 97 WHM BLM RDM BRD SMN BLU PUP SCH
Spolia Pigaches 97 [Feet] All Races
DEF:18 MP+40"Magic Attack Bonus"+4 Enmity-6
LV 97 WHM BLM RDM BRD SMN BLU PUP SCH
Spolia Saio 97 [Body] All Races
DEF:51 MP+50 INT+12 MND+12CHR+12 Magic Accuracy+5
LV 97 WHM BLM RDM BRD SMN BLU PUP SCH
Spolia Trews 97 [Legs] All Races
DEF:42 MP+40 INT+8 MND+8CHR+8 Magic Accuracy+5
LV 97 WHM BLM RDM BRD SMN BLU PUP SCH
How about those? Do any of those look remotely useful?
Urja Gloves 97 [Hands] All Races
DEF:27 AGI+6 Attack+5Enhances "Resist Amnesia" effect
LV 97 WAR RDM THF PLD DRK BST BRD RNG SAM NIN DRG BLU COR DNC
Urja Helm 97 [Head] All Races
DEF:30 AGI+5 Attack+8Enhances "Resist Slow" effect
LV 97 WAR RDM THF PLD DRK BST BRD RNG SAM NIN DRG BLU COR DNC
Urja Jerkin 97 [Body] All Races
DEF:60 AGI+9 Attack+10Enhances "Resist Paralyze" effect
LV 97 WAR RDM THF PLD DRK BST BRD RNG SAM NIN DRG BLU COR DNC
Urja Ledelsens 97 [Feet] All Races
DEF:26 AGI+5 Attack+5Enhances "Resist Sleep" effect
LV 97 WAR RDM THF PLD DRK BST BRD RNG SAM NIN DRG BLU COR DNC
Urja Trousers 97 [Legs] All Races
DEF:45 AGI+8 Attack+8Enhances "Resist Silence" effect
LV 97 WAR RDM THF PLD DRK BST BRD RNG SAM NIN DRG BLU COR DNC
These?
The Ugol set requires some generally pricey items (Palladain Ore is 50k per just to start it up, Salade requires Scintilliant Ingot, Haubert is 3 chains (6 ingots) + a sheet), oh, and you cant outside farm any of those Ores (atleast no ones found it yet). Spolia set all require sheep chammy (all that NPCed clot plasma...) and multiple wyrdstrands (either alone, or as weaves which is 3 strands). The Urja set is the cheapest, based around Squamous Hides.
Yes there are HQ versions (Mavros for heavy set, Opima for mages/pup, Sthira for light set), but if the NQ shit is almost useless and the HQ versions will only be T1able when youre at skillcap -1, and its already 200-700k per synth, how much are you going to pay at the AH for something thats at best a sidegrade even if its white border?