The Final Fantasy XI Team Answers Your Questions! (07/03/2011)

[brozy]

Didn't see a thread so:

The FINAL FANTASY XI community is ever abuzz with discussion on in-game content. Today, the development and operations teams return to address some of our fans' most pressing questions and concerns in FAQ format.

Q: It seems to me Campaign hasn't been seeing much version update action lately, like a reliable if wrinkly veteran replaced by young blood on the battlefront. Are Campaign's glory days over, or are there still plans to breathe new life into the system?

A: We would like to reassure players that Campaign's leal service has not gone unnoticed, nor the fortitude born of experience that this grizzled veteran brings to the battlefield. Various adjustments are in the pipes for the trusty system, some of which are scheduled for the upcoming major version update.

Q: While new and more powerful gear have become a staple in each version update, at risk of sounding old-fashioned, I'd much rather continue donning the older equipment I've worked so hard to obtain. Ah, would that doing so could be not only sentimental, but practical as well...

A: We fully understand the fondness that adventurers develop for their painstakingly procured equipment, and intend to make such items augmentable via synergy. While the results will vary based on equipment level, upgraded gear can be expected to rise to a strength roughly equivalent to that of +1 Empyrean Armor, or +2 in the event of a high quality yield. Successfully augmented items will always boast improved stats, which can be overwritten or removed as desired. It will not be possible, however, to alter specific attributes only.

To allow for greater accessibility, minimum requirements will be set relatively low for the new recipes. Synergy skill only will be needed, meaning the entire process can be handled solo. While it is possible for less experienced synergists to perform the augmentation, the likelihood of high quality yields will increase proportionally to skill.

Q: While helping out the embattled survivors of Abyssea is reward enough for this altruistic adventurer, those I assist never seem to reward me with the Empyrean upgrade seals I seek. Is it just me or is there an imbalance in the rate of yield?

A: We have confirmed that the yield rate of the seals in question is uniform, and this has been verified in subsequent testing. As is the nature of probability, however, some deviation may occur in the short-term. We ask for your understanding in this matter, and fervently hope that you never cease lending your aid to the needy folk of Abyssea.

*Future FINAL FANTASY XI Team FAQs will be hosted on the official forum.

Learn more about the forum here.

playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11eu/detail/6292/detail.html

[Guitarman]

The most succinct and vague Q and A yet. Though, guess that's not a surprise with the site launching tuesday.

I really can't see the point of revamping campaign. Don't get me wrong, I love it, i really do, but why go back? It took me 3 hours solo to level my NIN from 85-90, i've been sitting on 20/20 merits for months, and the item rewards are all laughable anymore. I just don't see what they could do to entice us to go back. The only thing I can think that might bring me back to campaign is allowing the use of Uriel Blade/Glory Slash outside campaign.

[Massimo]

Most important thing they need to do is remove the 5 day cockblock for ranking up. Rose Strap is still king. Having to wait over 2 months with getting it is just fucking dumb though.

[mdkuser]

they will make the special BCNMs in each beastmen stronghold more readilly available, I assume (tiercel necklace, cure potency earring etc..)

[Julian]

Trying to understand what the fuck the campaign question was trying to say when I woke up just 2 minutes ago was not fun.

[Julian]

Oh, and thanks for putting a 11.5 hour maintenance right smack in the middle of one of my last free days.

[Priran]

OP is a time traveler

what's it like in july

[Renzy]

Time to start levelling up Synergy

[TacoTaru]

Someone in a different thread when synergy was brought up posted a way to skill it easily, but I can't seem to find it now. Anyone remember the thread or mind reposting?

[Divinius]

Letting us get skill-ups in Campaign would be nice too. Would be a two-fold improvement: a reason to do Campaign, and another method of skilling up Abyssea-leveled jobs.

[Isiolia]

The most succinct and vague Q and A yet. Though, guess that's not a surprise with the site launching tuesday.

I really can't see the point of revamping campaign. Don't get me wrong, I love it, i really do, but why go back? It took me 3 hours solo to level my NIN from 85-90, i've been sitting on 20/20 merits for months, and the item rewards are all laughable anymore. I just don't see what they could do to entice us to go back. The only thing I can think that might bring me back to campaign is allowing the use of Uriel Blade/Glory Slash outside campaign.

In a sense, improving Campaign is improving the relevance of WoTG as a whole, given that so much in that expansion ties back to it. That said, I think a good move on their part would be to reduce its importance significantly. One suggestion I've seen would be to retool it for low/mid level XP, where Abyssea isn't quite as much a given.

IMO, the point is to make more use of the zones. WoTG is usually all but vacant, which is just a waste when you figure that FFXI can only support a limited number of zones (thanks PS2!), and they're nearly all used.

[Julian]

Letting us get skill-ups in Campaign would be nice too. Would be a two-fold improvement: a reason to do Campaign, and another method of skilling up Abyssea-leveled jobs.

This, seriously.

Buff up the NPCs a bit, at least the support ones, or add more support NPCs. Buff up the exp gain (seriously, who cares about exp anymore? it wont hurt) and let people skill up. That alone should "fix" campaign.

[Mafai]

OP is a time traveler

what's it like in july

I laughed, but dd/mm/yyyy

[aduidarnenye]

I would really like to see an update to Campaign. On Ramuh, the beastmen hold everything but the main cities (I guess after we all merge over to Bahamut they'll have it all!). I've never done Fiat Lux and would really like the chance. I'd like to see it so there is always campaign in the zones held by the beastmen. The coffer rewards could just pop up mid-campaign occasionally. I'd also really like to see skilling up in Campaign allowed too, I never understood why it was cut off.

[Sho]

Someone in a different thread when synergy was brought up posted a way to skill it easily, but I can't seem to find it now. Anyone remember the thread or mind reposting?

The most ghetto way to skill Synergy would be:

1-41: <insert craft here> Smock
41~44-80: <insert craft here> Stall

The less fewell spending, explosion intensive method would be:

1-11: Pineapple Juice
11-16: Melon Juice
16-23: Grape Juice
23-29: Yagudo Drink
29-40~44: Silver Nugget (to 40) or <insert craft here> Smock (to 44)
40~44-51: Mythril Nugget
51-70: Platinum Nugget
70-80: <insert craft here> Stall

[Gwynplaine]

One suggestion I've seen would be to retool it for low/mid level XP, where Abyssea isn't quite as much a given.

Yes they should do this. To make casual solo play an option for those levels around 40-70ish. They could just make every zone further toward Jueno targeted for higher levels. Like Ronfaure, Gusta, Saru _S could be for levels 40-50. Jugner, Grauberg, Fort KN levels 50-60. etc. Then leave Beastmen strongholds and northlands for levels 75+.


Concerning the synergy additions to old gear. I'm really getting tired of this transition to 99. They need to make up their minds, they can't have it both ways (without pissing people off). Either you're gonna burn the people now who pursued all the good Abyssea gear by making old crap better, or you're gonna burn old gear by making better new stuff. But just stop going back and forth or I'm going to stop caring about gear til 99 is finished and they make up their fucking mind.

[TehKerm]

Yes they should do this. To make casual solo play an option for those levels around 40-70ish. They could just make every zone further toward Jueno targeted for higher levels. Like Ronfaure, Gusta, Saru _S could be for levels 40-50. Jugner, Grauberg, Fort KN levels 50-60. etc. Then leave Beastmen strongholds and northlands for levels 75+.


Concerning the synergy additions to old gear. I'm really getting tired of this transition to 99. They need to make up their minds, they can't have it both ways (without pissing people off). Either you're gonna burn the people now who pursued all the good Abyssea gear by making old crap better, or you're gonna burn old gear by making better new stuff. But just stop going back and forth or I'm going to stop caring about gear til 99 is finished and they make up their fucking mind.

In every game i know gear always becomes useless for new, more powerful upgrades, maybe people should quit crying over this well known fact of video games, secondly they said the augmented old gear would be on par or w/e with +2s, that being said, it shouldn't be a problem figuring out what gear you'll be using til the next level cap increase, for anyone. This synergy stuff with old content gear is obviously for the players who spent a year + completing salvage sets and whatnot, i wouldn't be surprised if the best upgrades on old content gear would be those sets exclusively.

[ronin sparthos]

On Synergy:

Try to spam fewell that doesn't have negative effects like lightnings stun, fires disease or waters poison. Those tend to eat alot of feeding time per synth..

If you have RDM, Composure + Haste makes Earth fewell explosions do nothing and if you position yourself with your back to a wall then dealing with wind knockback isn't a problem. Light/Dark feeding also would work.

For skillup, just run down the wiki list and pick something you can do that has favorable elemental feeding.

Concerning the synergy additions to old gear. I'm really getting tired of this transition to 99. They need to make up their minds, they can't have it both ways (without pissing people off). Either you're gonna burn the people now who pursued all the good Abyssea gear by making old crap better, or you're gonna burn old gear by making better new stuff. But just stop going back and forth or I'm going to stop caring about gear til 99 is finished and they make up their fucking mind.

Really it comes off as being like FOV augments to me. The synergy update will make certain old pieces viable again but for the most part even with buffs some pieces are going to remain dead. SEs attempt to please everyone, coming off an age of pleasing only a few.

The bigger question to be asked is what the gameplan for post-Abyssea content will be. We've heard about fixes in WoE, some fixes that were obviously in the works and possible revival of old content (ZNM iirc?) but nothing of substance. Isn't the update supposed to be this month? SE talking often is great and all but Abyssea is over, what is the new arc going to be?

[TehKerm]

All kings and HNMs will respawn every 10 minutes!

[Guitarman]

The bigger question to be asked is what the gameplan for post-Abyssea content will be. We've heard about fixes in WoE, some fixes that were obviously in the works and possible revival of old content (ZNM iirc?) but nothing of substance. Isn't the update supposed to be this month? SE talking often is great and all but Abyssea is over, what is the new arc going to be?

not only that, but it says in the OP the "upcoming major update" If it's such a big update shouldn't we have heard something by now?