Letter from the Producer, XVI (08/15/2011)

[Hiruke]

I don't get the logic of getting everything ranked to 50, and then doing it on your alt? There are other games to play. You can't be that bored and love the game that much.

My only R50 is my fisher. Upcoming is my Thaum who is at 35 atm.

I agree. I only have 2 50s at the moment (to be fair, that will probably turn into 4-6 50s in a couple weeks).

That said, some people must be that bored and love the game that much, because I know at least one person with 12 50s on their main (with 5 more close behind), and 8 50s on their alt (almost 9).

I quit for a few months for obvious reasons, but it's clear that there is a small section of the population that is ridiculously OCD, because some of them never left, and never stopped grinding.

[miokomioko]

Alt characters (outside of dual-boxing) make no fucking sense to me at all in the first place.

[Gulkeeva]

Gotta remember, SE is currently doing "nothing" to bots, except maybe posting some notice about "Don't use third party stuff" on their front page. Theirs bots to do everything from auto lvling, to crafting, fishing, mining, craft leve's etc. Hell you could shot your botting, sit in town and craft 24/7 and you won't get banned sitting in that 1 spot botting. (if I recall some guy in uldah was doing this at one point using every profanity possible)

Anyway for actual players, the benefit of lvling various classes to 50 is making it easier for you to survive/do better dps. Making it all around easier for the group to require less healing to keep you alive, and less fighting time on mobs helps alot.

[Sephiroth]

The Bowl of Embers map is used during one of the missions. The mission you meet Ifrit face to face. You either had to fight the beastkin or parley with them. I remember it vividly as I had to parley for about 2 hours before I was able to win. (Time limitation on instances.)

As for the 2nd map, I wonder if its the location of the tropical beach in the summer event wallpaper.

Interesting... I never checked the map during that mission and just assumed the area was part of Thanalan where you enter the instance. But since you meet Ifrit there in a mission it makes even more sense that you'd fight him there.