I kinda see SE's influx of weapon rewards as a sort of test to see and "feel out" how other (future) jobs should be functioning AND how the playerbase views different stats and uses of weapons.
I know it might sound a little weird, but Yoshida has mentioned before when developing content that the playerbase would finish a fight much quicker than the dev team so they needed to up the difficulty a bit. So I'm thinking if the devs have their own set of 2.0 data to look at and the playerbase is essentially serving as the datamine for the current game they then have two sets of feedback on how future jobs could or should look when comparing 2 different data sets.
Just my thoughts, interested in trying this stuff out anyways. Sounds fun.
More weapons? Lordy!
Come to think of it... These weapons look like they're out of a Tales of game.
As long as lag doesn't run it like so much of the events now, I am up for something like this. Anything to alleviate the boredom right now ( you can only do so much primal and 2 dungeon runs before becoming burned out).
I'm tempted to believe this is due to conservation of resources just to throw us a non-plot bone leading up to 2.0. Weapons are easy to make. One bone (other than archers), no adjustment other than size for different races, and furthermore it looks like all the mobs in there are going to be variations on existing ones, so minimal effort is expended on asset creation.
^this, again.
I mean, hopefully the 2.0 world will have a far more gradual and aesthetically congruous weapon/armour design evolution, but if not I think they're making a mistake. I don't get the appeal of everyone running around with spikes all over them and Monster Hunter-size weapons from level 20 onwards. Not saying that the current weapons look like that, but that's inevitably where you end up if, as Spira said, you overdo your designs and peak way too early.
Well I mean, XI really only edited colors for weapons. You may have had an elite level 75 sword that was essentially just a reskinned or recolored spatha, so I can kinda see where someone who was annoyed by that would be excited with seeing all of these unique weapons. I also feel like SE just wants to throw this stuff out since they spent so much time hyping up the fact that changing around stuff was so easy with their new engine and systems. What level is this stuff, anyway? Its not level 20, is it?
I'd figure this stuff would be the current max level gear, which kinda makes sense in that you want to look more "powerful" at whatever max level the game has in it at the time. My only real question is "who the fuck forged this shit?" I mean, I can relate if some non-human was crafting this shit in terms of some god or diety, but if Mr. Random Smithy dude from that mountain over there is just getting his hands on this godly-looking materials and pounding out some weapons, then donating them to the 3 nations for the tax write-offs, then I have a problem with it.
At least try to wrap a storyline around the exotic-looking loot, like they did with the Primals drops.
probably a lot easier/quicker for them to make weapons than sets of armor
Why don't they just reskin armor? It's not like the darklight sets have unique models and that didn't stop them from adding them. The amount of weapons you can get in this game is starting to reach silly levels.
Can't wait for the Legatus weapons.
The amount of weapon rewards is starting to get trollish. I could maybe understand if the weapons allowed for different roles or ways to play the job but all they are right now is "How much materia do I need to cap stats?"
I would honestly like some armor that doesn't require me to gamble, for it to be good. (dark light is about all we got eh? And artifact) or that doesn't cost a month of farming to buy (aka pay for others failed gambling attempt).
The more I think about it, the more upset I am at the insane amount of "endgame" weapons they've released in the past 10 months. I foresee all 1.0 equipment being promptly trounced in 2.0, just as dated gear was back in the day. Either that, or they need to MASSIVELY up the drop rate on gear that's no longer the best in slot.
What they really need to do though is have a reason for having so many endgame weapons, and a way to benefit from having acquired multiple ones. IMO, the materia system should be changed for weapons, and each should be able to hold multiple materia, say 5 different types. Then, when you get an Ifrit item, you spiritbond it and convert it to something that adds fire damage to whatever other weapon you attach it to. Same for the others... then when you have 10 "endgame" weapons, you can pick which 5 additional effects you'd like to add to the weapon you are using.
Obviously I don't actually expect this to happen, but I think it'd make for a much more dynamic and rewarding system.
What you described is similar to an idea I had for how they should have handled the materia system overall.
Basically, there would be no such thing as RA/EX dropped gear, everything would be crafted items with special NM/stonghold/etc ra/ex materia melded to it.
Instead of Ifrit dropping weapons, he'd drop materia. The materia would be ra/ex and could be placed in a weapon, endowing it with the appropriate abilities depending on the weapon (ie. it'd give DoW weapons ATK and DoM Matk) while also changing the weapon to appear as the ifrit-ized version. Essentially all ra/ex gear as we know it would work that way, putting ra/ex materia into a regular piece of gear turns it into a ra/ex armor with the stats/appearance of the unique item it's based on.
I brainstormed a whole progression system and how multi-melds, materia removal, and materia strengthening would work but it wouldn't be worth the time to type. It would be nothing more than "wasted potential" fan fiction or something.
I'm honestly surprised there was so little focus on plot in 1.0, while they had no problems pumping out end-game fights (and fully unique loot for each one). I figured a FF game would have been comprised of 5 parts plot and 5 parts graphics, but this was not the case. I suppose they decided to focus less on the plot for 1.0 once they realized that things were going south and they'd have to redo the game anyway.
Kinda hoping there's more in-your-face plot for 2.0, because, especially compared to XI with its Ark Angels and Raogrimm and all of that, XIV was terribly droll in the plot department.
I'm even surprised they bothered to include a plot at all. It's also full of little references to past games which makes it even more interesting.
At this point I won't be surprised if each of the Legatus will get heavy references to the past FF game with their number like Darnus right now.
At least 1.0 wasn't all belts and zippers. That would have been a travesty.
In this we are in agreement. Thank God for Yoshida (both of them, I guess).