Yeah this is exactly my problem with the system: The fact that the upgrades require you to fight mobs that drop weapons equal or better to the RME you're updating, using mats that require you to farm delve NMs meaning by the time you get your upgrade materials you'll already have the plasm for the delve version even if it didn't drop off the MB.
Realistically, given the amount of time-or-money an RME takes to make, at the very most upgrading it should take a similar time frame to if you were farming plasm for a delve MB weapon, considering they are the same item levels.
Say you want the Shark GKT, it's what, 200,000 plasm right? Beating the boss once then farming 40 5k plasm runs (is that an average mediocre run? It's been a while) will get you it. The sidegrade RME (which you have already dumped millions of gil into) should at most take a similar time frame to complete if they're going to be sidegrades.
Right now it's not. 18 people in an alliance all wanting 300 relic materials? 5400 drops? On what planet is that justifiable for an inferior or equal weapon? If they were all by far and away the best options again then I wouldn't give a fuck, but they're not. Some are better, some are equal and some are just worse.
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