August 23rd Interview

[Miji]

Im still amazed that people want better gear than what they got already. what the fuck you gonna do when you get the new gear? The same shit you doing right now with the great gear you have. I dont see why people cant get the items they always wanted and be happy.

You're missing that people want complete progression in the game. This includes, but is not limited to, better gear, better fights, better crafting expansion, etc. Do you really expect everyone to do "the same shit" and continue playing? Patience is wearing thin and that constant 500k player base SE seems to enjoy is going to drop soon if they think monotony with newer gear is what people want.

Thats not progression, thats doing the same shit over and over. This game is old now people just need to accept the fact that they beat the game already. The gear out now is fine and you can tell its fine because everything in this game is so damn easy.

Stop for a minute. Read my previous post. Better fights would obviously include harder fights where better gear and strategy is damn near necessary for success. Clearly this goes back to you talking about how easy fights are that you've never participated in. So we'll drop talking about HNM fights with you, and talking about crafting instead. You would at least like to see people interested in fighting new mobs that drop new crafting ingredients for gear that people want, right? I read in an earlier post about how you wish RMT would fight Cerberus because you wanted to make mantles, but why would you not want the legitimate players to desire these kinds of fights? Think about what people mean by progression before you make blanket statements about a section of the game you've never been a part of.

[Shadida]

IMO, they are only 2-3 improvements away from putting this game on the correct path again.

2. Fix Jorm/Tiamat/Vrtra loot.

and you think they are anywhere on this path after seeing Hydra and Cerberus?

This is why I wrote my question about gear, not because I'm dissatisfied with current gear options. I'll admit I still have a ways to go, but it would still be nice if I couldn't count the items I'd like to have on one hand... especially when so much crap is being added with the new HNMs.

- Shadida

[JoOeetheplatypuS]

1. Instanced Dynamis and Limbusfuck waiting 45 minutes to get the Apollyon SE chip
2. Fix Jorm/Tiamat/Vrtra loot.
3. Make Sea pop item drop rates 100% and expand loot table

Those 3 things are the only real changes that IMO should be made to old shit (other than a possible Ridill nerf... its an unpopular opinion but a 1 tp after 1st swing for multihit weapons would be good). Also lower SC resist rate on HNM. Sea would need an expanded loot table if drop rate was increased though, you would max out on sea really fucking fast otherwise.

BTW as for hydra I have a question... has anybody ever actually equipped the stuff? Could have hidden bonuses or a set bonus.

[phirien]

IMO, they are only 2-3 improvements away from putting this game on the correct path again.

2. Fix Jorm/Tiamat/Vrtra loot.

and you think they are anywhere on this path after seeing Hydra and Cerberus?

well obviously hydra was an absolute failure. but one thing i think worth mentioning is that they both have 100% drop rates on tier-1 craftable items.

i kinda interpreted it as SE kinda shifting the focus of high-endHNM loot pools away from being one-dimensional. essentially with cerberus' loot, you have a 10% chance at obtaining the BEST overall mantle in the game for melee and tanks, as well as a ~50% chance (or w/e it is) at an Algol.
same with Hydra, although that snakeye boomerang could have been 5000x better, as well as the torque.

in a way, you can kinda make the connection to Jorm's WAR/DRG JSE and Vrtra's BRD JSE loot pools...although making the stats on the WAR gear terrible and making BRD JSE materials available for 7mil thru an NPC certainly wasn't a brilliant idea.

if they add 2-3 items -comparable- to KB/Nid/Asp drops to Jorm and Vrtra it will free up the 3 kings camps and allow for more LS to get an opportunity at them. they don't even need to replace m/e body, just make them decent enough so they are worth killing.

[Kitha]

SE set up a decent framework of enjoyable progression systems, namely Limbus and Assault. I don't see why they could expand upon that basic design to do some cool things for the playerbase.

Create a storyline based around the Imperial Alchemists (the Zalak guys infusing BLU's with monster powers) wanting you to explore the Nyzul Island (6th assault area?) which is reportedly teeming with powerful creatures that they'd like to get ahold of. Allow group sizes of 6-18 (so up to an alliance) required for entrance to these fights. The natural assault ranking provides for a relative progression as you fight "big bosses" which drop monster specific crafting materials, and Ra/Ex "Monster Essences." The Zalak alchemists will then allows you to upgrade your assault armor by trading them the essence, an item crafted with the monster materials, and the original armor, thus "infusing" the monster's power into it.

Just some really quick ideas as to what the upgrades would be:

"Beast"
HP+X Attack+Y Ranged Attack+Y "Magic Attack Bonus"+Z

"Wyrm"
AGI+X Haste+Y% Enmity+Z

"Amorph"
HP+X MP+X "Magic Defense Bonus"+Y DEF+Z

"Arcane"
INT+X MND+X CHR+X Magic Skill+Y Enmity-Z

So for example, I could upgrade my Amir armor with Amorph upgrades, and my Korazin would go from:

DEF:44 Attack+12 Evasion+12 Enhanced "Zanshin" Effect

to

DEF:61 HP+30 MP+30 Attack+12 Evasion+12 Magic Defense Bonus+4 "Enhanced Zanshin" Effect

and it'd recieve a slight palette change (go from the red to perhaps a subtle beige color).

Continue that throughout the entire set, and all of a sudden the Amir set provides a much more desirable alternative to Koenig, while still allowing Koenig to be just as potent as it was before.

At the same time I could potentially upgrade this same Amir set with the Wyrm upgrades, and the Korazin would become:

DEF:44 AGI+7 Attack+12 Evasion+12 Haste+2% Enhanced "Zanshin" Effect Enmity+5

This sort of system seems like a fairly effective way of sideways progression and giving us some customization without rendering current content obsolete. I don't know why SE just doesn't get a little bit creative and do something meaningful for their playerbase. /sigh

[Veli]

Im still amazed that people want better gear than what they got already. what the fuck you gonna do when you get the new gear? The same shit you doing right now with the great gear you have. I dont see why people cant get the items they always wanted and be happy.

You're missing that people want complete progression in the game. This includes, but is not limited to, better gear, better fights, better crafting expansion, etc. Do you really expect everyone to do "the same shit" and continue playing? Patience is wearing thin and that constant 500k player base SE seems to enjoy is going to drop soon if they think monotony with newer gear is what people want.

Thats not progression, thats doing the same shit over and over. This game is old now people just need to accept the fact that they beat the game already. The gear out now is fine and you can tell its fine because everything in this game is so damn easy.

Stop for a minute. Read my previous post. Better fights would obviously include harder fights where better gear and strategy is damn near necessary for success. Clearly this goes back to you talking about how easy fights are that you've never participated in. So we'll drop talking about HNM fights with you, and talking about crafting instead. You would at least like to see people interested in fighting new mobs that drop new crafting ingredients for gear that people want, right? I read in an earlier post about how you wish RMT would fight Cerberus because you wanted to make mantles, but why would you not want the legitimate players to desire these kinds of fights? Think about what people mean by progression before you make blanket statements about a section of the game you've never been a part of.

The fights that im talking about are the 3 kings which i have partiicipated in. All other fights dont matter cause they dont drop shit. kthxbye

[Jeryhn]

The fights that im talking about are the 3 kings which i have partiicipated in. All other fights dont matter cause they dont drop shit. kthxbye

Bahamut v2.

kthxbye

[Miji]

The fights that im talking about are the 3 kings which i have partiicipated in. All other fights dont matter cause they dont drop shit. kthxbye

Stop being dense. People want the other fights to matter. Improving drops (such as gear) would make fights matter. Try to relate this to why people want better gear.

[Devek]

I don't mind the best gear droping from the same old stuff.. but the bar needs to be raised significantly.

Fafnir isn't any harder than a exp mob tbh :/

Hydra isn't really broken because the gear he drops is appropiate for how easy he is.. We killed him with 9 and got him down to 45% with 4...

Fafnir on the other hand is easier than hydra and drops ridill? Thats broken.. he needs a major buff.

[Veli]

The fights that im talking about are the 3 kings which i have partiicipated in. All other fights dont matter cause they dont drop shit. kthxbye

Bahamut v2.

kthxbye

Im not a summoner so i can give fuck about bahamut v2. I plan on killing every hnm in game at least once but theres no rush to do it.

[JoOeetheplatypuS]

The fights that im talking about are the 3 kings which i have partiicipated in. All other fights dont matter cause they dont drop shit. kthxbye

Bahamut v2.

kthxbye

Im not a summoner so i can give fuck about bahamut v2. I plan on killing every hnm in game at least once but theres no rush to do it.

It drops great PLD and um PUP gear too. As well as good money drops. Fafhogg is amost all all for WAR and DRK. Whats so wrong here?

[Jeryhn]

I don't mind the best gear droping from the same old stuff.. but the bar needs to be raised significantly.

This is the correct answer.

- Replace Adamantoise with the current Aspi. Make Aspi able to spam Physical and Magic Shields like Hydra or Ultima rather than the Pokemon-esque Harden Shell (lol).

- Allow Behemoth to cast Meteor. Change KB to Draw random people in similarly to Ultima's Citadel Buster mode during Meteors.

- Bring Fafnir up to the strength of the KSNM Wyrm. Make Ridill drop from Nidhogg rather than Fafnir.

- Nidhogg should gain Ouryu's Terrorga, and Bahamut's Dispelga Roar, and be both WS should be able to effect everyone in the pit.

Then you might have some fun, challenging, and best of all, drama-filled fights.

[JoOeetheplatypuS]

- Allow Behemoth to cast Meteor. Change KB to Draw random people in similarly to Ultima's Citadel Buster mode during Meteors.

Its not a random, its just whoever has hate.

[Eternus]

Eh Fafnir should drop Ridill purely from a standpoint of mythlology. Other than that fine. I agree the current 3 Kings fights should be a fuckload harder than they are considering the loot pools.

[Veli]

The fights that im talking about are the 3 kings which i have partiicipated in. All other fights dont matter cause they dont drop shit. kthxbye

Bahamut v2.

kthxbye

Im not a summoner so i can give fuck about bahamut v2. I plan on killing every hnm in game at least once but theres no rush to do it.

It drops great PLD and um PUP gear too. As well as good money drops. Fafhogg is amost all all for WAR and DRK. Whats so wrong here?

I'll admit that I didnt know that mask was the best head piece a pld can equip. I forgot what good money drops were i thought they were like kraken clubs or speed belts that you can split with 1 person.

[Faranim]

I don't mind the best gear droping from the same old stuff.. but the bar needs to be raised significantly.

This is the correct answer.

- Replace Adamantoise with the current Aspi. Make Aspi able to spam Physical and Magic Shields like Hydra or Ultima rather than the Pokemon-esque Harden Shell (lol).

- Allow Behemoth to cast Meteor. Change KB to Draw random people in similarly to Ultima's Citadel Buster mode during Meteors.

- Bring Fafnir up to the strength of the KSNM Wyrm. Make Ridill drop from Nidhogg rather than Fafnir.

- Nidhogg should gain Ouryu's Terrorga, and Bahamut's Dispelga Roar, and be both WS should be able to effect everyone in the pit.

Then you might have some fun, challenging, and best of all, drama-filled fights.

I bet that just making Faf/Nid unsleepable would prevent 90% of LS from killing it without wiping. I haven't been there in ages but I'm pretty sure almost anyone who fights it has to use sleep at least once.

[Jeryhn]

- Allow Behemoth to cast Meteor. Change KB to Draw random people in similarly to Ultima's Citadel Buster mode during Meteors.

Its not a random, its just whoever has hate.

There's been plenty of times where I've been drawn in by Ultima without having hate during Citadel Buster. But in any case, even if KB only draws in his target, Meteor will make sure everyone there is feeling the pain.

I bet that just making Faf/Nid unsleepable would prevent 90% of LS from killing it without wiping. I haven't been there in ages but I'm pretty sure almost anyone who fights it has to use sleep at least once.

I disagree a bit here. Even a really good LS can get Winged to shit. Instead, Fafnir and Nidhogg should become completely immune to Sleep after about 3-4 casts, similar to how Bahamut becomes completely immune to Stun after a certain number of casts.

[Kyreth]

Hmm, let's see.

1) 3 ToAU Kings (2 Kings and a Queen?). In the Empire, apparently they're communists and run around naked, so they have no gear drops and all the loot was sold for the commune and maybe a few mushrooms to make all those trippy special attacks. They should be at least dropping stuff like the Middle Lands ones do, even if this means their loot tables overlap somewhat. Why don't they?

2) Will they adjust Besieged rewards to match the additional challenge from so many NM's and occasional HNM?

3) When are the next tiers of Assault going in, and will they be adding more items to the rewards list?

4) Will any of the new ToAU activities be duplicated over to the three nations? Windurstian/Bastokian/San d'Oria Assaults and gear sets? Lower-level versions of Besieged? Crystal War round 2?

[Alisha]

heres a thought. they could always retire old HNM's then replace them with new HNM's that have new gear similar to the old but with a twist. for example SE wants to encourage wars to sub something besides nin and use great axe.why not just make a set comparable to adaman/armada with its stats tied to a latent that only activates if they are not subbing nin and/or equiped with a great axe.

[Manako]

Or they could be really uninventive, and have the new HNMs drop the old abj/items from the 3 kings.