FINAL FANTASY XI Update (Sep. 16)

[Dimmauk]

Killed 2 Bosses on our Nyzul Isle run and both dropped Weapons only. I hope this was just bad luck.

[SamanosukeShiva]

floor100 boss?

[Kaylia]

Killed 2 Bosses on our Nyzul Isle run and both dropped Weapons only. I hope this was just bad luck.

Drop rate is probably around 20-30% (7-10% per pieces), you're still within the statistic.

[Drako]

Killed 2 Bosses on our Nyzul Isle run and both dropped Weapons only. I hope this was just bad luck.

already went 0/12

(3 weeks in a row going 0/4)

[Kaibelf]

Long time reader, first time poster, but go with it:

While I DO feel that SE is being a little unreasonable with giving Absolute Noninformation to the player base, I do not agree that they are in the wrong for eliminating the KC method. For a large number of players (and by that, I mean inordinately large), a KC will absolutely never EVER come into their hands.

This leads to a real problem if people rely solely on this "method" to defeat AV and other HNMs: laziness. I'm no fan of hours and hours of fighting a mob, but I AM a major fan of feeling like I did something that took a lot of effort, teamwork, and a close win. I have to take serious issue with people claiming that their reduction of the fight limit to 2hrs and weakening this ridiculous mob is inadequate. I have seen post after post from people patting themselves on the back for being able to afford KCs or being part of a group that could, which is NOT an accomplishment in MANY cases (we all know what I mean). However, I've noticed an incredible lack of people talking actual strategy, or honestly even looking into it. Instead, it's "OH! KC DRKs work! Let's go!" and that's that. Yawn.

Face facts. It's not Kirin. It's not lolGenbu, or any other traditional mob. Getting him to pop is no picnic. At least now, it's 100%. At least now, it's 2 hours, not 18. Having the same generic method completely undermine using strategy in the game isn't the way to go, however. We need to simply bite the bullet and test, learn, and get better.

No one ever guaranteed that every challenge in FFXI was supposed to be the same, and it is naive to ever think they *should* be. Where, I ask, is the accomplishment if you take the same group of people, with the same setup and idea, and just rove around killing everything in basically the same way. FFXI is meant to be about variety, and (please forgive me), adventure.

SE needs to give the players a little (read: a LOT) more guidance on some of these things, but acting like they owe everyone the chance to have a sash with less work than one put into Bubbly Bernie when we all started is ridiculous. It's the equivalent of asking for an MMO Gameshark. Nothing goes against the spirit of the game and it's point more than people who want to just cut corners and not use their brains to figure out puzzles. The Final Fantasy series has never been about that, and I'd be ashamed if they didn't make this adjustment, to be honest.

SageSundi, hear my cries! Give us a clue, or something, so that we can finally stop having to deal with this garbage, and can ALL contribute to an exciting and new achievement!

[Kaylia]

Long time reader, first time poster, but go with it:

Way to fail and post in the wrong thread

[Builttolast]

The other 2 post-update AV threads were locked.

[Not Kuno]

The other 2 post-update AV threads were locked.

For a very good reason.

[ronin sparthos]

Last 'big' challenge players didnt mow down in a week was Vrtra.

Even though the community now scoffs at Vrtra, back in her prime and probably straight up to today she has always provided a challenge to overcome and was always kept 'fair'.

I think Vrtra was the closest SE got to a challenge presented to the playerbase that mowed down greenhorns, challenged the endgame community and was generally 'accepted' (at least till the lootpool was rendered mediocre) by every level of the endgame as 'hard'. Years later? That may not be the case but when SE dropped the 3wyrms, Vrtra took a long time to go down after Tiamat/Jorg met their demises - the 'ideal' HNM for a developer id imagine.

What we need in 2008 is a Vrtra-esque challenge out of AV, not this mess that is being presented to players as the 'ultimate challenge, our way or the highway' AV. Maybe then the game as a whole can move on from the Aern and on to better things.

At least this was the picture painted on Lakshmi, server milage may vary.

[Lordender]

The arguement of "not all players can get a KC" is bullshit tbh. Everyone has a small chance of aquiring one, its just lazy people don't want to farm up seals and spam the lolKC BCNM for however long it will take.

It is very possible that one might farm up enough gil to buy a KC before seeing a KC drop from the BCNM but to say they don't have a chance in hell at ever getting one sounds lol to me.

[shukuffxi]

I see WoW has driven you crazy LE

[Eruantalon]

The arguement of "not all players can get a KC" is bullshit tbh. Everyone has a small chance of aquiring one, its just lazy people don't want to farm up seals and spam the lolKC BCNM for however long it will take.

It is very possible that one might farm up enough gil to buy a KC before seeing a KC drop from the BCNM but to say they don't have a chance in hell at ever getting one sounds lol to me.

If you do the BCNM 600 times, you'll have gotten enough gil to buy one even if it doesn't drop.

[Titanss]

Last 'big' challenge players didnt mow down in a week was Vrtra.

Even though the community now scoffs at Vrtra, back in her prime and probably straight up to today she has always provided a challenge to overcome and was always kept 'fair'.

I think Vrtra was the closest SE got to a challenge presented to the playerbase that mowed down greenhorns, challenged the endgame community and was generally 'accepted' (at least till the lootpool was rendered mediocre) by every level of the endgame as 'hard'. Years later? That may not be the case but when SE dropped the 3wyrms, Vrtra took a long time to go down after Tiamat/Jorg met their demises - the 'ideal' HNM for a developer id imagine.

What we need in 2008 is a Vrtra-esque challenge out of AV, not this mess that is being presented to players as the 'ultimate challenge, our way or the highway' AV. Maybe then the game as a whole can move on from the Aern and on to better things.

At least this was the picture painted on Lakshmi, server milage may vary.

No shit in a perfect world they would change the drop pools on some of the old Wyrms instead of them wandering around for weeks at a time

[Kaylia]

The arguement of "not all players can get a KC" is bullshit tbh. Everyone has a small chance of aquiring one, its just lazy people don't want to farm up seals and spam the lolKC BCNM for however long it will take.

It is very possible that one might farm up enough gil to buy a KC before seeing a KC drop from the BCNM but to say they don't have a chance in hell at ever getting one sounds lol to me.

It takes around 2500seals to get a krakken, and considering BCNM is one of the best way to make money (for every other items you also need), your statement is stupid.

Sure, everyone could spend countless hours farming, but if you believe spending 500hours to farm a single item is healthy...you're amongst the minority of players. There is many way to design your game to include time sink that entertain people.

[Lordender]

It takes around 2500seals to get a krakken, and considering BCNM is one of the best way to make money (for every other items you also need), your statement is stupid.

Sure, everyone could spend countless hours farming, but if you believe spending 500hours to farm a single item is healthy...you're amongst the minority of players. There is many way to design your game to include time sink that entertain people.

The same could be said about wanting that ridill or ebody, it took my LS around 150 kills to get our first ridill drop, we actually saw 4 ebodies drop before our first ridill yet people wanted those items bad enough to camp everyday for several years.

If you want a KC bad enough you will spend however long it takes to get one. Dealing with low drop rates sucks but you still have a chance at getting one no matter how bad the drop rates are.

[Izzy]

Vrtra took a long time to go down after Tiamat/Jorg met their demises

Sorry, but this drives me fucking insane...

Jormungand.

JORM NOT JORG

[Maxxthepenguin]

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...downsbravo.gif

Good job SE

[Kaeko]

It's sort of hard to design a mob like Vrtra was back in the day now. Basically all the game mechanics are now known in game and barring some gimmick it's tough to present something players cannot beat within 24 hours.

The only NMs since Vrtra was added that weren't killed in 24 hours or within 1-2 attempts of the first popping (if it's a pop NM) have been...

Ouryu - ok this is pretty good imo. Still remember Opeth's LS first posting SSs of this
Baha2 - good and hard too before Apathy found you could zerg it

AV - gimmick with supposed 2hr locking
PW - gimmick with 18+ forms that are supposedly skippable?
Ixion - gimmick with how to claim it - immediately killed after claim properties found

With all the melee buffs, essentially all basic game mechanics known, and the repeated buffs and breakthroughs to the tanking classes, I find it nearly impossible to get something like Vrtra was 2-3 years ago nowadays. The only 2 examples I could think of where something wasn't killed nearly immediately after being sighted and not due to a gimmick were both from CoP era.

[Therin]

It's not that hard to design a difficult fight. . AV is a tough mob, actually. If they'd remove the weakening thing all together and just adjust him so that Benediction could only cure for 10,000 (as opposed to all of his HP), and Meteor only did ~900 (enough to hurt the shit out of you but not wipe you), it would still be an incredibly difficult fight, especially when compared to any HNM. And I'm talking about leaving every other mechanic the same (such as his ability to use any two-hour multiple times).

Sure, people would kill it, but it would require 18 very skilled players, not just any shabby 12-18 person alliance (like any other HNM).

[Jackyl]

It's not that hard to design a difficult fight. . AV is a tough mob, actually. If they'd remove the weakening thing all together and just adjust him so that Benediction could only cure for 10,000 (as opposed to all of his HP), and Meteor only did ~900 (enough to hurt the shit out of you but not wipe you), it would still be an incredibly difficult fight, especially when compared to any HNM. And I'm talking about leaving every other mechanic the same (such as his ability to use any two-hour multiple times).

Sure, people would kill it, but it would require 18 very skilled players, not just any shabby 12-18 person alliance (like any other HNM).

Yeah... if only AV's meteor was comparable to KB's meteor..