What's the game like now?

[Nyxx]

Hiya I used to play but quit in 05' and after going through some old bookmarks I remembered this site. I was just curious as what's the state of the game now? Like, what's the hardest HNM now? When I quit AV had not been killed and no one seemed to be able to do it. Anything out there to compare to that? Is there still killer inflation? RMT still a problem? Any of the new expansions compare to CoP storywise? And did SE ever do anything worth a damn with sea? Oh and is BLM still the best job

[Enedin]

Since 2005? Oh boy, you've missed so much. The game is much, much less tedious now. And no, sorry, SAM is the best job nowadays.

[_chuchu]

Hiya I used to play but quit in 05' and after going through some old bookmarks I remembered this site. I was just curious as what's the state of the game now? Like, what's the hardest HNM now? When I quit AV had not been killed and no one seemed to be able to do it. Anything out there to compare to that? Is there still killer inflation? RMT still a problem? Any of the new expansions compare to CoP storywise? And did SE ever do anything worth a damn with sea? Oh and is BLM still the best job

things cost considerably less now then they did back then, but gil can be tough to make if you're not very resourceful. crafting is fail. SE has been taking efforts to deal with rmt, but some of those efforts, many feel, have killed legit ways of making gil. AV still takes the cake for still being absurdly difficult, but whenever it has been beaten, SE patches it.

[Nyxx]

Did they nerf BLM? I remember reading that you could not do mana burn parties anymore, something about changing the elemental weakness per cast. Oh is the level cap still at 75?

[Fryte]

Hmm. Is this the Nyxx I did CoP missions with?

[Belkin]

Did they nerf BLM? I remember reading that you could not do mana burn parties anymore, something about changing the elemental weakness per cast. Oh is the level cap still at 75?

Way off. They didn't nerf BLM at all really. It is still one of the most desired jobs in an endgame LS.

Level cap is still 75.

[Nyxx]

Hmm. Is this the Nyxx I did CoP missions with?

OMG Fryte! Yes, it's me. Wow long time no see, man doing those CoP missions with you and the rest of our little group was still the most fun I ever had in the game. I still remember how bad we owned Tenzen for the CoP Mission 7-5. I hope you plan on playing FFXIV, because I'll be there.

[Valyana]

Essentially the only thing that the nerf changed is that on timed nukes, the one that lands first will do full damage and the ones that land after will do slightly less, making e-dicksizing more difficult.

[Fogo]

And no, sorry, SAM is the best job nowadays.

People actually believe this?

[Arthars]

they didnt nerf blm

they just nerf simualtanous nukes

anyway only seem to be 5-10% cut

and resets like 5-10 sec later

and yea sam is the best/easiest/wont suck job if you can afford a hagun

[Argettio]

The main reason BLM has gone out of favour in EXP situations (they are still needed for EG) is the change in party style.

ToAU introduced new mobs with the ability to mimic magic cast on them, which meant the old style of Skillchain -> Magic burst doesn't work.

Unless you want your Tank to get Freeze II in the face.

Also these Mobs have lower HP than normal, but high evasion. So a new party style was invented 'TP burn'

Which is typically 4 DDs (SAMs and WARs are the normal preference, but and 2 hander will do), a BRD and a RDM. Although some times 1 DD is swapped for another BRD or COR.

If done right, this can lead to infinite exp chains and 20-30k exp/hr.

The mob family is Colibri, they start from around lvl58+ (lower if you go into the WotG zones) and cover a lot of the range to 75. Greater Colibri being one of the best Merit camps in the game.

To Balance this, SE gave us Ebony Puddings. These are Flan mobs (like slimes) which have ~4.5k HP and take 25% extra damage from magic. So a good BLM can kill one in 3-4 shots. These have become BLM (and SCH) merit mob, typically soloed, but with a party you can chain higher than possible alone.

[Shinryuu]

Mimicing magic has nothing to do with it, in any reasonable party setting BLM simply is a very awful DD. Talking 50% of an average's melee awful. It was like this well before ToAU; people found out when parsers became commonplace.

[SassiAsura]

Deco burn parties were the shit.

[Carraway]

I started up a few months ago after a very long hiatus. I'd played from 2003-2004 and quit when my RL friends quit.

* Leveling is a substantially friendlier process, especially with Level Sync, FoV and more min/maxed party setups.

* Content is extremely horizontal after hitting 75. You have a ton of options.

* From what I hear, a few ToAU quests and the WotG nation storylines are pretty amazing. I'm just now experiencing CoP for the first time and the aforementioned have been described as on par with CoP.

[Valkrish]

all the same.

[Panthera]

Q: Like, what's the hardest HNM now? When I quit AV had not been killed and no one seemed to be able to do it. Anything out there to compare to that?

A: Pandamonium Warden. Part of the Zeni system. Only been beaten once, though more have tried and failed. AV is still pretty much unbeatable by known, legitimate methods.

Q: Is there still killer inflation?
A: No, exactly the opposite; killer deflation. Most consumables are merely skillup items for the crafters and they don't make much profit off of them, if any. Everything is affordable, that is, if you can actually make money.

Q: RMT still a problem?
A: Honestly, I'd say they're all but wiped out. They can't really fishbot anymore before getting busted, they no longer control sky.

Q: Any of the new expansions compare to CoP storywise?
A: Well, COP was confusing, it honestly didn't translate well, or didn't make much sense in the first place. ToAU is a more light-hearted, simple story, but well told. WotG is a good story, from what they've released so far. ACP...there's not much there, storywise. You're basically buying a body piece for $10.00 real dollars

Q: And did SE ever do anything worth a damn with sea?
A: Pop item for next sea NM is guaranteed off most of them (but not all), so they cut down on farming time. Torques and capes were still worth a damn as you say, in the first place.

Q. Oh and is BLM still the best job
A. Best at what? At Nuking? Yes, but Sch can come close. Blms are really just stunners for ToAU mobs. They're good on sandworm, but not for Dark Ixion. Rangers are good vs Dark Ixion.

Look into Level Synch and Fields of Valor. Campaign battles and ops also provide exp pt alternatives. Transportation is much improved. Dancer makes for an innovative support job, and scholar is now hands down the best sub for whm. In short, the game is a heck of a lot better than when it first came out, but there's still some things SE is stubborn about, like fixing AV and Three Kings, various other gripes. But still better than 2004.

[Gere]

A: Pandamonium Warden. Part of the Zeni system. Only been beaten once, though more have tried and failed.

Apathy has beaten him three times.

[Demetrios]

I'm in the same boat. I haven't played since 2006.

How's the end game scene HNM wise? When I played the game it seemed every expansion brought merely a new set of side grades because of Square's refusal to raise the level cap or institute a tiered content system. Zilart armor tended to be best in slot even with the early period of ToAU. Does Zilart content still dominate end game LS's event time?

[stewie]

Apathy has beaten him three times.

Priceless has also beaten him once.

[Yugl]

The main reason BLM has gone out of favour in EXP situations (they are still needed for EG) is the change in party style.

What?!

ToAU introduced new mobs with the ability to mimic magic cast on them, which meant the old style of Skillchain -> Magic burst doesn't work.

Quite frankly, a SC PT would work on them considering their HP.

Also these Mobs have lower HP than normal, but high evasion. So a new party style was invented 'TP burn'

TP Burn has been out since Zilart. KRT was manaburn or TP burn MNKs. Sky was SC or TP burn (Mostly NINs and WARs).