Thoughts on the new AF1 upgrades?

[Makenshi]

I'm not that in the know when it comes to gear.(i also havent played since FF14 came out, although i recently quit).
How much does it seem like these will be worth using? For at least pre-delve which i never get into.

Looking at the stats i know i will be after the SMN gear, but i'm not sure about the others.

[FaeQueenCory]

SMN is great. (or at least the horn and pigaches are... empy+2 body is still better... even if the +BPdmg% is the same +10%... the pants don't beat Ngen Seraweels or the Empy+2... and the hands still can't touch relic+2 bracers...)
It's pretty much the same for all the others I'd imagine... Though I've only looked at WHM and DNC... And DNC because the empy set isn't anywhere near fa~bu~lo~us enough for me...
1-2 pieces that might be used... mostly mage oriented jobs will use them over the skirmish or even bayld gear.
But overall from the three I looked at, very nice.
Which shouldn't be all that surprising because GEO and RUN's 109AF1 sets were very well designed.

But it sounds like getting the "seals" to get the pieces you want... is gonna be crappy.
From what I gather, it's X of a certain numbered Memoir for a certain piece. X is less for a AF1+1 piece

This is very tentative and likely to be wrong... but with what I got now.. this is how it be.

[noirin]

according to the NPC for the new AF armor, upgrading a normal AF piece requires 10 memoir pages from the new BCNM fights. Upgrading from +1 requires the AF, 2 extra upgrade items, and 5 pages.

[FaeQueenCory]

according to the NPC for the new AF armor, upgrading a normal AF piece requires 10 memoir pages from the new BCNM fights. Upgrading from +1 requires the AF, 2 extra upgrade items, and 5 pages.

+1 requires MORE items than starting with the base?? >_> That's bizarre.

It also seems that the the BCNMs that you get these from are for 20 Sacred Kindred Crests...
AND it seems that they drop certain memoirs dependant on the area. eg: Throne Room BCNM drops the "seals" for body pieces.

So... it's not so bad...
10 pages/piece
The pages are a guaranteed drop depending on the difficulty... 1-4/BCNM
200 Sacred Kindred Seals per AF piece is a BIT on the steep side... BUT that's doing the BCNM only at the easiest level. (which will probably be the only real way to do it solo after this week when everyone has gotten their full 109AFs)
Dunno how hard "Very Difficult" is... but for 4 pages (gah I keep typing seals, damn abyssea)... It's probably very doable and easy enough.

Now I'm wondering what the other two things are for +1>>>109... Probably drops from the BCNMs too.
It might work out easier to just redo the acquisition quests and 109 from there. Or it might just be faster lol

Well... Good.
I don't envy REM updates... at least the AF looks like it could be fun...
(and those of us with abysmal luck at random drops aren't boned... I'll actually get the ones I need!! Instead of the 8 full stacks of 99 feet pages... That is the bad luck random drops I get...)

[Stompa]

I like the PUP set because its got loads of Pet:Haste+ on it. None of the other sets interest me much tbh.

[FaeQueenCory]

Having looked them all over... The only one that I look at and say "why didn't you do the obvious X thing" is probably THF.
"we wanna add more TH options"
"we wanna make it so that THF isn't gimped by TH demand"
"we are updating the AF1 sets to 109"

Perfect opportunity for more TH gear.... missed.
Though.... I imagine that the iLv relic and empy gear is gonna have it.
So it might just be a calculated move on their part...
Or maybe I'm just overthinking things...

>_>
If RUN and GEO have 71-75 relic and 80-89 empy sets....

I'mma eat my cat.
(not really. Jaspers is too awesome to eat.)

ALSO: SE, when you decide to make the >/=109 relic and empy sets....
Dear god...
Just use what we already have.
Use these memoir pages for the "+3" versions...
Just... don't make ANOTHER new seal/crest with more BCNMs with new upgrade items to burn on the first week and then never do again.

Also, I look forward to seeing what levels the relic and empy sets will be... 109 and sideways to AF1? Or perhaps keeping with tradition and having them be higher level? (119 empy+3! make that happen!)

[Edyth]

It's 5 items for AF+1 to upgrade, and 10 for normal AF to upgrade. It's confusing though because the NPC assumes you have the +1 and talks about that first, then tells you about the normal version as an afterthought.

I think this system looks great. Abyssea seals were a huge hit, and this is basically the same thing, but without staggering and with guaranteed drops for each player.

[FaeQueenCory]

It's 5 items for AF+1 to upgrade, and 10 for normal AF to upgrade. It's confusing though because the NPC assumes you have the +1 and talks about that first, then tells you about the normal version as an afterthought.

I think this system looks great. Abyssea seals were a huge hit, and this is basically the same thing, but without staggering and with guaranteed drops for each player.

I actually have grown to like it... I am against super grinding in all it's forms... (I blame the smn magian staff trials... Arka III... Go kill yourself, Carbuncle... Can't wait for Cait Sith...)
But the bold of your statement is why I'm fine with it now.

And the underlined part is why I don't like the REM update.
Which... kinda makes me wonder why they thought BCNMs with guaranteed yours only drops was a good idea for AF update... but... random drops that aren't guaranteed yours... yeah...

Abyssea seals were a huge hit because they didn't require full alliances... or even full parties most of the time...
AND you could also make the NMs drop the seals you needed (or at least get a better chance) by procing it...
This BCNM way is only a pain because I know some people don't have over 1k seals that they've been sitting on for years to convert to the new seals to get the 10pages they need.
(I have... so many seals/crests.... you have no idea.... pretty sure getting the 109AFs I want will eat them up though lol)

[Twille]

From what i hear you can't convert the other seals/crests into the new Sacred Kindred Crests you need, essentially making this a dead event until enough people farm the new Crests. And even then I anticipate more people using these Crests for the BCNMs with RME upgrade items rather than AF upgrades.
I haven't heard a single person express any interest in AF upgrades on my server yet.

[Zumi]

From what i hear you can't convert the other seals/crests into the new Sacred Kindred Crests you need, essentially making this a dead event until enough people farm the new Crests. And even then I anticipate more people using these Crests for the BCNMs with RME upgrade items rather than AF upgrades.
I haven't heard a single person express any interest in AF upgrades on my server yet.

RME upgrades and AF upgrades both drop from the same bcnms