"Revamped" Rewards System

[NefGP]

Striders, Ochiudos Kotes, Cassie/Astral Earrings, Fuma Kyahan (arguable), Peacock Charm, Haubergeon (59 but best thing for a lot of DDs), ACC rings to name a few.

all of those items eventually got replaced with better gear, FYI. How long did you play XI for, because I played pretty much from launch until shortly after the lv 95 patch.


And as I noted, it XI took it to the extreme in some cases, but there's no reason to just throw stuff out for new items, at least within the same level range! Again, with Garuda vs Ifrit - they're both Primals, so why should one's stuff be better than the other's ? I for one really enjoyed how XI gave you multiple choices for gear.

However XI also had gear swapping, which was a bit part of the problem when it came to carrying multiple sets for a single job. XIV doesn't have that issue, as we can't swap our stuff during combat. I think the devs have been largely good about creating gear that works well, I just don't care to see new content automatically obsolete the old content, particularly when the items offered are within the same level range.

A better approach to the primals would be to have all the weapons on equal footing, but with a different flavor - Ifrit focusing on high damage/attack, Garuda on speed, Ramuh on critical hits & Titan on... well, they're weapons so defense doesn't really fit lol, maybe increase to primary attributes? I dunno, but the point is there's no reason for 1 set to be strictly better than the other.

[Almalexia]

If they released, say, two primals in the same timeframe, then it would make sense that the weapons were comparable in power. This was the case with Moogle and Ifrit: you could have picked ACC or ATK (nevermind that ACC was a junk stat at the time).

But Ifrit and Moogle were 2011 models. Come 2012, the new models should distance themselves from the old more than being a mere alternative or sidegrade. Second Lieutenant and Garuda are comparable in power amongst themselves, but better than Ifrit and Moogle. At the same time, Ifrit and Moogle have alternative value in the form of GC seals, which you can then invest into purchasing an SL weapon. This trend should continue as new content is released.

[NefGP]

So because the Primals aren't all released at the same time, that's your basis for not keeping them on equal footing with one another? That's a pretty weak argument.

Furthermore, they are dramatically changing combat in ARR, as well as the Primal fights themselves quite likely. Sadly, I don't expect the trend to change, as we've been told that SMN and the level cap increase will be in the first major patch after launch. As such, I'm betting Titan will be 55~60 battle and drop corresponding weapons for those ranges, even though all of this conflicts with the game's lore and as I said, kills incentive to do the older content.

I prefer to think of trading the drops in for seals as a way of giving people incentive to help others do the content, rather than just as a petty bonus for when you find something better to use. I'm a little surprised you wouldn't be more supportive, as someone who attained both Spharai and Glanzfaust (which I remember you were horribly disappointed with at the time).

Sorry but I won't be convinced otherwise - newer doesn't have to automatically = better when the items in question are within the same level range. Tanaka had it right when they tried to keep everything comparably good, so that players who maybe wanted an item but didn't care for the content to get it, could do something else to obtain a similarly good item.

[Shougun]

Would be cool that if you took your primal weapon from a lower (easier primal) and either fought a higher difficulty or higher tier primal you could unlock an upgraded version of that weapon.

So Ifrit wep -> fight Ifrit hard(er) mode -> get a upgraded Ifrit weapon.
or take Ifrit weapon, go kill higher tier primal (like Garuda) get upgraded Ifrit weapon.

I would like to see primal weapons be similar in power (when they are similar in difficulty to acquire).

[TimonLoon]

all of those items eventually got replaced with better gear, FYI. How long did you play XI for, because I played pretty much from launch until shortly after the lv 95 patch.

Some of the gear I mentioned was top tier for years. Some of them even after ToAU expansion.

The two major primals were released almost a full year apart.... You're damn right that gear better be better than the previous one to justify even bothering with that content.

[mbncd]

I agree that power creep ages content instead of adding to it. What is the point of a game that has a hundred things to do if only the three most recent things are considered to give currently acceptable drops? The other 97 things just rot and the game loses most of what it has going for it, the content everyone wanted. "There's not enough stuff to do!"

[Aenarion]

If they released, say, two primals in the same timeframe, then it would make sense that the weapons were comparable in power. This was the case with Moogle and Ifrit: you could have picked ACC or ATK (nevermind that ACC was a junk stat at the time).

But Ifrit and Moogle were 2011 models. Come 2012, the new models should distance themselves from the old more than being a mere alternative or sidegrade. Second Lieutenant and Garuda are comparable in power amongst themselves, but better than Ifrit and Moogle. At the same time, Ifrit and Moogle have alternative value in the form of GC seals, which you can then invest into purchasing an SL weapon. This trend should continue as new content is released.

As NefGP and mbncd have been saying, powercreep for the sake of powercreep is usually not a good idea, especially if you look at long term sustainability.

[SwordCoheir]

As NefGP and mbncd have been saying, powercreep for the sake of powercreep is usually not a good idea, especially if you look at long term sustainability.

Aye, that's alot of the reason FFXI is in the crapper right now, because after they went above the 75 cap which had been in play for almost 8 years the power creep from stats/gear just went out of control in comparison to content.

But in any case, if SE does it right they will follow their plan to eventually phase out content and gear out of the game, the new gear doesn't have to creep to be relevant because people who missed out on the last content will have something similar to work for. Just my opinion on it though.

[Rukkirii]

While the details have yet to be finalized, Yoshida did discuss a bit about his plans for the new rewards system in a recent media interview. He said that for the overall path for how adventurers increase their strength, they're creating a flow where you would earn tokens via content to purchase equipment. Then, using that new gear, would be able to take on challenges for rare items, and once complete, challenge ever harder content to really become powerful. Players should be able to achieve the first objective, and then really challenge themselves on the higher difficulty content.

As soon as we have more concrete examples or details, we'll be sure to pass them along!

[Orophin]

Sounds like tiered content from WoW then. Get to level 60 > Scholo and Strat > LBRS/UBRS > MC > BWL > AQ > Naxx > etc, etc...

I just hope some content will be relevant more than 3 months at a time. I didn't play FFXI endgame much, but it sounds frustrating to have had LV75 gear for 5 years then everything made obsolete in a short period of time within the level cap being raised.