[DEVS] Briarius Helms, sobek Skins and various other Abyssea NM drops

[Tamoa]

Hey Tamoa, I'll buy an emp weapon from your shell /wink

Lol we've only got 3 Ukons, 1 Twashtar, 1 Almace, 1 Kannagi, 3 Armageddons, 1 Gandiva, 1 Ochain and 1 Daurdabla to finish within the shell. That I know of anyway, it's highly likely that I forgot some - and that's only to 85 stage, even more that needs 90. We'll be busy a looooong time!

[Korpg]

Ultimately who cares if someone is buying an Emp?

The multiple ??? spawns means they aren't monopolizing the pops, the ability to get pops from Amber chests leads to simply killing normal mobs till you get pops and then finally you're able to solo/duo/trio or use however many people at your disposal in order to get your drops.

Emps are straightforward and the idea that phantom RMT are out there holding things hostage is a joke. Stop wasting your time camping crap like Gukumatz and focus on how to cap amber/azure/pearl and get pops through that method.

You know what's funny.

Twice (not kidding) I have killed Gukumatz only to have a big gold chest pop and Gukumatz's KI be in that chest.

Not solo kills of course, full blown Sobek farming with amber chests on the side to help speed up Sobek kills.

[Korpg]

Lol we've only got 3 Ukons, 1 Twashtar, 1 Almace, 1 Kannagi, 3 Armageddons, 1 Gandiva, 1 Ochain and 1 Daurdabla to finish within the shell. That I know of anyway, it's highly likely that I forgot some - and that's only to 85 stage, even more that needs 90. We'll be busy a looooong time!

Meh, believe it or not, I got the 75 Orthus's Claws needed for 90 Ukon, but I haven't even STARTED the GA yet.

I want to, believe it or not, but I look at everything up to Glavoid (including Glavoid) and I get really lazy >.>

Besides, who knows, I might actually get Rank 1 Mog Balls and have an automatic Ukon 90. Or rather Nirvana 85 honestly >.>

[Bumbeen]

Would be awesome if everything was buyable. Probably won't happen though. And if I'm going to stand in a zone waiting on someone else to kill it I may as well kill it myself.

[Zyeriis]

We definently need more of the FC mentality in this game: "I don't want to play the game, I just want to pay for everything." Sure it may not be RMT (Real Money Trading) but it's still silly paying to not play the game (which apparently people need be reminded: is what RMT offers). Where does all that money people make from morons go? Certainly not into relics, they're still rarities. So I'm going to have to laugh at the people who think RMT is dead, just because it's not as visible as it once was (fishbots, etc.). It's laughable to believe that a good portion of those FCers aren't selling that gil to websites.

Making emp weapon items bazaarable wouldn't just be idiotic and/or pointless, it would run this game into the ground even faster. It's too easy as is.

[lowkey]

Emps are straightforward and the idea that phantom RMT are out there holding things hostage is a joke.

This is who the ones still yelling RMT at everything remind me of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA1hyqA6UTY

[Kimble]

We definently need more of the FC mentality in this game: "I don't want to play the game, I just want to pay for everything." Sure it may not be RMT (Real Money Trading) but it's still silly paying to not play the game (which apparently people need be reminded: is what RMT offers). Where does all that money people make from morons go? Certainly not into relics, they're still rarities. So I'm going to have to laugh at the people who think RMT is dead, just because it's not as visible as it once was (fishbots, etc.). It's laughable to believe that a good portion of those FCers aren't selling that gil to websites.

Making emp weapon items bazaarable wouldn't just be idiotic and/or pointless, it would run this game into the ground even faster. It's too easy as is.

The fact that I havent gotten an RMT tell in months is proof that RMT is dying out. Also, GIL is really easy to make in this game now and not a lot of stuff to spend it on outside of expendables.

Making money and buying are apart of the game play.

[Seriha]

Eh, I wouldn't be against the insidiously low chance of a big gold crapping out an upgrade item. Could extend that to seals and +2 things, as well. Could all be part of the same "pool" and randomly chosen from when it is selected. Nothing to rely on, but nice when it happens.

[Zyeriis]

The fact that I havent gotten an RMT tell in months is proof that RMT is dying out. Also, GIL is really easy to make in this game now and not a lot of stuff to spend it on outside of expendables.

Making money and buying are apart of the game play.

Then the fact that I got one such tell a week ago is proof that it isn't dying out? Just because it's different now doesn't mean it's gone. Especially when there's still gil selling website advertisements on wikia and ffxiah.

Making money and buying are a part of the game play. Buying (or "making", see the P.S. section) money and buying the game play (using money to rid yourself of having to play the game) is not the same thing.

P.S. "Making" money isn't even relevant any more. When you can make money by just sitting there in a party, and lots of it. Does this mean RMT no longer exists? No, it doesn't, because there's always some one even lazier, who wants the money immediately.

[Annahya]

I would agree that there is no need for the ability to buy Empyrean items.

While I do believe that if someone wants to buy their way out of playing (in game, not RMT), let them, as they are only hurting themselves... I concede that it is an excellent point that the players selling these weapons will be clogging up the works as bad, if not worse, than the players earning them on their own.

All of that said, I do think this trials were very lazily designed - and I wish they had been designed differently.

Following is a bit of a digression, regarding the last point above, so if you want to stick to the OPs topic, you can skip the rest of this. /grin

I, personally, think that the 3x??? they added to the NMs did wonders for clearing up congestion - so there is really no reason to worry about getting the helms/skins/etc. I think what is more frustrating is the congestion at the KI NMs you need to get the pirmary target to spawn. Converting timed spawns to force-pops, as well as making all KI NMs have multiple ???s would pretty much clean up any issues with groups getting their claim. They would still have to fight and earn their items like anyone else, there would just be less irritation leading up to the fights.

That said, I also agree with the notion that 50/75 items is excessive. I do not want the weapons to be handed over, but there could have been a MUCH better way of handling this than this level of NM spamming - it is just tedious and boring. Perhaps if it had been 1 item from 10 different NMs that were not 100% drop rates, or something, this would make it less tedious and still be as challenging - as well as clearing up the congestion issues that some are having. Or perhaps a wider variety of NMs in limited number, like the the trials leading up to the final three Aby-NMs.

For example, instead of ending with Briareus Helms x50, Sobek Skins x50 and Apademak Horns x75, why couldn't the trials for Almace read something more like:
Trial 12xx: Pantagruel x5
Trial 12xx: Adamastor x5
Trial 12xx: Grandgousier x5
Trial 12xx: Briareus x5
Trial 19xx: Minax Bugard x5
Trial 19xx: Sirrush x5
Trial 19xx: Gukumatz x5
Trial 19xx: Sobek x5
Trial 23xx: Sisyphus x8
Trial 23xx: Upas-Kamuy x8
Trial 23xx: Dhorme Khimaira x8
Trial 23xx: Apademak x8
Trial 99xx: Caturae x6 (family style, like elemental trials)
Trial 99xx: Shinryu x1

Yes, this is a lot of trials, and the leg-work of running back to Jeuno would be there, but there would be variation, a more flowing sense of advancement, a sensible progression, and a culmination in soaking your new awesome weapon in the blood of Abyssea's elite enemies.

79 kills. Yes, it is less than a hypothetical average of (50+50+75)/1.5 (a totally arbitrary average of 1-2 drops per), that is to say 116~ kills; but the spread is less boring, and it is a little harder than joining an exp party to leech TEs and then spamming the same NM a billion times.

It is not a perfect suggestion, and I am not trying to put SE down either, I just wish these quests were designed with less "monotony=difficulty" in mind.

I have no delusions about what is in existance changing, but I really hope that SE doesn't just extend this precedent out for future Empyrean Weapon upgrades. From 91-95, and then 96-99, x100 Founcypants Garters, x100 Ladderclimber Larry Gloves and x200 Jedi Lightsabers will be a serious disappointment...