Artifact Armor 4 idea

[Economizer]

Kraken club BCNM is immutable randomness, comparable to FoV augments. In a nutshell, a steaming pile of crap.

I remember that SE said something along the lines of this:

Due to the extreme popularity of the kraken club and trouble arising as a result of a large number of players attempting to acquire the item, the monster that previously dropped the club (Lord of Onzozo) will do so no longer. A new method of obtaining the item is currently under consideration and will be implemented shortly. There are no plans on changing the drop rate of the item in question. However, the development team would like to grant players more opportunities to obtain it.

Too bad that they put it in a BCNM that drops just about nothing else for gear. Everything in this game has gotten cheaper and cheaper except consumables, certain scrolls, and the Kraken Club. It is even cheaper to get a Relic these days, but not a Kraken Club. Not that it should be super easy to get, but when things known for being expensive cost less then a scroll that would get tossed or NPC'd but this club not only didn't go down in price even a single gil, but went up, it feels like perhaps the method for obtaining it is a little harsh.

[MarkovChain]

Btw they didn't exclude static+synergy, so start leveling synergy to 80 naow and feel your pain against "a goal that you know when you will reach it". When you reach 80 come cry how it was (not) fun and you'll beg random.

[Darkvalkyr]

Karb, it's nice to see someone advocating Random like it can be the greatest thing ever, but when your argument is that 'Static will be useless and weak!' it's no difference to the people saying 'Random will be useless and weak!'.

The thing is, arguing that Static will be useless and weak has a greater chance of biting you in the back because at the end of the day the stats will be guaranteed.

One thing I want SE to do first and foremost are:
-Example of Static Augment
-Example of WEAKEST Random Augment
-Example of STRONGEST Random Augment
-Example of HOW to get the upgrade

We were all fooled into getting some level 40 equip with STR+5 DEX+5 when FoV augments were introduced. Some people got lucky, others spent eons and never got it.

Synergy came - it isn't a bad system in its own right, but it feels highly unaccessible and inconvenient to many people. I don't mind SE using augments to enhance our relic, but I don't prefer it. Evoliths were something that had potential but with most of the game spending their time in abyssea it's tossed in the wayside. (Psst, level cap to enter abyssea to 75, please) That, and how useless evolith augments were, paired with how hard it is to socket ANYTHING, paired with how it relied on synergy...far too inconvenient.

With Sky, I realize you can make great equipment, and if you have high skill in synergy (not a lot of people want to do it) you can make something really good unless you're unlucky. The fact of the matter is, people are redoing old content to hopefully be able to get those tatters and augment sky gear - but this isn't really convenient for anyone. Nothing's guaranteed, especially if synergy skill is low, and to ask them to level synergy to have a good chance is really out of the way to do it.

My current vote rests with Static augments. Yes, I'd much rather get an extra +3 to all the stats on my relic for my effort instead of 1~6.

Valor Surcoat? what if the Augments would grant something like.. "Cover +5" or "Cover +10", and "Converts Damage Dealt to MP +5" or something similar that enhances whats its generally used for, a Cover macro? Where as "Static" you'd likely see "Cover +2" or "Cover +4", and maybe "Dmg dealt to MP +2".

Except, having those static stats make that surcoat infinitely better than before. Whichever system they implement, we're upgrading our relic, and that's that. This example is a fine example how Static CAN work, especially if we get both of those stats.

What I'm saying is, Random would have the potential for some Augments we wouldn't expect. Did anyone expect Call Beast Delay-5 and Pet:Haste+3 from Adaman Solerets? i'm willing to be No, Its that kind of thinking-outside-the-box that would make me genuinely excited and curious as to what they would have in store for Random augments.

Except relics are job specific, and we expect job-specific stats. If SE narrows the pool down to only stuff a BLU would want - which is about every single stat in the game, if I end up getting a hodgepodge of HMP+3, STR+3, CHR+5, I'd have a steaming pile of useless. Thinking about job-specific bonuses, if my Mirage Keffiyeh gets a simple upgrade of increasing the Blue Magic Skill bonus on it, it already makes it a fair bit more useful. Make it +10 from +5, and I already have something that may substitute my tathlum on my ammo slot but I'm not entirely sure on that.

People can go through countless Trophies for Mederi Brogues with Blue Magic Skill +2 and STR+6, and never get it, because otherwise it's pretty sub-standard.

The fact that these relics are made to be job-specific, means that any augment will be an upgrade and may improve swap-in potential if not replace some pieces.

On another note, though - how we acquire our upgrades is another matter. I'm for quests more than anything else. The game needs more interesting content, more storyline. I'm sick of Magian Trials oversimplifying the stories. I was expecting a lot from the Fellowship limit break quests + Aht Urhgan access, but when I saw that it involved Magian...I was heartbroken.

I want BCNMs, Cutscenes -> Reward. Not repeat things -> hope for reward. Want me to be adventurous? I played FFXI for the stories, BCNMs and cutscenes. The hard battles that are actually worth the effort because I'm rewarded with a brilliant conclusion to a questline. Not some sparkly dust in my face and I get the best armor in the game.

Tl;dr:

Static until given the information:
-How to get it
-Lowest end random and highest end random possible augments
-static possible augments

As for how to get:
-Quests preferred
-Not Magian
-Not entirely keen on Synergy

[Ezrin]

STATIC! Please.

[Leonlionheart]

Honestly Magian upgrades can be very general. Some are "Kill x 100 times" some are "Turn in x item." It's very customizable I think, and anything can be done with the system.

Though quest lines do sound better.

[SNK]

Static. Please. And by god please if you do that make them not suck so damn hard. The fact that the relic armor is almost all garbage outside of 3 pieces is so sad it's not even funny.

WAR Body for example. What was SE thinking with those stats at the time?!?

RNG Body... So terrible....

The AF3 sets is what the relic sets should have been around to at the 1st place.

Hell the AF+1 pieces from Limbus were better then the most of the relic pieces at the time.

[Malamasala]

I think all upgrade items should come from fishing, chocobo racing, pankration, hot and cold. It would be a blast seeing everyone start doing those things just because suddenly there was a reward.

[SpankWustler]

As for your answer to "What would i expect for Lootmonger Relic"

The body has Increases rate of Critical hits. Imagine if you will It suddenly got the following

Base Stats:
AGI+4 Enmity+3
Increases Rate of Critical hits.

HQ Augments:
Critical hit Damage +3~6
DEX+5~6
AGI+5~6
Triple Attack +1~2

At this point, Critical hit Damage +6, Dex+7 Triple attack +3 augment, you just created the Best Evisceration body in the game, and arguable great for Rudra's when not Assassin's Charged.

Assassin's Poulaines?
Base Stats:
CHR+6
Triple Attack +1
Enmity +3

HQ Augments:
DEX+3~6
Accuracy +3~6
Attack +3~6
Haste +2~3
Evasion +3~6

With any combination of the above and Haste+3, You just created the best LTM TP feet in the game.

Theres potential. Where as with static, in their own words, we won't get those "Augment of our dreams". yes, None of the above is set in stone, You asked me what i could expect, based on the sky/Abjur Augments, I think the above are within reason.

I definitely have a better understanding of why you'd advocate random augments, now. Those would be really nice pieces, and the augments aren't so far off from what was on Sky and Abjuration gear.

I think the main difference between what you're thinking and what I'm thinking is the kind of pieces we're imagining as start and end points. You're thinking of making a junk piece like Assassin's Vest into something good. An admirable dream.

I'm a lot less hopeful for what this system could do. I'd be satisfied with the pieces I macro in for specific things becoming better for those specific things. Here's the kind of stuff I'd hope for with static augments (augments in italics):

Cleric's Briault +1
DEF: 43 MP +29 Enmity -3
Adds "Refresh" effect
Enhances potency of "Regen"
Increases "Regen" effect duration (5 seconds)
Conserve MP +5

Commodore Gants +1
DEF: 15 HP +15 AGI +3
Ranged Accuracy +5
Enhances "Snapshot" effect
Ranged Attack +10

Mirage Keffiyeh +1
DEF: 25 HP +15 VIT +4
Blue Magic skill +5
Increases Breath Damage
STR +4 DEX +4
Magic Accuracy +5

And so on. Just enough to bring some pieces that were once decent back into use, or make pieces used for one thing better at that one thing.

Of course, I'm sure the reality of it will disappoint both of us.

Assassin's Vest +1
DEF: 46 HP +22 AGI +5 Enmity +5
Increases rate of critical hits
CHR +2
Light Resistance +6

Cleric's Briault +1
DEF: 43 MP +29 Enmity -3
Adds "Refresh" effect
Enhances potency of "Regen"
AGI +2
Wind Resistance +6

[Atomic_Skull]

If the list of Augments was narrow enough and was on a similar system to the fay weapons I think we all could get behind a random system.

Still wouldn't like it, sorry.

[Atomic_Skull]

The Synergy augments on Sky gear were very well done. I would love to sea such Synergy recipes again for Relic Armor.

You can't possibly be serious with that. You have to be trolling.