99 Empyrean Trials.

[Camiie]

I like them the way they are. Empys are excellent weapons and you can get them up to level 90 for free. You shouldn't go any further if you don't want to.

If you like relics better (as you clearly do), then do the 'cheaper' relic.

Trust me, when you're working on Verethragna, that ain't "free." And it's not that most Empy holders don't go further because they "don't want to" it's because they realistically can't. I'm not sure there are even 1500 plates on the market on my server at this point, even if I did have 150 million+ gil. I certainly don't see the interest in VW out there to produce them. Even if someone was rich enough or bold enough I'm still not sure it's a realistic goal at this time. The vast majority or Empy holders fit neither description. The vast majority of FFXI players don't either.

No one is asking for a hand out here (I shouldn't even have to say that), and contrary to what some believe 90 Empy weapons are not a hand-out. What I'm asking for is that the final 2 Empyrean trials, sans afterglow, be comparably difficult to the rest of the process. Require more items? More difficult/harder to pop mobs? Sure that's fine. That makes sense. 1500 rare items from one of the most poorly received events in Vana'diel history in regards to loot? One of the largest potential gil sinks in the game? Um, what?

This should trump The Fonz on the TV Tropes "Jump the Shark" page, and he's the "trope namer!" That's how severe a swerve this was. Considering what Empyreans seemed to represent before these trials you could almost call it a bait and switch. Heck, I will call it a bait and switch. I'm not sure anyone could have foreseen this would be the direction the trials would take in the final stages. If people had known I wonder how many would have bothered at all. I wouldn't call it a waste of time, but I'm sure most who started an Empy figured they'd realistically be able to finish it if they so chose. For some reason SE decided that people shouldn't be able to do so. For reasons I understand even less, some players find this reasonable. I don't, and I'm hoping many others will chime in saying they feel the same as I do so these requirements can be adjusted.