99 Empyrean Trials.

[Armangetto]

I agree that the lvl 95 trials and the 99 trials for emps are a bit too much. But mainly the lvl 95 trial. They need to either reduce the amount of heavy metal plates or vastly increase the drop rate of plates, so the prices of plates can go down to a acceptable price range. Or both. If they lowered the amount of plates needed, what would be acceptable? I would say about 500. At 500 for 100k apiece would make it 50m to get the 95 trial done.

What if they never lower the amount of plates needed? No one wants to spend 150m plus for a slight upgrade. They might as well go make a relic and get it to lvl 95.

If they lower the plates needed to about 500. Then increase the drop rate of plates a bit.

If they dont lower the plates and leave it at 1500. Then change the drop rate of plates signifcantly. Have the lower teir VWNMs have a chance to drop a single plate. Have all the T4s from the 3 nations have a chance drop pouches, or a single plate 100% or a very high drop rate. Have the T3s and up drop pouches and the T6s a very high chance of droping 1 to 3 pouches.

A new cell can be introduced thats is made just for increasing the drop rate of plates and pouches. The trade off for using the cell is you dont get any of the good items but gives a very high chance of giving singles from the lower VWNMS and the higher Tier VWNMS drop 1,2 or 3 pouches. This way people can choose either to focus geting plates or gear. Plus the new cell would give incentive for people to help each other out. People who care about gear can get help, while those who are after plates can either sell or use them their own emp.

Just my thoughts.

[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.

[Registeel]

All of my agreement. Right now I only have Almace, Kannagi, and Ochain at 85, but I know that I can realistically get them all to 90 once I sit down and do the NMs with my friends. I'd love to have them all 95 someday, but a whopping 4500 just seems impossible unless I devote all my time to cruor farming, cashing all that out, then buying all plates I can see at all times. Hell even just 1500 seems out of my reach. I'd be all for a plate requirement decrease but, I know that's futile at this point. One can dream, though.

Well, perhaps with my luck on getting Kaggen's Mekira armor, perhaps I'll get enough heavy metal plates before I get the armor drop.... nah, my current ratio on plates from drops is pretty bad, haha.

[Erics]

But see there was nothing to "fix" in the first place. There was nothing wrong with the way Empyrean trials worked from 75-90. SE didn't go wrong when they decided to make Empyrean upgrades require 1500 items from VW. They went wrong when they decided to fix a problem that, to me, wasn't a problem at all.

So what if lots of people worked on and "completed" Empyreans? What's so bad about that? To me it's a good thing! It showed that the system they designed worked! It showed that the content was popular! It showed that people were spending time playing the game and perhaps even having fun! They put in time, effort, teamwork, and gil and got something shiny and powerful in return. This was a shining example of how FFXI should work! It was probably one of the most fair systems they ever implemented.

It WAS... up until the 1500 heavy metal plates got dropped on us and crushed many of our hopes flat. What they've actually done is UN-balance things. Adding in a HUGE difficulty spike is not balance. Consistency is balance and this is anything but consistent.

And Erics I'm not picking on you or anything, I know we agree that things need to be changed. I just saw the word "fixed" and... well... FIXated on it... Sorry!

No offense taken. I can see where you are coming from, as I, farmed my butt off getting Almace 90. I used the word "fix" for some relic holders are still, to this day, say empy's are easier to obtain over relics just because they farmed currency. Some, not all(no, I am not flaming relic holders), need to realize all the bonuses relics get over empy weapons. I would be happy with a lower amount of plates needed or riftcinders. I've been collecting both, so let us hope SE hears us out as well.

[Creelo]

Would be really nice if in the future they had a VW fight or two that literally only dropped HMP, Riftcinder, Riftdross, HMP Pouches, and then perhaps Pouches of Riftcinder/dross as their super rare drop, as opposed to Equipment drops.

I wouldn't say limit all future VWNM HMP/Riftcinder/dross spoils to JUST these fights, but I do think fights like these would be highly appreciated for groups specifically trying finishing up those last couple Empy trials.

[Erics]

Would be really nice if in the future they had a VW fight or two that literally only dropped HMP, Riftcinder, Riftdross, HMP Pouches, and then perhaps Pouches of Riftcinder/dross as their super rare drop, as opposed to Equipment drops.

I wouldn't say limit all future VWNM HMP/Riftcinder/dross spoils to JUST these fights, but I do think fights like these would be highly appreciated for groups specifically trying finishing up those last couple Empy trials.

I would be happy with this. The amount of items needed wouldn't be so bad if there was a huge increase in drop rates for the items. The fact at 99, it seems we will be putting forth as much effort as the other weapons and the only thing we achieve is a tiny stat boost to our WS mod? While the other weapons have some nice boost to other aspects. People can cry over how some of the WS are "broken" all they want, but look at Quietus.. It sucks. Either SE needs to lower the items required, increase the drop rates for the items needed by a very acceptable percent, or 99 empy's deserve another type of boost, hidden effect, attack or accuracy+, or whatever. I'm not trying to flame or argue with anyone, this is just my opinion on the matter. Feel free to express yours, we can all talk like mature adults(I hope).

[wish12oz]

the empy trials are a ticking timebomb, if you dont do them now, the trial might end up like the mythic ones... Impossible to do.)

Honestly I am pretty afraid if I don't hurry up and get plates now it won't be possible to do it later. That's why I started working on being able to make tons of gil, so I can buy this stuff while it's around. And it's worked out pretty well, I have 800~ plates so far and tons of riftdross, but don't get me wrong, the fact that I can actually complete these trials does not mean I am happy about it at all. The only thing I really have time for now is making money.

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

Yes, I enjoy relics way more, that's why the only relic I will ever make is a g horn for my mule. lol....

[Damane]

Honestly I am pretty afraid if I don't hurry up and get plates now it won't be possible to do it later. That's why I started working on being able to make tons of gil, so I can buy this stuff while it's around. And it's worked out pretty well, I have 800~ plates so far and tons of riftdross, but don't get me wrong, the fact that I can actually complete these trials does not mean I am happy about it at all. The only thing I really have time for now is making money.



Yes, I enjoy relics way more, that's why the only relic I will ever make is a g horn for my mule. lol....

Dont get me wrong the trial in itself wouldnt be ridicoulus, if it wouldnt be a ticking timebomb. The moment VW drops becomes worthless is the moment HMP stops entering the market in masses. The moment people are out of Voidwatch stones, is the moment less and less HMP enters the market. Pritty much over half of my LS is out of voidwatch stones and they keep buying voiddust to go on. But imagine if spells and other voidwatch drops becomes worthless in terms of gil (aka you cant sell for profit/deck out your voiddust cost) and Voiddust will rise in prise sooner or later.

As said its a ticking timebomb, its only a matter of time. Allready noticed a lesser quantity of HMP entering the market. You can only hope for the next VW part...

[Erics]

Dont get me wrong the trial in itself wouldnt be ridicoulus, if it wouldnt be a ticking timebomb. The moment VW drops becomes worthless is the moment HMP stops entering the market in masses. The moment people are out of Voidwatch stones, is the moment less and less HMP enters the market. Pritty much over half of my LS is out of voidwatch stones and they keep buying voiddust to go on. But imagine if spells and other voidwatch drops becomes worthless in terms of gil (aka you cant sell for profit/deck out your voiddust cost) and Voiddust will rise in prise sooner or later.

As said its a ticking timebomb, its only a matter of time. Allready noticed a lesser quantity of HMP entering the market. You can only hope for the next VW part...

This.

The trial needs adjusted because look how long it took SE to finally consider adjustments to obtain Alexandrite. Still yet, do we know how often Alex will drop from the new Nyzul? I don't want to be halfway done with HMP, checking bazaar after bazaar, just to finally find one for 500k or more. Empyrean weapons trial deserve adjusting too. It just seems we need to make our voices clear and loud or else we will be doing preposterous trials, and for what? A slight increase?

[DrStrangelove]

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?

Getting to level 90 is a piece of cake and it's free! Unlike mythics or relics. All this is saying is:

It was free and easy up to 90, while it was hard and expensive for mythics and relics. Why change it!? If you want to give us a hurdle, don't make it more than relics an mythics have at 95 and 99.

There's no shame in stopping at 90. And look at all the people who have 10 or 12 of then already. It's fair to ask that some work get done somewhere.