New weapons with higher base damage then relics

[Asymptotic]

75, which is why you asked "were you wielding level 69 weapons when the cap was 75?" and I replied "not 69, but 71, 72 and 73".
I don't get what your point is.

Are you trying to assume that when the level cap is X then level X gear/weapons are always gonna to be better than level X-1 gear/weapons?
If this is what you're trying to say yes, you're mostly right, but there have always been several exceptions in FFXI and there continue to be.
I still use level 54ish gear in some slots (for macros and situational stuff of course) for some jobs.
Chatoyant staff is a level 51 weapon if I recall and blah blah blah, we could go on forever but we'd enter the field of "special" items with special properties that kinda get ruled out because of their uniqueness.

The examples I provided in the first line instead were weapons with a level under the cap of the time, which in spite of that were still some among the best weapons the respective jobs could get access to. There wasn't anything particularly special about them, they were just freaking awesome, period


In spite of all of this, it's not the first time SE uses this approach FOR GEAR and, as a matter of fact, I don't think nobody ever whined about that because after almost 11 years people got used to the pattern and the consequent balancement.
It is though the first time this happens for weapons. There is no correspondant gear that takes as much work to be obtained as R/E/M weapons and they have always represented a "roof" over which normal weapons could never go over.
The only time they disregarded this rule was when they introduced Empyreal weapons, but it didn't last long since adjustments to Relics and Mythics came shortly after.



As I already had the chance to write on BG, I don't think SE is doing this to "stimulate people into going to the new areas", it's not necessary and the new gear/newstuff was a motivation good enough, and they know it.
I rather think they are doing it for another reason.
Over the last year(s) Empyreal and Relics become so common they destroyed a "balance" there was within the game.
All other weapons become much less interesting because the majority of people were aiming for Relic/Empy, and we got to a point were people were required to have a mandatory R/E/M even for just being CONSIDERED for an invite (considered, not actually invited) to a lame and easy PUG.
Such a situation was a bit preposterous.
I think SE is trying to make so R/E/M remain cool but a thing for "a few cool people" and not for the mass.
How they're goin to do that?
Simple.
They release new better weapons and at the same time they update only the lv99 R/E/M.
Since the majority of people have 85/90 Empy and 95 Relics, they'll have to bite the dust and get the new easy weapons.

Result? Everybody gets an upgrade, the "mandatory R/E/M" attitude will die, hardcore players with 99 R/E/M won't see their precious treasure become useless because of a subsequent update.
Done! Everybody's happy!


I'm pretty confident this is their main motivation, but while I agree it's for "the greater good" it still makes me angry they're moving so late to "repair" to a mistake done over 2 years ago. I wish there could be some other way because you can't expect people to put months of works into something to see it become useless by something that can be obtained in a couple of days and feel happy about it.

Then it seems we agree on all accounts (except it seems that the overall nature of my statement was heavily misappropriated - probably my fault for wording it rigidly in an environment where everything will be taken literally)! My response was to a sentiment (which I interpreted) as lamenting that 90 and below weapons would not be adjusted to remain competitive (this complaint is also found in the JP forums to some degree). I don't think it's unfair to trash them just as I'm not annoyed by Shenlong's being no longer relevant (The point of my statement was that people were lucky that Empyreans at stage 85 or 90 were competitive with 99 equipment in the first place and there was no reason to expect that this would remain true, while the expectation that 99 prestige weapons remain competitive is perfectly reasonable). Melee weapons generally, unlike gear and mage weapons, necessarily scale steeply with level. However, I feel that adjusting 99 weapons (which represent a larger investment) is fair and probably necessary to sustain not only continuing interest in the game but also the in-game economy (and I think SE knows this).

Note that I said that "the expectation that 99 prestige weapons remain competitive is perfectly reasonable." There are of course, arguments for why they should not remain as such but most if not all of those reasons fall to the wayside when 99 RMEs are competing on level ground with available high-tier weapons from SoA.

[Zhronne]

My response was to a sentiment (which I interpreted) as lamenting that 90 and below weapons would not be adjusted to remain competitive (this complaint is also found in the JP forums to some degree). I don't think it's unfair to trash them just as I'm not annoyed by Shenlong's being no longer relevant (The point of my statement was that people were lucky that Empyreans at stage 85 or 90 were competitive with 99 equipment in the first place and there was no reason to expect that this would remain true

Euuuuuh...
Well I wanted to say something but in the end I'm afraid you're absolutely right =/
It's just that when you act so LATE to "fix" something done in the past (that brought to the consequence of R/E being too common etc) of course people are gonna whine.

What I mean is: yes, this change in the long run will probably be good for *all of us*, not just the few cool people with afterglow cool stuff etc.
But at the same time can we really be surprised people are whining? I mean, we can all agree this is potentially quite a big kick in the nutts, no?
Now the thing is arguable for level 85/90 empies, but for level 95 Relics? They still require quite a bit of dedication to be completed, unless you have a bot that nets you 3 mils gil for you every day while you're sleeping.

I'm just saying that my mood atm is kinda stuck in between.
On one side people whining calling the end of the world blahblahblah.
On the other side cool people getting cocky and screaming "man up!" to the other ones.
Yeah lol, I'm definitely stuck somewhere in between atm :P

/foreveralone


But yeah, I guess I'll get through it with time, I'm particularly confident that if they play their cards right this change might prove a good thing for all of us, from the casual noobs to the hardcore pros.