New "AF1"

[Demon6324236]

Just think of the major transformation that the Relic and Empy sets will be when THEY get 109+ified. (dunno if their iLv will be 109 or if it'll be higher like how AF1 (50-60) - AF2 (71-75) - AF3 (80-89) used to be. Here's hoping Empy+3 is 119!

It will likely be 119 since RF(Reforged, RF if the term I use for the new version of our AF gear since we abbreviated Artifact as AF, and the new set is the Reforged Armor) will be getting upgraded next update, likely with the other 5 pages of the RemMems, to level 119. I assume the way they are doing it is RF being the only gear to make the stop at 109 because our original AF was stuff at 75. AF gear was at 52~56 and got upgraded to 75, Relic was 71~75 and got put up to 90, Empyrean was 81~89, never changed. I assume the large level gap between AF and the others stat wise, gave them the cause for making 2 stages to it, also, the others both had a total of 3 stages, NQ, +1, and +2, where as AF had only 2, NQ and +1. All in all, I think AF becoming RF, and furthermore RF+1, will be exclusive to it, and the others will simply start at 119.

This is mostly speculation though, the only confirmed part of any of this really is the fact that RF will be level 119 next update through some sort of upgrade process. Which also means everyone should get theirs now because it will be the best gear for your job most likely in a few different ways, since all ilevel gear with higher levels ends up with higher HP/MP/STR/DEX/VIT/AGI/INT/MND/CHR/DEF/EVA/MDEF/MEVA, generally.

[FaeQueenCory]

It will likely be 119 since RF(Reforged, RF if the term I use for the new version of our AF gear since we abbreviated Artifact as AF, and the new set is the Reforged Armor) will be getting upgraded next update, likely with the other 5 pages of the RemMems, to level 119. I assume the way they are doing it is RF being the only gear to make the stop at 109 because our original AF was stuff at 75. AF gear was at 52~56 and got upgraded to 75, Relic was 71~75 and got put up to 90, Empyrean was 81~89, never changed. I assume the large level gap between AF and the others stat wise, gave them the cause for making 2 stages to it, also, the others both had a total of 3 stages, NQ, +1, and +2, where as AF had only 2, NQ and +1. All in all, I think AF becoming RF, and furthermore RF+1, will be exclusive to it, and the others will simply start at 119.

This is mostly speculation though, the only confirmed part of any of this really is the fact that RF will be level 119 next update through some sort of upgrade process. Which also means everyone should get theirs now because it will be the best gear for your job most likely in a few different ways, since all ilevel gear with higher levels ends up with higher HP/MP/STR/DEX/VIT/AGI/INT/MND/CHR/DEF/EVA/MDEF/MEVA, generally.

SMN is probably the biggest wrong to assume "higher level gear = best".
In fact... it's kinda a HUGE smn noob mistake.

For instance, the base relic gloves are better than the empy+2.
"but empy+2 is higher level" says the noob smn...
While such numerical DBZ-thinking is fine for DDs... I guess...
It's the absolute worse thing to think in terms of smn.

You're probably right about the 6-10 pages being the mechanism for the 109->119ification.
Though I wonder if RUN and GEO's 119 will just use them too... Probably.

And should the AF2 and AF3 become 119 without the 109 step... (remember, AF3 goes from shit to +1 and then to +2... so there's no reason to assume they won't arbitrarily force a X->109->119 as well... they certainly seem to be wanting to add more grind to Adoulin.)
Then what we're gonna be looking at is probably just what we had before Adoulin: AF3 head, AF3 body, AF2 hands, AF3 legs, AF3 feet.
Now with the 109AF1 stats... the feet and head might turn out to exceed the 119AF3 slots for those pieces.....
But chances are, they will just wind up being the same best slot items for SMN like they have been for ever.
(And poor Nares Sheraweels ppl... >_> There would be no comparison with a 119AF3...)

EDIT: OMG.... Just realized... 119... all that +smn skill...
The mythical 600+...
Alexander...
>_>
Dear Mother of God.

[Demon6324236]

SMN is probably the biggest wrong to assume "higher level gear = best".
In fact... it's kinda a HUGE smn noob mistake.

For instance, the base relic gloves are better than the empy+2.
"but empy+2 is higher level" says the noob smn...
While such numerical DBZ-thinking is fine for DDs... I guess...
It's the absolute worse thing to think in terms of smn.

No really it fits for everything. Just because Skirmish gear is level 113 it doesn't make an X-hit all by itself. Just because my Skirmish gear is all 113 on my WHM does not mean it caps cure potency or has low enmity/cast time. More or less I assume it will be the best still because the stats we already had on them were generally better. The SMN set is already very nice from what I understand, putting it up to 119 only makes it better, if it already holds some of your best gear and its getting upgraded, its only reasonable to expect it to get better, and be potentially the best.

You're probably right about the 6-10 pages being the mechanism for the 109->119ification.
Though I wonder if RUN and GEO's 119 will just use them too... Probably.

I am sure they will get a +1 version like everyone else.

And should the AF2 and AF3 become 119 without the 109 step... (remember, AF3 goes from shit to +1 and then to +2... so there's no reason to assume they won't arbitrarily force a X->109->119 as well... they certainly seem to be wanting to add more grind to Adoulin.)

This isn't as bad as you make it sound, more grind is what we need, no one is doing anything because everyone is finished with the content, that's why shouts have been dead for weeks. The game has been more lively on Phoenix in the last week than the previous month all together.

Then what we're gonna be looking at is probably just what we had before Adoulin: AF3 head, AF3 body, AF2 hands, AF3 legs, AF3 feet.
Now with the 109AF1 stats... the feet and head might turn out to exceed the 119AF3 slots for those pieces.....
But chances are, they will just wind up being the same best slot items for SMN like they have been for ever.
(And poor Nares Sheraweels ppl... >_> There would be no comparison with a 119AF3...)

That's what I mean, your looking at the same gear as before but better, which means all of the old best Empyrean and Relic stuff will probably pop out on top again if they do it right. Though SMN is questionable due to the Skirmish gear I suppose.

EDIT: OMG.... Just realized... 119... all that +smn skill...
The mythical 600+...
Alexander...
>_>
Dear Mother of God.

Don't get your hopes up, most skill enhancements for AF went up by 2~5, not 10~20, so you could end up disappointing yourself needlessly.

[FaeQueenCory]

No really it fits for everything. Just because Skirmish gear is level 113 it doesn't make an X-hit all by itself. Just because my Skirmish gear is all 113 on my WHM does not mean it caps cure potency or has low enmity/cast time. More or less I assume it will be the best still because the stats we already had on them were generally better. The SMN set is already very nice from what I understand, putting it up to 119 only makes it better, if it already holds some of your best gear and its getting upgraded, its only reasonable to expect it to get better, and be potentially the best.

I am sure they will get a +1 version like everyone else.

This isn't as bad as you make it sound, more grind is what we need, no one is doing anything because everyone is finished with the content, that's why shouts have been dead for weeks. The game has been more lively on Phoenix in the last week than the previous month all together.
That's what I mean, your looking at the same gear as before but better, which means all of the old best Empyrean and Relic stuff will probably pop out on top again if they do it right. Though SMN is questionable due to the Skirmish gear I suppose.

Don't get your hopes up, most skill enhancements for AF went up by 2~5, not 10~20, so you could end up disappointing yourself needlessly.

You... are clearly not a SMN...
Because if you were... you'd know that the skirmish gear... while it's often good for the other mages (and why is you not capped potency with your skirmish body on whm??? there's so much cure potency every!)...
We've come to realize that Hagondes gear is just crap for smn outside of macroMAB. (though some ppl do idle in the body when they don't have an avatar... the Hagondes=lv100 bayld body in that case... both have +2mp refresh on the body.)
It's why we have become EXTRA squishy in combat... because we don't have all those green numbers all the other mages get.
SMN is the redheaded step child when it comes to gear.
We've gotten a bit of love from weapons recently.... but pretty much none of the iLv gear is worth anything once we poop an avatar out.

And as to what's good about the 109AF1...
It's pretty much only the boots and horn.
Why?
Because they beat the stats for the empy+2 pieces.
The body, hands, and legs... the lv"90" empy and relic hands are better in all those slots.
Even if the body has the same +BPdmg% as the caller's+2 does... the loss of 10skill is not worth the extra green numbers.
Because SMN doesn't gear for themselves... Good SMNs gear for their avatars.

And as to the +skill? Evoker Horn+1: +5 109Convoker: +15
Empy body +2 has +10
Relic hands have +15
Empy legs have +6
SMN has gotten major love for once...
And seeing as how with just: AF3-AF3-AF2-AF3-AF3, and the required misc gear... vox strap, evoker's ring, astute/99 cape etc
I'm sitting at just over 500 skill (and I'm not using Ifrit's ring because I'm Elvaan and need that +70MP more than the +4skill)
The max we can get currently is something like 540 or 550ish... idr...
So seeing as how the Af1+1 went from +5 to +15...
It's VERY likely that with all the appropriate "Alexander gear"...
600 is very likely.

And as to more grind... maybe I should take a trip to Phoenix... cause they're pretty much just as dead on Odin...
(though maybe you guys are just reaching Odin's current low rate... so... >_> we really need those mergers...)

[Demon6324236]

You... are clearly not a SMN...
Because if you were... you'd know that the skirmish gear... while it's often good for the other mages (and why is you not capped potency with your skirmish body on whm??? there's so much cure potency every!)...
We've come to realize that Hagondes gear is just crap for smn outside of macroMAB. (though some ppl do idle in the body when they don't have an avatar... the Hagondes=lv100 bayld body in that case... both have +2mp refresh on the body.)
It's why we have become EXTRA squishy in combat... because we don't have all those green numbers all the other mages get.
SMN is the redheaded step child when it comes to gear.
We've gotten a bit of love from weapons recently.... but pretty much none of the iLv gear is worth anything once we poop an avatar out.

I admit, I'm not, really, I am just talking about AF stuff in general. So far as the cure potency thing my point is there are no jobs which can use just 1 set and do great, WHM needs +2 Body/Legs for instance, old pre-SoA gear that's still on top, basically saying it takes as much thought for other jobs when gearing as it does for SMN, you cant just throw on 119 gear and run out the door.

And as to more grind... maybe I should take a trip to Phoenix... cause they're pretty much just as dead on Odin...
(though maybe you guys are just reaching Odin's current low rate... so... >_> we really need those mergers...)

Phoenix isn't all to lively outside of WKs right now where you find 100~150 in any WK but Kamihr, which has 200~300 a fight.

[Annalise]

You... are clearly not a SMN...
Because if you were... you'd know that the skirmish gear... while it's often good for the other mages (and why is you not capped potency with your skirmish body on whm??? there's so much cure potency every!)...
We've come to realize that Hagondes gear is just crap for smn outside of macroMAB. (though some ppl do idle in the body when they don't have an avatar... the Hagondes=lv100 bayld body in that case... both have +2mp refresh on the body.)

The Skirmish body is not equivalent to the Bayld body... The skirmish body can have up to Avatar perpetuation -5 on it as well as the Refresh+2. That makes it an attractive idle piece even with your avatar out if you are looking for max refresh during perpetuation.

You had also mentioned needing the +70 mp in the ring slot as opposed to Fervor ring…. You can always macro in the ring after that MP is gone (max mp set). And if 70 MP is that important to you, I hope you are always using MP food on SMN...