How about some actual challenge to FFXI?

[Kagato]

New expansion. A boxed expansion. New areas and enemies.

No brews. No atmas. Just you, your job, your level, and a team of 6 players.

Problem solved.

[Ilax]

I would like better challenge with of course a better reward (even if is just the Armor texture/color) and same stats on it.

You kill twilight BCNM with brew, your twilight gear is brown.
You kill twilight BCNM without brew, your twilight gear is Gold.

Just that would already be fun. In the end this wont affect the hardcore player nor the casual player.

[MarkovChain]

Whatever happened to actually trying to manage your mp or you would run out. When was the last time you can think of that you were actually in danger of dying?

I don't think I have ever encountered a situation in the game where MP was an issue and I had to manage MP. Unless ou consider /nin an MP management. Honestly everything prior to abyssea was generally done with 6+ and it was overkill this way and people switched to low manning artificially increasing the difficulty (and generally not MP wise since less people on a mob = less need to cure due to less TPs). If difficulty means that we must throw bodies at it (Einherjar, Pandemonium Warden, Absolute virtue) then I don't think it's a solution because it always leads to frustration ("leader get first" necessary rule) and generally is not enjoyable after a while ( attendance issue ...). Anyway we can't have this content until level 99 is set into a stone, look at the visions/scar bosses, they are jokes. I like however the brew idea because it allows anyone to solo any NM, but only quite rarely for some. The average casual player will brew only once in a while (probably without shinryu access even) and the hardcore one will farm cruor like crazy. Both types of players have goals that they can realistically achieve, and in the end balance still exists because the hardcore player has access to more reward than the other.

[Ilax]

I don't think I have ever encountered a situation in the game where MP was an issue and I had to manage MP. Unless ou consider /nin an MP management. Honestly everything prior to abyssea was generally done with 6+ and it was overkill this way and people switched to low manning artificially increasing the difficulty (and generally not MP wise since less people on a mob = less need to cure due to less TPs). If difficulty means that we must throw bodies at it (Einherjar, Pandemonium Warden, Absolute virtue) then I don't think it's a solution because it always leads to frustration ("leader get first" necessary rule) and generally is not enjoyable after a while ( attendance issue ...). Anyway we can't have this content until level 99 is set into a stone, look at the visions/scar bosses, they are jokes. I like however the brew idea because it allows anyone to solo any NM, but only quite rarely for some. The average casual player will brew only once in a while (probably without shinryu access even) and the hardcore one will farm cruor like crazy. Both types of players have goals that they can realistically achieve, and in the end balance still exists because the hardcore player has access to more reward than the other.

I agree with that, just add different texture/color to armor from specific NM that drop gear, and everyone should be happy.

[Gaspee]

Abyssea is interim content meant to pass the time between 75 and 99. It's not endgame. It was never designed to be endgame. Wait until level 99 events and endgame material is launched before calling FFXI endgame easy.

+1

All of this whining is giving me a headache.

[azjazo]

BCNMs are still challenging, go do more of those, and SE could relase more and fix drops and rewards....

[katoplepa]

Vrtra was another one of my epic battles from the game that I'll always remember fondly.

hell yes !!
we tried to do Vrtra in 6 , we came saying: it will be easy, let's see... noway, we fail like noobs^^ (it was a fun fight)
it's not easy : the area is full of undead, those behind the door come in if you are in yellow even if you are in the room, Vrtra keep popping your pets even if you kill it and the room itself is full of undead... it's a very challenging fight!!! try it!!
our pt done Jormungand (easyer respect Vrtra) and it was a nice fight too... not for drops, just for the fight!
the game is still full of challenge if you want to try in lowman.

[Ilax]

hell yes !!
we tried to do Vrtra in 6 , we came saying: it will be easy, let's see... noway, we fail like noobs^^ (it was a fun fight)
it's not easy : the area is full of undead, those behind the door come in if you are in yellow even if you are in the room, Vrtra keep popping your pets even if you kill it and the room itself is full of undead... it's a very challenging fight!!! try it!!
our pt done Jormungand (easyer respect Vrtra) and it was a nice fight too... not for drops, just for the fight!
the game is still full of challenge if you want to try in lowman.

But that been said, is just harder because of the need to toss more body in the fight for 1 item also.

[katoplepa]

doin' a fight lowman is not only hard because you are less people.. it's harder because everyone have a important role and you can't do mistake, so in that way you can demonstrate your skills in the game... when you are 18 people you can do your part but you can also go afk a couple of mins. and no one notice it ... go fight Vrtra in 1 pt and you'll find the challenge: you have to do a perfect fight! ...and I'm not talking about the reward, because when you stop caring about the reward for doin' something, doin' something is its own reward... the challenge IS THE FIGHT, not the reward... because I can PAY some gils to an LS group that fight Rani for me, I can stay in /sit & /clap and get my Epona Ring... this is not the challenge...

[Sama]

Atma is made along with Aby Expansion there is nothing wrong using it.

The problem is that SE is shifting the game into repetition of item farming and once everyone go after it, the system cannot hold. Furthermore, xp system breaks the tradition and created too many n00bie players.