Reforged Empyrean Armor (AF3) - still being planned?

[Zhronne]

The last we heard about this is from the 30th of June 2014. A lot of time has passed since then.
And even before that we only read a couple of very generic and vague posts concerning it.
My question is the following: Is reforged Empyrean Armor still in the works?
If so, can we get some further details? An approximate date of implementation? (end of 2015? First quarter of 2015?)
Is it going to be ilevel 109/119 like Reforged Artifact and Reforged Relic?


More in general a lot of faithful FFXI players are starting to feel some disheartening feelings slowly rising up.
Seekers of Adoulin is going to end up in a week, and we have not even a clue what the future holds for FFXI.

I don't think any of us demands a detailed timeline for the next few years (Matsui already explained the issues they have with releasing such information and that it won't happen anymore in the future, I understand and respect that) but getting at lest some vague information would be much reassuring.

Is support for this game going to continue in a way similar like the one we saw over the last years with Seekers of Adoulin?
Or is the game going to be put on life-support mode like what we saw in the years following the third Abyssea mini-expansion? Where only low-budget and rehashed content was getting released to keep players busy without anything really "new" or any major addition?
What do we have to expect for the future of FFXI?

Please get us hyped a bit, let us know there's a lot of good news for all of us! Make us keep playing this game with a feeling of "Can't wait for this or that to finally get released!"
We're playing this game not knowing what could happen tomorrow, it's really sad

[Zhronne]

Also I don't see why they would give away empyrean seals and jewels with login, unless they're going to reforge it. As wearing empyrean armor in Seekers is basically suicide, unless it gets the ilvl treatment.

I don't agree with this point in particular.
They've been giving away a lot of "useless" stuff with Login campaign. The fact they're giving Empyrean seals with Login campaign doesn't *necessarily* mean anything (as people might want to collect them for looks for instance, for collection purposes etc, and don't forget some pieces are still quite nice for JA/Spell swaps, even if you don't full-time them)

[Dale]

I farmed all my Empy+2 armor sets back in 2011, so I haven't needed the log in points ones. That said I wouldn't personally use those armor sets in Seekers for anything, unless they get ilvl.

In any case, SE have said empyrean is getting reforged. I think the login items for empyrean armor is so that people can get the base +2 sets for reforging....

I wouldn't use them for anything either. The disparity between them and ilvl 119 is just too great. And this is coming from someone who really likes the set bonuses those sets provide too. So if I thought I could get away with using them I definitely would.

Just wanted to say they also offered the salvage armor items for login points too. So that's a good hint that maybe that armor is going to get reforged too along with the Abyssea sets. Least I hope so.

[Afania]

It might be 115 and 125.

There was a post about ilvl 125 in the works. The delay with Empy reforged, maybe be pushing it back to coincide with the arrival of 125 gear. Or maybe just delayed because retooling "set bonuses" for the ilvl sets may have proved to be a lot tougher than just reforging AF which was basically extending job ability duration bonuses etc.

They did say "relic and empyrean reforged armors will not follow the same path as artifact" at the beginning, so they have confirmed they're doing empyrean. Also I don't see why they would give away empyrean seals and jewels with login, unless they're going to reforge it. As wearing empyrean armor in Seekers is basically suicide, unless it gets the ilvl treatment.

Some of the empy are still good macros!

[Ulth]

Bard still uses full empy for songs, and if you aren't making use of the sick ability of Orison Pantaloons than you should reconsider playing white mage.

[Ranky]

I've really been hoping to see the reforge for these armor sets, or at least get some sort of idea as to when they may be implemented since (as many know/said) some pieces are still viable for normal use even with ilvl gear. Aside from balance issues (should they be ~ilvl119 or 119+) would be the fact they would have to work out a new set for GEO and RUN and how to obtain those(most likely being similar how relic is obtained) and setting items for upgrades (setting new system with new drops for the higher end reforge, since no current systems seem plausible/realistic as far as drops that wouldn't be used.)

[Teraniku]

I've really been hoping to see the reforge for these armor sets, or at least get some sort of idea as to when they may be implemented since (as many know/said) some pieces are still viable for normal use even with ilvl gear. Aside from balance issues (should they be ~ilvl119 or 119+) would be the fact they would have to work out a new set for GEO and RUN and how to obtain those(most likely being similar how relic is obtained) and setting items for upgrades (setting new system with new drops for the higher end reforge, since no current systems seem plausible/realistic as far as drops that wouldn't be used.)

Remember the Adoulin storyline is finally wrapping up with the November 2014 update, so it's possible they might tie the Empyrean upgrades to whatever Expansion / Battle Area etc. that happens post Adoulin.

[Olor]

Bard still uses full empy for songs, and if you aren't making use of the sick ability of Orison Pantaloons than you should reconsider playing white mage.

Yeah... these empy sets get a lot of use for me. Did they add +1 march hands to another bard set? Cause... yeah. That's useful.

[Dale]

I totally agree that empyrean armor has useful bonuses, some of my favourite pieces in the game are empyrean armor.

For some back-line jobs you might want to swap out a few pieces of low level empyrean gear for certain bonuses, but if you want the set bonus and you are front line job, using the full set in a battle with Seekers mobs will get you killed lol.

Most of my jobs are front line, and my favourite bonuses from empyrean armors are the set bonuses. So I will wait for empyrean armor to get ilvl before I start using it against mobs that hit really hard even against 119 armors.

I used to run around in my EMP armor on my Red Mage because I liked the set bonus so much I just couldn't part with it. But eventually I got tired getting one-shotted or nearly so every time a nasty AoE came my way or I drew a monster's ire.

The difference in the amount of damage you take and do when wearing 119 armor compared to the old emp armor is like night and day. I don't see anyone can wear that old stuff and stay alive, especially in Adoulin.

[Alhanelem]

This is probably going to happen when the max ilvl increases.