Keeping content relevant

[Olor]

I avoid Skirmish because I dislike the nature of the augments system. *lixir augments are the best, and Rei augments are cool, but I just don't like forcing people to suffer a lopsided system.

Yeah this. I wish I had spent the money that I wasted on augments on mercs instead (stones were "free" but I could have sold them)

And sorry I have most of a 119 skirmish set, as well as relic and AF reforges and I can't solo Zitah... I've spent tons of money on augs but have had really crummy luck. I also don't have any tank jobs (nin, pld etc) leveled, let alone geared.

[machini]

And to be specific, it took me roughly 10 days to get someone from brand new 99 BLU to "I can participate in Apex parties and am actually useful in relevant content." That was with me carrying them through an awful lot of stuff, and helping with skill ups via providing books.

Getting to 99 and getting to 'useful in end game content' 119 is nowhere near as simple as you think it is, especially for a returning player who might have quit at 75 cap, let alone a brand new player who has no idea what anything does or how anything works.

This feels like, yet again, another instance of people failing to understand that not everyone has a functional grasp of the game, the mechanics, or that a brand new player who has never played the game before will not know how to speedily climb up through the gear to relevant end game content in a relevant job in a quick fashion.

I also feel it very important to point out that one of the items I helped that player get was a Defending Ring, all with shanks that I provided myself. Getting started in this game and getting up to speed as a new or returning pre-item level player is an enormous task. If I had to create a new character from scratch and get back to where I am right now, ignoring making another mythic, I know I could not do it in 24 hours. I maybe could do it in a week if I played sixteen hours a day. The amount of effort and time required to get to 99, skill up, work my way up through item level gear to decent 119, collect ~90 pieces of gear for a single job, obtain multiple mulitimillion gil HQ crafted items and drops, etc, etc, is insanely more difficult than you seem to think.

[Olor]

You'd be pretty amazing to do it in a week.

[machini]

Most of the stuff I'd need to buy (ignoring the mythic and the D Ring) I could probably afford after converting all those sparks into gil.

[Alhanelem]

The problem I see here is people returning to the game- perhaps iLevels weren't even around when they left- and they immediately want to jump straight to current endgame content. And it just doesn't work like that.

I don't know why some ppl do seem to respond like this, because if you quit like right after reaching level 7 5 early on, and then you try to do TOAU or pre-80+ Wings stuff, it's brutal. Not quite to the same degree, but you would struggle. People should expect that if they've been gone a long time, they won't be able to dive right into endgame.

[OmnysValefor]

In Old XI, there were, for years, people at all stages of content and it was easy enough to find a group. There were also other things to do.

Now, you're either 119*, or you're nothing. On smaller servers, it's difficult to find other people who are near your level of progress especially after you weed out people who die to spike spells every single time, people who can't work with a skillchain, etc, and people with incompatible playtimes.

When I was leveling, I met a 75 BLM that I thought was God basically. He was amazing. Turns out, he came back a few weeks ago and I could have left him to trying to acquire the gear on his own, but the slope is sooo steep. A lot of those NMs will smash through a party of ideal trusts, let alone non-ideal trusts (Been back six months, still haven't gotten Koru-Moru or Amchuchu).

I have yet to try to squeeze him into anything remotely difficult but I've been working hard to get him there.

[Olor]

In Old XI, there were, for years, people at all stages of content and it was easy enough to find a group. There were also other things to do.

Now, you're either 119*, or you're nothing.

This, this is the issue. Not being able to do hard content means basically being able to do nothing except solo. And trying to solo your way to the point where you're not embarrassing on hard content is soul-crushing... and that assumes you even know how to do it. I am not as out of date as some but I still don't really understand the newer systems that I have never gotten to try.

[zataz]

This, this is the issue. Not being able to do hard content means basically being able to do nothing except solo. And trying to solo your way to the point where you're not embarrassing on hard content is soul-crushing... and that assumes you even know how to do it. I am not as out of date as some but I still don't really understand the newer systems that I have never gotten to try.

i will help just about anyone. with that said if u cant be bothered to look something up and know what your doing fight/mission wise why should i help u. no one can help u more then u >.>

[detlef]

Content for 1 PT is great, but please please please reduce the penalty for bringing more people. It's got to be possible for content to be optimal for a single PT without neutering larger groups. Right now, a group of 18 would be crazy not to split into 2-3 groups. But that means more specialization, more jobs left in the cold, and less new people being brought along (the penalty is so high that it makes sense to leave people out). Also, would you rather have a group of 18 occupying 3 spawn points or just 1? They're already gimping themselves by sharing a comparatively smaller loot pool.

[zataz]

my linkshell brings a dragoon and a dark knight to vagary and escha zones when there on. and we win so who's being left out =P. its the players not the content.....