[dev1009] HNM's

[Sparthos]

The gear may not be all that great anymore(even with augments that are supposed to make it in line with empyrean...Byakko's haidate gets some pretty damn good augments but because Empyrean set bonuses are so good you can't really afford to use the ole boy over Empy, and how many people aren't getting Empyrean? It just feels like a waste of dev and player time to bother with augments)but the pieces are still trophy pieces. The logic to keeping them rare is black belt at this point. SE gave us the so called "one day venture" empyrean gear. I think that was reconciliation enough for them. You can't really complain when you could technically as a hardcore player get +1 and +2 within mere hours. It's that easy with help.

Even with the easiest settings - 100% rate on HQ off NQ - Black Belt would still take 297 Kindred Seals or more when you consider the new system upcoming. Sky drops have already been trivialized (as they should) and Byakko's Haidate was once a trophy item you can now get two of per Despot/Ulli. Makes sense given the superior options in Abyssea for half the classes on it.

When you make new content, you don't make older content harder just for the hell of it. Yes, Black Belt is great but so is Twilight Belt (for other classes) and the work there is composed of just beating Shinryu. 100% rate on a belt that puts AV's (yeah, that AV) Ninurta to bed.

The legwork to access Shinryu isn't even half what SE is asking for Black Belt.

Im not even saying 100% on HQ should be the standard but really it seems to me SE is going back to the old ways of arbitrary low rates for shoddy reasons. SE was fine with Twilight Belt as standard DD equipment yet we talk Black Belt and all of a sudden it's supposed to be a "trophy" and "rare".

Bollocks.

[Rie]

Ewwww, Raen mathing.

If HQ trigger item drops were to reflect what HQ King pops were before they changed it, it'd have to be around 20~25% or something. Although we all remember those day13 NQ turtles.

[RaenRyong]

My mathing is hot and you know it!

[Korpg]

I think this was supposed to be more in line for Black Belt items.

Although, people probably have a better chance getting the Black Belt items from KS99 than HQ pops now.

[RaenRyong]

I agree - Voidwatch having an awful reward system with tons of randomness and low drop rates signified a return to that trend to me too.

[PizzaTheHut]

You don't need a devtag in your thread title.

[Coldbrand]

YOU GUYS AREN'T HARDCORE IF YOU DON'T LIKE FARMING 1800+ SEALS FOR A CHANCE AT SOME ITEMS WHICH AREN'T EVEN GOOD UNTIL YOU GRIND AT SYNERGY TO CAP THEN AUGMENTED THEM OR A BELT WHICH SEVERAL PEOPLE WILL WIN FOR FREE NEXT MONTH! HURHUR.

[Bumbeen]

I just prefer it to be extremely annoying. Makes it a lot more fun when you get lucky.

[Xellith]

Id rather my game experiences be based on skill rather than luck. I find it more rewarding to put a strategy to work and succeed and get rewarded rather than grind over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and maybe get the droids I'm looking for.

[Alhanelem]

Black Belt would still take 297 Kindred Seals

Because none of the 12-18 people you'll probably bring to a KSNM is going to bring an orb too.

And who doesn't have several hundred beastmen seals they could convert to kindreds for this?