Diadem and Savage - I can't deal with it anymore

I don't care much for labeling myself as casual or hardcore but thanks for echoing my thoughts about Alexander Savage. Why should I get the gear when it's going to be rendered irrelevant in a few months? Why should I bother with the story when there is none and there isn't even a sense of urgency, a sense that Coil had? Why should I bother with the fights, when they are the same, boring fights as Normal just beefed up?

It all feels like a carrot on a much longer stick. All for what, gear that will be future glamour and a mount I will probably never use 90% of the time? Alexander effectively killed the raiding game for me for the rest of the 3.x cycle, unless future installments see significant changes to the current formula, I'm not wasting my time with it.

As for Diadem, well, I'm convinced that was the final nail in the coffin.

On the note of Diadem, I think they should have had the rewards come from doing the actuall objectives in there. Maybe having each objective give a silver chest, and then spawn a gold chest when all objectives were completed, at which point you're given a new set of random objectives. Just let all the mobs drop bronzechests and nothing else. This would have ment that the current "gatherer vs combat" issue we have now, would have never existed. And would have put the focus on exploring instead of just grinding on one island. But the devs doesn't seem to even know what they're doing most of the time, so I'm not surprised it turned out the way it did.

As a former raider of other games, I agree that BiS should only ever come from current top-tier raids. Alternatives are good, but they shouldn't have a chance to all-out trump raid gear, barring something difficult or time consuming (like building a relic).

With story, accessibility is good, nothing wrong with it; difficulties on the other hand have to be sufficiently differentiated to make it feel like you have a different encounter, be it through the addition of a mechanic, or a tweak on an existing one. Alex Normal I feel was tuned too easily, and it feels like a difficulty above it would have sufficed for Normal instead. Forgive me for saying this, but Alex Normal mechanically feels easier than pre-nerf Steps and Chrysalis, which are story trials, and that's disappointing (though I'm not sure if that's a reflection on the groups I ran into or the encounters themselves). Cool music, though lackluster and unmotivated in storytelling and pretty standard mechanics. I can't comment on Savage, and having not done it I can only make conjecture and comparisons to experiences I've had before. From the sounds of it though, the tuning seems incongruent with itself, but perhaps I will see one day.

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Originally Posted by Iagainsti

Actually, Living Liquid is a revamp of Living Flame, a boss from FFV, complete with all 3 phases. Probably the best boss of all 4 and definitely the most enjoyable when doing NM Alex

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I'm aware of its reference. However, i'm talking about its relevance in this game. Cid was different in every Final Fantasy he(or she now) appeared in whether it was a generic npc or a party member.

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Originally Posted by Phireblast

I'm aware of its reference. However, i'm talking about its relevance in this game. Cid was different in every Final Fantasy he(or she now) appeared in whether it was a generic npc or a party member.

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Right.. because Caduceus and Rafflesia were very relevant to the COB storyline..

I don't understand why SE have implemented these things the way they have at all. So wait.. right now I'm doing Diadem to get gear to raid.. to get gear that's not as good? It makes absolutely no sense. The only incentive I have to run Savage is for the sake of completion and the fact my FC mates want to clear it. Otherwise, it's pointless.

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Originally Posted by Iagainsti

Actually, Living Liquid is a revamp of Living Flame, a boss from FFV, complete with all 3 phases. Probably the best boss of all 4 and definitely the most enjoyable when doing NM Alex

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Liquid Flame*
And yes, Living Liquid is probably formed by "aetheric disturbances caused by the primal wombo comboed with the eletricity inside the primal's body"... Or maybe he's just another Alexander automaton and that's all.

I agree with the OP. You said everything. Both Alexander savage and Diadem are an insult for us, raiders.

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Originally Posted by Iagainsti

Right.. because Caduceus and Rafflesia were very relevant to the COB storyline..

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Can't speak for Rafflesia, but pretty sure most of the bosses in COB were Allagan constructs placed inside as defense systems. Anyone outside of that was set up by Bahamut himself to stop you getting to him.

Could not care any less about the story in raids. Do not like there being no gap content between dungeons and raids that drops actual gear. Do not like highest item level being handed out for no effort. Despise tomestone system, it's nothing but pure laziness. Make content, not currency. Worried that there will never be another fight in the game like Pepsi Man that requires both mechanical awareness and player ability to eke out DPS at the same time due to the crying masses.