Stacking AOE markers latest trend?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SannaR

I've only seen this mostly in E12 where people stack the two stack markers during the memories part. I know when it came out doing so would kill the group. Better gear though seems to make it not a death sentence. The only other time I know of people stacking the stacks is the tank stack during E4S. Which isn't something most experience.

---

had it happen twice in Bunker last night, which, I have to admit.. was a new one for me

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kes13a

Has anyone noticed people in the last couple days stacking the AOE markers? Not the tacos, but actually running over to stand on you so there are now two aoe markers which will pretty much wipe the group.

I am trying to figure out why this is suddenly a more prevalent thing lately as it has happened to quite a few people I know, so I doubt its all the same person just being... unwise.

Not sure how you can get to 80 without knowing you dont do that...

---

Trying to think of what fights you'll experience in MSQ before Shadowbringers end game where you'll get 2 stack markers at the same time and need to spread them.

Coming up blank. I think SOS is the first time it actually happens in MSQ. Normally it's one part of the full party splitting off to deal with a single stack marker while other party members are handling a different mechanic happening at the same time.

Chances are good it's an actual lack of experience with that specific mechanic since most players aren't going to jump into raids before they've got MSQ completed. They've been told that everyone needs to stack when the stack marker appears so they do. They don't stop to consider that there might be a different way to handle it when there are 2 or 3 present instead of one.

Doesn't help that it's perfectly safe to stack all 3 together on Archaeotania and Formidable with current gear and assuming there's a decent sized group present at those FATEs, and for a lot of players that will be their first experience with the multiple stack marker.

Can you explain it more for a casual? If I have a aoe marker on me I am suppose to stay away from others, is that right? Then when is it I am suppose to stack, and do I stack to share the damage? Then what damage if not aoe?
I have a rough idea of how to behave in dungeons but this is a little confusing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tarryme

Can you explain it more for a casual? If I have a aoe marker on me I am suppose to stay away from others, is that right? Then when is it I am suppose to stack, and do I stack to share the damage?

---

If there is a marker over you AND on the ground around you, you don't stack that on top of people. There is a different marker for the stack mechanic and that just shows over a person's head with no ground indication.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wereotter

The Brand New Ring, even though it doesn't have the XP bonus anymore, still has better base stats on it than a lot of other accessories available at that point in the game, so it does make sense to continue wearing it up into the 40-ish levels assuming you didn't get anything else. Just looking it up on strength stat right now, to give an example. Brand New Ring gives +3 to strength. The next best item is an HQ Mythril Ring at level 37 which has +4 strength. Yes it's better but not much, maybe not something a player will want to spend their gil on at the market board when it gives such a small difference. After that you can get +5 strength on a ring at level 47, but if you're an experienced player you know it's probably just better to wait three more levels till you can get an ironworks ring that has +23 strength, and would be a much larger boost. Considering we've had multiple instances where what is considered to be the best in slot gear for the end game means using non-upgraded rings, which currently is a difference of 16 points of main stat, the difference of 3 points max between the Brand New Ring, and the best available ring before unlocking the tomestone vendor is so minimal it's not even worth complaining about.

But even with all that, the game conditions new players to not bother buying gear now that it just hands out so much of it as quest rewards. Players who try to upgrade their gear feel punished if they buy something new only to have the game give them either the exact same item, or something even better by simply progressing the story along. This can be seen as a game design problem, but the fact of the matter is the game is designed in such a way that you still technically have a high enough level to your gear that you can enter the content, meaning the developers have deemed it clearable. And the person, if they're working to gear up, should be fine to go ahead and do the content. We don't need to add any additional judgment or gating to it beyond what the game already imposes.

---

To add to this, just continuing the MSQ for a few more quests gives you a full set of i70 accessories. Combine that with a new i130 weapon (Castrum and Prae give exactly 600 poetics for completing them the first time) and the i90 set from the job quests, having 1 ring under level 50 is not going to be a big issue.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Arillyn

If there is a marker over you AND on the ground around you, you don't stack that on top of people. There is a different marker for the stack mechanic and that just shows over a person's head with no ground indication.

---

Big thanks for this. I was doing it all wrong. I wondered why the healer would leave me to rot. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Arillyn

If there is a marker over you AND on the ground around you, you don't stack that on top of people. There is a different marker for the stack mechanic and that just shows over a person's head with no ground indication.

---

I think it would be nice to correctlly name and describe the AOE markers. They have more or less standardized the markers after ARR.
Spilt damage mark- 4 arrows pointing towards a character(or npc). Stack up within reason to spilt the damage. If there are two, half goes to each one and the marked players move a reasonable distance apart.

Ground targeted AOE- some colored marker on the ground, normally orange but can very. Blue ones are either limit breaks or allied NPCs. Normally doesn't move. Move out of non-allied ones.

Character targeted AOE- some colored marker on the ground that follows players with a floating marker on the targeted player. Space out as to not have the AOE hit another player, overlapping AOEs is normally fine.

Alliance marker- single arrow point to each member of one alliance. Stack with alliance members, stacking with members from a different alliance does nothing.
Some fights may have some specifics needs for it alone, like getting hit by a zombification aoe or the gravity aoe to lift up being a spilt damage instead of a character targeted AOE.

Stacking AOEs or stacking stack markers?
Because stacking planted AOEs is great it frees up a lot of room.
Stacking stack markers will just kill people.

It is not new. I don't know how many times I was killed like that in the past and the math boss in the Lighthouse almost every single one of my runs someone would follow me to kill me on it when it was even 2 months old. I think some had just set follow on me as a healer for a free carry. Sometimes though it is just two people adjusting the same way as each other over and over and a simple mistake.

As for split stack markers, they are usually in EX's and I've seen groups that don't set groups in mentor roulette do it that don't wait for an explanation of mechanics.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kes13a

Not sure how you can get to 80 without knowing you dont do that...

---

I've seen a ton of lvl 80's recently who don't know what positionals are and are standing in front of bosses the whole fight.
Boosters I'd imagine.

I've noticed this recently too with how people will more frequently move into you with aoe.
You'll position yourself and it looks like they have too and they're standing still, then in the last second they panic or something and run into you.