5.3 COMPLETE patch notes

Three things have just occurred to me with the announcement that ARR levelling dungeons will have guaranteed gear drops:

1. This means I don't have to keep the acolyte, battlemage, etc. sets in my glamour dresser any more because it'll be easy(er) to get them back on the occasions I need them.

2. Getting hold of the unique weapons in those early dungeons will be easier - I've wanted the Ancient Sword from Stone Vigil for a while but never got to farming it.

3. Does this mean they maybe added more unique gear to replace the aetherial items being taken out? I don't expect actual new designs, but if they bring in some designs from later expansions that would be great.

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Originally Posted by Iscah

Three things have just occurred to me with the announcement that ARR levelling dungeons will have guaranteed gear drops:

1. This means I don't have to keep the acolyte, battlemage, etc. sets in my glamour dresser any more because it'll be easy(er) to get them back on the occasions I need them.

2. Getting hold of the unique weapons in those early dungeons will be easier - I've wanted the Ancient Sword from Stone Vigil for a while but never got to farming it.

3. Does this mean they maybe added more unique gear to replace the aetherial items being taken out? I don't expect actual new designs, but if they bring in some designs from later expansions that would be great.

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it wouldnt make alot of sense to add new gear to dungeons of eld since all new jobs dont have classes so they start at 30, or the stupid decision of starting at 60, alo im 90% sure ur desired gear has dyable options in the market board named somthing else

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Originally Posted by Roda

I mean, is there anything new being added for hunt rewards? :x

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There are upgrade tokens for gear that you buy with nuts. You won't need to farm the Neir raids for them if you prefer to do hunts. Those will be purchased at the Crystarium. A rank trains and S ranks will be crazy with people farming nuts you can be sure. Yesterday was already a precursor of what is coming this week there were so many people hunt bosses were not showing up for many people and I'm on PC and not PS4. I capped nuts on my main and all my end game alts.

That's going to be:
200 Allegory
400 Phanta
600 Poetics
800 Nuts
Stellaclusters and Planaclusters dropped randomly (probably a dozen of each at least with 20 hunts)

per A rank train assuming full credit.

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Originally Posted by TheMightyMollusk

My record is 23 raises in a single Copied Factory run with zero comms.

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Oh wow. That's insulting but believe me I know the feeling. lol

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Originally Posted by Jirah

it wouldnt make alot of sense to add new gear to dungeons of eld since all new jobs dont have classes so they start at 30, or the stupid decision of starting at 60, alo im 90% sure ur desired gear has dyable options in the market board named somthing else

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It's not targeted at the people who have Lv60 jobs and are getting dragged down to the Lv20 dungeon; it's targeted at helping new players to gear up.

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The contents of treasure coffers in [ARR levelling] dungeons have been adjusted to ensure players receive gear of a suitable strength.
Furthermore, players will always receive a weapon or piece of armor equippable by their current job upon completing one of these dungeons:

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Combined with the removal of aetherial gear, that either leaves the hodgepodge of items currently dropped in every other dungeon OR they add new ones. Currently if you strip out aetherial gear, the dungeons either only drop armour or only drop weapons, so it seems like there has to be something filling the gaps.

There are a few other recurring designs that occur alongside the ones currently given as unique dungeon gear - the Uraeus set and the one with bulky arm and leg guards that G'raha Tia wears, and the Vanya robes might be part of that series too. Maybe some others as well. They show up repeatedly in the Lv50 crafted and PVP sets. Those would be obvious things to draw on to quickly add "new" gear to old dungeons for minimal work. Remember we got a lot of new crafted gear with old models with either 5.1 or 5.2 as well.

And yes, technically the acolyte and battlemage robes are on the marketboard under different names, but they're different colours (you can't dye them to be identical) and they're locked to healing and casting, respectively.

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Originally Posted by LaylaTsarra

There are upgrade tokens for gear that you buy with nuts. You won't need to farm the Neir raids for them if you prefer to do hunts. Those will be purchased at the Crystarium. A rank trains and S ranks will be crazy with people farming nuts you can be sure. Yesterday was already a precursor of what is coming this week there were so many people hunt bosses were not showing up for many people and I'm on PC and not PS4. I capped nuts on my main and all my end game alts.

That's going to be:
200 Allegory
400 Phanta
600 Poetics
800 Nuts

per A rank train assuming full credit.

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But no new things that won't get pushed to obsilecence with future patches? (mounts, bardings, glamour, minions etc)

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Originally Posted by Roda

But no new things that won't get pushed to obsilecence with future patches? (mounts, bardings, glamour, minions etc)

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I don't know we'll have to wait and see. I suspect there won't be but we could be pleasantly surprised. I've got all the stuff already and have been using nuts to purchase materia VIII's and tome mats with my Phanta which sell pretty well. I've been holding my clusters waiting for prices to go back up and they will to a degree with this patch but will certainly skyrocket with new gear possibly in 5.4 and the new raid tier.

I cap my main and all my alts doing A rank trains. I simply can't do dungeons it's way too much work.

Kinda don't expect them to fill in any gear for the Aetherials being removed. But yeah, it does leave a bit of a gap in several places. But, being ARR, players that can't/don't upgrade for a couple dungeons don't really hold anything back too terribly much.

What about Eureka?

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Originally Posted by gtavaddict

What about Eureka?

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scheduled for release 6 weeks after patch goes up

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Originally Posted by tdb

While they were not useless, they can be obtained much more efficiently from the grand company.

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I suppose in a way. It was nice just be enabled to go through dungeons and just getting them from drops without having to spend company seals.

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Originally Posted by Krokov

I suppose in a way. It was nice just be enabled to go through dungeons and just getting them from drops without having to spend company seals.

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They were a nice bonus when you were put in those dungeons by the roulette, but if you actually need the materials for a crafting project it's way faster to farm company seals and buy them. Or, if you're like me, you buy the materials first and then get the seals back soon after from turning in all the junk gear you greed from dungeons. I get more seals than I know what to do with so I'm just happy if I actually have something useful to spend them on.

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Originally Posted by Jirah

Hooray for linear progression! FF13 would be proud of our pretty hallways...besides Aurum Vale and Longstep

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You complain about it, but how many parties branch off in Sastasha?

None, because there's no point in it. The only time people do full clears is when someone asks for the achievement. The entire reasons dungeons got made more and more linear is because people didn't like it when they weren't hallways.

FF13, while I like it, has the issue in a completely different place. Since that's single-player and you only go to each area once, making them more open would reward players for their own unique playstyle. 14 is an MMO where you see the same dungeons over and over, so making them not linear just wastes everyone's time and effort.

Don't get me wrong, I like non-linear progression, but only if I'm not playing with 3 other guys who want to hustle.

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Originally Posted by Jirah

Hooray for linear progression! FF13 would be proud of our pretty hallways...besides Aurum Vale and Longstep

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most people who play this would be lost in a real RPG.

Since collectable synthesis is being removed, please can someone explain to me how we will synthesize collectables moving forward? Are they just going to be in the special recipes section, instead of the leveling recipes section?

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Originally Posted by kwsapphire

Since collectable synthesis is being removed, please can someone explain to me how we will synthesize collectables moving forward? Are they just going to be in the special recipes section, instead of the leveling recipes section?

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That's correct (to my understanding). Collectable recipes will be entirely separate from normal ones, so no more accidentally making a normal item when you wanted a collectable, or vice versa.

I just wanna Succor daddy.

I'm rather confused. Last time they added a new crafted primal weapon they added them for the new jobs (GNB and DNC) and now they are back to not making them for these jobs? I'm...actually rather irritated by this, ESPECIALLY since they are Suzaku weapons. Seriously SE, what the heck gives? That's a really sore spot for me in what would otherwise be a decent patch. Takes some of the wind out of my sails, that's for sure.

Edit: Apparently they added just about all of the crafted Stormblood weapons for all the other jobs. VERY salty about this now.

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Originally Posted by MsQi

most people who play this would be lost in a real RPG.

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I mean ur right, but why quote me? ._.

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Originally Posted by Roda

I mean ur right, but why quote me? ._.

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oops, wrong quote

So.. I didn't see this in the patch notes..

Poetics accessories used to cost 180, now they're 280. Looks like all the L70 gear got a price bump, tho I haven't checked the L60 & L50 poetics gear. Stealth nerf! ;]

OTOH, stuff you have equipped or in your Armory Chest no longer count against your "you can only have one of this unique item" limit, so you can buy a single dupe of stuff and keep it in your inventory to turn in for seals. Stealth buff! xD

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Originally Posted by Katie_Kitty

So literally just like every other job in the game. You're not optimizing anything until you know the fight front to back, that's what optimization means to begin with.

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Notice how I said "optimize your movement tools"? Movement being the key word. No other job has to consider their positioning throughout a fight like Black Mage. More than half the DPS don't give it more than a passing thought.

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Originally Posted by Katie_Kitty

Different, yes. Harder, no. They are completely different playstyles. RDM play in high end content revolves around making the best use of dualcast and movement every other GCD to handle mechanics while performing your rotation to the best of your ability. Black Mage gameplay on the other hand involves timing your movement around periods of completely stationary play. While RDM has more frequent movement, It is BLM who enjoys more burst movement and the ability to pick when and where to move without sacrificing any of their main DPS rotation. When RDM gains an ability that allows them to teleport straight to safety with no drawback (or when RDM can stack scorch casts and use them at any time they wish) then maybe you will have a point, but they don't - Their movement is done during dualcast and then they have to stop and cast again.

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Dualcast is built into Red Mage's entire rotation, and while it may be a DPS loss to mismanage it, you can still perform effectively. Black Mage, on the other hand, cannot. It's movement tools are on lengthily CDs and needs to learn the entire fight rotation to plan around when best to utilize them. A mistake will possibly mean the loss of Enochian—which is massive DPS loss. Whether you like it not, Red Mage is widely ranked among the easiest jobs to play. Conversely, Black Mage is considered among the hardest. That isn't inherently a dig to Red Mage nor does it imply the job lacks any mastery. Dragoon is arguably the easiest melee yet look at its popularity. You're just taking a community consensus as a personal attack.

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Originally Posted by Katie_Kitty

That's nice, but if you think learning a fight on RDM is going to help you much on BLM, then I don't know what to tell ya. More likely, those BLMs do it for the chain rez more than because they think playing the fight on RDM is going to help them on BLM.

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Except it does. If you're able to see the fight mechanics you can plan accordingly on where optimal uses of Triple Cast, Sharp Cast, Swiftcast and etc.

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Originally Posted by kwsapphire

Poetics accessories used to cost 180, now they're 280. Looks like all the L70 gear got a price bump, tho I haven't checked the L60 & L50 poetics gear. Stealth nerf! ;]

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In return all the poetics gear is now 10 ilevels stronger thanks to being pre-upgraded. Can't say I agree with this really; it reduces the amount of gear you can get, so the overall end result is weaker (unless you farm more).

I called it - ARR dungeons are now dropping individual gear sets with a mix of ARR and later expansion models. Aetherial jewellery is still a thing.

At a quick run through a couple of dungeons:

HALATALI: Doctore's set as before; extra pieces added. Can get weapons from first room detour and the chain winches.

HAUKKE:
Tank: Scale mail
DOW: shoes are Pagos sandals
DOM: Plain halfrobe BUT shoes using the Crimson/Royal shoes from Labyrinth

QARN:
Tank:
DOW: Fistfighter set (though in a boring khaki brown)
DOM: Cowl with mask

CUTTER'S CRY:
Same assorted gear as before; drops new weapons. Got a basic star globe and a BLM staff that looks like Laevatinn.

STONE VIGIL:
Tank/DRG: Haubergeon/sollerets
DOW: Holy Rainbow shirt/sarouel
DOM: Warlock set (basic mage robe)
Weapons drop from first boss as well as final.

AURUM VALE:
DOM: Ruby Cotton chasuble (Lv64 crafted healer) - giving casters access to this and presumably the matching circlet.

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Originally Posted by Katie_Kitty

Different, yes. Harder, no.

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I missed this but you can get an objective look into the actual difficulty of a job on a fight by fight basis by looking at the range of potential dps that job contributes.

A larger range means there is greater difference between the top and bottom performers, a smaller range means there is less of a gap and therefore less to optimize.

RDM is routinely one of the jobs with the smallest range, up there with DNC. BLM is almost always the greatest range because there is so much more to manage in order to do well.

Saying they're equivalent in difficulty (especially with no visible savage mounts, so presumably no experience playing either job at a higher end) might make you feel better in the short term but its just not true.

None of this means RDM/you are bad, from what I'm able to tell you're a good RDM and that's awesome, but it would be better to look at these things objectively than to just be angry when people point out simple facts.

I'm glad you enjoy your job and I hope you stick with it!

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Originally Posted by kwsapphire

Poetics accessories used to cost 180, now they're 280. Looks like all the L70 gear got a price bump, tho I haven't checked the L60 & L50 poetics gear. Stealth nerf! ;]

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Basically they're the same Augmented items, you just get to buy them straight up for the same total poetic cost and skip fiddling around with Glazes and Twines and multiple NPC's.

However, it seems they forgot Rings are unique and that buying one augmented and one regular was the only way to bypass that. So now you can only use one poetic ring, which is indeed a nerf.

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Originally Posted by Katie_Kitty

Different, yes. Harder, no.

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BLM is far harder to master and optimize than RDM. It's not even close.

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Originally Posted by Katie_Kitty

That's nice, but if you think learning a fight on RDM is going to help you much on BLM, then I don't know what to tell ya.

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BLM is very reliant on knowing the fight well and having a plan mapped out. Seeing the fight on an easier class and becoming familiar with the pattern for mechanics is obviously beneficial.

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Originally Posted by Liam_Harper

However, it seems they forgot Rings are unique and that buying one augmented and one regular was the only way to bypass that. So now you can only use one poetic ring, which is indeed a nerf.

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Not a very important nerf though, since you'll only be using them a short while. Optimizing gear while leveling is not worth it IMO. Unless someone refuses to buy the latest expansion and pretends their "endgame" content is relevant and worth optimizing for? Does someone actually do that?

Re: Poetics Gear - Ahh, I see! That makes sense, thank you Liam and TBD.

Re: RDM v BLM - As a newer player, I definitely find BLM a more complicated class to play than RDM. Not only is battlefield awareness more important because of the long cast times, but there are just *so* *many* *more* powers to manage, and you have to be in this mode to do that, and do this before this thing ends.. sheesh! I also find Summoner a bit too complicated for my tastes for the same reason. I'll get used to it eventually I am sure, but it feels like a steeper learning curve. My favored role is Healer, so when I go as DPS I guess I need something more simple at the moment.. I prefer Dancer. ;) Just my two cents, of course.

PS - Swapping between RDM and BLM between Duties is such a mind-bender. :D

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Originally Posted by Katie_Kitty

That's nice, but if you think learning a fight on RDM is going to help you much on BLM, then I don't know what to tell ya. More likely, those BLMs do it for the chain rez more than because they think playing the fight on RDM is going to help them on BLM.

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Originally Posted by ForteNightshade

Except it does. If you're able to see the fight mechanics you can plan accordingly on where optimal uses of Triple Cast, Sharp Cast, Swiftcast and etc.

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This. The only reason I was able to learn fights (and do call outs for raids all the time) is because I played RDM. I main tank, but I see everything first and foremost on RDM, (record it privately) and review the content back so I know what I'm looking for on my callouts for the future. Then can hop back on tank or my BLM/SMN and go ham cause I know what I'm looking for, how to advise it and call it out when necessary. And haven't had issues doing it that way since BRD was released (back in ARR). Same concept, different position type of job that I can focus solely on mechanic learning and advising as I progress.

Noooooo not my Tri-Disaster!

<grump>

:::goes back to slaying hordes:::

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Originally Posted by tdb

Not a very important nerf though, since you'll only be using them a short while. Optimizing gear while leveling is not worth it IMO. Unless someone refuses to buy the latest expansion and pretends their "endgame" content is relevant and worth optimizing for? Does someone actually do that?

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I do. Pre-4.0, I was still running base game capped at 50. It's a fun experience, actually doing most things near when intended. It's satisfying, being the lowest level in an unsynced T9 group, and seeming like the only one that actually knows how to stay alive. There's actually some challenge in trying to craft for some of the Master books. Overall, it's just a more chill experience, knowing you're not in a rush to the next milestone.

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Originally Posted by Iscah

EYE TRACKING FOR THE GPOSE CAMERA. YES.

This has been high on my wishlist for ages.

And apparently we're getting control on mouth movements as well, which might combine for a better range of face expressions.

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Now if only the eye tracking was actually working that well.. tried a lot of poses out and most of the time the tracking is messed up. I'm quite disappointed :/
The lip syncing is great though.

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Originally Posted by Yohneh

Now if only the eye tracking was actually working that well.. tried a lot of poses out and most of the time the tracking is messed up. I'm quite disappointed :/
The lip syncing is great though.

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Yeah, I only tried it briefly but it didn't seem to work while using battle skills.

Where's the lip sync button? I couldn't see it on the emotes page.

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Originally Posted by Iscah

Yeah, I only tried it briefly but it didn't seem to work while using battle skills.

Where's the lip sync button? I couldn't see it on the emotes page.

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It should be a dropdown menu on the same tab. You choose one of the 3 styles and then hit play on the right.

Man I was hoping for more tho, just the new dungeon, Nier Raid and trial boss?
I feel such a content drought right now.

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Originally Posted by Kolsykol

Man I was hoping for more tho, just the new dungeon, Nier Raid and trial boss?
I feel such a content drought right now.

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Sapphire weapon solo quest
Dwarf beast tribes
New custom delivery
Faux Hollows
Bringing back frontline roulette (finally)