My Review of Pagos: An Uninspired Disappointment

"Brand new content never seen in the game". Reskins count as new content to SE, it's official.

This is the only thing this game has ever implemented that makes me want to straight up quit and switch to a different MMO. Like there is nothing fun or redeeming about Pagos. I kind of enjoyed Anemos. But Pagos is just bad at every level.

I've been playing since 1.0 launch, and I loved FFXI. But this just seems like a huge mistake.

1. Even FFXI had a search filter. There's a reason why things like PF and DF are vastly superior improvements to shouting and/or idling/soloing with your flag up.
Adding a simple filter to the adventurer's list by: a) level range, b) role, c) in a party or not, or seeking would require minimal dev resources and go a long way toward improving the experience and reducing the overwhelming shout spam.

2. The sheer number of trash mobs required to level (and spawn the NM fates) is unnecessary. They should be more challenging and give a greater reward. It's too grindy.

3. The retro gear is nice. I.e. Scorpion harness, strider boots, etc. I hope we see more stuff like this instead of recycled ARR models.

4. Forced spawn NMs please, preferably using pop items crafted from pagos-only farmed materials. These could be straight rare drops, or rare rewards from loot boxes.
As an added option, make the pop items craftable only in pagos, with limitations like the Ixali quests (basic actions only). Also, I'd like to see the process bridged e.g. farm raw materials in pagos (market prohibited), craft into components, use 3 components from different DoH classes to craft a pop item.
Assuming SE wants to re-use code, make it an instance that only your party can enter. This helps to remove the trolling and extra mobs that are invariably dragged into the combat by lazy players.
Have the pop items affect the NM in some way (resistance to slashing/blunt/piercing, elemental resistance, magic/ranged resistance, allow certain moves or mechanics?) based on the components used to craft it.If SE really wants to get adventurous, have weather during crafting alter the pop item effects in some way, too.
Make the pop locations challenging to get to. Put mobs in the way that we need to fight through, so that there's a sense of accomplishment just in getting there.

5. Force players to level up on fates within their own level range. Make the experience penalties for a large difference in e-level severe. This would prevent people from going AFK while a handful of capped players carry them through 90% of the content.

In short, I am opposed to a mindless grind of literally thousands of trash mobs only to get repeatedly stomped by a difficult NM made even moreso by lazy players then raised, but also opposed to the "carry me fate train". There is a well established psychology behind the challenge-reward-advance sequence, something SE has stubbornly ignored for all but the most difficult end-game content during the entire lifespan of this game.

If they had issue with Anemos becoming just an NM train area, they need to replace it with something engaging. Decreasing spawn rates, and saying "no, you WILL grind those damn mobs!" made an already controversial piece of content more skewed in the negative. We need dynamic alternatives, in addition to slightly better rewards for mob insanity. The Anemos train was more fun, and not just because it was quicker to level.

Just face it, it's failed content with poor rewards for the time investment, they said it wouldn't be like diadem yet somehow that was funner.

From someone who has played FF XI for over 10 years since before that games first expansion I can tell you it is nothing like ff xi, chain pulling mobs created big xp chains with xp you could feel, mobs were dangerous with tornado / waterga spells that could wipe your party (yes these were basic mobs). In FFXIV these normal mobs have zero mechanics and the xp they grant is very very low, so no reward, no risk, is that fun for anyone ? no it's not.

FFxi did invent the death penalty but it did it in a smart way, the mobs you were given were worth something, they dropped good items, and they have big xp when chained, here we have none of that, they are making a joke out of ff xi and I'm not happy about it.

They won't learn until someone stands up and says enough is enough, make mobs worth xp, make them drop good items, make the time investment matter, literally do SOMETHING.

There are so many ways for the dev' team to improve Eureka: Pagos (or at the very least, make it more bearable), it's not even funny.

For example:

• Decrease regular enemies' HP
• Increase EXP yield (and/or scale it better for solo)
• Reduce K.O. penalty (from 25%~30% to 5%~10% loss) or remove it outright.
• Implement "Reraise" potions
• Implement "Hide" potions (that work on around your level, say -2/+2 tops)
• Implement daily quests with EXP/Crystals/Treasure Chests as rewards
• Increase FATE frequency
• Allow mounts earlier (not at the current cap)
• Rework the Magicite Board (plus, considering there's no reason why you wouldn't put all your Magicite(s) in a given element...)
• Implement a "level sync" option for parties, so everyone gets EXP evenly/fairly

I mean, seriously...

The lack of gaining any magicite at all in Pagos is extremely frustrating. The increased mob HP pools and Mob attack strength only shows how the magicite is desperately needed.

There is zero sense of character growth other than levels.

I will echo everyone who has said this doesn't feel casual friendly. I was once an FFXI player as well and it is the massive grind that reminds me of its hay day at 75. As a casual player of that game back then, since I shared the account with two others, it took me a year to hit 75. This long and slow grind from Pagos feels just like that. The EXP penalty was dumb in FFXI and it is dumb in this content, especially from the sheer amount you lose. I was angry and discouraged when I delevled to 19. Add more to my frustration that I didn't get EXP from the bunny FATE and the damn rabbit took me right into mobs that could one shot me (and did). Until reading this thread I didn't know the bunnies were random, so why give no EXP for the FATE if not everyone gets one?

I never completed the chain for Zodiac relic, but made two Animas before content for them was nerfed and the Anima quests were no where near as bad this. Finding groups is bad enough, but when the people you are with are so focused and wanting levels to not let the healer go throw dinner in the oven there is a major problem. Gotta keep that precious chain going instead of letting a human being get some food. Overall I am disappointed with this content as I really want my relics, but I just don't have the time to grind like I did back in FFXI's 75 days.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Derio

Honestly this is the worst relic. I prefer the other 2 compared to this. Even the horrible atma drops from 2.x is better than.

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I would rather do this any day over atma's I think your forgetting how bad it truly was.

This is still probably the easiest relic to obtain and I still prefer over any of the other steps and I will hold off on my judgement of Pagos until its fully figured out.

This place desperately needs level sync. I don't understand why they insist on ignoring a mechanic THEIR COMPANY PIONEERED.

Getting a party just isn't fun in Pagos. You have to group with like levels, which would be fine if level sync existed. The issue of not having enough people for every party within 2 levels of one another in XI is why they created sync to begin with. With the train gone, which is the only reason low levels even were able to progress in Anemos, people in Pagos are getting left behind. Forget anyone catching up once the rush is over.

I would hate the grind less if we could build parties like we did in XI. Sync to the lowest level in the party that is still appropriate to the monster's level to even out everyone's experience gain. It's not rocket science here.