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Coming back to the game after giving it a rest back in October, wanted to let some content come in before I started hammering it...
I understand that the HM primals are required for the story and that's fine, however the EX primals, I understand they have some pretty spiffy rewards but are they required for the main story quests? Or are they just a road to get some alternative equipment if you want too...
Hard Mode Primals of the 'original' three Primals are actually a side storyline (part of a post main scenario storyline listed in the Journal as 'Chronicles of a New Era' which also includes the quest line for the Binding Coil of Bahamut and the Crystal Tower), so they're actually optional. However, they are mandatory if you wish to gain your relic weapon, as the first three HM Primals (Ifrit, Garuda and Titan) must be defeated to complete your relic quest).
Having said that though, the 'new' Primals added in the 2.1 and 2.2 patch storylines (Good King Moggle Mog the XII and Leviathan), don't have a 'SM' form - their 'Story Mode' form is 'Hard Mode', but it's somewhat of a misnomer as they're still reasonably easy to deal with. I haven't unlocked the EX Mode Primals though so I have no idea exactly how difficult those are from first hand experience, but I've heard the horror stories.
Enkidoh pretty much explained the HM primals except that Ifrit HM drop i60 weps, Garuda HM Drops i70 weps, Good King Moggle Moggle Mog drops i75 Weapons, and Titan HM drops i80 weps
There is also Ultima Weapon HM now. hes the sameish from the original fight, just his mechanics are just very strong versions really. he drops i80 rings and necklaces.
The 3 original EX primals are not that bad once you get the hang of it. Think HM but just with a few new mechanics. The 3 Original EX's (garuda, titan, and ifrit) drop i90 rings, wrists, and earrings respectively. Along with that they also have a chance to drop their specific mount as well as the nightmare mount.
Leviathan EX has a chance to top i95 weps, a mirror to upgrade the wep to i100, and his specific mount as well.
Good King Moggle Mog EX drops i100 necklaces.
The EX items are pretty good and will go a long way till you get upgrades.
No, EX primals are thankfully not part of the main storyline, and neither are the original 3 Hard Modes. There is some minor storyline associated with them, but they are mostly used as framing devices.
If you do ever go after the EX primals, you will have to clear the first 3 in order (Garuda > Titan > Ifrit) before you can do Moogles and Leviathan (which don't have any order).