Stack Markers

A question for those of you who know the game better than I do.

Can anyone recall the first dungeon/trial to use a stack marker as a mechanic? Had a dubious run of The Final Steps of Faith where there were two people who didn't seem to understand the concept at all (ran away when they had them, stood outside of them when not etc).

Had me wondering when is the first time you should come across it? Too long ago for me to recall when I first saw it. Am just kinda curious as to how reasonable their complete misunderstanding of it was. Thought they may well have been boosted, but I would have thought it would be something that happens earlier than final steps of faith, even if they were starting at 60?

Thordan? not sure if it was the Singularity Reactor or not.

I want to say Echidna in the Void Ark was the first time that marker was used.

Nidhogg might very well be the first time in the MSQ that marker is used.

There are several places where the mechanic is used however I think Ark Ship raid was the first place and it also appeared with Sephiroth Traid.

I think that may be the first time its seen in the MSQ. I remember not knowing what it was when I saw it the first time in that fight too. At most there's one previous fight that uses it. If new players are just focusing through the MSQ, its fairly likely they won't be familiar with it when reaching that instance.

The marker appeared in T13, which, if I recall correctly, was its first appearance, though this was not the first compulsory duty to use it. Other duties used stack mechanics, but with different marks, such as the purple lightning mechanic in the Five Headed Dragon fight in World of Darkness.

In case people haven't seen the marker before, I like to do this:

Code:

---

/micon a waymark
/waymark 0
/waymark a <me>
/waymark b <me>
/waymark c <me>
/waymark d <me>

---

which will put a big stack of glowing waymarks on me. Or t, if you want.

I'm pretty sure it was Thordan.
Though I don't recall if it was in the normal story mode so if people didn't do ex, they wouldn't have seen it.

They went and added it to Void Arks's Echidna. Before it was just a dark spot without the arrows, iirc.

For the uneducated, perhaps explain what stack marker you're referring to, with its associated mechanic? Cuz I haven't seen any of these, but I know there's plenty of fights that have some form of "group up to reduce damage," with several different markers.

Going through the mandatory trials and dungeons in my mind(so not guaranteed to be right), Final Steps might be the first in the MSQ path with the stack marker and mechanic.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hasrat

For the uneducated, perhaps explain what stack marker you're referring to, with its associated mechanic? Cuz I haven't seen any of these, but I know there's plenty of fights that have some form of "group up to reduce damage," with several different markers.

---

The one he's referring to is the 4 inward pointing arrows on the person about to be attacked. This is the most common form of "stack-up marker", though you arent wrong that there are other things theyve used to indicate "stand together for less damage".

As someone who hasn't seen it yet and is more familiar with previous iterations, let's all just hope I know what to watch for when it comes up (and I don't go into BLM tunnel vision mode...).

But really, I think that could be part of the problem. Maybe they're technically different mechanics, but if they're supposed to be handled the same, maybe it would've been best to maintain (or retroactively convert to) a single indicator.

Personally, I'm more familiar with the red arrow used in T5 and Sohm Al (and maybe elsewhere that I can't think of right now).

The amount of players that have no idea how to handle the stack marker and run away from the group is crazy sometimes. I wonder if they all used a story skip potion to get straight to SB, but even then several trials feature that very mechanic so it's definitely becoming a normal mech to encounter.

Pretty much every SB trial uses it, along with multiple MSQ dungeons, yet people still run away with it in Castrum Fluminis. Its literally in a minimum of 5 required instances (in SB alone) before that one, yet they still run with it.

EDIT: Well, it happened again. One of the DPS even said it should have been explained what that was before the fight. Like, umm, you've seen that marker dozens of times already. Its not obvious by now what it is?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kurando

The amount of players that have no idea how to handle the stack marker and run away from the group is crazy sometimes. I wonder if they all used a story skip potion to get straight to SB, but even then several trials feature that very mechanic so it's definitely becoming a normal mech to encounter.

---

Not certain but i seem to recall it being in a few story instances as well. Where various members of the scions or other npcs come running to stack with you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hasrat

Personally, I'm more familiar with the red arrow used in T5 and Sohm Al (and maybe elsewhere that I can't think of right now).

---

The one youre describing is probly the one i think of as the Fireball Marker. Large-ish orange triangle(point down) with like a big glowing dot in the middle? For comparison, the one OP is talking about(and the most common one in general) is this - the design of which at least to me screams everyone get here(note: not everyone typically has to stack for these, but the more people in the marker the easier it is for the healers to handle so certainly better to share if youre in reach - and certainly dumb to run away from everyone if youre the one with the marker on you).
https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qim...1ce1f3a8c4b0-c
And i think in general the reason we have so many different indicators for this is that some of them are slightly different. Stand with 1+ other marked person to avoid bad effect isnt technically the same as everyone stand together to share damage. But functionally? Theyre certainly similar.

Edit: I dont own that image, i just snagged one of the first ones to appear on a google image search for ff14 stack marker.

I think The Airy had the first stack markers I remember, unfortunately they used the orange marker used these day to indicate spreading out ... not the best design decision if you ask me ...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TalithaSolarien

I think The Airy had the first stack markers I remember, unfortunately they used the orange marker used these day to indicate spreading out ... not the best design decision if you ask me ...

---

There are no stack mechanics in the Aery. You might be thinking of the vinegaroon boss in Sohm Al, which eats slimes and then attacks the party with either a red or blue indicator. The standardized orange stack marker is not used in this fight presumably because of the expectation that we notice the difference between the colored slimes and markers to decide whether to stack or spread; however, nowhere in the game do we ever have the standardized orange stack marker used to mean "don't stack".

Most people I've seen figure out that that means stack up. The problem I tend to see, specifically with Nidhogg, is that they don't know to stay stacked until he stops spamming Ahk Morn, so they run off after the first hit and get murdered. Nothing really indicates that, unless you count the bodies afterwards.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rongway

There are no stack mechanics in the Aery. You might be thinking of the vinegaroon boss in Sohm Al, which eats slimes and then attacks the party with either a red or blue indicator. The standardized orange stack marker is not used in this fight presumably because of the expectation that we notice the difference between the colored slimes and markers to decide whether to stack or spread; however, nowhere in the game do we ever have the standardized orange stack marker used to mean "don't stack".

---

You're right, it was Sohm Al.
But my point stands, they use a marker there to indicate "stack" that in all later content means "spread" (the orange down arrow).
I still find that very confusing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rongway

however, nowhere in the game do we ever have the standardized orange stack marker used to mean "don't stack".

---

Kefka says Hi :p

If people have put attention to past dungeons, raids, trails by now you would think people are competent enough to figure out mechanics. Sadly no. How I wish we had a Kefka Emo for those people when they mess up -.-/

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by whiskeybravo

Kefka says Hi :p

---

It's not the standard marker though. It has additional bits.