Fix the tomestone "weapon token" system

I will fully own my stupid mistake, but it seems crazy that there isn't a better way to buy weapons with tomestones in this game. I just blew 1000 tomestones for 10 Mowen's tokens (Phantasmagoria) for my Paladin weapon and shield, completely forgetting that you only need 7 tokens for the Paladin weapon and shield is bought with 300 tomestomes.

Either:
1) Implement a system where you buy a weapon coffer with your tomestones (since coffers seem to be the way forward nowadays anyway). e.g. "Paladin Weapon Coffer" can be bought for 700 tomestones
or
2) Enable buying the shield with 3 Mowen's tokens instead of requiring JUST tomestones

Again, I'll admit I was stupid... but there HAS to be a better way. Please fix!!!

Alternatively, I'll take the ability to sell an item I buy on accident for a portion of my tomestones back. Even if I can't get a full refund, it'd be better than nothing.

The whole token system is dumb. I only get it because I have been dealing with it since the beginning. But recently having to explain it to newer people has made me realize how terrible the system is.

The entire thing being menu driven is just the start. You then have to deal with 4-5 different NPCs...per expansion...to get gear. The tome weapon as you describe is a perfect example of the failing of the whole system.

Have to talk to someone to get a tome token (assuming you didn’t get a direct drop of the tome from savage). Then you need to talk to someone else to trade in tomes for tome notes....then you need to talk to yet someone else to actually get the weapons. The entire process is insane and the fact that all of this is carried out though randomly named items in text only menu makes it one of the most unintuitive systems I have ever seen in a game.

And really this just starts to describe the undue complexity they have created with their loot systems and the various rules and exceptions they have cobbled together over the years not to mention my entire chocobo saddlebag being full of various tokens that serve a single purpose. Why do they keep doing this?

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Originally Posted by Ladon

The whole token system is dumb. I only get it because I have been dealing with it since the beginning. But recently having to explain it to newer people has made me realize how terrible the system is.

The entire thing being menu driven is just the start. You then have to deal with 4-5 different NPCs...per expansion...to get gear. The tome weapon as you describe is a perfect example of the failing of the whole system.

Have to talk to someone to get a tome token (assuming you didn’t get a direct drop of the tome from savage). Then you need to talk to someone else to trade in tomes for tome notes....then you need to talk to yet someone else to actually get the weapons. The entire process is insane and the fact that all of this is carried out though randomly named items in text only menu makes it one of the most unintuitive systems I have ever seen in a game.

And really this just starts to describe the undue complexity they have created with their loot systems and the various rules and exceptions they have cobbled together over the years.

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I agree, this is a UI organization disaster. I don't even see the point in trading 7 tokens for 1 new token that just needs to be traded away right away to get an actual item. Why couldn't they just make the weapons cost the 7 (Blade of Early Antiquity) directly? Why the convolution?

Is there a reference somewhere that I can use to determine how this process works? For us new folks it is rather arcane.

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Originally Posted by stinkpalmd

I will fully own my stupid mistake, but it seems crazy that there isn't a better way to buy weapons with tomestones in this game. I just blew 1000 tomestones for 10 Mowen's tokens (Phantasmagoria) for my Paladin weapon and shield, completely forgetting that you only need 7 tokens for the Paladin weapon and shield is bought with 300 tomestomes.

Either:
1) Implement a system where you buy a weapon coffer with your tomestones (since coffers seem to be the way forward nowadays anyway). e.g. "Paladin Weapon Coffer" can be bought for 700 tomestones
or
2) Enable buying the shield with 3 Mowen's tokens instead of requiring JUST tomestones

Again, I'll admit I was stupid... but there HAS to be a better way. Please fix!!!

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Reading your post, it seems like the only thing they need to fix is to just include the Shield with the Sword for the 10 Tokens

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Originally Posted by Edax

I agree, this is a UI organization disaster. I don't even see the point in trading 7 tokens for 1 new token that just needs to be traded away right away to get an actual item. Why couldn't they just make the weapons cost the 7 (Blade of Early Antiquity) directly? Why the convolution?

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I assume the main reason they have the secondary trade item traded in that way is because that particular item is accessible as a drop in savage content. I suppose theoretically they could just have that savage fight of the tier drop the requisite amount of crystals/swords/what-have-you instead of the other item... But such is the way things are.

...I like not having to spend tomestones on both sword and shield... I like being able to save 300 and not buy the shield...

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Originally Posted by Papadog

Is there a reference somewhere that I can use to determine how this process works? For us new folks it is rather arcane.

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Collect 7 tokens (one per week) by doing the final fight of the current raid tier on normal mode. Exchange the 7 tokens at the raid npc to the right of the tomestone npc in the hub city with the gear vendors for the current expansion. Spend 1000 of the capped tome buying 10 tokens at the tomestone vendor in the (other) cateogory for the capped tomestone (phantasmagoria). And finally if you want to augment your weapon (savage only for now) you'd go back to the raid gear vendor and pick one of the bottom categories for you and augment your weapon.

All for one weapon.

tl;dr:

Collect 7 weekly raid tokens
Exchange 7 tokens at the Eden Relic Exchange for a lightweight tomestone under "Eden's Gate Antique"
Buy 10 tokens of Phantasmagoria at the Tomestone exchange npc (or 7 for paladin weapon)
Go to the token exchange npc and select deepgear shadow exchange.

It's convoluted. I also realized I forgot the token exchange npc in the first part. That's how many npcs you need to bounce between. 3 different npcs for one weapon.

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Originally Posted by Mesarthim

Collect 7 tokens (one per week) by doing the final fight of the current raid tier on normal mode. Exchange the 7 tokens at the raid npc to the right of the tomestone npc in the hub city with the gear vendors for the current expansion. Spend 1000 of the capped tome buying 10 tokens at the tomestone vendor in the (other) cateogory for the capped tomestone (phantasmagoria). And finally if you want to augment your weapon (savage only for now) you'd go back to the raid gear vendor and pick one of the bottom categories for you and augment your weapon.

All for one weapon.

tl;dr:

Collect 7 weekly raid tokens
Exchange 7 tokens at the Eden Relic Exchange for a lightweight tomestone under "Eden's Gate Antique"
Buy 10 tokens of Phantasmagoria at the Tomestone exchange npc
Go to the token exchange npc and select deepgear shadow exchange.

It's convoluted. I also realized I forgot the token exchange npc in the first part. That's how many npcs you need to bounce between. 3 different npcs for one weapon.

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Unless you want the paladin weapon. Then it’s only 7 tokens; to the point of OPs post.

Right, forgot that one tiny detail. I edited it in. It's not even just paladin gear, the entire system needs to get streamlined because one shouldn't need to bounce between 3 npcs for a single weapon.

Get rid of the tomestone tokens, let the price be tomestone.

Question is, is it just flair or is it not possible(dev/code) to exchange tomestones and another item from the inventory for a weapon, because one is an item and the other a currency.
All shops ingame in ffxiv are either item for item, multiple individual item for item or currency for item as far as I know of.
I don't know if it will rank high enough on their "quality of life" changes list, as they need to code something new for it.

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Originally Posted by Ladon

The whole token system is dumb. I only get it because I have been dealing with it since the beginning. But recently having to explain it to newer people has made me realize how terrible the system is.

The entire thing being menu driven is just the start. You then have to deal with 4-5 different NPCs...per expansion...to get gear. The tome weapon as you describe is a perfect example of the failing of the whole system.

Have to talk to someone to get a tome token (assuming you didn’t get a direct drop of the tome from savage). Then you need to talk to someone else to trade in tomes for tome notes....then you need to talk to yet someone else to actually get the weapons. The entire process is insane and the fact that all of this is carried out though randomly named items in text only menu makes it one of the most unintuitive systems I have ever seen in a game.

And really this just starts to describe the undue complexity they have created with their loot systems and the various rules and exceptions they have cobbled together over the years not to mention my entire chocobo saddlebag being full of various tokens that serve a single purpose. Why do they keep doing this?

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I remember being annoyed when I got to Idyllshire the first time and wanted to upgrade my gear. But oh no, I bought a bunch of Illuminati Dark Gobcoat not Illuminati Darkest Gobcoat, meaning I wasted all of my tomestones on something I can't even use.

Better luck tomorrow after refilling your tomestones, champ!

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Originally Posted by Papadog

Is there a reference somewhere that I can use to determine how this process works? For us new folks it is rather arcane.

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Basically, you spend tomestones to get armor/accessories as well as additional items to fluff them up to their augmented form, which need to be exchanged at a second vendor.

As far as getting weapons go, you either need to get tomestones to buy Rowena tokens (or collect seven weekly drops from a Raid) and then purchase an archaic type of tomestone for 1000 tomestones. Then you go to another person and trade that in for a weapon. And then you need to buy the upgrade items, which you then take to ANOTHER person to upgrade that weapon into its superior form.

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Originally Posted by Zanarkand-Ronso

Reading your post, it seems like the only thing they need to fix is to just include the Shield with the Sword for the 10 Tokens

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I like this idea. Just add Sword + Shield icon together and done.
If I'm not going crazy, they are dropping SS at the same time in dungeon runs too.

Agreed. It'd be a lot easier to just trade 7 Blades of Eden or a Lightweight Tomestone and 1000 Phantasmagoria for every weapon, or weapon combo in PLD's case, cutting out the middle man 1-2 times.

It's not like PLD can get any defensive benefits from their shield beyond what's equally efficiently gained from gear elsewhere, anyways; after the Ronkan Shield, no increase in shield ilvl increases Block Strength. Heck, if it could, that'd be unnecessarily imbalanced in PLD's favor and would probably deserve removal anyways.

There. One step weapon-purchasing, go.

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Originally Posted by Jybril

If I'm not going crazy, they are dropping SS at the same time in dungeon runs too.

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Pretty sure they are. Though oddly enough they're still rolled for separately...

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Originally Posted by Berteaux_Braumegain

Alternatively, I'll take the ability to sell an item I buy on accident for a portion of my tomestones back. Even if I can't get a full refund, it'd be better than nothing.

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WoW has something like this. Any gear you buy with a token can be turned in to the vendor for a full refund for one hour after the initial purchase. I think you can even equip the item and use it during that time.

I'm more mildly annoyed with the drops from each of the raids being an item we keep in our inventory. The devs themselves have made an effort to work on that inventory bloat which is why Beast Tribe currency became a natural item in the tab we would earn like tomestones.

Why not have it be an item you can actively earn through the raid, be added to your account in it's own subsection for raids, and just save you a slot? Since for the weapon anyway we have to grab 10 tokens through the exchange and also have our drops with us. It's just an extra step that could easily be reduced down to 1 if the raid drop currency got merged into the currency tab.

Also alliance raid drops as well. It's annoying as sin to have old coins from the HW and SB raids take up inventory space, especially if you're trying to roll for gear or tt cards/scrolls. They really should just be merged into the currency tab or allow us an option to convert it like BT currency. If I could do that I'd have 6 fresh slots I wouldn't have to worry about and if I get a coin drop I can easily just convert it into the tab.

It'd be nice if they streamlined the Crafted gear upgrades too. That was really a convoluted mess in Stormblood. It could be a simple trade of tomes + your old item at the tome vendor.

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Originally Posted by Shurrikhan

Pretty sure they are. Though oddly enough they're still rolled for separately...

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I mean... they're seperate items. The only way to change that would be to combine them into one, like how ninja and monk have weapons for both hands. And I desperatly hope they're not going to do that, because having them being one item it would mean not being able to cast seperate glamours, for example a Titania sword and the invisible shield... I already wish monks and specially ninja could pick seperate weapons for each hand but its even more prominent with paladin and sometimes the shields are really, really ugly and clunky.
(I suppose a very unlikely second way could be to put them into a coffer that you roll on and when you open it you get sword and shield)

Each time this topic comes up, I dont really understand the issue - as a paladin main I always considered this a good thing! Meaning I can upgrade the important part - the weapon - cheaper than any other job while considering wether or not the shield would be really worth it. Sure, you need to be aware of those little specialities and pay attention, but then there is really no downside for the paladin here.

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Originally Posted by Liam_Harper

It'd be nice if they streamlined the Crafted gear upgrades too. That was really a convoluted mess in Stormblood. It could be a simple trade of tomes + your old item at the tome vendor.

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Like a previous poster said, it's possibly an issue with the system unable to accept both an item and tomestones, which is why at the moment the system is how it is. I don't think it's likely to change.