AF gear - handed to you for dinging 45/50

[reality_check]

Maybe it's rewarding you for spending the 80ish hours required to get that level?

[Jennestia]

Maybe it's rewarding you for spending the 80ish hours required to get that level?

It doesn't take that long unless you're counting log in attempts. They literally hand it to you, even compared to 1.0 it was part of the trial as you leveled up - But they are going the route where things are handed to you (typical of "standard" MMOs of today) so no one should really be surprised.

They at least have you raid for the upgrade to them though.

[Ptolemy]

It doesn't take that long unless you're counting log in attempts. They literally hand it to you, even compared to 1.0 it was part of the trial as you leveled up - But they are going the route where things are handed to you (typical of "standard" MMOs of today) so no one should really be surprised.

They at least have you raid for the upgrade to them though.

typical of "tier progression" games

[MorbidAngel]

Maybe because it's considered to be entry level end game gear?, if it's even that anymore. There were people in my FC complaining about how easy the relic weapon quest is now as well.

[Aerokus]

Since they're going with the gear treadmill approach, it doesn't matter where or when you get gear, everything will get replaced as soon as a new tier is there.

Maybe they're shooting for the "my first endgame set" appeal-factor? I know I've felt that in other games: looking back fondly on that first endgame set I got that wasn't really that great (or hard to get) in the scheme of things but remembering how cool I felt when I got it.

[AzumaKun]

Maybe it's rewarding you for spending the 80ish hours required to get that level?

Give me a break. in FF 11, you had to get to the level, THEN you had to do the (in some cases incredibly difficult or irritating) quests.