Atma Grind Needs Some Changes...

[Volcano]

It's a double edged sword, people want to have something to work on, but then if there is not enough to do people will start crying that there isn't much to do, much like how it was at release, the amount of complaints about "nothing to do" was pretty annoying.

Now there is stuff to do and...here we are. while i do agree the quest is a tremendous time sink, in the end it simply means that not a lot of people will bother with it.

If this was not already obvious to anyone these are all ultimately ways to keep you subscribed and playing.

Think of FFXI, in there getting a relic weapon took no LESS then 3 months due to dynamis lock outs and the absurd amout of gill you needed. once you started you would be near crazy to stop less you have a useless, wasted item along with the gill you could not get back.


Tl,dr people asked for this, and now they have it. regardless of who actually meant it or not.

[WellFooled]

I like long term goals :x

I feel as if the dev team is adding ways to gear up for multiple varieties of players. For example you can get high end weapons from extreme primals, coil, crystal tower, the relic quest, and even crafting.

I think if you don't enjoy the relic quest chain and want it changed, it isn't for you. The other methods are. In my opinion, saying the relic chain is too much of a grind and should be changed is like saying that coil is too hard and needs to be nerfed. Coil is there to be hard and the relic quest is there to be a long, mostly solo, grind. If it isn't for you, the other methods are probably more your cup of tea, but I'd appreciate it if ya didn't try to take my cup of tea from me :x

[Roris]

They'd need to change the entire relic quest from Atma to Novus, it's just a long term grind with lots of RNG for the sake of being long and grindy but it doesn't have any unique challenges or enemies to defeat for it or any sense of real accomplishment like the first relic quest had in both 1.x and ARR, it's just grind after grind even if yes, it's meant to be "casual".

Arguably Hunts might count as unique in the Novus stage but not really. Got my Novus today and I guess it's nice having customized stats but after 2.3 you can just run ST for a stone, save soldiery for 3 weeks, do a couple of hunts for the sand and get a comparable weapon faster and way way cheaper too. So much for meaningful long term goals, which doesn't really mean anything because 2.4 will introduce 20 more iLVs and devalue all current gear once again.

[Antanias]

Sell each atma for 100 allied seals >_>

[Mugiawara]

grinding in MMOs is outdated. Yoshida said he doesn't want to make XIV another grindfest MMO and why he has to make this stupid quest? I don't get it.

the problem is, not only it's a tedious grind. the rng is insane.
that's not the only thing, oh no, it's the sheer fact that idk...hmm IT'S BORING AS HELL!
im still using my zenith because i can't try and play 11hrs a day to get a single drop. honestly, i did it for 1 hour
and i was done. it's not fun.......relic itself was fun.
there's no brainpower into zergin 1 fate to another but i am glad that there's alternatives...i'm going for leviathans weapon right now.
i guess i'll stay zenith for a while until they change it. so they did give people options to gear up, and i enjoy the other way.

[Riviere]

How does this help at all if you already got all the jobs to 50 most Legacy players already had all the jobs to 50.

At no point did I say that would fix the Atma grind, I just said they would be better if they could be obtained even with low level classes.

[Aldracity]

I wish Atmas would just start dropping from FATEs once you have the quest, even if you don't have a Zenith weapon equipped. I could be leveling other classes doing FATEs while at the same time having a chance to get an Atma, at least if I'm not lucky, I'd still be getting some XP.

Mostly this. I'm ok with running around in circles, spamming FATEs...but I'd like to get more out of the actual grindfest instead of just a pile of GC seals I can barely use.

Or, more specifically: The fatal problem with Atmas is that there is no sense of achievement whatsoever up until the Atma actually drops. I am literally wasting time, burning through Gil to keep up with equipment repair costs, and the FATEs themselves are even wasting your Challenge log because of the EXP bonuses!

The other steps are long, but at least there's a sense of progress there.

Of course, the other solutions could be to either make GC Seals more valuable during the endgame, or else generate a complete other currency/resource for that same purpose.

[Bucy]

An idea I just had for this is, to make it so that once you have completed any atma (popped your cherry) you can use any zenith, atma, animus, or novus, or next gen to farm atma. Also, Atma can then be turned in for materia (at a balanced exchange rate).

A bonus to atma drop rate for those who have completed an atma weapon would help incentivize people to continue, but this too needs balance. A 1% bonus may seem small but essentially double the drop rate, so maybe even smaller is a balanced bonus.

[Bucy]

Mostly this. I'm ok with running around in circles, spamming FATEs...but I'd like to get more out of the actual grindfest instead of just a pile of GC seals I can barely use.

Or, more specifically: The fatal problem with Atmas is that there is no sense of achievement whatsoever up until the Atma actually drops. I am literally wasting time, burning through Gil to keep up with equipment repair costs, and the FATEs themselves are even wasting your Challenge log because of the EXP bonuses!

The other steps are long, but at least there's a sense of progress there....

I think the devs want us to see how "fun" FATEs are, but in practice, grinding for atma, they are not fun. We run around trying to tag as many FATEs as possible. Maybe if there was a large bonus to atma drop rate for completing a FATE, then the FATE grind could be fun (like +25% or even higher for tough FATEs like Go Go Gogomeira or It's Not Lupus)

[Exstal]

Just make it in 2.4 that it takes 30 fates in a particular zone with gold rank to get the Atma turn in. Alternatively, it has a chance to drop. Allows people to double up on Atma at a fairly quick rate since post-Novus upgrade should be out by then.