Vedrfolnir / Darkscale fate

[Shougun]

I like this change, although I understand people who want hard content that they can do in the open world (never going into beautiful zones again sort of sucks - beastmen quests help for specific zones but they're not really hard).

I think they should revisit their leve system. Streamline it to be easier to use for general sense, examining and managing the traveling done (both to start, to do, and collect reward), how the restock of leves works - I think perhaps reducing the max but globally increasing their value and duration appropriately, and on top of the global value increase make a shifting zone bonus where that areas rewards are greatly enhanced or perhaps a few unique leve's available during that period (with unique/greater scaled rewards) - to keep you visiting new areas rather than visiting a guide to see the best place to spam a specific type of leve only. For zones where the level is really low the few unique leves could be scaled content, or at a few higher tier level brackets - so you'd still visit Central Shroud as a level 65.

That streamline might make it considered more often again for DoW/M leveling - as right now I mostly just see them for DoH/L. There is a surprising amount of Lore and non-random text in leve's and they also offer better control to make interesting content than a FATE in an open world setting (like a weekly "epic" / burning circle leve for example). Could examine the treasure hunt system a bit too, perhaps being able to force a map to a zone (lower tiers?) - just consider making things convenient will encourage people to lump activities together. A treasure map UI where you store then and can hold more than one would be nice (cannot control where the higher tier locations are, to keep some balance/speed control and wandering).

So yeah I agree interesting, hard specifically as well, content on the open world is nice Kuma - part of the issue is reward structure and efficiency (of non open vs open), but at least personally I think being able to actually do the FATEs when you see them is a better feeling rather than "welp, no one cares to get this FATE now so doing this just became incredibly unlikely". Where treasure maps and leves would be willful task and you'd know if you needed a group before hand, or if you picked a slightly less rewarding solo "epic" content you'd still be expecting. While for FATEs its a bit uncontrolled and I've seen a lot of FATEs I'd like to tick off my list but know I'll never be able to get a party together before the time is up (FATEs that may have achievements or rewards that are no longer pertinent, anything of current desire is no problem on Balmung - perhaps they die too fast in that scenario lol).

[kuma_aus]

So yeah I agree interesting, hard specifically as well, content on the open world is nice Kuma - part of the issue is reward structure and efficiency (of non open vs open), but at least personally I think being able to actually do the FATEs when you see them is a better feeling rather than "welp, no one cares to get this FATE now so doing this just became incredibly unlikely". Where treasure maps and leves would be willful task and you'd know if you needed a group before hand, or if you picked a slightly less rewarding solo "epic" content you'd still be expecting. While for FATEs its a bit uncontrolled and I've seen a lot of FATEs I'd like to tick off my list but know I'll never be able to get a party together before the time is up (FATEs that may have achievements or rewards that are no longer pertinent, anything of current desire is no problem on Balmung - perhaps they die too fast in that scenario lol).

The only FATEs that are hard to tick off right now are the Darkscale fates, because Vedrfolnir dies really quickly, and the Highbridge fates, because the NPCs die quickly. Highbridge fates are decent in a way since you can start the rescue fate when ever you're ready and solo it and you know a short time later the achievement fates will spawn so you can start recruiting.

A lot of hard fates that need parties have 30 minute timers. And these fates can be cleared in around 10 minutes. So you have around 15 minutes to get people to come before you really need to start the fate, and then you can keep getting people to come as you clear the FATE. Again, Novice Network and Party Finder make getting people to come easy and you can always ask your friends and FC to come help. If it's an off peak time you might have trouble, but these fates spawn all the time so just attempt them at a peak hour when people aren't too busy like right after reset.

[Shougun]

The only FATEs that are hard to tick off right now are the Darkscale fates, because Vedrfolnir dies really quickly, and the Highbridge fates, because the NPCs die quickly. Highbridge fates are decent in a way since you can start the rescue fate when ever you're ready and solo it and you know a short time later the achievement fates will spawn so you can start recruiting.

A lot of hard fates that need parties have 30 minute timers. And these fates can be cleared in around 10 minutes. So you have around 15 minutes to get people to come before you really need to start the fate, and then you can keep getting people to come as you clear the FATE. Again, Novice Network and Party Finder make getting people to come easy and you can always ask your friends and FC to come help. If it's an off peak time you might have trouble, but these fates spawn all the time so just attempt them at a peak hour when people aren't too busy like right after reset.

You've got that turtle and a bunch of other ones like it too though (like the crab), even had a group of 15 on the turtle (I'm sure some people were one handing it/not trying) and failed with the 8 minutes we started it at lol.

I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying I think when you've got stuff spawn and despawn it's a much better feeling to know if you tried there is an acceptable chance you could get it done with lesser numbers (rather than a large mass, or a tight knit group, both of which are not common when stuff is not explicitly desirable anymore), especially as not everyone plays at peak time or is looking at content everyone cares about - maybe your server is still infatuated with FATEs but mine only is when they have high value (EXP FATE areas, specific zones, or things like Odin).

I've seen people fail Darkscale plenty of times while I was crafting away because they couldn't get enough /a WHM lol. Perhaps its just server specific issues, but at least personally I'd like to see hard content but in content that you've willingly joined, or doesn't have a vanishing/failing point*, rather than content that you'll likely never get to do without getting a bunch of people who have nothing better to do :P. * Like if you fail to do a Leve not a big deal, do it again, fail to do a FATE? Wait 2-24 hours, and if you're lucky and have no personal schedule you'll catch it again later if not.. maybe you wont see it again for quite a while.

[kuma_aus]

You've got that turtle and a bunch of other ones like it too though (like the crab), even had a group of 15 on the turtle (I'm sure some people were one handing it/not trying) and failed with the 8 minutes we started it at lol.

Which ones are you talking about? Cancer in Costa Del Sol and the Turtle in Dravanian Forelands? Both can be done with 4 people easy, but you need 1 tank and 1 healer and actually do the mechanic for the Dravaian Forelands turtle. Both have 30 minute timers, and can be cleared in around 15 minutes with 4 people. It's not that hard to get 3 other people to come help do a hard achievement fate.

I've seen people fail Darkscale plenty of times while I was crafting away because they couldn't get enough /a WHM lol.

Yes, that's the issue OP is bringing up. The FATE doesn't need to get easier, just the first fate needs to stop being auto failed in 1-2 minutes if people are not at the FATE ready for it.