Only 2/5 Endgame content currently viable, why?

[Teuciont]

Before, I at least thought you needed decked out gear and had to have gone through beastman strongholds for that gear to do Ifrit. But seeing people do Ifrit in their Santa outfits, I mean really. It might just have something to do with LNCs being completely broken and taking all the fun out of the Ifrit fight, but that doesn't change the fact that it works that way regardless. I realize that 1.20 will balance out the classes(hopefully), but then what's the point of getting the Ifrit weapons for those of us who are just now getting their Linkshells around the size to tackle him? We get a weapon that everyone and their mom has because of exploiting(I don't like to use this word, as it's not the players' fault that SE hasn't addressed the grossly overpowered LNC class)? The point of weapons like Ifrit weapons is show that you were able to overcome an incredibly difficult fight. And it was that at first, until people figured out just how broken LNCs were, and that you don't even need any gear to fight Ifrit. I realize that Moogle is supposed to be harder, but I'm confused on what SE's vision for progression is with Moogle. Will we just be able to run in with leveling gear or even seasonal gear to fight them? Or we will need to actually gear up through Strongholds and Ifrit to have a chance of tackling them. Is it going to be like it is now, where anyone who wants Ifrit weapon can simply waltz in with 4+ <insert broken class in 1.20 here> and destroy the boss with no effort?

Are Moogle and Ifrit on the same level of gear? Or are Moogle weapons a straight up upgrade, thusly making obsolete yet more content(If Moogle can be easily done without Ifrit weapons or a new, equivalently difficult method.) As terribly dull as Darkhold is save for the bosses, it's still content sitting there being useless. It really blows my mind as to why SE can't simply tweak some numbers of the DD gear to be viable against crafted gear. Yoshi himself said he didn't want crafted gear to be better than raid gear without lots of Materia and taking chances.

[Zoltan]

Let me put it this way.

The term endgame suggests that there is something that comes before it. You might want to call it "the game."

"The game" in a level progression MMO where the goal is to empower your character to its full potential is the level progression itself and the opportunities and stories you encounter during this process. Once that level progression ends, the empowerment of your character ends. Ergo, the game ends.

Thus we call this phase, "the endgame."

Unfortunately, level 50 starting jobs are not near "full potential". Square enix has a lot of content planned to be released. It is not the end of the game. It is a work in progress.

Therefore, referring to it as "endgame" is not valid.

Q.E.D.

[tachikoma]

SE has the greatest system for constant LS progression ever. Materia provides the opportunity for content to NEVER become obsolete yet they refuse to use its greatest asset to endgame by making the U/U gear unable to have materia attached. I dont' understand this so called "balance issues" that they claim is why they can't let you add materia to the drops. ESPECIALLY the armor drops. I can see ifrit weapons being alittle over the top with materia on them but then again who cares if you wanna go forbid on ifrit make teh % incredibly low and when ppl blow them up they can spend another 30+ hours getting the weapon again.

Please someone explain why they dont' just allow you to put materia on anything?

[Rubicon]

A lot of people in this thread are glorifying FFXI and how it's content was set apart from other MMOs but why did many players do Sky, Nyzul, etc in the first place? To get gear. Now go back and read what OP said again. Maybe content should give us more gear options like XI's did. Give us rare accessories, rare materia, or other ways to optimize gear.

[Teuciont]

SE has the greatest system for constant LS progression ever. Materia provides the opportunity for content to NEVER become obsolete yet they refuse to use its greatest asset to endgame by making the U/U gear unable to have materia attached. I dont' understand this so called "balance issues" that they claim is why they can't let you add materia to the drops. ESPECIALLY the armor drops. I can see ifrit weapons being alittle over the top with materia on them but then again who cares if you wanna go forbid on ifrit make teh % incredibly low and when ppl blow them up they can spend another 30+ hours getting the weapon again.

Please someone explain why they dont' just allow you to put materia on anything?

It's their way of balancing things out(in the future.) Yoshi has stated he wants crafted gear not to be as good as raid gear. And from what I got from it, he would be okay with crafted being near as good as raid gear if it has 2-3 materia on it. The way it is now however, has crafted gear being king and DD/Faction/HNM gear being entirely useless. The confusing part about this is that all of those NMs and bosses are still hard, as we're still at the same level cap, but their gear isn't viable? They're phasing out old content to funnel everyone into doing the new stuff only, not because the old content is too easy. I feel like Faction NMs and HNMs should prepare people for DD and strongholds, allow people to get a feel of what fighting as a max level group is like, get some experience in, and some viable gear at the same time. Then DD and Stronghold should help people practice for Ifrit/Moogle as well as award gear thusly.

In the ideal situation, I believe(still just an opinion) that it'd go something like this:

Hit Level 50

Get a nice set of crafted gear

Start out with Faction NMs and HNMs, these should be tough with crafted gear, but incredibly tough without it, should award gear that's better than crafted, but shouldn't fill all the slots. Don't make crafted gear completely useless yet.

Move on to Darkhold and Strongholds, these should be tough with Faction NM/HNM gear, very tough with just crafted, and nearly impossible with nothing but leveling gear. Should award gear that doesn't completely phase out Faction NM/HNM gear. By this time, crafting gear should start being phased out, UNLESS you're bold enough to have it crafted with 2-3 materia.

Finally Ifrit and Moogle battle, these should be very tough with Darkhold/Stronghold/Crafted Materia+2-3, incredibly tough with Faction/HNM gear, and outright undoable in leveling gear.

These are all things that are already in the game. The only thing that needs to happen is that numbers need to be tweaked, and SE needs to know that they don't have the sort of progression, large modern style raids that allow for modern style outdating of content.

[AmyRae]

Unfortunately, level 50 starting jobs is not near "full potential".

Therefore, referring to it as "endgame" is not valid.

Q.E.D.

Well, only in your mind. (You unlock jobs at level 30, not endgame, BTW). I'm sure I can't convince you, but maybe the rest of the world can convince everyone else.

...to the vast majority of people who don’t post on forums, the whole part from level one to the cap IS the game, endgame is about retention, sure, and every MMO needs to have something for players to do at cap, otherwise they’re going to get bored and leave.

http://www.mmorpg.com/blogs/staffblo...e-Endgame-Myth

DC Universe Online joins the very small list of MMOs that I managed to reach the level cap and got to see the endgame.

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshB...me_content.php

Endgame means exactly what it says: when you reach it the game ends, and anything beyond the wall is just denouement while you wait for more game to arrive.

https://ardwulfslair.wordpress.com/2...mos-go-to-die/

[grandm]

endgame is a term that came from chess, and it means the last few moves before you finish your opponent off, so for a few of you this might be endgame, subs = ragequit, game finished. but anyway those that say this is not endgame because we have a levelcap to come and a lot more content on the way are quite right

any way don't take my word for it this is what oxford dictionary had to say on the matter

noun
the final stage of a game such as chess or bridge , when few pieces or cards remain:
the game was adjourned after 41 moves in a rook and pawn endgame
figurative
Clinton went into the 1992 endgame with a lead in more states than Carter in 1976

so not at endgame coz all the pieces have not been put on the board yet :P

[Teuciont]

We aren't playing chess or bridge, though.

[grandm]

We aren't playing chess or bridge, though.

it might not be chess but its still a game, endgame means quite literally end of the game, come on the clue is in the name

[Lucifer]

Now it's an argument on semantics.

The same players are already firing away.