This game has serious free-rider problems and it's getting worse. A suggestion.

[Nethereal]

Well I mean, can you blame them? They don't want to be there in the first place. The devs decided to ignore the complaints against Eureka and tie the relic to Bozja. They just first did a ( rather underhanded all said) step that didn't require Bozja at all, then switcherroo'd everyone. I have friends who hate and resent every second they have to engage with Bozja, but they do it for the relic. They are not going to spend a second longer in that place than they need to for relic progression. SE created this monster by ignoring feedback. If they want to help, then they should have relic quests reward these items that can be used in the instances and have them auto-trigger when going in, or something along those lines. Could be special versions that are key items, just to get through things. For instances that have to be run multiple times, make it a repeatable quest.

Real talk I know people who don't use essences because they want everyone else to be miserable for doing the content because they have to do it for their relic. They essentially just afk.

[Roeshel]

And don't forget, there are more of them than there is of you ...

So, choose. Do you want to play this game with the current structure, or go find another game because this one died because you disparaged one too many of what you consider as 'leeches'?

Don't enjoy it? Find a game that you do enjoy ... I hear first person shooters are popular.

No actually, leeches are not more of the people who play this game. It is basic logic. If you had too many parasites the host would die way too quickly. FFXIV is still going strong so obviously there aren't a lot of parasites but this doesn't mean that they don't exist. Queue for raids and you will meet at least one person, most often than not a dps, who is praying on the efforts of everyone else.

[TaleraRistain]

Real talk I know people who don't use essences because they want everyone else to be miserable for doing the content because they have to do it for their relic. They essentially just afk.

I don't agree with their methods but I can certainly understand that perspective. I think it's a shame that SE has designed something where people hate the idea of logging in because they know it's going to be more content they're miserable in for a shiny they want.

[Ayuhra]

SE probably thought that players would actually go out of their way to gather essences, lost actions, and the like (Valor) to not be a hindrance to their party. Unfortunately, many players would rather waste their own and other's time instead of doing so. Even if essences or lost actions were permanent (no usage limits) I suspect many would STILL not use them, and even if they were automatically applied, I bet people would go out of their way not to unlock them if they didn't have to, to complete the content.

Speaking as someone finally in the last legs of a relic quest (Yes I'm casual) Bozja's whole essence thing is...uh. Bad? It's quite bad.

I'm one of those DPS people who never has a DPS essence. I'd use one if I had one. I rarely even have good DPS Lost Actions. I work most of the day so I don't have a ton of time to spend grinding mobs to maybe get fragments that will maybe give me an essence I can actually use. I do try where I can, sometimes dumping clusters (I have given up hope for saving for the mount) or gil (I have given up hope for having gil) and I am currently at 0 for dps essences. When I do get them they're only good for one run of something or other (Pures can ONLY be used in DR).

If there were a way to reliably grind for them while also making relic progress I'd do it.

So far the best combo I've had going with whatever I end up getting is Beast and defensives. Doesn't make me an impressive party member but it gives healers with profane more openings to go ham.

[Roeshel]

This is true.

Yeah but Awha, imagine you were put in a setting where someone else could do something similar to you. Would you like it? I won't preach about karma, the universe, and stuff but... You are just wrecking yourself if you kick just about anyone based entirely on mood swings. Getting banned in a game is not the worst thing that can happen to someone.

[Lastelli]

I don't agree with their methods but I can certainly understand that perspective. I think it's a shame that SE has designed something where people hate the idea of logging in because they know it's going to be more content they're miserable in for a shiny they want.

I don't agree with this view to be honest, let me explain why.

First of all, Bojza is a condensed version of the actual game. You have a quick leveling method (ranks), Fates, mini-trials in the form of CE and instanced group content (castrum, dr, dalriada). If you hate this, then you fundamentally hate the biggest part of the game and I have to ask why the hell you're still playing it. Then you have lost actions and essences that basically add a new layer of roleplaying and customization, which is something many players have been asking for years.

Second, the relic steps tied to bozja are actually very quick and way, WAY less tedious then what we had in the past. You only need like 3 castrums and a few dalriada and/or delubrum and you're even given options to progress the majority of your relic steps the "good old way" (farming fates in old areas and older dungeons and raids).

Third, even if you don't particularly enjoy the game itself and only play for the glamour (I know this is a thing) I have to ask: what makes you so entitled that you think it's right to join an instance and expect others to do the work for you? This is just terrible behavior and has nothing to do with game systems. You're failing has a human being and it's generally not tolerated in society.

I really don't think the "they're forced to do something they don't like for their relic so it can't be helped" argument holds up. They do it because they can get away with it because there's no personal accountability or incentive to actually do well. That's why I say there's a free-rider problem.

[Lastelli]

If there were a way to reliably grind for them while also making relic progress I'd do it.

There is. Several ways, actually.

Castrum gives dozens of fragments, for starters, and most of them are useful essences or actions. Then there are several methods to farm good or even great fragments quickly. And if you really can't spend even a few minutes grinding fragments with a friend or two, you can always buy them, they're very cheap.

Consider this: 10 minutes of good cluster farming yields several dozens clusters, that can be used to get essences and actions for delubrum that will last you for several runs. 10 minutes.

[technole]

When they make content for the normal crowd this is going to happen. Personally I think they should have just made essences mandatory in normal with HP and enrage mechanics, just like in DR Savage. Like the problem is the instance timer is so high, and no shred of hitting enrages. They got to put these things back to enforce better contribution even if it's semi-lax, just having the threat of having to start over is enough to push a little more. But thankfully we have savage where this does happen.

DR Savage where if you die, a healer raise does not work and Lost Arise is just a 10% chance of raising with a Pure Essence. Walls like this along with having a group to clear is already a good wall to keep out the free-loaders.

The standard set by developers is that as long as the content gets done. It is ok to leech. So this crying about people leeching is just silly.

Clearly what I expected from Balmung, you are part of the problem.

[Ayuhra]

I don't agree with this view to be honest, let me explain why.

First of all, Bojza is a condensed version of the actual game. You have a quick leveling method (ranks), Fates, mini-trials in the form of CE and instanced group content (castrum, dr, dalriada). If you hate this, then you fundamentally hate the biggest part of the game and I have to ask why the hell you're still playing it. Then you have lost actions and essences that basically add a new layer of roleplaying and customization, which is something many players have been asking for years.

Second, the relic steps tied to bozja are actually very quick and way, WAY less tedious then what we had in the past. You only need like 3 castrums and a few dalriada and/or delubrum and you're even given options to progress the majority of your relic steps the "good old way" (farming fates in old areas and older dungeons and raids).

Third, even if you don't particularly enjoy the game itself and only play for the glamour (I know this is a thing) I have to ask: what makes you so entitled that you think it's right to join an instance and expect others to do the work for you? This is just terrible behavior and has nothing to do with game systems. You're failing has a human being and it's generally not tolerated in society.

I really don't think the "they're forced to do something they don't like for their relic so it can't be helped" argument holds up. They do it because they can get away with it because there's no personal accountability or incentive to actually do well. That's why I say there's a free-rider problem.

Bozja is a very interesting idea on paper that never quite comes together well for me.

If there were ways to target desired essences a little better that would be better. As is it asks players to grind so they can have the opportunity to grind more but in content that actually progresses the relic.

....There is a Yo Dawg joke in there somewhere, I just know it.

[RokkuEkkusu]

SE probably thought that players would actually go out of their way to gather essences, lost actions, and the like (Valor) to not be a hindrance to their party. Unfortunately, many players would rather waste their own and other's time instead of doing so. Even if essences or lost actions were permanent (no usage limits) I suspect many would STILL not use them, and even if they were automatically applied, I bet people would go out of their way not to unlock them if they didn't have to, to complete the content.

That is exactly why I suggested to at least make a few Save the Queen relic steps similar to the logos action requirement from Pyros and Hydatos.

Back in Pyros and Hydatos, the relic requirement for those logos actions did make quite a bit of players aware of using those duty actions to supplement their enjoyment of the two Eureka areas, especially when doing Baldesion Arsenal. Some would obviously waste those opportunities of logos actions and take them for granted, but they are the exceptions, not the rules.

This time, without those requirements in the Save the Queen areas, there are many players going into those areas who are unaware of the lost actions/essences, and therefore may be lacking in them. As you said there are obviously going to people who ignore them (the ones the topic creator was trying to bring up). But if the devs did make a reasonable amount of actions in the cache required, at least players who do care will be aware that those tools exist to help them in their Save the Queen/relic journeys.