Just unlock the Raid Tier already!

[MagiusNecros]

They will unlock it when Dawntrail launches...making most of the gear obsolete anyway. It's what they do.

[Jojoya]

Shadowbringers: Savage weekly restrictions removed in patch 5.57, 4 weeks after patch 5.55 was released.
Stormblood: Savage weekly restrictions removed in patch 4.56, 6 weeks after patch 4.55 was released.
Heavensward: Savage weekly restrictions removed in patch 3.56 (there was no 3.55, 3.55a and 3.55b were system adjustments to other content)

Doesn't seem like there's really a clear pattern here. My guess is the restrictions will lift with whatever patch starts the Xbox beta in February.

Considering gear stops being relevant as soon as you clear the raid tier that drops it (unless an Ultimate is scheduled to be released shortly after), I don't get the urgency. There should be at least 5 months to farm between the restrictions lifting and Dawntrail being released. I get it's something to do to fill time on your hands but do it now and you'll be complaining you need more things to do that much sooner. You can still get alt gear even with the weekly lockout in place, you just can't get it as fast.

[Nezerius]

Shadowbringers: Savage weekly restrictions removed in patch 5.57, 4 weeks after patch 5.55 was released.
Stormblood: Savage weekly restrictions removed in patch 4.56, 6 weeks after patch 4.55 was released.
Heavensward: Savage weekly restrictions removed in patch 3.56 (there was no 3.55, 3.55a and 3.55b were system adjustments to other content)

Doesn't seem like there's really a clear pattern here. My guess is the restrictions will lift with whatever patch starts the Xbox beta in February.

Considering gear stops being relevant as soon as you clear the raid tier that drops it (unless an Ultimate is scheduled to be released shortly after), I don't get the urgency. There should be at least 5 months to farm between the restrictions lifting and Dawntrail being released. I get it's something to do to fill time on your hands but do it now and you'll be complaining you need more things to do that much sooner. You can still get alt gear even with the weekly lockout in place, you just can't get it as fast.

If you look at the actual time between Savage release and unlock, you'll see that there's definitely a pattern. Stormblood and Shadowbringers both show that each first tier unlocked after 4,5-5 months, while each second & third tier unlocked after 6-6,5 months. The third tier of Heavensward also shows a similar timeframe.
Endwalker's increased time between major patches is also reflected in the unlock times, as both Asphodelos, and Abyssos unlocked roughly 1-1,5 months later than the previously mentioned pattern.

• Asphodelos unlocked after 6 months, Abyssos after 7 months/11 days.
• Eden's Gate unlocked after 4 months/24 days, Eden's Verse after 6 months/21 days, and Eden's Promise after 6 months/15 days.
• Deltascape unlocked after 4 months/24 days, Sigmascape after 6 months/9 days, and Alphascape after 6 months/8 days.
• Alexander - The Creator unlocked after 6 months/2 days (no clear info on Gordias or Midas).

You're correct in that there's no urgency in gearing up alts, but that doesn't mean people should be forced to still be gearing at a snail's pace. Especially considering that Anabaseios has been the current tier for 7 months and 20 days. By HW/SB/ShB standards, it's already 1 month past its unlock date. By EW standards, the unlock coming with patch 6.55 would fall in line with the Abyssos unlock time. So really, there's absolutely no reason for Anabaseios to still have its weekly lockout.

[FinnXIV]

They need to unlock savage when ultimate gets released.

[Colt47]

The problem isn't the unlock, the problem is the design of savage is archaic. 1v1 savage trials are needed to help prep people for the group savage trials so people are not getting trapped on the 8 man due to someone not understanding how a mechanic works. That and 4 man savage is perfectly fine, just the way they implemented 4 man savage with savage criterion was just... why? Why make the 4 man require gear from the 8 man savage?

The other reason I'm saying savage is archaic is that it is a bit too tied to the pillars of group jump rope and damage checks in an MMO where random people who we've barely met are stacking together in PF to beat the trial. It's really a miracle anyone clears it and usually at the end everyone admits the reward isn't worth the effort. That's a metric that they can't get from just measuring clear rates.

[Sensui]

This game is in desperate need of rewards that aren't just thrown away in the next patch. Make items that scale up with level increases, similarly to how FF11 Rajas ring or other rewards worked. I want algear that gives ability augments, goddammit. Not just ilvl increases.

[Sensui]

This game is in desperate need of rewards that aren't just thrown away in the next patch. Make items that scale up with level increases, similarly to how FF11 Rajas ring or other rewards worked. I want gear that gives ability augments, goddammit. Not just ilvl increases.

[Colt47]

This game is in desperate need of rewards that aren't just thrown away in the next patch. Make items that scale up with level increases, similarly to how FF11 Rajas ring or other rewards worked. I want gear that gives ability augments, goddammit. Not just ilvl increases.

Well, it's more than just that. Savage has some problems that are hard to ignore and this is coming from doing this now since edens second tier.

Player disengagement happens quite frequently due to boredom. Savage is fun when someone is learning something new so it always starts out with everyone being super happy and diving in. However, later steps of the fight have an increasing weight to reach and even one or two people failing earlier mechanics can cost others their chance to continue the learning process. This causes the following issues...

1) People begin to dislike one another, especially those who are holding them back, so statics will usually discard the person and people in PF break groups, costing everyone more time.
2) It makes savage incredibly unpredictable as to how long it will take to get the rewards from it. If someone rides the early wave of people and dances between the flames of purgatory they can come out unscathed, or if they just book a huge amount of time off and smash it down. But even so much as just having ones static break up or having a schedule shift can render what should be a one to two month venture into a six month or more nightmare.
3) It diminishes the value of the rewards to the point that no one feels they are worth it. Even people who clear just don't care about the items anymore, they just care that it is over with since they endured the nightmare and want to salvage or find meaning in all of it.

[Deceptus]

Has savage ever been unlocked on the X.X5 patch before? I thought it was always the X.X7 or X.X8 patch, when they unlock. Usually the same time they make the tome weapon upgrade available via 24-man raid coins.

No but then again I don't think we've had this long of an expected content drought in a while.

[Jojoya]

Well, it's more than just that. Savage has some problems that are hard to ignore and this is coming from doing this now since edens second tier.

Player disengagement happens quite frequently due to boredom. Savage is fun when someone is learning something new so it always starts out with everyone being super happy and diving in. However, later steps of the fight have an increasing weight to reach and even one or two people failing earlier mechanics can cost others their chance to continue the learning process. This causes the following issues...

1) People begin to dislike one another, especially those who are holding them back, so statics will usually discard the person and people in PF break groups, costing everyone more time.
2) It makes savage incredibly unpredictable as to how long it will take to get the rewards from it. If someone rides the early wave of people and dances between the flames of purgatory they can come out unscathed, or if they just book a huge amount of time off and smash it down. But even so much as just having ones static break up or having a schedule shift can render what should be a one to two month venture into a six month or more nightmare.
3) It diminishes the value of the rewards to the point that no one feels they are worth it. Even people who clear just don't care about the items anymore, they just care that it is over with since they endured the nightmare and want to salvage or find meaning in all of it.

Part of it is game design but part of it is also a player problem.

Game design - Instead of making the next set of crafted gear a higher item level than the previous Savage, it should be the same item level. That way the previous Savage gear remains relevant into the next tier instead of getting discarded for the new crafted. The new crafted will still be useful for those who don't do Savage and who missed out on a couple of upgrades from the last tier. This would have the added benefit of slowing down power creep, which is extremely noticeable when using latest gear to clear level cap content released at the start of an expansion.

Players - Raid with those you know and like. Having fun together tackling the challenge should outweigh how long it takes to clear and any rewards. The experience just isn't the same when you're raiding with mostly random players you don't know, likely won't see again and only care about getting what they want without concern for others in the party.