Please fix/tokenize Darklight drops

[Raikki]

If SE popped 10 more primal and 20 more dungeons and 50 more quests, then would you have the same concern about the Darklight drop rate? Would you still focus only on that instead of the other content?

I do not believe the problem is in the low drop rate, but rather, the lack of anything else for you to enjoy doing. In other words:
The only way to progress in this world right now is through a mechanic that requires great tedium and repetitiveness.

Rather than address the 'tedium and repetitviness' I would rather address the 'only way to progress'.

But I would love to hear your feedback on this. Would more content and variety of content and dynamic content that you have not yet come close to completing, that in itself gives rewards and advancement and fullfillment, make you rethink your need to change the drop rate (or tokenize) Darklight equipment?


And yes, I like Sunshine and Rainbows ^.^

carraway nailed it:

Having more content wouldn't make the Darklight droprate more tolerable, it would just divide our attentions to the point where it would take even longer to finish our Darklight sets.

I would add that the core of the issue is that this game has too much "bite size" content that's farmed over and over and over. I think the original intention was to have something that was not too large a time investment for someone with a short time to play. The problem is, they also decided to balance the drop rates against people who have a lot of time to play. That means people with a short time to play don't have a reasonable chance at getting rewards, and people with a long time to play have to do the same thing an absurd number of times to get their rewards. It's a lose-lose situation.

No content they put into the game is going to be fun and satisfying anymore after doing it hundreds of times. MMO content needs to be fun and rewarding at the same time, not a choice between the two. Right now, we have a mutually exclusive option between doing content while it's fun but not getting any rewards, or grinding the content long past the point it feels like a chore to get the rewards.

[Asiaine]

I would add that the core of the issue is that this game has too much "bite size" content that's farmed over and over and over. I think the original intention was to have something that was not too large a time investment for someone with a short time to play. The problem is, they also decided to balance the drop rates against people who have a lot of time to play. That means people with a short time to play don't have a reasonable chance at getting rewards, and people with a long time to play have to do the same thing an absurd number of times to get their rewards. It's a lose-lose situation.

No content they put into the game is going to be fun and satisfying anymore after doing it hundreds of times. MMO content needs to be fun and rewarding at the same time, not a choice between the two. Right now, we have a mutually exclusive option between doing content while it's fun but not getting any rewards, or grinding the content long past the point it feels like a chore to get the rewards.

I agree with this... and this is what I feel needs to be fixed (not the tokenization/drop rate).

I look forward to a day where the challenges and big NMs I have to fight are so varied and dynamic that there is no 'guide' or pre-recorded 'dance pattern' to beat them.. but only skill, wit, and harmonization with my allies.

[PalidorCarbuncle]

While it is very powerful, it's not nearly as powerful as triple-melded gear. Thus, it's not THE strongest of the all the currently obtainable gear. It's mostly just a nice monetarily cheap (not time cheap) item that one can use instead of saving up for the real most powerful items. If you can't see that your customers are starting to get fed up, then I'm concerned with the future of this game.

[Meatdawg]

Yeah, basically. I would definitely appreciate a gradated reward system that weighs the top-end of accomplishment more heavily.

I did some fuzzy napkin math the other day. Considering how few pieces of DL we have versus how many 5-chest clears we've done, the drop rate is especially abysmal -- in the neighborhood now of 2.5%, counting total DL vs total chests. Working hard towards that end goal of getting X, Y, or Z piece of Darklight feels like digging through the lightning sand in the fire swamp.

We still haven't had a body piece drop for us yet. (No eyepatch either) Easily over 500 kills with the majority being speed runs. No one has completed a set of DL yet and most are still waiting for their 1st/2nd piece to drop.

Nobody wants to do AV/CC anymore because we just all view it as wasting our time.

[Abauge_Goga]

This game is definatelly tailored to casual players. I only play 4 days a week 7-11 PM, sometimes in weekends, and i still have yet to defeat some of the new content.
I am getting at it slowly, but I find that this game has plenty to do, for a casual player that is. People that play a lot more go through new content in a week or so.. defeating it all as it comes up.

This sucks since you need to constantly repeat to get your gear. Since Ifrit was introduced I have 150 kills or so and still don't have all weapons.

I don't think SE can fix or will ever fix this. Some people will constantly stay ahead of the curve and never be pleased.

I suggest until they find the magic fix, play something else on the side. (here is hoping they will introduce some roaming dragons)

[Duelle]

I'm fed up of MMO's nowadays that instantly reward you every step of the way, it loses the majesty and wonder of pondering what you might get from this drop or this chest. You feel great if something you want drops, and if it doesn't - try again tomorrow!

So you'd rather play to and encourage the gambler's fallacy instead of allowing for working your way towards something... No thanks.

God damn WoW with its tokens are obliterating MMOs

Yeah, yeah. WoW is also the source of cancer, AIDS, is slowly killing polar bears and is the cause of global warming.

[Enfarious]

So you'd rather play to and encourage the gambler's fallacy instead of allowing for working your way towards something... No thanks.
Yeah, yeah. WoW is also the source of cancer, AIDS, is slowly killing polar bears and is the cause of global warming.

You left out nuclear war, cockroach infestation, and general malaise in the world, not to mention malnutrition and starvation. . . . .

Seriously WoW did usher in a new way of playing MMOs, it was called "Accessible to everyone." MMOs prior to WoW did not encourage casual players to come join, did not use celebrities to advertise for the kiddy pool. It worked for WoW most SE fans aren't from the kiddy pool. Edit: or at least most of them didn't used to be ...

On topic, really 200 kills nothing but dark matter ... that's just not right a point/token system would at least give everyone something to look forward to, fuck gimme 1 point/win and make a weapon cost 25 points, least I'd get something eventually and not just wanna put the kbd thru my tv everytime I see 5 pieces of grade 5 dark matter.
I of course exaggerate but I'm sure someone out there is going thru this or has quit already because of it.

[Arksniper]

Yeah I'm ok with the way things are otherwise my 12$ a month would be going nowhere fast if shit dropped like Garuda which I finished in 5 days all legit kills no blm burn bs. Took me a year of nonstop hnming to complete my zenith set, 2 years for all God Drops, 2 year for all Sea/limbus drops. Then came Abyssea and I got my +2 af for 3 jobs in a few months. I liked the older non-Abyssea/grauda like systems because it gave good gear to dedicated players. DL drops are fine stop QQing cause you dont have the bestest gear in game. My ls is way over 300+ runs on each dungeon and I can could the body DL on my fingers but that is the way the game goes stop asking for an easy button.

[Duelle]

Seriously WoW did usher in a new way of playing MMOs, it was called "Accessible to everyone." MMOs prior to WoW did not encourage casual players to come join, did not use celebrities to advertise for the kiddy pool. It worked for WoW most SE fans aren't from the kiddy pool. Edit: or at least most of them didn't used to be...

I wouldn't call working dads, technologically-impaired aunts and retired grandpas the kiddy pool, but okay. Though there was a lot of untapped potential (the "Betty White playing a warlock, mercilessly killing people in PvP while saying 'eat my DoTs, noob'" super bowl commercial that was proposed by the fans before that terrible commercial with Chuck Norris aired, for one...).

On topic, really 200 kills nothing but dark matter ... that's just not right a point/token system would at least give everyone something to look forward to, fuck gimme 1 point/win and make a weapon cost 25 points, least I'd get something eventually and not just wanna put the kbd thru my tv everytime I see 5 pieces of grade 5 dark matter.
I of course exaggerate but I'm sure someone out there is going thru this or has quit already because of it.

I don't think anyone would disagree with this, though I also like having a larger selection of goods purchased through points/badges/totems to encourage repeated runs.

[Enfarious]

Yeah I'm ok with the way things are otherwise my 12$ a month would be going nowhere fast if shit dropped like Garuda which I finished in 5 days all legit kills no blm burn bs. Took me a year of nonstop hnming to complete my zenith set, 2 years for all God Drops, 2 year for all Sea/limbus drops. Then came Abyssea and I got my +2 af for 3 jobs in a few months. I liked the older non-Abyssea/grauda like systems because it gave good gear to dedicated players. DL drops are fine stop QQing cause you dont have the bestest gear in game. My ls is way over 300+ runs on each dungeon and I can could the body DL on my fingers but that is the way the game goes stop asking for an easy button.

You really prefer the pure /random to say Nyzul/Dyna yeah you go repeatedly but you get stuff EVENTUALLY no matter what so long as you keep going. Farming Kirin drops you were gonna get other drops, this you get pretty much shit for your time all the time, so really, hundreds of hours for nothing, that's not my idea of "good".

I'd run just like I did everything else in XI, every day or 3 or w/e the cooldown was IF after 3000 runs I'd actually have something to show for my time. Not just saying I've done 300+ runs w/ my shell and we've seen 3 drops. I have no trouble putting in time, I do have a problem w/ pure gambling when the odds are this stacked. Slot machines have more frequent payouts than that, scratch tickets pay out regullarly. Those rewards aren't the "best" but it's something to show for the time/money.