Current State of End-Game Contents - A Blog Post from A Japanese Player

[Bizniztyme]

Sure there is the small group stuff that everyone can do - but those are the same rehashed instances from leveling. (cept for a couple of new ones - which is great... but we have been farming the same instances now for 3 sets of gear!)

They are adding all kinds of stuff for all kinds of play types. I believe they just need time. Just look at this latest patch. Supposed to be a small patch but they added quite a bit of new stuff for people to do. It's not always about battle content and getting loot.

[ApolloGenX]

They are adding all kinds of stuff for all kinds of play types. I believe they just need time. Just look at this latest patch. Supposed to be a small patch but they added quite a bit of new stuff for people to do. It's not always about battle content and getting loot.

They definitely need time, no doubt.

I am just here asking them to take a wide view and design varied content. I don't think anyone is asking for "everything to be X or Y".

The content they have been putting out, though is following the exact same pattern... so at this point my concern is that future content will be more of the same... but hopefully they will get creative.

[Okashii]

The echo was suposed to help casual players clear the harder fights to make up for the lack of gear.
The problem is that gear has nothing to do with it, it's the spam of instant death mecanics by almost every single boss in this game post 50 that makes it impossible to beat by most casual players.

This is ridiculous though. Once hardcores have won, then you want less hardcores to win BUT NOT people below that. You want people to win in waves based on skill so that everyone can have a sense of accomplishment. And a lot of lesser skilled players are clearing this content. Even pretty low skilled players can actually dodge divebombs but only now can they handle healing in that fight better.
theres not a spam of instant death mechanics. some are instant death, others are a lot more recoverable than that. gear helps a lot. helps push phases to see less of something. helps carry you through OTHER hits you may take so that you can focus more on the more difficult mechanics.

[Zyrusticae]

If I had a dollar for everytime I heard this... I guess there would be no fail parties? Since everyone is so good that its NEVER their fault.

The ones who are failing are generally not the type to go about proclaiming how much they fail on public forums. Not sure what you want from us.

The same concept applies here. Until players can start taking responsibility for their own mistakes, things are never going to change. It's much easier to accept failure at a lower level then wait until you reach the harder content.

"Taking responsibility" doesn't magically allow players who can't react on time or move to the correct locations to do so if they simply lack the reflexes or their connection is too shoddy (and the latter is a legitimate concern that is largely out of the player's hands, short of using a booster program like Pingzapper or WTFast).

I've run with players who KNOW that they are the problem and admit as such... but they just lose heart after a dozen attempts and stop trying, and that's terrible.

I didn't realize that raiding was a 6 man effort, not 8. Let me put it to you simply, if you want to succeed, get rid of those that are dead weights.

Not an option. Extreme primals WILL eventually be added to the roulette, and obviously simply shedding the "dead weight" WILL NOT BE AN OPTION.

This is besides the fact that you should want those players to eventually, at some point, be able to clear the content after the content is obsoleted. This is the whole point behind the Echo mechanic, after all. If the Echo doesn't help these players clear the content, something else must be done instead.

Try running with friends or good players who you met through PF instead of random people. Or stop whining when these players start making mistakes.

Point
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
------------------
Head

I stopped reading here.

Quite frankly, given your attitude I shouldn't even be dignifying you with a response in the first place, but it would still be nice if you would extend the courtesy of showing mutual respect and actually addressing the points given instead of brushing them off with elitist bullshit.

[skaterger]

The ones who are failing are generally not the type to go about proclaiming how much they fail on public forums. Not sure what you want from us.

Possibly, but the more likely scenario is those who can't deal with the mechanics are more than likely to come to public forums to nerf said mechanics.

I've run with players who KNOW that they are the problem and admit as such... but they just lose heart after a dozen attempts and stop trying, and that's terrible.

So we should cheer and encourage them for at least trying? Should we give them a candy and say "Well at least you tried, its better than not trying. Its this terrible attitude of giving up that plagues most games today that cultivates this vicious cycle of bad players.

Not an option. Extreme primals WILL eventually be added to the roulette, and obviously simply shedding the "dead weight" WILL NOT BE AN OPTION.

This is besides the fact that you should want those players to eventually, at some point, be able to clear the content after the content is obsoleted. This is the whole point behind the Echo mechanic, after all. If the Echo doesn't help these players clear the content, something else must be done instead.

Square Enix knows the number of players who have cleared coil, they know the number of people who have done atma, they know the number of players who have certain mounts, do you think they not know if there is a sizable number of people who have problems with Ex primals? They mentioned that they found the 20% echo buff for T5 to be sufficient, and that is probably from their numbers that the actual number of players is equal to the intended numbers. If there comes a time where a huge number of new players are struggling with ex primals, they WILL nerf the content, you can be sure of that. That however is no excuse to design new content in a braindead fashion like tank and spank to cater for new or inexperienced players many months or years down the road.

That's unfortunate because the part after that was reasonable. It's like in every other MMO..except this one.

I went back to read it. However, the claims of 1 death=instant wipe and no chance of recovery is hugely exaggerated. I've cleared titan ex with only me (dps), 1 tank and 1 healer alive.

[Exstal]

I went back to read it. However, the claims of 1 death=instant wipe and no chance of recovery is hugely exaggerated. I've cleared titan ex with only me (dps), 1 tank and 1 healer alive.

I agree..for the most part. Sometimes a death or a screwed up mechanic means everyone dies. For example, if the divebomb marker for Second Coil: Turn 4 is placed improperly, you're all going to be blasted into the wall. Or in Turn 2, a person who doesn't get behind the cyclops with Shriek freezes everyone. Turn 3 has Allagan Field and, and far as I can remember, Turn 1 has nothing like that.

[Colt47]

I agree..for the most part. Sometimes a death or a screwed up mechanic means everyone dies. For example, if the divebomb marker for Second Coil: Turn 4 is placed improperly, you're all going to be blasted into the wall. Or in Turn 2, a person who doesn't get behind the cyclops with Shriek freezes everyone. Turn 3 has Allagan Field and, and far as I can remember, Turn 1 has nothing like that.

Best not to bring up turn 5. That thing is a tragedy of combat design and naming conventions the likes of which haven't been seen since the original Final Fantasy Tactics. Yes Square Enix: I will forever remember the fact Ultima was called Altima, and the plethora of weird move flavor text that didn't get fixed until years later in the War of the Lions remake... also I miss cloud.

[Exstal]

Best not to bring up turn 5. That thing is a tragedy of combat design and naming conventions the likes of which haven't been seen since the original Final Fantasy Tactics. Yes Square Enix: I will forever remember the fact Ultima was called Altima, and the plethora of weird move flavor text that didn't get fixed until years later in the War of the Lions remake... also I miss cloud.

Well, Binding Coil: Turn 5 has some as well. Twister, if tanks stand on each other, you're pretty much boned. Divebombs, if done the way players do it, screw everyone as well.

[Exstal]

I stopped reading here.

That's unfortunate because the part after that was reasonable. It's like in every other MMO..except this one.