The Hunt - a game breaking feature

[EricCartmenez]

Indeed, gear is a tool, the key or "pass" to get through the door, the point bonuses don't compensate for whatever else one might be lacking... and whatever might be lurking behind the door itself. Patience, perseverance and enthusiasm are the real meat and potatoes of one's growth.

Bingo! I don't think there's anything wrong with the hunt. It's the people who run around, then someone "accidentally" pulls early. So what, go to the next one in 30 seconds. Eventually, the swarms of individuals looking to get level 90 gear from Allied Seals will dwindle and those who want level 100 and 110 gear for little work will also fade. You can only get so many soldiery tomes per week. People will have to start running the fights to get the drops of gear, then back to hunts to grab the oil and sands and upgrade it.

The childish stuff I saw online this weekend made me laugh. Name calling aside, I actually saw people telling others not to use AOE's and Chocobos. Really? I can't see the fight because of all the AOE's. Sorry, it's the only way WHM and SCH get their participation, so expect to see medica and holy if they are not using Stone II. Turn off the effects and you'll see just fine. Early pull? Move on. You want me to wait on this B while you slash down that A and S on your way, but you won't hold the A or S or invite me to your party so I can get credit? Sorry, B is dead, moving on. I'm not waiting any more than you did. You got more tomes than I did, so enjoy your victory. Geesh. Can't tell you how many B's I've blasted solo or with two people.

No matter if you are iLVL 110, if you don't know how to fight the bosses in anything from Howling Eye HM to Labyrinth to the Coil, you're still going to see your party get wiped because you think your overpowered stuff is making up for a lack of skill. [I use the word "you" in any person who believes this, not pointed to any individual.] It takes both skill and gear to win those fights. I watch all the YouTube videos I can on fights before I enter, regardless of how easy they might seem. Yes, there are still times when a team member doesn't know the mechanics or they just don't care, and yes there are wipes as a result. But for the most part, people who prepare will do well.

It's just like real life. Just because you own a Lamborghini doesn't mean you're a great driver, you have a Jimmy Page replica Les Paul you can play guitar, or you have a degree from Harvard you're the best candidate for a job. You need to be able to apply what you have.

If anything, I think the hunt fails the player only in that it requires no skill to upgrade gear so highly, leaving most (not all) folks who take advantage of this system to make it into raids and fights in which they lack the skill to apply their gear. It leaves me to wonder if the reason that most people are doing this is for bragging rights or do they truly want to take on Leviathan Extreme, Coil, or others?