RNG is Back with ZODIAC Relic

[Sparktacus]

Expensive materia melds and Alexandrite disagree with you. Since when did 'casuals' have millions of gil to drop on materia for this? A 'casual' is more likely to take the far more acceptable choice of completing a few dungeons, which they'll be doing anyway for normal gear upgrades, and getting their soldiery weapon in a matter of weeks.

This is not casual friendly, and it's clearly not even aimed at casuals due to the repetitive and time consuming nature of every aspect of its design. Haven't got hours upon hours to waste on Atma grinding? Too bad. Got 11/12 atmas but can't get that last one to drop? Enjoy having 11 slots of your inventory effectively wasted while you try. Want animus? Enjoy waiting for 3 hours on a gosh-darned Fate because it refuses to spawn when you're logged in!

The very definition of the world casual means you don't have hours to spend on the game at a sitting, and when you do it's a rare and fleeting thing. I 'casually' completed my animus. Took me MONTHS. In that time I could have earned an ilvl 110 soldiery weapon four times over. Not only would it have been superior to Animus, but a lot less strenuous. I now have little interest to begin Novus because not only does it cost at least HALF the price of a soldiery weapon to begin (3x inks at 250 soldiery each), but the materia costs thereafter are in the multi-millions.

Casual players try to budget their time more effectively. There's very little 'reward' for the zodiac line and a whole lot of work. When you can get an equal or close-to reward by a far quicker and easier means, then there really is no contest.

Exactly this.


Anyone who thinks the relic grind is in any way casual, is completely nuts.

[Themis]

Exactly this.
Anyone who thinks the relic grind is in any way casual, is completely nuts.

All that it requires to be "casual" is something that doesn't require a dedicated bit of time, and with that I'd say around 2-3 hours plus in a single block. The entire relic stage, even the first part up to actually getting it, doesn't require large blocks of time investment. It does require a time investment, yes, but that time investment can be made up of 20-30 minute blocks that most people can fit into their day.

Now, I wouldn't say that the relic grind is casual. It's more mid tier, especially if you want to get it at a reasonable rate, in that it requires a decent time investment and a want to work on it. You shouldn't do the relic quests for a quick and easy weapon. If you want quick and easy, that's what the Soldiery weapon is for (and eventually what the Ironworks will be for). But you can do the relic weapon casually; the more casually, though, the longer the time it will take and the longer the time it will be a subpar weapon. And you do the relic weapon because you want something to show people "this is a job I am dedicated to".

And that's it.

The problem with it really lies with the players who want to achieve BiS type weapons. The customisation of the relic makes it really appealing to those who want to maximize on their output even though the difference or a few % dps would only really affect those who are progression world first chasers (and those players have crazy commitment and dedication already). If you don't like the quests, don't do them. Use the other methods of getting gear that is more enjoyable or worth your time. You have a choice.