The Other Side of The (Raid) Force

[Bhuni]

I only read what I want to read.

But is it right I must wait years to experience its story? Not the loot, not the glory, not the achievements. Just the story behind it.

Then contradicts their own post with:

It will be a new kind of duties, maybe I call it with some shiny name, "Chronacles of the era" duties, that they will be classical 4-member duties, with content as the Raid one, with same cutscenes and about same look and feel, but the content (and rewards so no one wonders about them) reduced to a 4-member duty, and no much harder than some of the normal endgame duties we have.

Yeah...

[Keylus]

1- Go to youtube
2- ????
3- Profit


If they do an easy mode I wish that it doesn't give gear at all, or it gives gear worse that the gear you can get in dungeons. If they give gear better that the one of dungeons then the optimal process the get geared could be going at the easy mode each week then go to the hard mode, people could get tired of that raid if they do it 2 times per week

[Kallera]

Pretty sure the devs said there will be gear that drops in the savage Alex dungeon. There's no need to be concerned about gear from the normal Alex dungeon being the best, it isn't.

[DGladius]

If you want to experience the story then you have to be able to do your part in clearing the content. When you want something you go and do whatever it takes to get it.

[Akiza]

Alexander Normal Mode drops gear but its ilvl is lower than tomestones of law.

[VargasVermillion]

You only think you're bad because you haven't actually tried, raid content in this game is not completely out of anyones reach by any means. I mean if you're willing to farm items for relics than why not learn raids? probably takes the same if not less than the relic quests timewise.

[DreadRabbit]

You only think you're bad because you haven't actually tried, raid content in this game is not completely out of anyones reach by any means. I mean if you're willing to farm items for relics than why not learn raids? probably takes the same if not less than the relic quests timewise.

That's not really fair to say. The OP has tried from the sound of it. Raiding culture just is not for everyone. And it's hard to get "initiated" in just about every MMO unless you stick with the top of the player pack from beta onward. There wouldn't be so many threads discussing the problems of clearing Coil (or even Steps) if finding people to help were as easy as a lot of players say it is. It really doesn't help that we are in pre-expansion dry lands right now, and even less people are around to raid with than normal.

That being said...I kinda disagree with OP. I don't think SE should be designing core story elements to be locked behind raiding, which is something designed for only a core percentage of a few players. On that same token, as story oriented as this game is it would be really strange for the most difficult fight of the current endgame to not have a story behind it. So the story behind Coil isn't essential to the MSQ, but it is there for the people who do really want to go for it.

Personally I know I'm not the raiding type so I don't mind just looking up the videos on youtube when I have the time. But the more a game has players using third party sites or products to experience things that should be in the game itself it can break immersion. Would it really be so bad to allow players to start the quest chain for raids and then be given the option? "I don't like raiding, so just let me do little tasks outside the raid to see the cutscenes" or "Heck no, I want the challenge. Let me at 'em!"

[Vespar]

Would it really be so bad to allow players to start the quest chain for raids and then be given the option? "I don't like raiding, so just let me do little tasks outside the raid to see the cutscenes" or "Heck no, I want the challenge. Let me at 'em!"

Where is the reward and sense of accomplishment from that? If I could just go out and collect some things or kill a few normal trash mobs in the world to somehow beat Bahamut, It would feel entirely lack luster. Raids are meant to feel epic!
I originally used to be on the side of "I'll never get this done. or It's too hard please nerf it" thanks to DF and all the rage-quits after a single wipe...but when I finally got drug along with some ls mates to a learning party, I discovered just how fun and entertaining raids can be. At first, I felt out of my element, because DF allowed me to be anti-social but, with a friendly and patient learning group, raiding became fun for me. It gave me the desire to want to better myself and my character, and when we finally memorized it to the point that it became manageable and beat T9 the sense of accomplishment was amazing!! I actually felt ecstatic. A euphoria I havent felt since my wedding. I was so happy that I was able to share in the experience and it made me realize that my ls mates had become close friends, and perhaps one day we could all meet and hang out in real life. I dont think some "little tasks" could have ever provided me with the same sense of accomplishment, friendships or reward. I wouldn't change that experience for the world.

[DreadRabbit]

Where is the reward and sense of accomplishment from that?

That's the thing a lot of people just aren't understanding though. There's a large number of players that don't get a sense of accomplishment from raiding. If all they want is story then it's not "yay, I did it!" when you finish the raid. It's "THANK GOD it's finally over." Now the optional "quest" idea shouldn't reward anything but the cutscenes to players who wish to skip. That I agree. The raid as it is should not be nerfed. It is, in fact, a raid and you're right. They should be difficult since they are the endgame content.

[Tyrn]

Coil was the only storyline of 2.x that I thoroughly enjoyed and got engaged in, not just due to what happened in it but because that I had to improve and earn it. There is no victory to be had in the MSQ since there is no possibility of failure and because of that I don't give a damn about anything that happened in it and I'm not looking forward to any of the story content in the expansion.