How would your Anima Questline look like?

[Rufalus]

We aren't using the forced minimum item level sync option on DF for any special reason, so some dungeons that way would have been nice, no overgearing allowed and let people see how it's like make dungeons/trials actually a bit challenging and get rewarded for it. Some kind of PvP integration would have been nice. Lastly, at least one original battle, even if it's just an old boss that they recolored/reskinned, changed attack potencies and added some smaller enemies alongside it.

[Caitlyn]

I'm not a game designer, but here is what I would change:

I wouldn't implement a grind step like Atma 2.0 in order to get a weapon that is 30 item levels worse than what players have been running around with for months now.
That simply makes 0 sense at all.

Step 2 was okay. A way to bring a few more players into HWs leveling dungeons and a fun trip down memory lane.

Step 3 is okay too. Items come from a variety of sources, the player can choose which one suits his playstyle. Merely the amount is off, I'd cut that in half.

@Caitlyn: Hate the idea of timed runs because I hate races against the clock in general.

Well, I mostly agree with you. I m not a game designer, too. But as a player and a game developer, I know what can be fun. Like it was said on a conference: "When its not fun, you doing it wrong". I dont want to complain about the new relic, so thats why I m curious, what other players want to change on the new relic questline.

I really love timed runs, if its fair enough to beat it ^^. Rushing as ilvl 206 Machinist in Sastasha Normal Unsync was very funny. Pew Pew Pew ^^.

[Lone-wolfe-02]

Slash required items by 10 and get rid of crafting items altogether or at least make them non specialist.

[BossEpoch]

Considering it's the first step of a new relic I would have liked for it to be similar to the first step of the original, not a carbon copy though. Maybe a short instanced solo area similar to the one in job quests where you beat up a big scary monster (or two, or three) and get a shiny thing afterwards. After that would be the merry jaunt through the dungeons and then the rehashed atma step (Still skipable via sacrificing your Zeta) to finish it off.

[Granyala]

I really love timed runs, if its fair enough to beat it ^^. Rushing as ilvl 206 Machinist in Sastasha Normal Unsync was very funny. Pew Pew Pew ^^.

Problem with that: If you design the timer to be challenging for Class 1, class 2 will have a bad time or freeloot time. Classes aren't balanced in that regard.
Sure you could go in with every class in order to try to assess the possibility of class specific timers. But then you also have to factor in gear levels.

Probably too much DEV effort to properly balance so players don't feel treated unfairly.

[Moqi]

This is something that I'd like.

Step 1: get the weapon
-Meet the owner of the original weapon (doesn't have to be the original owner, just someone that has it in its possession now, could be a scholar, your guild leader, a descendant, a friend...) and fight him in an instanced 1vs1 battle to prove you're worthy of borrowing it (think class quests).
-Get a law weapon to use as base
-Get a drop from Void Ark, 6 Allagan drops (3 from CT, 3 from 3 turns of Coil, specific for each weapon, can be unsynched) and 2 tier V materia (specific for each weapon) to use as catalyst to transfer/duplicate the memories of the original weapon to your copy.

Step 2: awake the memories
-Weapon is still a bit sleepy, you gotta jog its memories you just transfered. Every owner has spent a lot of time in 4 specific areas of the game, so you gotta spend a lot of time there as well. This is the light farming phase, anything goes as long as you stay in that zone. That means leves, dungeons, raids, trials, maps, fates, any side quests you have left, hunts, beast tribe quests (one of the 4 zone will always be where a beast tribe is), guildhests... if it is set in the zone you have, it will give you points. This part can be done with any class as long as the relic is in your inventory.
-After that, you have to beat (synched) 5 HW dungeons and 10 AAR dungeons (specific for each weapon). The Echo and the weapon will interfeer with your dungeon so you'll have an optional extra boss you must defeat (with the relic weapon). If you do, you get to go on in your quest and the other members of the party recieve additional gil/exp/tomes for being so nice and helping you.

Step 3: prove you're worthy
Gotta prove to the now sentient weapon that you're worthy of being wielded:
-Beat all EX trials (can unsynch AAR trials)
-Beat Alex NM (all turns)
-Beat 2 strong monsters. These are 2 S-ranks but forced popped, you fight them in the open world and are balanced for a full party, they are tagged so others can't damage it (but can help you, like during leves). The items required to spawn one are 5 drops from specific enemies found in the Diadem, a beast tribe item (requires 2 days of quests) and an item bought from your CG for 40k GC seals (or equivalent allied seals or wolf marks). Whoever doesn't need to beat it to progress in his relics gets the same rewards as if he had fought an actual S rank.

Step 4: Transform
Weapon is all right with you, it'll let you make it in its original owner's image. This will give you the new design. You need items to do it:
-3 20k CG seals (or equivalent allied seals or wolf marks) items bought from your GC and a 700 law item.
-2 100k gil items from vendors
-5 beast tribe items (one per tribe)
-4 crafted items, each made with 8 drops from Alex NM (2 for every turn), 3 drops from T5, T9 and T13 (can be unsynched), 1 item from the Diadem (bought with spoils). These items must be HQ but they are not specialist recipies and blue scrips gear is enough to comfortably make it (can do it with less but trickier).
-Once you do that, you need to beat 3 HW dungeons (specific for each weapon) to seal the deal.


There's a grind but you don't stay in the same place for too long, it's harder than the current one but I think it's not so hard it will impossible and you can make multiple ones at the same time to speed up the process (ie you farm seals for the items by grinding fates in another relic's zone), there's more freedom in what you can farm for lights and a bit more exploration because every weapon has a similar quest but different locations and monsters to fight (some overlap obviously). Also, most of the grindy parts can be done without the weapon equipped so you're not locked into using it all the time, which was what I hated the most with the old relic. All the drops are guaranteed.

To me that feels more of a journey and a quest to discover and test your weapon like a relic quest should be.

[Caitlyn]

All the drops are guaranteed.

this! RNG kills fun, when it gets to much! I have no problems with RNG on Thordan Ex, because you still get your weapon after a short time.
But this ATMA-thing with a small drop rate is so frustrating, especially when you see other people who get their items in no time.

[UnstablePersonality]

Keep everything the same except stage 3 and put a clear of either CT or Coil there...

[Blood-Aki]

I'm not a game designer, but here is what I would change:

I wouldn't implement a grind step like Atma 2.0 in order to get a weapon that is 30 item levels worse than what players have been running around with for months now.
That simply makes 0 sense at all.

I'm not sure why that even matters, SE and everyone who has sense knows full well that all that is just the "start" and no one is going to do the crystals only and then call it a day, as the next step which is incredibly easy dungeon runs will get you to 200 quicker then that 170.

[Conando]

Keep everything the same except stage 3 and put a clear of either CT or Coil there...

People will never do coil. I'm sure they'd do CT again if it had purpose, though.