i230 Tome weapons!! So long relic grind...

[zemogFC]

Wow, the new tome weapons are i230 base?!!
The Sephirot EX weapons are i220.

...and SE wants us to grind out an i210 relic? Hahahahahaha.



I wonder why they did such a huge jump this time around?

[Ashkendor]

Have you managed to miss the point of the relic questline through the entire 2.0 series? It's always the last to upgrade.

[Darkstride]

The relic's next step will likely have an increase to compensate. It's i210 now but it won't stay that way. Relics are an investment.

[Alahra]

This is essentially a return to the way things worked in ARR. The next Relic step will be added in 3.25, which is scheduled for a month or so after 3.2 proper. That will likely bring the weapon up to i230 as well. The Relic is regularly a little bit behind since it usually relies on easier content.

[Gralna]

I wonder why they did such a huge jump this time around

Yoshi mentioned in a past letter, that one of the key problems with 3.0-3.1 was that end game raid gear was equal to upgraded tome gear, and what they had planned for relic, so they needed balance everything around what would be in their eyes, the same challenge as beating A4S.

This time around they boosted the ilvls so much to give room for midas savage weapon to be best in game, and balance everything else to being just slightly lower than it.

Anima Weapons

The successor to the Zodiac weapons, Anima weapons, have been implemented; however, their balance is directly linked to the item levels of the rewards for Alexander: Gordias (Savage).

Since it is currently only possible to obtain an item level 210 weapon from Alexander: Gordias (Savage), the time and effort required to create an Anima weapon was set to be roughly the same level with this as a benchmark.

Similar to Zodiac weapons, Anima weapons are based on the following concepts.

Will not be the strongest weapon at the same time as the rewards for clearing the hardest difficulty content.
Clearing the hardest difficulty content will not require you to obtain Zodiac/Anima weapons.
Creating these weapons will require you to put in effort over a longer period of time.

Just as mentioned in the patch notes, a long period of time will be required to complete Zodiac and Anima weapons, and they have been designed based on the idea that you will progress through the series at your own pace. Additionally, this content is strongly geared towards the element of time for players who are not into raids or other difficult content, or for those who wish to play solo.

An exception to this concept was the necessity to beat the hard versions of Ifrit, Garuda, and Titan for the relics released at 2.0; however, looking at the percentage of players who possessed relics at that time, we determined that this was a wall for players who were not into difficult content.

The development team will no longer be using difficult content such as this, but in the event that they utilize content completion as a requirement it would be on the level of storyline primal battles or Alexander normal, and such. By doing so, even players who are not into clearing difficult content will have a goal and be able to earn powerful weapons if they put in the time, though they will be slower to reach this point than the top tier of players.

However, due to the fact that the item level for Alexander: Gordias (Savage) is 210, we were unable to make the current Anima weapons any higher than this, which resulted in concerns being raised about Esoteric weapons and the lifetime of weapons that are to be implemented in Patch 3.2. Furthermore, with the difficulty of Savage being very high, Anima weapons have become the sole option for obtaining item level 210 weapons for some, and we understand there is an issue with there being no other options.

With these weapons starting at item level 170, players who have joined the game later can quickly reach item level 200 without having to rely on the weekly limited Esoterics. Additionally, in regards to collecting crystals through FATEs, using feedback from the 2.X period, we eliminated the job restrictions, removed level restrictions, and prepared multiple avenues for obtaining items, so players are able to collect items how they want.

With all that said though, we will be revamping the item level hierarchy in Patch 3.2 and making adjustments so the flow afterwards is more fitting. The next phases for enhancing Anima weapons will take place in Patch 3.25 and Patch 3.3.

While we've been receiving requests to make Anima weapons involve more challenging content and to not tie it to randomness or crafted items, just as I mentioned above, this is content that is focused on creating weapons by spending time, so I’d appreciate everyone’s understanding that this is an option for players who are not into challenging difficult content.

To repeat what I said earlier, we made mistakes with the setting of the difficulty for Alexander: Gordias (Savage) and the item level of the rewards, which affected the content that came afterwards leading up to Patch 3.15. We are reflecting on this problem, and based on everyone’s feedback we will be revamping the balance of the game from Patch 3.2 onwards.

As always, thank you very much for your feedback and support!

[Arkenne]

The i230 weapons will take 3 weeks worth of tomes. Sephirot ones will take a few hours worth of effort.
i170 relic weapon can be instant jumped if you had a Zodiac. Just a little effort if you go the FATE route.
i200 can be rushed for 60% of its process and the remaining 40% isnt really difficult.
i210 can be instant if you have the money for it. (and comes along with daily roulettes)

Don't really see this relic as a "grind" :|

Also, most likely the next step of the relic will be around i240.

[BrokenFox]

Even if the Anima weapon was immediately 10 item levels ahead of every new weapon every patch I wouldn't do it. That grind is retarded.

[kalasnikov]

Patch notes included a new tomestone, so there is really high chance that only raiders can get those weapons, if it follows the same way as second and final coil. SO you peeps be stuck with Sephirot weapons.

edit: nvm i missed some parts of patch

[Darkstride]

Even if the Anima weapon was immediately 10 item levels ahead of every new weapon every patch I wouldn't do it. That grind is retarded.

I don't even think this grind is that bad. Atleast you can do the FATES on any job and level something 50+ while you're farming crystals. It my experience, the drop rate isn't THAT bad. I traded my Zeta on my NIN relic, but I've been casually leveling DRK this week and I'm already 17/18 on Luminous crystals.

The dungeon run portion of it is easy.

The worst part is the crafted items, which aren't even that bad if you're a crafter or know crafters.....otherwise it's simply expensive.

[Archvile78]

Even if the Anima weapon was immediately 10 item levels ahead of every new weapon every patch I wouldn't do it. That grind is retarded.

The grind is only "retarded" if you decide to burn through it ASAP.
It took me a good month of: 10 daily Alexanders, roulettes, vanu quests

to get my relic, yes it was a long step but at least i had multiple ways of working toward it and in the end, it was worth it.