Stack Markers

[Frizze]

Personally, I'm more familiar with the red arrow used in T5 and Sohm Al (and maybe elsewhere that I can't think of right now).

The one youre describing is probly the one i think of as the Fireball Marker. Large-ish orange triangle(point down) with like a big glowing dot in the middle? For comparison, the one OP is talking about(and the most common one in general) is this - the design of which at least to me screams everyone get here(note: not everyone typically has to stack for these, but the more people in the marker the easier it is for the healers to handle so certainly better to share if youre in reach - and certainly dumb to run away from everyone if youre the one with the marker on you).

And i think in general the reason we have so many different indicators for this is that some of them are slightly different. Stand with 1+ other marked person to avoid bad effect isnt technically the same as everyone stand together to share damage. But functionally? Theyre certainly similar.

Edit: I dont own that image, i just snagged one of the first ones to appear on a google image search for ff14 stack marker.

[Kurando]

The amount of players that have no idea how to handle the stack marker and run away from the group is crazy sometimes. I wonder if they all used a story skip potion to get straight to SB, but even then several trials feature that very mechanic so it's definitely becoming a normal mech to encounter.

[Driskus]

Pretty much every SB trial uses it, along with multiple MSQ dungeons, yet people still run away with it in Castrum Fluminis. Its literally in a minimum of 5 required instances (in SB alone) before that one, yet they still run with it.

EDIT: Well, it happened again. One of the DPS even said it should have been explained what that was before the fight. Like, umm, you've seen that marker dozens of times already. Its not obvious by now what it is?

[Dzian]

The amount of players that have no idea how to handle the stack marker and run away from the group is crazy sometimes. I wonder if they all used a story skip potion to get straight to SB, but even then several trials feature that very mechanic so it's definitely becoming a normal mech to encounter.

Not certain but i seem to recall it being in a few story instances as well. Where various members of the scions or other npcs come running to stack with you.

[TalithaSolarien]

I think The Airy had the first stack markers I remember, unfortunately they used the orange marker used these day to indicate spreading out ... not the best design decision if you ask me ...

[Rongway]

I think The Airy had the first stack markers I remember, unfortunately they used the orange marker used these day to indicate spreading out ... not the best design decision if you ask me ...

There are no stack mechanics in the Aery. You might be thinking of the vinegaroon boss in Sohm Al, which eats slimes and then attacks the party with either a red or blue indicator. The standardized orange stack marker is not used in this fight presumably because of the expectation that we notice the difference between the colored slimes and markers to decide whether to stack or spread; however, nowhere in the game do we ever have the standardized orange stack marker used to mean "don't stack".

[TalithaSolarien]

There are no stack mechanics in the Aery. You might be thinking of the vinegaroon boss in Sohm Al, which eats slimes and then attacks the party with either a red or blue indicator. The standardized orange stack marker is not used in this fight presumably because of the expectation that we notice the difference between the colored slimes and markers to decide whether to stack or spread; however, nowhere in the game do we ever have the standardized orange stack marker used to mean "don't stack".

You're right, it was Sohm Al.
But my point stands, they use a marker there to indicate "stack" that in all later content means "spread" (the orange down arrow).
I still find that very confusing.

[whiskeybravo]

however, nowhere in the game do we ever have the standardized orange stack marker used to mean "don't stack".

Kefka says Hi

[Rongway]

Kefka says Hi

It's not the standard marker though. It has additional bits.

[TheMightyMollusk]

Most people I've seen figure out that that means stack up. The problem I tend to see, specifically with Nidhogg, is that they don't know to stay stacked until he stops spamming Ahk Morn, so they run off after the first hit and get murdered. Nothing really indicates that, unless you count the bodies afterwards.