Is Baldesian Arsenal discord a mistake?

[Toshu]

I don't know about your server/datacenter, but when I've been in BA groups, the people in the group almost always shout a link to the discord in eureka, asking that people join the discord if they want to get in on organized BA runs. There are multiple public discords out there, running groups ranging from newbie-friendly fragment farms + prog learning, to clear attempts. If you look around, you should be able to find one for your DC pretty easily.

The problem with that is with the upcoming server migrations is that a lot of people are going to be fragmented. I created a friendly Crystal Discord for BA and I have received nothing but grief from another discord about it. Saying that there is no need we already have a discord on the other data centers and they seem to think that people are going to stay with them.

[HyoMinPark]

The problem with that is with the upcoming server migrations is that a lot of people are going to be fragmented. I created a friendly Crystal Discord for BA and I have received nothing but grief from another discord about it. Saying that there is no need we already have a discord on the other data centers and they seem to think that people are going to stay with them.

To be fair, the issue with dividing the Discords between Crystal and Aether/Crystal and Primal right now—before the split has even happened—is that it makes it difficult to not only recruit (because you’ve now fragmented your playerbase for no reason—Crystal isn’t here yet, and they’ve made no announcement about WHEN we’re actually getting it), but to also queue in and get an instance that doesn’t already have another BA group waiting (it’s already hard enough with the Aether one and us trying to organize multiple arsenal groups during prime times when the game simply won’t allow fresh instances to spawn). You have two discords for Primal that are not communicating with one another, so there will be friction when one of you organize a group and try to go into an instance and find out that there’s already another group from the other Discord there waiting.

It’s easier to keep everyone in one server until the split, and then start utilizing the Crystal-only BA server afterward, imo. This isn’t like Savage recruitment, where you are trying to gather people for content in the future (e.g., the Crystal raid discords that have popped up to try and recruit teams for 5.0 and beyond). You’re trying to recruit people to do content right now—like a large-scale PF in Party Finder.

How about when a group has 4-5 groups already and are actively recruiting from inside the instance like it was intended and the big group that comes in see's that you are recruiting and says since you are not a full 56-man group you have to wait for us to finish. No telling how long that is. I've seen groups go in back to back leaving other out in the wind to do their support NM with little to no reward or chance to have a shot to even learn.

For the Aether BA discord, if you have 2+ groups from your arsenal already in the instance and are trying to fill in any open spots with pick-ups from the instance, you have priority over any other arsenal that comes in. So, say you’re Arsenal 1 for example, but you need to find a few more people for one of your teams or for your support team if you’re going for AV/Ozma and you’re trying to pick up anyone already inside your instance who may be interested. Arsenal 8 comes in and tries to secure the instance for their Ozma run. You (Arsenal 1) were there first, so you get priority. And Arsenal 8 bows out. That’s how things are handled on Aether with multiple groups. I’ve never seen one arsenal try to take the instance away from another almost full group that was already there.

[Hustensaft]

Quite frankly, i don't get how from a development standpoint anyone could think BA would ever be a good idea (looking at the japanese forum, it's doesn't seem overall positive). They should just turn it into a 100% puggable experience accessible to anyone in the instance: Make one single portal anyone can enter, allow ressing and job changes inside, get rid of the enrages, and be done with it.

While this removes any sort of "difficulty" and "speciality" the dungeon has, it also makes it accessible, and future proof. There will be no fear of ever being unable to clear BA again, right now people fully expect BA to be only a thing for two, maybe three weeks.

Further, as the ultimate conclusion to Eureka is locked behind BA, i personally think it should be available to anyone that reached it. Right now BA just isn't, and we don't know how long it will be for the few it is available to.

Eh, there have been instances on JP servers of players sniping the portals to BA, and one where an entire instance collectively refused to kill the outside NM to allow further progression inside BA (not Ovni but the other one that spawns where you need Feint L and Dispel L).

As mean as it is to not do the fate, it also sounds like an impressive stand from the people outside. It also ultimately shows how horrible the BA design is in the end.

Imo, BA right now creates a rather unhealthy situation for anyone involed. From people never seeing the real Eureka ending, snipers (accidental/deliberate), up to two hours of trying to get an instance-premades, unnecessary discord between the community - all for the sake of artificial difficulty and some 20 year old "novelty".

[HyoMinPark]

As mean as it is to not do the fate, it also sounds like an impressive stand from the people outside. It also ultimately shows how horrible the BA design is in the end.

The second BA FATE needs better incentives, I think. It allows for 8 more people to enter after completion, but it will require far more than that to complete. So the individuals not going into BA need a large incentive to even participate in it. As it stands, I think it gives something, but I don't know if it's enough to promote participation.

I can't say much on it as a whole, though, as I've never been in an instance where it has spawned. Most BA progression stops at the East/West bosses it seems for the unorganized groups (and, as I said before, I'm never in an instance where there is a preformed group or even interest in poking at it to see what it's like).


I like the idea of BA. I want to do it. But it's implementation can be improved on.

[Fiorinol]

Had the same problem as OP. I was one of the party leaders for one of the groups in one of the big discords. We spent roughly 4-5 hours just organizing for a fragment run and trying to queue in. No new instance would spawn, and when one did, another discord group got in, half of their players had Ozma mounts, and we got more or less told to go kick rocks.

This also sucks for random players just wanting to go in without wanting to bother with this Discord nonsense, because every instance available was monopolized by 56-man groups. Some discord servers on some data centers are now jotting down who is "sniping" and banning/removing/griefing players who just pick up a portal. I don't think the portals are anyone's property. Personally, there are some players on that discord I have on my blacklist that I would rather avoid.

This content is very frustrating. 5 hours for 12 fragments while all the hardcore players are rushing the content (And also monopolizing instances) feels like we're just going to miss out on Ozma.

[Barraind]

BA is great and as a longtime EQ raider, I would love to see more 48/56 man raids.

The problem with BA is locking it in a piece of content with a 144 person cap that you cant pre-form alliances with, where everyone else in the zone probably has a desire to do it, and if they dont, BA being open actually hurts the rest of the zone significantly (48 level 60s is a gigantic amount of level 60s).

[Dyvid]

Man, they really captured FFXI's end game almost perfectly XD

[Allistar]

Man, they really captured FFXI's end game almost perfectly XD

No they did not...this is a perverted, corrupted and twisted version of XI in general. Which proves to me that Yoshi P has some kind of grudge against XI. There is just no way that you pay homage to a game and system that spawned this current game and system the way he has.

[Vahlnir]

I don't think it's a mistake. It's just a byproduct of SE's terrible design choice regarding BA. People are simply using a tool that's available to them since SE neglected to give them one themselves. We should be able to recruit people, especially since we need so many, much easier in game. Thankfully I don't have much interest in it, though I may be tempted to at least try it if wasn't such a pain to get into to begin with. I'm not a fan of voice chats either, tbh, and have done plenty of extreme primals without such a chat which is what I hear is difficulty level of BA.

[EorzeaHero69]

B.A. is pretty fun imo, especially when proper communication is involved, but it can be a big burnout after 2-3 runs regardless of when you rest up and what type of party you volunteer as.