COVID showed why the Developers need to release Relic content sooner.

[Deceptus]

175 Days.

That is how long it took to drop 5.3 from the previous patch.

And during that time we could have been working on the more grindy bits / stages of our relic.

Simply put: Relic content needs to be released MUCH sooner than it currently is and has been in the past, IMHO it should be released on the X.1 patch.

Releasing it earlier provides a safe, reliable fall back in cases where there is a lull in content. That's the point of relic, to be grinded out. Something to keep players busy.

[SaberMaxwell]

Hard agree. Relic content should be out and about no later than the .1 patch imo.

[Britha]

They are weirdly dogmatic about sticking to their schedule. While it's commendable in some ways it's very limiting in others as we see here. I agree.

[wereotter]

They are weirdly dogmatic about sticking to their schedule. While it's commendable in some ways it's very limiting in others as we see here. I agree.

It seems this schedule, though, is product of Stormblood. Heavesnward relics were started in 3.15

Waiting until the .2 patch to introduce them at all is a bit of a disappointment. If you look at the progression of the post-expansion occurring in three parts (one for each gear tier of tomestones and raid gear) waiting until .2 or later means your more casual players have a full third of the post expansion without this bit of content to work on.

[A_moth_called_rose]

Hell, even though it's old content. I've spent the patch lull doing both a dragoon zodiac relic, and now I'm working on my samurai eureka relic. Would've loved to have something patch relevant to do in the downtime

[Kurando]

Could also have been doing other things, don't need a current relic or this game even as an excuse. Yeah sure we are all paying for content and have expectations, but these are unique circumstances and some players have bigger things to worry about in life at the moment than needing in-game content asap.

[DrWho2010]

how would you have been working on it anyways? the power level of the relic would be very low compared to weapons that were already out. also 1st steps are always easy (barring getting over the hump of levelling in anemos). the relic doesn't get "good" until the end so...?

[MsQi]

umm.. the thing, causing the lull, could happen to delay that patch. It's not like they know when disaster will strike.

[Vyrerus]

They put relics out because it's a compromise between how powerful they are and how powerful the raid weapons are. They want to make them just as strong as raid weapons, to satisfy the time investment, but they don't want that strength to be accessible and negate all other weapons, like primal weapons, extreme weapons, crafted, normal mode raid etc. If they did release relic sooner, the starting stages would be weaker, and they would only climb to the current highest weapon and then stop. They will not go back on that compromise.

They also know there are players who will neglect real life until their relic is complete, is the other reason they won't undo this compromise. They don't want players to feel like they are forced to have a relic to participate in content.

The game doesn't need to be your life.

[Driavna]

They put relics out because it's a compromise between how powerful they are and how powerful the raid weapons are. They want to make them just as strong as raid weapons, to satisfy the time investment, but they don't want that strength to be accessible and negate all other weapons, like primal weapons, extreme weapons, crafted, normal mode raid etc. If they did release relic sooner, the starting stages would be weaker, and they would only climb to the current highest weapon and then stop. They will not go back on that compromise.

They also know there are players who will neglect real life until their relic is complete, is the other reason they won't undo this compromise. They don't want players to feel like they are forced to have a relic to participate in content.

The game doesn't need to be your life.

Ummm... but then we have things like Firmament leaderboards that it's pretty much: no life until is done. I doubt SE care that much about us, it's more to avoid overlapping.