First step of the new relic suggestion

[Seraphor]

Please make Loathsome Memories of the Dying drop rate from CE's 100% guaranteed.
Also, please make Castrum Lacus Litore drop Loathsome Memories of the Dying, maybe 1 from each boss.

This would solve two issues.
1. While being able to run the Crystal Tower raids is a viable alternative, it should not be the most efficient method by such a wide margin.
2. Castrum Lacus Litore is in dire need of incentive to run it, and specifically incentive for experienced players to run it. By having the subsequent Relic step make use of it, you get those players back into Castrum. 3 memories per run could be enough to do that.

[Packetdancer]

Please make Loathsome Memories of the Dying drop rate from CE's 100% guaranteed.

I don't think they should be a 100% drop from CEs, but I'd say it should be at least 25%, instead of... what is it currently, 4%? I ran CEs for an hour yesterday and did not get a single Loathsome Memory; I then went and ran Crystal Tower raids for an hour and got three in the same amount of time. I feel like there ought to be at least a reasonable chance to get them from CEs, even if it's not a guaranteed one.

Also, please make Castrum Lacus Litore drop Loathsome Memories of the Dying, maybe 1 from each boss.

100% this. I actually suggested elsewhere it should be 2 or 3 per run of CLL, which works out to around the same as your 'one per boss' (depending on what you define as a 'boss' in there). It would make CLL the most efficient option, making it that much more attractive and keeping it running regularly so people needing it for story have a good chance of getting it.

Mind you, that still won't matter if everyone who's going to farm Castrum is hanging out in one Bozja instance while the person who needs to clear it for story is in another. So I would also have moved CLL to a queued duty like DR is, so that people weren't at the mercy of chance when it comes to whether their specific Southern Front instance is going to pop a live CLL run; that combined with the improved rewards would keep CLL easily-queued-into and make it much easier for folks to advance their story.

I would also change CLL and DR to be slightly less punitive; I don't object to losing mettle, but if you have an instance where you can lose mettle I feel like you also should be able to gain it. Make every boss for CLL give you rank-appropriate mettle equivalent to finishing a skirmish, and make every boss for DR give you rank-appropriate mettle equivalent to finishing a Critical Engagement.

(Heck, if you offset the losses with those mettle gains, you could increase the mettle losses in those instances, such that, say, 3 or 4 deaths would be enough to negate any mettle you'd gain from that encounter -- because death should carry a penalty in there, I agree -- but that even with one or two deaths you'd still come out net-positive, albeit much less so than if you didn't die at all.)

[Vickii]

Please make Loathsome Memories of the Dying drop rate from CE's 100% guaranteed.
Also, please make Castrum Lacus Litore drop Loathsome Memories of the Dying, maybe 1 from each boss.

This would solve two issues.
1. While being able to run the Crystal Tower raids is a viable alternative, it should not be the most efficient method by such a wide margin.
2. Castrum Lacus Litore is in dire need of incentive to run it, and specifically incentive for experienced players to run it. By having the subsequent Relic step make use of it, you get those players back into Castrum. 3 memories per run could be enough to do that.

Hey why not just AFK in ul’dah and get a memory every five minutes?

Relic is a grind, always has been. Why not just do Eden and get the tomestone weapon.

[Seraphor]

Hey why not just AFK in ul’dah and get a memory every five minutes?

Relic is a grind, always has been. Why not just do Eden and get the tomestone weapon.

Why not just not play, not come on the forums, and then not have to make stupid posts?

The problems I listed are real issues.
No one is doing Castrum unless they have to, and the CT raids are already a grind the fact is the actual Bozjan grind, is not viable. The Drop rate is so abysmally low that you could grind CE's for days and only get a couple of memories. Meanwhile the people not even engaging in the new content can grind out a weapon in a few hours of repeating the dullest, most played content in the game.

CE's spawn, on average, about as often as you can repeat Syrcus Tower. One every 10-15 minutes, once you account for the 20 minute lulls where there's nothing. Hell you can be grinding out Skirmishes for an hour before you realise it's a dying instance and you're not getting any CE's at all. Therefore a 100% drop rate would be comparable to the CT raids.
Castrum takes longer, 30-40 minutes without wipes, so 3 memories fits the bill there too.

[reivaxe]

2. Castrum Lacus Litore is in dire need of incentive to run it, and specifically incentive for experienced players to run it. By having the subsequent Relic step make use of it, you get those players back into Castrum. 3 memories per run could be enough to do that.

I think the incentive to do Castrum is the new gear.

Cause you need the resistance gear to be upgraded to the haste phase to make the NEW gear that's not dyeable upgrade to the dyable version annnnd we all can assume this new gear is going to be the glowy glowy version in the final stage (or not, but assuming it's like Eureka the 2nd to last stage gear would be the glowy kind. But for all I know they're making a new gear set for the final stage, meaning every stage has it's own gear set ... either way at this rate you're still gonna need to keep ontop of your gear if you want to upgrade to the glowy version it seems and regardless of what people think Castrum is the fastest way to get coins when it's up and the only way to get random upgrade drops without the MB, there's just never been a real NEED for farming coins til now.)

[Mansion]

I think the incentive to do Castrum is the new gear.

Cause you need the resistance gear to be upgraded to the haste phase to make the NEW gear that's not dyeable upgrade to the dyable version annnnd we all can assume this new gear is going to be the glowy glowy version in the final stage (or not, but assuming it's like Eureka the 2nd to last stage gear would be the glowy kind. But for all I know they're making a new gear set for the final stage, meaning every stage has it's own gear set ... either way at this rate you're still gonna need to keep ontop of your gear if you want to upgrade to the glowy version it seems and regardless of what people think Castrum is the fastest way to get coins when it's up and the only way to get random upgrade drops without the MB, there's just never been a real NEED for farming coins til now.)

If you are among the glamour collectors, perhaps.
But gear as in "gearing up", the point doesn't stand. Bozja gear is useless. Same iLvl than normal raid / crafted gear. If you run Savage, you are already past this iLvl. If you do casual content, tome gear is better (and nothing you actually do requires high iLvl gear).
Delubrum savage is being raided right now with people without the Bozja effect too. It makes it easier, but it isn't required.

I understand your point but... Bozjan coins drop from CE too now, so Castrum LAcus Litore is not a good source of coins either. The whole thing is poorly thought, that's it.
The only reason to get that gear / relic is cosmetics / completion. Relic might be strong in 5.5 ultimate (if we get one), but you can do it without Bozja too...

[reivaxe]

I've yet to meet anyone who likes any of the Bozjan gear.
Either way, it doesn't change the fact that... nobody runs Castrum..

I LOVE the gear and it's been a part of my glam for months now (as likely seen in my profile as I just roll WHM these days) so now you know of at least 1.

That being said, I just ran a 27 man Castrum that pooped out at the last boss cause the only people who want to do it are the people who NEED to do it and don't know the fight/ suck at it soooo yeah ... Cas is borked. Lucky for me I was smart enough to foresee the possible struggles and stocked up on coins when it was all the rage ... got enough to fully upgrade 1 full set and my tank has a few upgrades from chest drops so getting the last few wont be hard. (Amazes me it still cost like 1k/ 900 coins for a full upgraded set)

If you are among the glamour collectors, perhaps..

Glam is the true end game.

I mean ... this is relic stuff we're talking about. Why would you do any of it if not for glam? Weapon won't be BiS until current content is old.
I'm getting my glowy useless armor and strutting tf outta it.

[Liam_Harper]

I think the incentive to do Castrum is the new gear.

Which isn't a good incentive, thus Castrum has been dying content. They massively overestimated how much people care about the gear.

[Seraphor]

I've yet to meet anyone who likes any of the Bozjan gear.
Either way, it doesn't change the fact that... nobody runs Castrum. It's obviously not enough of an incentive.
Even after the update, people aren't running Castrum. They're doing CE's for their minute chance of dropping memories.
I saw three Castrum pops yesterday that all failed. First didn't even start because they got about 7 people, the next two got around 20 people each and wiped.
Imagine spending 6+ hours trying to do Castrum, and failing all three times.

[Aldora]

I've yet to meet anyone who likes any of the Bozjan gear.
Either way, it doesn't change the fact that... nobody runs Castrum. It's obviously not enough of an incentive.
Even after the update, people aren't running Castrum. They're doing CE's for their minute chance of dropping memories.
I saw three Castrum pops yesterday that all failed. First didn't even start because they got about 7 people, the next two got around 20 people each and wiped.
Imagine spending 6+ hours trying to do Castrum, and failing all three times.

I've been hopping into the Bozjan Front to gather Mettle and grab all the drops i could get my hands on. Since i only had about 2 hours available last night and the night before, i only got around to joining 1 Castrum run each session. I do have to emphasize that people are still running the Castrum, albeit mostly 24 to 32 people at a time. Still, it's enough to comfortably finish the run, even with a lot of people dying through out the run. My last run also had about 13 new people running it, and we still cleared it without a wipe.

It really depends on the time you play and the people who are in the instance at that time. Sure enough, people who've already cleared it are less likely to go again, especially if they can get their loot from the CE's. I saw someone shout "blame SE not me" when people were asking for more players to join. Personally, i'll take the Castrum over running fates any day. Even when 90% of the group are new to the content, because you can teach players new to the content. You cannot "teach" players to run it, if they don't feel like running it. If i look at the participation for the CE's, it's usually 60+ people who are registering for a regular CE which would only take up to 48 players.

To each their own, i'd say. However, at times like this we can either sit here and complain about it, or find like minded players (new and veterans alike) to form groups and run the Castrum. I'm sure that the FFXIV team will make adjustments so that it contains "incentives" for people to join. But, do you want to wait for that? Or get your clear now? I'm sure that if people would put in a little bit of extra effort (f.i. through the PF), they could still get their (clear) runs. Heck, i'd even be willing to join to help out.

On a side note, i do believe it would help if the FFXIV team were to add the Castrum as a duty option, like they did with the new Delubrum Reginae dungeon. It would make the Castrum considerably more accessible.