Thread: Revelations from Patch 5.5 (Part 1)

Originally Posted by Cilia

The answer is quite simple:

Passing strange from my perspective.

Well, to be fair, normal mode doesn't showcase its "just explosions" mechanics very well. Also to be fair, all of the other weapon fights featured mechanics we've seen before with mildly different aesthetics.

The two platforms are put to more work in Extreme. Diamond Rain aka "just explosions" deals damage and vuln stacks proportional to the number of players on each platform. This means without shields, having too many people on one, even if they are dead, will kill everyone on that platform.

The knockbacks in Extreme also have to be used to be knocked across the gap, sometimes due to the teleporter debuff being 10x longer.

The teleporter debuff is increased to 20 seconds, so that the teleporter can't be used by the same people, such that everyone has to use it at some point, people have to adjust.

I found it really interesting that Auri Arts plays out while Diamond is armored off in Ifrit-speed form. Creating stable aether bubbles to use as jump and pivot points is something we've never seen anything do, though obviously it's a retake on Ifrit's Charges from days of yore, except instead making clones of himself, he just does all of the charges in a zigzag by himself.

The unfortunate metafactor of all .5 Trials is the fact that they will be used to give out weapons intended to increase below average or late to start raider's chances of defeating the 3rd fight in a Savage Tier with their weapons always being 5 iLvls below Ester augmented weapons. They never have the same impact as trials before them. Shiva was easier than Ramuh or Leviathan. Zurvan was easier than Sophia and Sephirot. Seiryu was an absolute joke compared to Byakko, Tsukuyomi, and Suzaku. They are intended to be easier though, and so their mechanics are never as complex or as devastating.

Though, tbh, mechanically none of the weapon fights have really been that difficult to pick up. I find Diamond to be the most interesting, as some of them are actually new. Gonna rattle some comparisons off, after the edit.

Ruby Weapon's Reused Techniques
Quicksand = Sunken Temple of Qarn HM, first boss.
Red Orbs = Stationary versions of orange orbs from Burden of the Father
Dashes with half cleave = Retake on divebombs/ifrit charges mixed with half arena cleave
Group Stack markers w/ donut aoe = reuse of general aoes combined
Nael Adds = Reused Turn 9 mechs
Hide behind comets = reused LoTA mech
Catch comets = reused clash catch mech from Stormblood, seen in Susano, Orbonne, and a couple other places
General raidwide

Emerald Weapons Reused Techs
Colored Orbs = Orbs from Ultima hard mode mixed with orbs from Chrysalis
Donut/proximity aoes = general aoes
Knockback with upper body
Shared tank buster = double rocket punch from BJ
Spread explosions in phase 1 = spread explosions from T11/anywhere else
Cleave spread in phase 2 = Protean wave, except easier
Blue Sword Cross AOEs = Scarlet Price Cross Explosions from Nidhogg Ex/Midgardsormr
Sky Armor bombs = exaflares
Formation volley or whatever = staggered line AOEs in many fights with a much cooler tell
General raid wide

Diamond Weapon's Reused Techs
Laser stack = line stack from Phantom Train
Claw cleave = half room cleave with a twist
Diamond Rain = new to me, maybe something from deeper in an Ultimate than I've been
Line laser autos that hit two highest enmity targets/tanks = Ozma Cube/Leviathan/etc.
Proximity Tethers = Exact purple tether in Chardarnook
Proximity Flares = Lots of fights
Proximity knockback = used in lots of fights, but PK used to cross a gap you can fall off of = new afaik
Quadrant cleaves with alternating party members = First Limit Cut from Cruise Chaser with a different aesthetic

If you've played the game a long time and delved into most of the battle content, you see recycled mechanics with new paint a lot. The most similar thing to have two sides that have a unique method of traversal is probably the Antigravity Limbal vs. getting down with 100Gs in Deltascape. I like seeing a new twist on the battlefield, rather than new paint.

I also had a theory that there was some kind of "Garlemald" primal that was broadcasting its influence to the towers, but I'm not so sure anymore.

I do find it a touch curious that Nerva and the third legion were mentioned as having mysteriously vanished without a trace, though. Perhaps he could actually be what's powering the towers as Fandaniel was specifically supporting his war effort, perhaps with the intent of creating a dominant figure in the civil war that the people of Garlemald would be channeling their patriotic fervor towards instead of it being divided amongst the factions involved.

Originally Posted by KageTokage

I also had a theory that there was some kind of "Garlemald" primal that was broadcasting its influence to the towers, but I'm not so sure anymore.

I do find it a touch curious that Nerva and the third legion were mentioned as having mysteriously vanished without a trace, though. Perhaps he could actually be what's powering the towers as Fandaniel was specifically supporting his war effort, perhaps with the intent of creating a dominant figure in the civil war that the people of Garlemald would be channeling their patriotic fervor towards instead of it being divided amongst the factions involved.

I wonder if we will find out that Nerva is the Heart of the matter

He could also be, being saved for the later half of the Bozja questline, maybe?

I'm not sure where this fits into a reply or if anybody's mentioned it but as far as remote-tempering goes

Lore-wise, Bahamut remote-tempered Nael and Midas through the coincidentally(?) named Lunar Transmitter in like 2012, so there's that, lol. I think we're just seeing what happens when an Ascian has all the toys and no interest in balanced, controlled escalation for a Calamity that requires hyperspecific conditions.

Originally Posted by Anonymoose

I'm not sure where this fits into a reply or if anybody's mentioned it but as far as remote-tempering goes

Lore-wise, Bahamut remote-tempered Nael and Midas through the coincidentally(?) named Lunar Transmitter in like 2012, so there's that, lol. I think we're just seeing what happens when an Ascian has all the toys and no interest in balanced, controlled escalation for a Calamity that requires hyperspecific conditions.

Definitely what I was thinking.

Something that's going to be nice about Fandaniel is that he's going to be a more competent version of Nabriales. No holds barred. Tempering by Bahamut is pretty whacky. He tempered Lewie Six(sorry raid mate calls him this and I can't resist) as they were both dying... and the tempering held when they both reconstituted later.

MSQ tidbit cause I'm still trapped at work.

So when Zenos picked up the Odenta, and then cast it at Fandaniel I was kinda happy. It's the DRK's i360/370 weapon from Stormblood, and I used it as my LP alt's DRK glam weapon for quite sometime.

It was nice to be able to recognize all of the weapons in there as well. I saw a Genji Greataxe. Seiryu greatsword. It made me wonder where they went to acquire all of those, since those are all of our past conquests.

It also made me think to myself, "Heh, Zenos is displeased having our *Ilberd impression* sloppy! seconds.