Stacking AOE markers latest trend?

[Kes13a]

Has anyone noticed people in the last couple days stacking the AOE markers? Not the tacos, but actually running over to stand on you so there are now two aoe markers which will pretty much wipe the group.

I am trying to figure out why this is suddenly a more prevalent thing lately as it has happened to quite a few people I know, so I doubt its all the same person just being... unwise.

Not sure how you can get to 80 without knowing you dont do that...

[Doozer]

I've seen a lot of people during mechanics that put markers on some and an actual stack on another think that it's okay for the AoE people to stand in the stack. Though I would say it's either a coincidence or because of the influx of new players that probably refuse to learn anything, regardless of level.

I had a tank in a level 70 dungeon with less HP than me as a MCH and when I suggested they upgrade their gear they said they were working on it, I guess implying that they wanted gear from the dungeon, but they passed on tank gear that dropped. I said they can buy i385 stuff from shops and they said they were broke. Somehow. Then they called me an elitist for saying their poor gear affects everyone, etc. etc. but I only pointed it out because I've seen so many players lately with piss-poor gear (saw a PLD in Syrcus Tower with a Weathered Ring, for example) so I felt like I had to start intervening to tell people to upgrade.

Sorry for going slightly off topic there, but I think it has to do with a lot of people not understanding and refusing to learn what MMORPGs are about.

[wereotter]

I've seen a lot of people during mechanics that put markers on some and an actual stack on another think that it's okay for the AoE people to stand in the stack. Though I would say it's either a coincidence or because of the influx of new players that probably refuse to learn anything, regardless of level.

I had a tank in a level 70 dungeon with less HP than me as a MCH and when I suggested they upgrade their gear they said they were working on it, I guess implying that they wanted gear from the dungeon, but they passed on tank gear that dropped. I said they can buy i385 stuff from shops and they said they were broke. Somehow. Then they called me an elitist for saying their poor gear affects everyone, etc. etc. but I only pointed it out because I've seen so many players lately with piss-poor gear (saw a PLD in Syrcus Tower with a Weathered Ring, for example) so I felt like I had to start intervening to tell people to upgrade.

Sorry for going slightly off topic there, but I think it has to do with a lot of people not understanding and refusing to learn what MMORPGs are about.

I'm not trying to derail your point about players with poor gear... but I will say this much. You can unlock the Crystal Tower raids immediately upon clearing the main scenario dungeons, and you can't start earning poetics until you do your first runs of those dungeons. Accessories aren't given out much as rewards up to that point, and even at level 50 you're still better off spending your early poetics on a weapon, chest and leg gear than on a ring.

I ran into this myself when I first hit level 50 playing on an alt with a friend who recently came to the game, and did hit level 50 still wearing some of those weathered accessories they start you out on at level 1. I COULD have spent gil on something form the market board, but also knew that it wouldn't really take me that long to replace my gear by cleariing content and getting tomestones, and if I had a high enough item level to enter, that would be fine.

This doesn't excuse the player who passed on gear that would have been an upgrade. But there is a reason you might run into people at level 50 still with some of their gear being lower level.

[Kes13a]

I'm not trying to derail your point about players with poor gear... but I will say this much. You can unlock the Crystal Tower raids immediately upon clearing the main scenario dungeons, and you can't start earning poetics until you do your first runs of those dungeons. Accessories aren't given out much as rewards up to that point, and even at level 50 you're still better off spending your early poetics on a weapon, chest and leg gear than on a ring.

I ran into this myself when I first hit level 50 playing on an alt with a friend who recently came to the game, and did hit level 50 still wearing some of those weathered accessories they start you out on at level 1. I COULD have spent gil on something form the market board, but also knew that it wouldn't really take me that long to replace my gear by cleariing content and getting tomestones, and if I had a high enough item level to enter, that would be fine.

This doesn't excuse the player who passed on gear that would have been an upgrade. But there is a reason you might run into people at level 50 still with some of their gear being lower level.

as a crafter, accessories are a mess for all classes until mid 50's so, seeing something under level up to 60'ish makes sense from that perspective, gear however .. not so much.

[Doozer]

I'm not trying to derail your point about players with poor gear... but I will say this much. You can unlock the Crystal Tower raids immediately upon clearing the main scenario dungeons, and you can't start earning poetics until you do your first runs of those dungeons. Accessories aren't given out much as rewards up to that point, and even at level 50 you're still better off spending your early poetics on a weapon, chest and leg gear than on a ring.

I ran into this myself when I first hit level 50 playing on an alt with a friend who recently came to the game, and did hit level 50 still wearing some of those weathered accessories they start you out on at level 1. I COULD have spent gil on something form the market board, but also knew that it wouldn't really take me that long to replace my gear by cleariing content and getting tomestones, and if I had a high enough item level to enter, that would be fine.

This doesn't excuse the player who passed on gear that would have been an upgrade. But there is a reason you might run into people at level 50 still with some of their gear being lower level.

Still, there's plenty of opportunities to get better accessories between literally level 1 and wherever they currently are. Even if they were wearing level ~38 accessories, it's better than one you start with at the beginning. And I can't count how many people I've seen over level 30 wearing the Brand-new Ring that gives them no bonuses anymore. Pretty sure I saw someone with it in a level 70 dungeon the other day. It has less to do with people strategically deciding to wait for higher levels to bother upgrading and has more to do with them just coasting through the game, not understanding a single thing.

That's my new favorite thing to see when I get Hades in roulettes, someone always does this during the add phase and nearly kills the party

It's funny that you mention Hades because that's the fight I had in mind, because it happened just yesterday. It's so weird that people are doing that now, especially in level 80 content.

[wereotter]

Still, there's plenty of opportunities to get better accessories between literally level 1 and wherever they currently are. Even if they were wearing level ~38 accessories, it's better than one you start with at the beginning. And I can't count how many people I've seen over level 30 wearing the Brand-new Ring that gives them no bonuses anymore. Pretty sure I saw someone with it in a level 70 dungeon the other day. It has less to do with people strategically deciding to wait for higher levels to bother upgrading and has more to do with them just coasting through the game, not understanding a single thing.

The Brand New Ring, even though it doesn't have the XP bonus anymore, still has better base stats on it than a lot of other accessories available at that point in the game, so it does make sense to continue wearing it up into the 40-ish levels assuming you didn't get anything else. Just looking it up on strength stat right now, to give an example. Brand New Ring gives +3 to strength. The next best item is an HQ Mythril Ring at level 37 which has +4 strength. Yes it's better but not much, maybe not something a player will want to spend their gil on at the market board when it gives such a small difference. After that you can get +5 strength on a ring at level 47, but if you're an experienced player you know it's probably just better to wait three more levels till you can get an ironworks ring that has +23 strength, and would be a much larger boost. Considering we've had multiple instances where what is considered to be the best in slot gear for the end game means using non-upgraded rings, which currently is a difference of 16 points of main stat, the difference of 3 points max between the Brand New Ring, and the best available ring before unlocking the tomestone vendor is so minimal it's not even worth complaining about.

But even with all that, the game conditions new players to not bother buying gear now that it just hands out so much of it as quest rewards. Players who try to upgrade their gear feel punished if they buy something new only to have the game give them either the exact same item, or something even better by simply progressing the story along. This can be seen as a game design problem, but the fact of the matter is the game is designed in such a way that you still technically have a high enough level to your gear that you can enter the content, meaning the developers have deemed it clearable. And the person, if they're working to gear up, should be fine to go ahead and do the content. We don't need to add any additional judgment or gating to it beyond what the game already imposes.

[Mikey_R]

The Brand New Ring, even though it doesn't have the XP bonus anymore, still has better base stats on it than a lot of other accessories available at that point in the game, so it does make sense to continue wearing it up into the 40-ish levels assuming you didn't get anything else. Just looking it up on strength stat right now, to give an example. Brand New Ring gives +3 to strength. The next best item is an HQ Mythril Ring at level 37 which has +4 strength. Yes it's better but not much, maybe not something a player will want to spend their gil on at the market board when it gives such a small difference. After that you can get +5 strength on a ring at level 47, but if you're an experienced player you know it's probably just better to wait three more levels till you can get an ironworks ring that has +23 strength, and would be a much larger boost. Considering we've had multiple instances where what is considered to be the best in slot gear for the end game means using non-upgraded rings, which currently is a difference of 16 points of main stat, the difference of 3 points max between the Brand New Ring, and the best available ring before unlocking the tomestone vendor is so minimal it's not even worth complaining about.

But even with all that, the game conditions new players to not bother buying gear now that it just hands out so much of it as quest rewards. Players who try to upgrade their gear feel punished if they buy something new only to have the game give them either the exact same item, or something even better by simply progressing the story along. This can be seen as a game design problem, but the fact of the matter is the game is designed in such a way that you still technically have a high enough level to your gear that you can enter the content, meaning the developers have deemed it clearable. And the person, if they're working to gear up, should be fine to go ahead and do the content. We don't need to add any additional judgment or gating to it beyond what the game already imposes.

To add to this, just continuing the MSQ for a few more quests gives you a full set of i70 accessories. Combine that with a new i130 weapon (Castrum and Prae give exactly 600 poetics for completing them the first time) and the i90 set from the job quests, having 1 ring under level 50 is not going to be a big issue.

[baklava151]

I've seen a lot of people during mechanics that put markers on some and an actual stack on another think that it's okay for the AoE people to stand in the stack.

That's my new favorite thing to see when I get Hades in roulettes, someone always does this during the add phase and nearly kills the party

[RitsukoSonoda]

TBH I feel like the issue goes outside video games as I've been seeing more ppl IRL that would push a button labeled "Push button to get hit in the face with a cannonball" then not understand why they got hit in the face with a cannonball after pushing it.

Common sense has become a superpower... >.>

[TheMightyMollusk]

I keep seeing people running away with stack markers, then complaining when they die. I can sort of understand it on Nidhogg, being the first time the standard stack markers show up in required content, but by Ruby Weapon you should know better.