Square Enix should really address dungeon loot drops...

[Maulclaw]

This is a bit of a rant, and I apologize for it in advance.

FFXIV has one of the best MMO experiences I've had in recent memory, but the way loot drops are handled in dungeons (at least throughout ARR - StB) are beyond abysmal and are probably one of the worst examples I've ever seen in a videogame like this.

There was an armor set from Sohr Khai called Berserker that I really wanted for my Paladin, and I figured it would only take me a few runs to get it. That was my intention about a month ago. I've ran this dungeon over 93 times since then. Each run takes roughly five to eight minutes to complete (depends if there's an unsynced party)... which means I've spent over 7 hours trying to get a basic dungeon set. And yet I'm still missing the boots and legs.

A friend of mine has been playing for longer than I have and he has run Kugane Castle nearly 300 times in the past four months and is still missing a pair of gloves...

This is simply... insane. Other MMOs have been known to handle this kind of thing a whole lot better:

• they adjust loot quantities so there's enough drops to go around or make it so it's tied to players rather than being shared by the whole party (ex: The Elder Scrolls Online);
• they adjust drops to the classes present in the dungeon, meaning that the gear that will be dropped can only be used by the characters that are present in that instance (ex: TERA Online);
• provide a certain amount of "tokens" per run that can be later used to purchase gear from said dungeon (ex: Guild Wars 2);
• make the loot tradeable so that players can hand it to others or sell it within the game's "marketboard" system (ex: Star Wars: The Old Republic);

The fact that FFXIV only provides one piece per treasure chest means it can take thousands of tries until someone gets the equipment they want/need, and I don't understand why Square Enix hasn't done anything about this? I can only imagine how terrible this must be at endgame, and that thought alone is enough to put me off from even wanting to.

A lot of people say that this game is known for "respecting the player's time", but this kind of thing is far from being truthful. I mean, is there anything else that I can do? Is the removal of belts going to help this at all? I'm really exhausted from running this over and over again, and it's gotten to a point where I'm in too deep to stop now. The worst is that this outfit was meant to my main Heavensward glamour and I'm almost done with Stormblood now.

P.S: Checked some other threads sharing the same feelings and this has been a major issue since 2013. How come more people don't voice their distaste for what is an obvious major flaw with the game?

[aveyond-dreams]

Although the armor set you are looking for has a recolor that is available to purchase with gil, the problems you mention are especially prevalent in current endgame dungeons where the gear is fantastic-and chests/bosses drop even less of it in favor of accessories.

Even if I have to run a dungeon 10-15 times to get enough tokens for a specific piece, I would much rather do that than grind endlessly with no hope of an end in sight.

[Aron73]

Although the armor set you are looking for has a recolor that is available to purchase with gil, the problems you mention are especially prevalent in current endgame dungeons where the gear is fantastic-and chests/bosses drop even less of it in favor of accessories.

Even if I have to run a dungeon 10-15 times to get enough tokens for a specific piece, I would much rather do that than grind endlessly with no hope of an end in sight.

I have to agree with you here. The other option sounds more like something WoW would do

[Maulclaw]

Although the armor set you are looking for has a recolor that is available to purchase with gil,the problems you mention are especially prevalent in current endgame dungeons where the gear is fantastic-and chests/bosses drop even less of it in favor of accessories.

Even if I have to run a dungeon 10-15 times to get enough tokens for a specific piece, I would much rather do that than grind endlessly with no hope of an end in sight.

You're talking about the one that can be bought from the armor vendor in Ishgard, right? Unfortunately, it's green by default and trying to dye it leads to... unsavory results. It just doesn't look anywhere as good as the Berserker set. If there are other variations, I'm not familiar with them.

And in regards to your second point... Geez, how are people able to put up with a system like that? I've seen MMOs get trashed for a whole lot less. And yeah, I agree. I'd rather work towards tokens knowing it'll be possible to obtain what I want rather than waste time on something that might end up not panning out at all.

[Ayche]

The coupon collector's problem is a funny math scenario, it can easily get very busy to have a system in place to eliminate easy-to-implement rng. But beyond that...

You're talking about the one that can be bought from the armor vendor in Ishgard, right? Unfortunately, it's green by default and trying to dye it leads to... unsavory results. It just doesn't look anywhere as good as the Berserker set. If there are other variations, I'm not familiar with them.

And in regards to your second point... Geez, how are people able to put up with a system like that? I've seen MMOs get trashed for a whole lot less. And yeah, I agree. I'd rather work towards tokens knowing it'll be possible to obtain what I want rather than waste time on something that might end up not panning out at all.

... the problem is non-issue because it was already fixed by that crafted replicate. And fixing how dyes work would go longer way than trying to make it easier to farm dungeon drops.

[Rowde]

The coupon collector's problem is a funny math scenario, it can easily get very busy to have a system in place to eliminate easy-to-implement rng. But beyond that...
... the problem is non-issue because it was already fixed by that crafted replicate. And fixing how dyes work would go longer way than trying to make it easier to farm dungeon drops.

No... They explained why it's an issue. It doesn't dye the way they want so the dyeable version doesn't satisfy their criteria. Besides, since their talking about HW drops can easily shift this over to the caster/healer Plague Bringer/Healer sets which can be just as bad to farm and don't have an alternative. Or the Filibuster sets which also don't have a crafted version.

Then there's the highly desirable sets from SB that only drop from one dungeon... Bonewicca, Skallic and Resistance sets. I have a friend that has never seen the Bonewicca Caster body drop in any run of Swallow's Compass they've been in to this day.

I would much rather them just use the existing system of "one guaranteed gear drop for the class you are running as per clear," that is already in effect in leveling dungeons, in all dungeons rather than some token system or coffers. There's still some RNG, but you'd eventually be guaranteed the item within 9-10 runs (if there are weapon drops).

[Iscah]

Seriously, rng is rng. Like winning the cactpot, it can take a while no matter the odds of even getting 2 numbers, let alone all 4.

The thing is, it's unevenly applied RNG.

If the piece you want is from a levelling dungeon, you have the guaranteed drop system. You can still be stuck doing multiple runs to earn a specific piece, but at least you can be sure it will come eventually.

If the piece you want is from an endgame (or ex-endgame) dungeon, there's no reprieve. Less pieces drop per run than from levelling dungeons, and there is no free piece at the end.

I could understand if it were just the case for current endgame dungeons, and the system was made easier once they become old content, but under the current system it's permanently harder to acquire glamour pieces from a level 60 dungeon than from a level 53 or 77 dungeon even though the level 60 gear has less functional gameplay value. It feels arbitrary and frustrating.

[Burmecia]

You're talking about the one that can be bought from the armor vendor in Ishgard, right? Unfortunately, it's green by default and trying to dye it leads to... unsavory results. It just doesn't look anywhere as good as the Berserker set. If there are other variations, I'm not familiar with them.

!!! This is one of my pet peeves too - It is delightful to get old dungeon/alliance raid sets as dyeable versions later down the road, but the new versions do not always dye so beautifully compared to the original.

My favourite example here is Demon Fending set. The original's details and colours are lovely and vibrant. Chromite clone makes it all flat and monotone and Forgiven is not any better.

[Dreamsoap]

Although the armor set you are looking for has a recolor that is available to purchase with gil, the problems you mention are especially prevalent in current endgame dungeons where the gear is fantastic-and chests/bosses drop even less of it in favor of accessories.

Even if I have to run a dungeon 10-15 times to get enough tokens for a specific piece, I would much rather do that than grind endlessly with no hope of an end in sight.

I understand OP's plight though, sometimes you really want the dungeon piece because it has a unique colour unobtainable by dye and/ or it has a different coloured trim. I've been crying for dungeon tokens forever, GW2 style would be such an easy fix. As long as it goes to our wallets, not our inventories.

[DeaconMoore]

High quality Lalafell souls, the rng gods need'em. Find a few, make the sacrifices, then run the dungeons for the loot you're after.

Seriously, rng is rng. Like winning the cactpot, it can take a while no matter the odds of even getting 2 numbers, let alone all 4.