Some of the RNG is nuts...we need to get rid of it

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

I agree with this, assuming I understand you. There are other RNG things in FFXIV that I think horribly waste players' time, like Bozja field notes. And it hurts because so many other things in FFXIV at least have "pity drops." Leveling dungeons will drop one piece of equipment for your job every run. Totem and tokens let you purchase gear that wasn't dropped from trials and raids.

I'll be honest: melding is a huge reason why I don't want to get into current tier raiding. It's unnecessarily slow and expensive enough as it is, and the RNG on top of that just sounds too frustrating to be worth it. Not to mention, conceptually the idea of "overmelding" is utter nonsense to me.

But... Pentamelding is only required for people pushing week 1 clears (or world first clears).

You don't need it to raid, at all.

[SeverianLyonesse]

But... Pentamelding is only required for people pushing week 1 clears (or world first clears).

You don't need it to raid, at all.

You still need to meld generally though, correct? I dislike the melding system as a whole, and even if it's not required, I imagine there is a lot of shaming in current tier raiding if people don't have melded materia slots.

Also, there are other reasons why I don't raid independent of the melding system. Not enough time to practice, not enough availability for a static, etc. etc. But that doesn't change the fact that I really don't like the way the melding system is designed.

[sharknado]

You still need to meld generally though, correct? I dislike the melding system as a whole, and even if it's not required, I imagine there is a lot of shaming in current tier raiding if people don't have melded materia slots.

1-2 slots that are 100% to meld and the materia is everywhere. Materia slots allow for some stats customization. The gear we get is job type specific so best stats can vary between jobs... although it can also be a problem - when Warrior doesn't share melds with other tanks so all those pentamelders have a problem.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

You still need to meld generally though, correct? I dislike the melding system as a whole, and even if it's not required, I imagine there is a lot of shaming in current tier raiding if people don't have melded materia slots.

Also, there are other reasons why I don't raid independent of the melding system. Not enough time to practice, not enough availability for a static, etc. etc. But that doesn't change the fact that I really don't like the way the melding system is designed.

Melds are 100% guaranteed outside of overmelding. The game throws materia at you.

I'm not really sure what toy don't like about it tbh.

[SeverianLyonesse]

Melds are 100% guaranteed outside of overmelding. The game throws materia at you.

I'm not really sure what toy don't like about it tbh.

Between the farming and the melding it is an unnecessarily tedious process just to eek out a few extra stats, that you then need to reverse and repeat every time you get slightly better gear.

If it were a simple slot-swapping system I wouldn't mind as much but the actual melding process, between the animation delays and the failure chances...it's just not a feel-good mechanic. But I have that issue with several things in the game like crafting and desynth. Actions that require a lot of repetition and just become tedious because of being locked to animations.

[LittleImp]

I imagine there is a lot of shaming in current tier raiding if people don't have melded materia slots.

There totally is, but people aren't exactly in the wrong to do so. It's perceived as a basic element of raid-prep, and a token of respect towards your party. It can make a pretty substantial impact on your output compared to the effort it takes to set up, which is basically 5 minutes of your time and a few clusters or gil. When you're trying to beat an enrage, every % you can get matters, especially if it's totally passive and low-cost like melds.