[Suggestion] Scaling on MSQ trials

[jadeharley]

Hi! I hope this is the right place to put this suggestion.

(TL;DR: it would be nice if major MSQ trials had a maximum item level restriction)

Since Endwalker and the stat changes, I've noticed that many trials end very quickly, particularly major max-level MSQ trials such as:

• Akh Afah Ampitheatre
• The Singularity Reactor
• The Final Steps of Faith
• The Royal Menagerie
• Castrum Fluminus
• The Dying Gasp

Of these, the Heavensward trials exhibit this issue most strongly.

Often players get to these epic battles, and the overwhelming strength of their team can trivialize the whole experience! I've talked to many sprouts, both random people and close friends who say "that's it? it was so cool, but it ended so quickly..."

I'll often barely attack the boss if I notice new players because of how quickly these trials end. Going all-out almost feels like a disservice to how major these battles are...

I know that to an extent, higher level players shouldn't think "oh not this one again" if something is too hard, and players with better gear should be rewarded in their day-to-day activities! One of the trials that seems well-tuned, Seat of Sacrifice often causes the group to die a couple times, but FFXIV's community is very nice about it and doesn't have the issues you might expect, like deliberately avoiding the trial or leaving as soon as they enter it.

I know that an alternative is "just do the trial on extreme" or "put together a minimum item level group" but both of these are niche, and disrupt the flow of the MSQ, among other issues. This is largely about improving the MSQ experience for everyone!

If I could propose a solution, it would be a maximum item level sync for max-level MSQ trials that would make them challenging while still having repeat players feel like they're stronger since they last went into the fight.

Thanks for reading!

[Jojoya]

I don't think that Final Steps of Faith and Castrum Fluminus need the adjustment to item level sync as much. Players should still be seeing all the mechanics at least once even with the slightly higher ilvl sync.

Definitely the rest could use it. Lowering the ilevel to the best gear available in their respective .2 patches would help the experience while leaving a reasonable range of power upgrade to get through the encounters with a minimum of trouble. It's always the last content of the main expansion releases that suffer from the way ilvl sync currently works.

[jadeharley]

Fluminus could probably go either way, but Final Steps of Faith definitely ends too quickly in my experience. There are still deaths there, which is a good sign IMO, but I think it's more about player damage and boss health.

[Stepjam]

I'm not sure there's a perfect solution, but I do think tighter ilvl sync on trials would be nice. It is a shame to go into older trials and have them die before you even see every mechanic.

Tighter ilvl sync in general would be something I'd like. Though I know there are players who conversely would dislike that since it means having higher level gear doesn't really matter as much, and many just wanna get through roulettes like chores (which I understand).

[Eclipse12187]

Imagine having this for alliance raids and actually seeing all of the mechanics in crystal tower raids. People may actually stop scumming the queue check for them.

[HyoMinPark]

For the Singularity Reactor, the biggest issue there isn’t going to be fixed by item level sync. The fight itself is tuned very low, and has always been that way, even when HW launched. I think the only way you could make it “more difficult” would be to adjust the tuning of the fight itself, alongside an item level sync. Currently, even minimum item level, no Echo, and even going so far as to remove pieces of gear for a truer sync, Thordan falls over. I remember doing it in HW with a mixture of i130 ironworks, Vault, and Gubal gear and he couldn’t even kill me (I was a BRD and messed up a lot of mechanics, but never died; I remember this vividly).

I agree that all of these should have item level syncs in them. Even the Alliance raids could stand to have item level syncs, because it’s astounding how quickly you can rofl-stomp them when the next tier of gear comes out. The only one that manages to retain any semblance of at-release difficulty is the third one in the series. (With the exception of Orbonne, which was neutered by the added Echo and nerfs to TGC. )

[jadeharley]

Imagine having this for alliance raids and actually seeing all of the mechanics in crystal tower raids. People may actually stop scumming the queue check for them.

I've always wondered what the actual mechanics in LotA and Syrcus Tower are. I'd be interested in this.

For the Singularity Reactor, the biggest issue there isn’t going to be fixed by item level sync. The fight itself is tuned very low, and has always been that way, even when HW launched. I think the only way you could make it “more difficult” would be to adjust the tuning of the fight itself, alongside an item level sync. Currently, even minimum item level, no Echo, and even going so far as to remove pieces of gear for a truer sync, Thordan falls over. I remember doing it in HW with a mixture of i130 ironworks, Vault, and Gubal gear and he couldn’t even kill me (I was a BRD and messed up a lot of mechanics, but never died; I remember this vividly).

I think if a redo isn't in the cards, or if it was always intended to be this way, even just an increase to how long phase 1 takes would go a long way. As of now, the first phase takes about 1:00 - 1:30, and it would be a lot more "epic" at 2:30 - 3:00 IMO. It took me a few playthroughs (and the release of DSR) to realize that the last "phase" isn't necessarily supposed to be hard (he's an old man, weakened by using up all his power on the final attack). For that, I think just making his ultimate do more damage might be appropriate, as currently it barely even tickles people in appropriate-level gear.