MSQ Capstone Fights - iLvl requirement set too high & fights skip content as a result

[Morphiana]

The max ilvl for normal fights is a bit too high, especially in the capstone fights. It's even a problem for the current expansion / content. Using Endwalker's MSQ "last boss" it's a problem for any sprout who joins the fight to not even see all the dialogue in P2. The same can be said of earlier expansion fights where they revolve heavily around a scene playing out.

The high ilvl cap has made these fights too easy / boring for anyone who gets them in a roulette and for a Sprout it's not satisfying to see such a big bad melt / die before the role play aspects of the fight have even ended.

Now you can say "well just do it min ilvl" but most Sprouts won't go and make a group for that or may not know it's an option that would make a big difference with these fights. For veteran players it's also a bummer just to see these big bads melt like ice cream left out on a super hot day mid-summer even when doing them as a trial roulette for the day.


Proposed Solutions for heavy role play normal MSQ fights only:

• Lower the maximum ilvl people can join at so the fight can play out a bit more naturally.
• Keep the ilvl at a set number to something basic (like in PvP) for these fights as they are more about spectacle usually than they are difficulty to begin with.
• Add all MSQ normal boss fights into a min ilvl roulette. The first time a Sprout does it they're forced into min ilvl and other folks can join the min ilvl trial roulette for daily rewards.

[WhiteArchmage]

I can agree with this. Even with the Heavensward rework Thordan goes down like a chump too fast; and while it IS intentional for the last part, it's too easy to burn him down that he loses all narrative threat in the first part. Making a tighter ilvl squish could be one of the reworks to help with that.

The team should take a look into how they reworked Ultima Weapon, it still tells its narrative story and is a fun fight even with the downtime.

[TheMightyMollusk]

Endgame instances should cap item level at the tier they were released for, rather than whatever that expansion's final tier was. Might help make the Crystal Tower raids less of a dull slog.

[Avatre]

Endgame instances should cap item level at the tier they were released for, rather than whatever that expansion's final tier was. Might help make the Crystal Tower raids less of a dull slog.

I don't know if that would even help the CT raids.

[Wanzzo]

Endgame instances should cap item level at the tier they were released for, rather than whatever that expansion's final tier was. Might help make the Crystal Tower raids less of a dull slog.

true.

There is a boss there that we get him down so fast that even today no body knows how the platforms around him works, 'cause they aren't needed. We deplete all his HP in less than 2 minutes.

[CaptainLagbeard]

true.

There is a boss there that we get him down so fast that even today no body knows how the platforms around him works, 'cause they aren't needed. We deplete all his HP in less than 2 minutes.

I do wonder how many people would remember the mechanics to all the bosses in Labyrinth and CT, if you couldn't just melt the bosses before most of them go off...

[Atelier-Bagur]

I would just go for lowering the maximum ilvl for these trials

[CaptainLagbeard]

Forcing the Trials at the end of MSQs to be fought at a more relevant ilvl would definitely help with the story aspect.

Like Ultima Weapon after it's reworking the max ilvl for it is 60. Still more than the average player had at that point back in ARR, but more relevant to the fight.
The Singularity Reactor, The Royal Menagerie and The Dying Gasp don't seem to have any ilevel sync, so you're probably capped at 275, 405 and 535 (in accordance to the weapons from the final Savage raid of each expansion)...

[Amarande]

Did a little poking around with unrestricted + level sync on and it does indeed seem that it simply caps it off based on expansion gear (including the fact that weapons get +5 ilvl over other things).

It probably could stand to be tighter, not only because of the epicness being rather muted by how easy the .0 capstone fights get due to this, but also the fact that they actually become easier than the leveling trials (especially the X3 trials, which literally have the tightest ilvl leash of any 8-man content in the entire game, even including Ultimate).

[Jojoya]

The normal MSQ version of fights aren't intended to be difficult because many players are going through them for the sake of story and not a test of combat skill. To satisfy the latter, the former would be in danger of not being able to complete the content at all, and that's something that SE wants to avoid.

If there is important narrative being skipped during a fight as opposed to just some random villain threats, then SE needs to learn to pace the dialog better during those trials. They're well aware of the effect that gear upgrades will have on completion times later on in the expansion.

Sprouts should have a good idea of what to expect by the time they reach the level 90 trial and what options they have for forming groups if they joined a helpful FC or Novice Network. If they bought a story skip and job boost so they started at 80, then they probably don't care about any narrative that might get skipped. They just want to get end game content unlocked as fast as possible.