MAFGA

[TarynH]

With a possible new expansion on the horizon, could we make Artifact Gear relevant for more than a day for once?

It must have been time consuming to develop unique gear for 19 jobs, only to see it tossed to the side before people even hit the first raid. You could literally not get into the first raid with AF this time around. Making it only relevant to grind for tome gear at the end of the story.

As someone who has always enjoyed the unique artifact gear in the Final Fantasy series, it pains me to see such effort go to waste so shortly after acquiring it.

My suggestion and possible solution: Give us the Artifact Gear at the start of the expansion, and have it increase in stats and efficiency as you level. Just like how it did from 89 to 90 this time, as well as the few earrings we have in the game. We would then have the AF with us for 10 levels, and be decked out in our job's finest as we go through the new MSQ.

You could make it the same stats as new dungeon gear and/or crafted gear, so those aren't obsolete. But at least give players the option to wear AF for more than tome grinding at the end of the story!

[LilimoLimomo]

Personally, I don't think the Artifact Gear is wasted at all; once you acquire it, you can glam its aesthetic on to any piece of gear you later replace it with.

FFXIV's glamour system has all but entirely decoupled stats and aesthetics.

[TarynH]

Personally, I don't think the Artifact Gear is wasted at all; once you acquire it, you can glam its aesthetic on to any piece of gear you later replace it with.

FFXIV's glamour system has all but entirely decoupled stats and aesthetics.

I speak in terms of usefulness as actual gear. It's usually tossed aside rather quickly for better gear. We didn't even get the dyeable versions in SB and SHB until the relic content, and by then it was only glamour gear. I'd like to actually use it longer as suitable "stat-useful" gear to do content.

We should at least be able to use it to get raid gear after hitting level cap. Which we couldn't in EW.

[Jojoya]

I speak in terms of usefulness as actual gear. It's usually tossed aside rather quickly for better gear. We didn't even get the dyeable versions in SB and SHB until the relic content, and by then it was only glamour gear. I'd like to actually use it longer as suitable "stat-useful" gear to do content.

We should at least be able to use it to get raid gear after hitting level cap. Which we couldn't in EW.

AF gear hasn't been consistent as a sole source of left side gear to get into the first raid of an expansion.

HW - see below
SB - AF 290, O1N 295 (insufficient)
ShB - AF 430, E1N 425 (sufficient)
EW - AF 560, P1N 565 (insufficient)

Heavensward AF was different from what I can gather from online resources (Lodestone being down atm isn't helping). Initial ilvl was 200 and it looks like it was released in patch 3.05 and was purchased with tomestones instead of being a job quest reward while the 170 Yasha gear (also tomestones) was the original entry level gear for raids (A1N required 170).

The AF gear has been good for MSQ progression thru the x.1 patch dungeon (except in SB) for those who don't raid or farm tomestones.

It feels like the dev team has never come to a decision about what role they want AF gear to play in the gearing process. I'm guessing they've kept it on the low side (being a simple quest reward) so the mid-tier tomestone gear becomes the entry to raiding set. The AF gear was valuable in ShB and EW for initial tomestone farming.

If AF were to become the entry to raiding set, there would be little to no need for that initial gearset purchased with the second tier tomestone at the start of an expansion. The tomestone could still be used to purchase accessories (if someone isn't farming whichever EX trial drops them) and of course purchase the crafting materials. They would likely put the AF gear back on the tomestone vendor as well instead of making it a reward unlocked thru simple MSQ progression.

I can't say I have any strong opinion one way or another after stopping to think about it. As a crafter, I'm replacing both the AF and second tier tomestone set almost immediately with the crafted gear when that comes out just after expansion launch.

Probably better for those players who don't get the crafted gear right away to leave their feedback on how AF gear should fit into the gearing system.

[Toutatis]

With a possible new expansion on the horizon, could we make Artifact Gear relevant for more than a day for once?

It must have been time consuming to develop unique gear for 19 jobs, only to see it tossed to the side before people even hit the first raid. You could literally not get into the first raid with AF this time around. Making it only relevant to grind for tome gear at the end of the story.

It was more than one day: the first raid was released two weeks later. It was the same thing with ShB. Anyway there are some nice glamours there.

[Arohk]

Pretty sure hey will recycle it and try to sell it to us as "new" PvP gear in the future, they did the same with Shadowbringers Artifact gear.