New Normal Trial was actually the hardest I ever played in FFXIV in MSQ.

[Thurmnmurmn]

I enjoyed it. It was more imposing due to the size of the aoes but overall it wasn't all too difficult. Once people get a hang of the safe spots it should be much easier.
This is great though. The final boss of a story should be harder then previous ones.
Imo, this one was a win for this patch.

[ChrysOCE]

The mechanics were quite intuitive, but the flow of the battle was fun.

Agree. The flow of the fight and the music is really enjoyable. When the music transition happens, it feels energizing. I hope it doesn't get left behind with ilvl creep.

[Bonoki]

I think what people really mean is that:
"The lack of body checks made the fight appear easy"

But it's also a normal mode, what more do you want.

[Jojoya]

Most players should do fine with this fight after a couple of repeats. Busy, yes, but as Jeeqbit said most of the mechanics were intuitive.

The new trial is always the "Hardest" for the first couple of days, but then you realize it's actually not.

Mount Ordeals was never hard and I usually rate them by the difficulty I expect less skilled players to have. That was a fight that really disappointed me on the first clear, especially coming after Storm's Crown.

Abyssal Fracture definitely will have a learning curve for less skilled players.

[ForsakenRoe]

My first run, 5 people died to 'that mechanic', but we pulled it back because as others said, it is intuitive

Had to press E.Prog a couple more times than usual, but as people get more practice at the fight and stop eating so many vuln stacks we will likely be back to the regular schedule

However, in terms of difficulty, I didn't find it more complex compared to the trial we've had in the past.
But I have to say, after Rubicante and Golbez, who were so uninspiring in terms of mechanics and difficulty, it was a step up from those two fights.

This is it. It's not that this trial is 'too complex' or 'overwhelming' per se, but moreso that we've had so much 'underwhelming' that this feels like a massive step up. No, it's just going back to the level we've previously had. And it's pretty justified considering it's Zeromus we are fighting. If he fell over as easily as Rubicante for example, god that'd be tragic

[Asako]

The new trial and 24 man were far too easy. Undertuned if anything.

[Turtledeluxe]

I feel like one of the biggest issues with both the trial and the 24 man that are indisputable is that even when they have an interesting mechanic, it lacks punch. The indicators are obnoxious, the cast times are long, and the damage is low. I understand they're catering to people who have no patience and can't understand anything without giant throbbing arrows but idk, I don't like that.

And it isn't that a single spell should nuke you (most of the time), it's that you can make 3, or 4 mistakes in some cases and still have 30% health left. That's not fun imo. As long as healer is even slightly competent the damage stacks hardly matter. It's not enough of a consequence.

[sindriiisgaming]

Why I said it wasn't too brutal, but it was definitely on the right track.

Bosses in general still suffer from scripted mechanics, wish it was more random.

this is why i love barbaricia, total chaos and i hope we get more
phase 3 of zeromas is exactly what we need more of, it keeps you on your toes. you get how the mecanics work, but u cant preposition or "cheat" the mecanic. you need to wake up and pay attention

i also love how intuitive the fight is. is it an awesome ex like thordin.. no.. but it has SO MUCH potential. i hope going forward we can realize it

[TaleraRistain]

I enjoyed it. I thought the mechanics were intuitive, there's plenty going on to keep people busy, there's more personal responsibility, and it's forgiving but without sacrificing the fight being fun and enjoyable.

The EX, while definitely easier than Golbez, was enjoyable as well.

[sindriiisgaming]

The new trial is always the "Hardest" for the first couple of days, but then you realize it's actually not.

so, i have evidence against this. now zeromas is NO barbaricia. she was absolutley insane and i think theyre afriad to go so nuts again. but barbaricia got worse as she died.. i couldnt go a single day with more than 1/20 pfs clearing her. as the fight begin to wind down in favour of rubicante.. barbaricia became IMPOSSIBLE to clear, yet when current. she was VERY farmable. i got 50 farms on her in