Relics are always instantly irrelevant on launch. Let's change this!

[ShiroPa]

Hello fellow adventurers,

I'm reaching out to the community and the FFXIV development team with a proposal to significantly change the implementation of Relic Weapons in our journey through Eorzea.

Current Scenario: As many of you have experienced, Relic Weapons typically become available later in an expansion's lifecycle. While these weapons are often beautifully designed and come with engaging questlines, their late introduction often renders them less relevant for PvE content. By the time these relics are available, many players have already acquired more powerful gear, relegating these iconic weapons to more of a cosmetic or collectible role.

Proposed Change: I suggest a transformative approach where Relic Weapons are made available at the start of a new expansion. This early availability would immediately make them more relevant and desirable for a wider range of content, especially PvE. It would be so nice to experience the MSQ and get the relic as an extra progression. But more importantly, to maintain their relevance, each stage of the Relic Weapon should provide a weapon equivalent in item level (ilvl) to the current crafted weapons, at least. This change would ensure that they are a viable option for players looking to start a raid tier, for example.



Comparison with Current Implementation:

Crafted Sets Focus: At present, the only real option for gearing up at the start of a raid tier is through crafted sets, aside from the previous tier's BiS.

Proposed Relic Relevance: By aligning each Relic Weapon stage with the ilvl of current crafted weapons, players would have more variety and strategic choices in preparing for raids.

Benefits of This Change:

Increased Engagement: Launching Relic Weapons with an expansion and maintaining their relevance will create more excitement and discussion within the community throughout the expansion.

Strategic Diversity: This proposal offers an alternative yet competitive gearing path, adding variety and flexibility to the PvE experience.
Longevity and Relevance: Aligning Relic Weapons with the ilvl of crafted weapons ensures they remain a valuable and viable choice for PvE content throughout the expansion.



These changes could transform Relic Weapons from late-expansion collectibles to integral, strategic components of our gear progression from the start to the end of an expansion! It enriches the choices available to players, ensuring that our beloved Relic Weapons are not just about aesthetics but also about practical, strategic gameplay, creating a meaningful bond between it and the player.

I would also love to hear other players thoughts on this idea and hope it sparks a constructive discussion in our community and with the development team.

Thank you for considering this suggestion, and may your Eorzean adventures continue to be both epic and strategically rewarding!!

[DrWho2010]

if you make relic weapons "relevant" you run the risk of making EX fights dead on arrival and pointless. you would have to change the type of rewards that EX fights give out completely.

[fantasiaaddict]

in more important news, this is my 69th post

[kevin_satron]

if you make relic weapons "relevant" you run the risk of making EX fights dead on arrival and pointless. you would have to change the type of rewards that EX fights give out completely.

maybe they can replace the ex trial weapons or use ex trial weapons as a material to make a new relic (if they're trying to change how to get the relic, pls no EW relic)

[ShiroPa]

Well, if you think purely on a meta perspective, maybe yes. But it is all about having options. Tome gear for instance is usually not optimal, but it is generally good because of the higher iLvl. It is all about options. Like you always have the option to use a crafted weapon to start the current raid tier or farm the last trial for the weapon. Options. Also, there is more incentive to do the trials than just the weapons. Mounts, glam, mats etc. It would definitely not get irrelevant.

[Nezerius]

if you make relic weapons "relevant" you run the risk of making EX fights dead on arrival and pointless. you would have to change the type of rewards that EX fights give out completely.

Or, y'know, make the relic grindy.

Not like a relic step getting released at the same time as an EX weapon hasn't happened before, just look at patch 2.2's Leviathan EX. The Atma/Animus steps were released on the same day, but these steps were grindy, so people still ran Leviathan EX as a non-grindy alternative for main or alt jobs.

[Solakor]

Just say you want a free relic asap. No need to sugarcoat it.
This would invalidate crafting with quite a margin. Tome weapon, ex weapon would be irrelevant. Again, relic was always meant to be a timesink for content lulls and a marathon goal for ppl who want to grind. EW relics aren't relics. They are tome weapons that require more tomes.

[ShiroPa]

Considering that in some tiers the crafted sets are the only option, it would not be bad to have an option. And I bet there would be plenty of people that prefer crafting the weapon instead of grinding the relic if it was something like eureka or bozja.

[Mostly_Raxus]

if you make relic weapons "relevant" you run the risk of making EX fights dead on arrival and pointless. you would have to change the type of rewards that EX fights give out completely.

you could make getting the EX weapon part of the relic requirements

[Supersnow845]

This would only work if you made the relic super grindy (like OG ARR/HW)

If you made the relic grindy enough that raiders are just going to use the crafted weapon anyway then i could see this working, that maintains the niche of the crafted and tomestone weapons (and doesn’t encroach on the dominance of the savage weapon)

The only downside I could see is it would create really awkward situations if the crafted weapons had tenacity or piety since those stats are completely useless