What should the DT relic upgrades steps consist of?

[Nighthawky2010]

I know many players didn't like the tombstone only option to upgrade the Manderville weapons. Many players didn't like the oversimplicity of upgrading the relics. Even though I wish they did have different steps to up the relic weapon, I also took into account that this was done in conjunction with Hildebrand, which is solo non-sensical content. So I can understand why SE made it so simply to upgrade the Manderville weapon. Since playing FFXIV since ARR, the Manderville relic weapons are the only relics that I finished to completion. I, personally wasn't a fan of Bozja or the Anima weapon, so I never completed it.

All that to ask this...what should be the different steps to upgrade DT relics weapons? Should the 1st step be tomestones; should we do the atma-like books again; should there be items that we have to purchase with GC seals like we had to do for one of the relic weapons saga; how many times do they have to do LoA, WoD alliance raids? Do they keep the DT relic strictly to the new exploration content or will they give players options who don't want to go through the whole exploration content for several patches?

I don't think the steps should be oversimplified like in EW but I also think it shouldn't be overly complicated, stressful, overgrindy either. There should be a balance.

What should the the DT relics upgrades consist of, is my question to you.

[Eraden]

Moar stones (Mao kids)! Explorations maybe?

[Xeronia]

Honestly Bozja was almost the perfect approach to me, I say almost because the requirements to do the exploratory content to progress hampered it along with somewhat unreasonable grinds towards the end. Basically having multiple pathways of about equal grind via several methods is ideal. Also please cut Crystal Tower out of any future relic grinds, there is far too much incentive already to do it so it doesn't need anymore. For example if I was to fix Manderville for this ideal:

Obtain 3 *insert item here*
Methods to get said item
1) Tomestones preferably at a slightly higher cost then EW had
2) Go run a full alliance raid series (Excluding CT)
3) Exchange current EX primal totems for one
4) Exchange expert crafts
5) Exchange currency from exploratory content

Several paths to the needed item to pick from. I personally hated only tomestones as a crafter as I need those for materials.

[Ardeth]

The more ways to do it, the better. Also, I'm fine with Endwalkers. It made me actually do more than one for once.

[WantlessYoYo]

For me SB and SHB relics were but a means to an end, a carrot in the stick even

I wanted the RDM SB relic and so fell upon Eureka, fell in love with it and the relic became but an extra to a great experience and community interaction

Same with Bozja if not more

So yeah i don't mind the how as long as it brings that magic back

[Jeeqbit]

They should start off using Shadowbringers as a base, where you got to choose between doing the Field Operation or doing old content. However, this time, the Field Operation should be the slightly more efficient way to do it (ie. guaranteed drops from Skirmishes and CEs, random from old FATEs or content).

The Shadowbringers method also made it so if you've done certain steps once, you don't have to do them again. This should be done as well, so that people who do repeat relics have to grind them, but so that it's not too tedious (for example, people told me they had to farm DR 100-200 times to get all relics, no joke). Doing it once for each job is reasonable, but hundreds is ridiculous.

The only other difference from Shadowbringers is that methods that are not going to have longevity need to be taken into account, such as the lack of people doing DR. For situations like that, the method would need to have an additional way added such as farming skirmishes or CEs, or making them drop from, say, DR Savage bosses since discords actually do that still.

We also need to consider that the players that "get all relics" will have proportionally more work the more jobs we get, so the percentage of the grind for repeat relics that is made a one-off quest will need to increase with the amount of jobs we get, to balance tedium.

[Mikey_R]

I will definitely echo the sentiment that there needs to be a method outside of the zone as well as inside.

Mainly looking at inside the Exploratory Zone I can see past weapon steps (mainly looking at Zodiac/Anima weapons) being used, but changed slightly to be better suited for the zone.

As an example, Atma books. I know, people are already groaning, however, you get a 'book' with a list of tasks, each task grants a certain amount of 'points', get to a specified number of 'points' and you complete the book. Examples of tasks could be, kill X amount of enemies of Y type. Complete the FATE equivalent X times (not specific ones), maybe zone dependant etc. You could then have it where you could complete the book just doing one specific task, or limit how many points you get from a task so that you are forced to do several (in this instance, you wouldn't be required to complete everything), all just to provide flexibility in how you want to complete it.

For the stat step, we could have a 'light' equivalent, in that you kill a certain type of enemy to get light for a specified stat, so going after the type you want allows you to customise the stat spread.

Looking at the Anima sand step, handing in different items from different sources to progress, whether it be enemy drops or drops from FATES.

Another way to do different stat spreads would be to have you craft different 'essences' that enhance a certain stat.

Something that a lot of people miss with past expansion steps is the reason behind the steps and that the reason makes sense and has a purpose. The Manderville steps were just underwhelming not just because it was a tome grind, but because there was no real connection to the items and the process of getting said items. It didn't feel like these items were special in any way and in so doing, the steps didn't feel special and so the weapons didn't feel special. This is the important bit they need to hit.

[HeyMcFly]

A mix of Bozja and Eureka

Map as pretty and interesting as Eureka; but the 1st part of the relic grind should be tied in with Tomestones and as it progresses, the grind gets more grindy
and that farm should be tied in with fates and handing in different items.

The fates in new DT content should have a higher chance of giving you the relic material than doing fates in old content. That's where in the past it went wrong imo; doing fates outside of Bozja felt more rewarding for the ShB relic. It should always be more favorable to do new content inside of the new content.
I didn't pay for an expansion just to be stuck or feel forced into old content.

[Tizzy_Tormentor]

They should just make the player run Crystal Tower another hundred times.

[Saraide]

As much as I would like to make fun of yet another relic thread, realistically it's the one topic that has the highest adjustability leading up to its launch since relics are always just tacked on to whatever content the devs want to pad.