Occult crescent feels safe and mid

[Valence]

First random thoughts from going through the content:

- Deleveling: useless, feelsbad mechanic, serves no purpose especially regarding the next point.
- Nothing is truly threatening like in Eureka, mobs way above you will oneshot yes, but mob aggro range is minimalistic, they don't follow you to the end of the world, and mounts are available from the start. I'm not sure what to think about this, because trudging through hordes of lethal mobs like in eureka can also be a fun killer when you're trying to reach NMs/CEs etc.
- Farming mobs is boring grind, mobs have nothing special to them, they're just striking dummies (as usual in this game).
- Farming fates is still the same old resident sleepers no matter the content.
- CEs are DDR galore, if you like this type of gameplay, then OC is gonna be for you.
- Eureka levels of map variations, which is better than the brown sludge of Bozja.
- Phantom jobs are a true step down from the more in depth systems of logograms and lost actions the two other instances had. They just unlock a couple of abilities, essentially you just pick the flavor of new role actions you want. Extremely disappointing, there is no intricacies or things to think about. No combinations, nothing to build or feel proud/happy about. The game is turning more and more into a brainless farm spamm or action DDR.
- The level sync system is welcome compared to Eureka
- Instances are down to 72 players instead of 144, which makes them feel a lot more empty.
- On the other hand, CEs are 72 players now, which is essentially a re enactment of hunt trains or limsa lominsa: it's a lag fiesta even with all effects turned off. This feels extra bad with the amount of DDR there is. Feels very bad.
- I appreciate that there is an effort to have some story like in Bozja. Eureka was a big nothing burger between the intro at lvl1 and the end conclusion at max lvl.
- Forked tower seems to be designed around Baldesion Arsenal, which in itself is probably ok for players that like this, but this also means unfortunately that we'll not get any CLL/Dalriada, which were some of the best raids we've had in the modern version of the game, and feel like actual raids or dungeons with actual objectives.

Nothing revolutionary, just more of the same old, rearranged in a different way to see what sticks.

[ovIm]

Taking the words right out of my mouth, kudos. I agree with your points there. OC is not *bad* content, it is just more of the very same things you can already find in other places in this game, with very little innovation.
The occult job system is a pales in comparison to the interesting combinations Logograms and Lost Actions allowed you (Lost Blood Rage Warrior, or Lost Seraph Strike, anyone?) Though apparently, Paladins can use their Requiescat Buff to insta cast Phantom Job Spells, so who knows - maybe there is combination potential to be found later on?

The one interesting mechanic I saw in the bosses so far was with the turtle, where you had to pick up the right amount of coin to pay for your debuff. That was pretty cool. Aside from that, most of what I saw was AoE dodging.

[DynnDiablos]

I am also not a fan of relic weapons reverting back to the Heavensward grind-a-thon. While the EW ones were ridiculously easy, I find the atma grind a waste of time.

[RenegadeInferno]

I haven't got to play it yet. However...

I am also not a fan of relic weapons reverting back to the Heavensward grind-a-thon.

Disagree, more of this please. Make people work for relics. They're meant to be a status symbol or can at least be revered as such by the playerbase.
The HW grind was one of the best for relics that we have ever had.

While the EW ones were ridiculously easy

This can get in the bin, I never want to see tome weapons masquerading as relics ever again.

[DynnDiablos]

I don't participate in content that doesn't respect my time and wants to waste it just to make something protracted. The relics are hideous anyway nor will they have any real ilevel advantage, so I am happy to skip along with all of Occult Crescent, which has nothing gear-wise, mount-wise, hair-wise or minion-wise I'd ever want.

[xbahax92]

I enjoy the content very much. I missed it in Endwalker and I dont want to miss it again.
Yes sure, it's not any different from FATE farming, yet it's nice to explore a new map with a new progression system tying the relic in and outside of OC is a great choice, too.

Update:

Good:

- Extra chests on the map are a nice touch. Loot has been okay-ish. I've looted mounts, glamour, materia. It’s fun spotting them occasionally.
- PJ buffs last 30 minutes and feel useful.
- Map design and exploration are great. The aesthetics are a step up.
- The story starts off like an adventure and grabbed my attention. Honestly, I expected something similar for DW into, but alas... lol
- The mount speed scroll is a great way to reach CEs faster. I can only recommend saving 3k tokens.
- Mounts and Aetherytes are not progression locked.

Neutral:

- Challenge log looks like a weekly, but it’s easy to forget.
- Why are the potions so expensive? You can find loot to sell for Gil, though you have to scavenge for chests first and be lucky.

Suggestions:

- CE's pop back to back and it can get exhausting. In Eureka, you'd trigger them by killing monsters and in Bozja you'd need to complete normal FATE's to trigger the CE.
- FATE's are badly optimized and sync to late. They're completed within seconds.
- There's nothing to do between CEs. Bunny/pot FATEs don’t really fill the gap. The fast CE spawns risk losing your pot.
- No daily or weekly quests tied to this content, which is a missed opportunity.
- Mob aggro range seems very short. Bug?
- Relic RNG isn’t the worst (personally), but it feels unrewarding for many. The quest design needs a serious refresh.
- Phantom skills aren’t customizable. Would love to pick my own roster like in Bozja. It would be a nice incentive to maximize all phantom job.
- Bring back solo CEs. They were fun to watch and do. No idea why they didn’t return.
- I’d love to see dynamic open field raids. Not FATEs per se, but a system akin FATEs that require coordination. Think multiple objectives across the map that need to be cleared simultaneously to weaken or unlock a main boss. GW2 handles this style really well.

[Nero-Voidstails]

I haven't got to play it yet. However...



Disagree, more of this please. Make people work for relics. They're meant to be a status symbol or can at least be revered as such by the playerbase.
The HW grind was one of the best for relics that we have ever had.



This can get in the bin, I never want to see tome weapons masquerading as relics ever again.

no relic are crap I started with my friend this morning and he now have 4 while I am half way done the first one like when is this ok? where did the drop rate get this shitty

[ForteNightshade]

This can get in the bin, I never want to see tome weapons masquerading as relics ever again.

Umm, I hate to break it to you but once you finish your first relic it becomes the exact same 1,500 tome system from EW.

[Purrnauskis]

I haven't got to play it yet. However...



Disagree, more of this please. Make people work for relics. They're meant to be a status symbol or can at least be revered as such by the playerbase.
The HW grind was one of the best for relics that we have ever had.

Relics are not a status symbol by any means lmao. They are not hard to get just a timesink, should I be impressed you are unemployed with all the time in the world and get a relic before me cuz of it?

Relics ARE NOT like ultimate weapons or such which actually take effort and not just time to get.

[dspguy]

Disagree, more of this please. Make people work for relics. They're meant to be a status symbol or can at least be revered as such by the playerbase.
The HW grind was one of the best for relics that we have ever had.

Respectfully disagree. What a "relic" is in an MMO has been watered down. Relics would last an entire expansion (at least) and be head and shoulders above everything else. They could be built upon from one expansion to the next. Or they had some use even outside the expansion they were earned in due to special effects (like the rez stick in EQ1 for clerics).

Relics in this game have always been...well... not relics. We shouldn't "earn" a relic just to have it gathering dust a month or so later.