Demiatma drop rates are unacceptable

[Cidel]

The problem isn't exactly the drop rate so much as it is the fact that progress is completely at the mercy of RNG; which is going to run the gamut between "I got mine in a day or two" all the way through "cosmic plaything" ie: nothing drops for you, specifically. This does nothing but make it incredibly frustrating for the people stuck on the low-luck end and can even cause animosity.

Relic should have no business being obtained via what is essentially a glorified gacha; not because "low drop rates are bad," but that a "drop rate" shouldn't even be a factor at all for something tied to player progression. It's disgusting that two people can put in the same time and effort, and one can end up with even less than a third of the other's progress in the same time frame, purely because of luck. Leave that s*** to mounts, minions, lvl 1 glamour and furniture.

Saying "you have months to complete it, stop being impatient" is such a strawman argument when some fortunate people can get all of their demiatma in a couple days while it can take over a week for others with comparable playtimes. RNG grinds are the laziest grinds to implement, and doesn't even turn out to be a "grind" for luckier people. Same people also don't have to sit on their tomestones because they've already unlocked the ability to buy the Arcanite to save-up for their next relics by running their roulettes or even participating in South Horn's CEs, being allowed to kill several birds with one stone. Meanwhile, those with no such luck will likely sit @ their tomestone cap, waiting for RNG to decide when they can start utilizing them in the same way.

If everyone had to spend the same amount of time with the same effort for this progression weapon, I don't think the backlash would have been nearly this large. The RNG atma system should have died with ARR and HW; the fact that the devs made a joke about it in the cutscene showing our characters' exasperated reaction shows that they know the players did not like the system but are just too creatively bankrupt to come up with anything else and had to resort to this for retention. Let alone innovate on it even a little by giving a pity trade-in system to alleviate particularly bad RNG.

Naturally, they couldn't address that fact in the Live Letter, and had to hide behind a question asking to raise the drop-rate instead.

[Altina_Orion]

I know i'm late to respond to this, but they absolutely are not. It's a one time step and then tomes. It took me like 3 days of semi-hardcore play (we'll say 7 days of casual play) to get there. Frankly, they should have made the first step even harder than this.

[Khryseis_Astra]

No joke, I'm actually holding onto the additional candies I got. I'm too scared for the devs to pull another middlefinger and actually tell us next step that you can use them for whatever devilish thing they would come up with. The player outrage would be colossal, but I still don't trust them one bit.
And in the case they actually do listen to your ideas for exchanging them, which I do appreciate, then keeping my useless candies will be sound anyway.

I only got extras in 2 colors, but like you, I’m holding onto them until this entire relic process is done just in case. Not that I really think they would repeat this step with the exact same drops; it would probably be some other annoying RNG drop crystal entirely. lol but who knows? Maybe we luck out and can trade them for some gold or silver someday…

[hunter2]

I finished my grind, with a total of 25 demiatma earned. According to the Occult Crescent achievements I did exactly 100 CEs and 175 Fates. Taking the stated rates of 20% for a CE and 5% for a Fate gives me an expected value of 28.75 Demiatma, so I was actually slightly unlucky.
As a one-time grind it was excellent, I think the devs tuned it perfectly. I'm very very glad to not have the lazy tomestone relics of Endwalker. I have plenty of complaints about the current direction of the game, but they did really well here.

[MicahZerrshia]

I know i'm late to respond to this, but they absolutely are not. It's a one time step and then tomes. It took me like 3 days of semi-hardcore play (we'll say 7 days of casual play) to get there. Frankly, they should have made the first step even harder than this.

Lucky for you. Meanwhile I am sitting on 10+ materia for all but the SW corner, of which I have a whopping 0 demimateria. Went to farm outside the zone, 3 days of farming fates annnnnd still 0.

Should have been just 18 demimateria, the 6 different colors from very varying locations with no conversion method was a trash idea.

[YovelaLindswood]

Lucky for you. Meanwhile I am sitting on 10+ materia for all but the SW corner, of which I have a whopping 0 demimateria. Went to farm outside the zone, 3 days of farming fates annnnnd still 0.

Should have been just 18 demimateria, the 6 different colors from very varying locations with no conversion method was a trash idea.

My idea was to have two fates spawn instead of the boring one fate train. That way you could divert to the areas you needed to maximize your chances of getting your lowest ones up to the rest. Also it would give some much needed player agency to the content.

[NaoSen]

Well they gave the official response in the latest live letter of them thinking the drop rates are fine as is and wont change them as a result.

[Carin-Eri]

No joke, I'm actually holding onto the additional candies I got. I'm too scared for the devs to pull another middlefinger and actually tell us next step that you can use them for whatever devilish thing they would come up with. The player outrage would be colossal, but I still don't trust them one bit.
And in the case they actually do listen to your ideas for exchanging them, which I do appreciate, then keeping my useless candies will be sound anyway.

I'd say your concerns are justified to be honest - this image from the Live Letter livestream doesn't fill me with confidence in that respect!

[Kunzite_Lockhart]

Low drop rates are just a "feature" deal with it!

[Altina_Orion]

Lucky for you. Meanwhile I am sitting on 10+ materia for all but the SW corner, of which I have a whopping 0 demimateria. Went to farm outside the zone, 3 days of farming fates annnnnd still 0.

Should have been just 18 demimateria, the 6 different colors from very varying locations with no conversion method was a trash idea.

I don't believe that. at a 5% drop rate, you should get it within 120 for one type of materia, which would take a few hours for sure. If you have zero, you haven't worked for 3 days unless you are doing like 30 minute days.