Forked Tower: Blood Needs A Normal Mode

[Kasumii]

I wonder how much of people’s dissatisfaction comes from forked being relatively inaccessible and how much comes from forked being inaccessible making it feel like the wider OC is building towards nothing

Like for example if a shade of what i suggested was implemented where spawning every CE in one instance forced the support fate to spawn which gave sanguinite (more than 2 btw) how much would that improve people’s perception of OC because now the feeling of everything leading to forked is partially bypassed because you aren’t blocked from sanguinite. You still don’t get the CLL experience but now progression doesn’t arbitrarily end at +1 with nowhere to go

I think it is a mix of both, currently as it stands if you do not plan to engage with FT there is little to no reason to even engage with OC as a whole.

If we compare it to eureka where BA was the capstone you could still have fun and work towards something even if you never plan to set foot in BA. You can work your way through the elemental armors, you can work on your relics, spawn specific NMs for rare gear. BA was basically not needed unless you wanted to have a full +2 Armor set as well as the final stage of the relic (which didn't change its appearance and just gives bonus stats in eureka). And also the support fate for BA itself felt more valuable (actually helping the group inside BA instead of just giving everyone a flat +5 fragments/sanguite) both for the people inside BA and the ones doing it.

I think a lot of people (me included) would be happy if there was something, anything to work for. I like your suggestion of rewarding players for actually spawning CEs. And that way, as you said, it still feels like you're working towards SOMETHING and the progression isn't hard stopped at the +1 gear because you can't get any sanguite. But right now there is little reason to do much of anything in OC if you do not plan to engage with FT.

Hell, if they made sanguite more accessible through other means it would alleviate the need for a "normal" mode FT. While I would still prefer a normal FT that way there's a chance for EVERYONE to grab the +2 armor and work towards something. They already put the aetherspun gold in chests, why not have silver chests have a chance of giving you 1 to 2 sanguite and buff the support fate to like 20 and make it spawn the way you suggested.

[Khryseis_Astra]

More sanguinite from the support fates would be great, but still leaves no way to get the field notes and TT card outside of the Tower. I’ve seen exactly 2 support fates, so I have 4 sanguinite. lol

[Supersnow845]

What about if zooped up support fate from spawning all the CE’s had a chance of dropping all of forked’s notes and card (but not the mount) but only if you spawned it from killing all the fates and not from forked itself spawning it

Regardless I was more thinking about if peoples problems were about the zone leading to a wall or the cap dungeon being too hard as being the actual problem

[AmiableApkallu]

Regardless I was more thinking about if peoples problems were about the zone leading to a wall or the cap dungeon being too hard as being the actual problem

What I miss is combat content that exists in between "N uncoordinated, solo players vibing" and "please join Discord, pencil in a run, and while you wait, learn your lines in the script, make sure you have the required costume, and please don't flub a line and get half the room killed."

[Khryseis_Astra]

It would also be nice if the TT card was added to the sanguinite shop… pretty much everything you can buy in there aside from a couple furnishings already drops randomly from chests, including the 99 sanguinite shark mount which has an insanely high drop rate judging from both how many I’ve gotten, and their price on the market board! lol

But one of the biggest reasons I’d like a Normal mode is I’d like to go in there and explore… get the survey point field notes and hopefully the other ones too (5 total in the Tower). And I’d like the experience of using the special phantom jobs skills for certain areas and/or bosses without having the rez restriction over my head, or the chance to make a mistake that makes 47 other people waste their time. Those two things are the biggest pressure points for me about FTB as it is now. Remove those things and make it so mistakes don’t equal game over, and I’d probably find it fun to die a thousand times while learning what to do, like I did in Bozja! lol

[AyumiCosplayGlam]

I would again, remind everyone here that nowhere did YoshiP said that this version IS the Savage mode.
In their mind this might as well be the normal and they thought we want a savage in top of this lmao.

[Supersnow845]

Here’s a question more out of curiosity

Let’s say there was a forked normal. And let’s say this forked normal dropped sanguinite so now you aren’t hard blocked at +1. There is still the fact that the gear progression ends at +2. Forked also doesn’t have a story and doesn’t expand on OC’s non existent story

People say CLL felt like a cap off but was that because people actually liked the raid (this applies to dal as well) or was it because Bozja was fantastic at environmental storytelling, hell dalriada doesn’t contribute to bozja’s power structure at all. Like what would a hypothetical forked normal “cap off” in the zone for you. Or is it more simply not wanting to miss out on a dal quality raid

[AmiableApkallu]

Here’s a question more out of curiosity

Let’s say there was a forked normal. And let’s say this forked normal dropped sanguinite so now you aren’t hard blocked at +1. There is still the fact that the gear progression ends at +2. Forked also doesn’t have a story and doesn’t expand on OC’s non existent story

People say CLL felt like a cap off but was that because people actually liked the raid (this applies to dal as well) or was it because Bozja was fantastic at environmental storytelling, hell dalriada doesn’t contribute to bozja’s power structure at all. Like what would a hypothetical forked normal “cap off” in the zone for you. Or is it more simply not wanting to miss out on a dal quality raid

For me, the problem starts with OC's gameplay loops: it's endless zerging between FATEs and CEs, or it's endless killing of trash mobs. There is nothing "accessible" that interrupts those loops.

These loops are the same ones as in Bozja, but CLL and Dalriada interrupt them.

And unlike Calamity Bound, Eureka's capstone NMs are a slog to kill the trash mobs for solo, have other conditions attached to them, and drop special currency, so you have a reason to look forward to them and to rally people for them.

[0blivion]

Reminder that Japan had the same issues and straight up cleared FTB less because they don't really do discord.

[Khryseis_Astra]

Here’s a question more out of curiosity

Let’s say there was a forked normal. And let’s say this forked normal dropped sanguinite so now you aren’t hard blocked at +1. There is still the fact that the gear progression ends at +2. Forked also doesn’t have a story and doesn’t expand on OC’s non existent story

People say CLL felt like a cap off but was that because people actually liked the raid (this applies to dal as well) or was it because Bozja was fantastic at environmental storytelling, hell dalriada doesn’t contribute to bozja’s power structure at all. Like what would a hypothetical forked normal “cap off” in the zone for you. Or is it more simply not wanting to miss out on a dal quality raid

Not knowing what their plans are for the gear, getting the +2 would likely still be desirable for going into the next zone, or reclears of FTB. Or they could do the Eureka route and give the gear some special effects next time around, which would make it more desirable for me personally.

I actually did enjoy CLL/Dalriada/DRN and from what I’ve seen and heard about FTB, without the rez restrictions and mechs where one person can wipe the raid, it could be something equivalent to parts of CLL, Dalriada and DRN… you had the separate groups who had to split up and try to save more prisoners (so you’d get extra loot! lol), and you had places in all of those where Lost Actions were really useful, especially the trap detection. And more importantly, you had people dying left and right and that didn’t mean game over. Everyone was able to coordinate things in chat. I really had a good time with those and I’m upset I can’t just queue in with a bunch of people in instance and go explore the Tower.

I’m not against using discord for things, and I’m thankful that there are groups out there, because hopefully someday they can carry me through it. One, it’s hard for me to prog things I have to schedule, and then reschedule if it doesn’t work out. I learn best through constant repetition, and this doesn’t lend itself well to that. But secondly, it ruins the feel of the zone for me. How much more immersive would it feel to go up to the pavilion, put in your cipher and then you’re in a CLL/Dal/DR situation where it might be tough, there might be lots of deaths, but you eventually work together and make it through? The rez restrictions ruin that for me, the potential to wipe and have to try again next week/month/whatever ruins that for me.