Was Bozja truly the miracle everyone claims?

[Turtledeluxe]

I wonder how much it was the job design back then because even Bozja now is a slog too with the current job design..

I was actually thinking about this when I read that as well. I've been thinking about it a lot in general, that reception to content is probably being judged more harshly based on how much the game has changed in general. Even I feel it, grinds I would have done and did do even a couple years ago, are just completely unappealing to me on a gameplay level now. There are probably other factors as well, like playing other games for example. Also OC might just suck that badly. But I feel like in the past I would have stuck through it (and my job did get a rework for DT).

[ThreeBeastSmile]

I was actually thinking about this when I read that as well. I've been thinking about it a lot in general, that reception to content is probably being judged more harshly based on how much the game has changed in general. Even I feel it, grinds I would have done and did do even a couple years ago, are just completely unappealing to me on a gameplay level now. There are probably other factors as well, like playing other games for example. Also OC might just suck that badly. But I feel like in the past I would have stuck through it (and my job did get a rework for DT).

Quite frankly this is why I can say I liked Diadem 1.0 over stuff after it (in retrospect, was one of those "you don't realize you had a nice thing until it's gone" for all its flaws). I just preferred the HW combat. That and it honestly had more oldskool vibes than any field ops after it... having legit issues with unwanted and somewhat dangerous mobs being trained* on top of you while the population was booming. Good times~

*(Now isn't that a term we don't ever see applied to this game, ha! It's such a safe widdle paddly pool).

[Turtledeluxe]

Quite frankly this is why I can say I liked Diadem 1.0 over stuff after it (in retrospect, was one of those "you don't realize you had a nice thing until it's gone" for all its flaws). I just preferred the HW combat. That and it honestly had more oldskool vibes than any field ops after it... having legit issues with unwanted and somewhat dangerous mobs being trained* on top of you while the population was booming. Good times~

*(Now isn't that a term we don't ever see applied to this game, ha! It's such a safe widdle paddly pool).

People often refer to it as jobs meeting sandpaper and I mean, that is what sandpaper does, as far as imperfections. Seems like jobs get more popular after reworks so, there seems to be an audience for this agenda that frankly I find a bit confounding given it's a game based on actual job swapping. Unfortunately I did Diadem well after it was neutered so I missed that era but yeah, I'm not sure it's always a good thing to iron out every single wrinkle.

[Selsix]

I wonder how much it was the job design back then because even Bozja now is a slog too with the current job design..

I can't speak for everyone but it made essentially zero difference on my end. In ShB I was a GNB main (still my secondary job) and the difference between ShB GNB and current GNB (up until the very recent adjustment to Bloodfest and the Gnashing Fang combo) is extremely small. Borderline not even worth considering seeing as all they did in the interim was essentially just adding Double Down and the Lion Heart combo.

For me, Bozja was just extremely well designed. The instanced raids had quality and difficulty above DF stuff but weren't EX/Savage tier either, it felt like the closest to midcore we have ever had. Plus it was the only time I've ever seen casual and savage players motivated to actually do content together. Also I personally enjoyed the setting quite a lot, it was really cool to feel like you were participating in a fantasy war and walked away at the end as a veteran of the conflict. FATEs are whatever and the CEs and duels were hit-or-miss but as I mentioned it wasn't perfect, just the best content we ever got. Best relic grind too honestly.