Final Fantasy XI (FFXI) v Star Wars: the Old Republic (SWTOR) – Gear aka Loot

This isn’t really a competition but whilst I have no real urge to write about FFXI right now (I’m not playing after all) I have found several things interesting about the different approaches taken by Square Enix and Bioware.

You need to be aware of a couple of things. Firstly, FFXI was launched almost 10 years ago, whereas SWTOR was launched almost 4 months ago. FFXI is Japanese and SWTOR is Canadian. Yes, Bioware is Canadian.
The two games are obviously two entirely different kettles of fish. However, they’re both apparently MMOs. SWTOR has 1.75m subscribers right now and FFXI has several hundred thousand, possibly half a million. I played FFXI for over 7 years and SWTOR since launch. I have cap-level characters in both.

So a few people…

So a few people have wondered what’s going on and whether I am going back to FFXI. The answer is ‘not right now’ and possibly not ever. I’m not stupid enough to swear blind that I’m never going back because I’ve seen too many people come and go. I know it’s possible in a while that I’ll feel differently.

One thing I did decide was that I didn’t want to feel pressured to play a game because I was responsible for leading a group. I’ve been a linkshell leader for 7 years and I’ve now stepped down. I asked the remaining sacks whether they wanted to take the group forward and if so, to repearl and to set up a new forum on guildwork. I feel it’s important to make a break between the world of what was essentially Serendipity. I’m thankful that Mart is starting a new group with Rin so that if people want, there is continuity.

I’ve been burning out for a while. Things took a dip when Slaan got a job and Eidan started Uni. Even taking a break in October didn’t help us. Ere started trying to buy a house and Mart was on a break. We didn’t have a full sack team. Honestly though, it’s not even really about logistics – all of those things are resolvable if you have the energy. It’s about me. There was a time when I thought I’d be there til they turned the servers off. That I’d be the last one there when they turned off the lights and locked the door. But no.

I think in all honesty, things started to change with the server merge but so many things have contributed to me simply not enjoying FFXI,  and in the end one of which was leading the shell. It can be a rewarding thing to do but it can also be a thankless thing to do.

There are people I miss and people I don’t. I think as one of my friends said to me earlier “screw fortuna, I’m a serendipity guy”. Sums it up really.

You’ll find me hanging out occasionally on SWTOR with C, Dellos, Ath, Firi & Ere. Not constantly and certainly not as much as I played XI but right now it’s enough to keep me entertained whilst other stuff is going on and is a way of hanging out with some peeps I missed after they left XI. SWTOR isn’t in the same league as XI but I kinda need it to be that way.

Not sure what I’ll do with the blog. I’ll leave it for now and see what happens. Take care guys, you’ll find me on Facebook and can still message me on Guildwork if you want.

Seriously, VW loot system..come on. – Page 58

Seriously, VW loot system..come on. – Page 58.

Hey everyone.

I followed up with the development team to get an answer as to whether or not you need to already possess the rare/ex item to obtain a ticket. They said that you will in fact need to have the item in your possession and they are not planning to make it so you can give a ticket to someone else when you could obtain the actual item.

Also, to clarify the original post; each piece of gear will have their own ticket (and I’ve amended the original post for clarity). I’ve also seen questions about “will this apply to Heavy Metal Plates, too?” and the answer is no, this is currently planned for equipment pieces only.

 

Knew it.  So you can’t even just turn a body you don’t want into a ticket. You have to have the body, have it on you and then should you get a second THEN take a ticket.  As there is zero accountability to others in terms of seeing drops a lot of people won’t bother.

I mean teams of friends might of course but a lot of Voidwatch isn’t done like that.  Why do you as a melee take a mage body you don’t need AND make sure you have it when you do that fight again in case you get a ticket?  If your friend is lucky, it’s to help them out. If we’re unlucky it’s to help out your wallet.  How many of these items do you think are out there SE?

Seriously?

Of course there will be tickets generated by people who have the body and need it so it’s not a disaster but honestly this is just pathetic as a response. The price of these tickets for some items is going to be ridiculous.

I’m just so glad that my WHM was so well geared it didn’t need a Heka body to cap cure potency…  Would have been awesome on my RDM, SCH, SMN and BRD tho…

When I have the energy I’m going to write a response in the appropriate thread on the official forum.

I’ve just seen the post about the Dipper TH nerf… It’s kinda fun being the cranky old woman waving her cane at SE right now without having to actually deal with it.

iMad.

Seriously, VW loot system..come on. – Page 44

Seriously, VW loot system..come on. – Page 44.

So I’m going to take a look at the new post about Voidwatch drops. I’m doing this because it’s one of the issues which had led to me cancelling my accounts this month whilst taking a break.  It was for me a breaking point.

• In the event that a rare/ex item drops to you when you already possess the item, it will be possible to exchange that item for a ticket (name pending)

Problem 1: getting the freaking item to drop in the first place!  Most (not all) people are doing Voidwatch and targetting specific pieces with the sole intention of getting them and moving on. Sure if their friends need help or their linkshell does a run they will go again but a lot of VW is run via pickup groups. People often pick and choose the runs they attend just to get the gear they want. I can’t imagine that much has changed in 2 weeks…

So to get the item you want you have to get the item you want to get a ticket to get the item you want. Ok, overly sarcastic and I do know of people who have gotten multiple drops but it isn’t that common… Still it is a sign that SE is bending. Now they downright need to break on this issue.

• Once you obtain a certain amount of these tickets, it will be possible to exchange them for a rare/ex item of your choice.
  *There will be different types of tickets for different items and you will need to collect the respective ticket for the item you would like.
  *The required number of tickets is still being looked into and there is a possibility of change, but currently we estimate it to be about 5~6.

OK, being able to trade in tickets for items is not a bad thing. Now reread…

*There will be different types of tickets for different items and you will need to collect the respective ticket for the item you would like.

So to get the item you want, you have to get the item you want more than once to get tickets to get the item you want.  You can’t just get tickets for drops in a tier… like Jeuno T3. So for me to get a Heka’s Kalasiris I need to get a Heka’s Kalasiris 5 or 6 times to trade in Heka’s Kalasiris tickets to get my Heka’s Kalasiris! OK, ok I know I’m being facetious here but for me to get my Heka’s Kalasiris I need to either get lucky in VW (it happens) or I need to collect 5-6 tickets from other people who don’t want or already have a Heka’s Kalasiris.  So we have to see 5-6 unwanted Heka’s Kalasiris drop. Which is nice.  To do that you have to spam VW over and over and over again.

To encourage people to continue doing VW, SE then propose that the tickets are sellable somehow. To make them worthwhile to farm the tickets will need to be worth a fair amount. Because for some the random number generator has been unfair or they don’t have enough time to reasonably spam VW, there will always be people willing to pay for them. So I guess that will drive others to participate in runs (not a bad thing) to farm tickets. Which will then get sold at fairly high prices. Because the drop rates are not that high in the first place. So people will end up spending 5-10m I’d guess on a VW body.I can see people feeling pushed to RMT as we speak. Come on SE, seriously? Abyssea was perhaps too far into easy mode but the freaking awesome thing about it was how with work you could make progress… without having all the gil in the world. Abyssea made a severe dent into RMT and you’re practically opening the doors and welcoming them back in.

• Tickets will be tradable and sellable.

The development team feels that this will not destroy the meaning of having personal rewards, and though the drop rate balance will not be changed, even if you continue to have bad luck obtaining the item you wish, by collecting the tickets from your friends you will eventually be able to obtain the item.

Since there are a lot of rewards items, meaning a large amount of tickets to be created, we will start off by looking into implementing the hard to get items first. Please understand that it will take some time before this is all implemented.

I’m not saying this is all bad. I know it will help a bit. But it is such a minor concession and such a miserable way to do it.  It does mean that people don’t have to send /tells to each other saying they’ve got an item they can’t use AGAIN and people who know each other and get along may exchange tickets.  The fact remains though that the drop rate is low, the demand is high and whilst I’m glad SE is bending this isn’t much of a concession.

I do love though how to get my Heka’s Kalasiris I’d have to get my Heka’s Kalasiris 5 or 6 times to get Heka’s Kalasiris tickets to trade in for my Heka’s Kalasiris.

Fuckwits.

If, they introduce tickets across tiers, then it could work I guess. But why not allow you to trade in drops from tiers and save up for the item you want? If they do that then ok, I can see it working. But if you need to trade in item-specific tickets then I don’t think it’s an improvement.

{Taking a Break} Explained.

I decided last week that I needed to take a break from FFXI. I have never taken a break from FFXI in over 7 years. Aside from a couple of weeks’ vacation here and there, I’ve been around pretty constantly. There have been times when I really should have taken a break honestly, but I didn’t. Mostly if I’m honest, out of a sense of loyalty and responsibility. Oh and I’m stubborn.

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 28,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 10 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Augmented Relic info

It looks like you start with getting x many ‘Forbidden’ items from dynamis zones . Then you farm 20k xp where the piece or the -1 piece drops whilst wearing them.

DAT MINING DISCUSSIONS — December 14th 2011.

Thanks to ‘Theytak’ who posted them to BG.

War:
Trial 4954: Warrior’s Mask +2: adds “Enhances ‘Savagery’ effect”
Trial 4955: Warrior’s Lorica +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Aggressive Aim’ effect”
Trial 4956: Warrior’s Mufflers +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Mighty Strikes’ effect”
Trial 4957: Warrior’s Cuisses +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Warrior’s Charge’ effect”
Trial 4958: Warrior’s Calligae +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Tomahawk’ effect”

Mnk:
Trial 4959: Melee Crown +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Penance’ effect”
Trial 4960: Melee Cyclas +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Formless Strikes’ effect”
Trial 4961: Melee Gloves +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Invigorate’ effect”
Trial 4962: Melee Hose +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Hundred Fists’ effect”
Trial 4963: Melee Gaiters +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Mantra’ effect”

Whm:
Trial 4964: Cleric’s Cap +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Devotion V’ effect” (May be a typo in translation, May mean you have to have the merit 5/5)
Trial 4965: Cleric’s Briault +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Benediction’ effect”
Trial 4966: Cleric’s Mitts +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Martyr V’ effect” (May be a typo in translation, May mean you have to have the merit 5/5)
Trial 4967: Cleric’s Pantaloons +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Shellra V’ effect”
Trial 4968: Cleric’s Duckbills +2: Adds “Enhances ‘Protectra V’ effect”

December 14, 2011 Version Update

December 14, 2011 Version Update.

Event-related

• [dev1039] Voidwatch: Third Chapter
  • The third chapter of the Voidwatch battle system has been introduced.
    The glossary of game terms on the official homepage has been updated with the latest Voidwatch terminology.

• [dev1038] New Walk of Echoes Battlefields
  • Walks twelve through fifteen of the Walk of Echoes have been unlocked.
    *Players will still be able to undertake these trials even if no information for them is displayed.
• Upgraded armor pieces will have a higher level requirement than their base forms.
• Armor pieces upgraded to Stage 2 will be storable with the Porter Moogle service.
  *Relic and Relic +1 Armor will result in the same items after upgrading. Owners of Relic +1 Armor will be rewarded with less demanding conditions for the first upgrade stage.

• [dev1036] Gobbie Mystery Box
  • Players will be able to accrue Daily Tally points that may be exchanged for random awards via the Goblins below.
    *There will be a cap on the amount of points you can earn in a single Earth day from trading items.

For the love of Altana HALP. AKA daggers are killing me.

I have read a lot of threads. I have talked to a lot of people… all of which disagree! I’ve been told so many different things about daggers, my brain is melting. The only thing everyone agrees on is…

Twashtar and Mandau are awesome.

So let’s get that out of the way. I am new to THF, having had the job about 4 months. I only levelled it because whilst getting my sub up for farming I accidently went a bit further (50s) and subsquently decided to see whether I liked it at higher levels. I have COR, so dagger and marksmanship were capped to a reasonable level.

Now I discover I LOVE THF. It’s a welcome break from WHM which I seem to play at every waking moment. Being a career mage until this point, I also know far too little about DPS and WS. I get haste, I understand the difference between TPing and WSing. I get evasion, but what I don’t get (and seems everyone else is in the same boat) are daggers!

Name	Source	Damage	Delay	Additional Effects
Twashtar (90)	Empyrean	48	176	Dex +15	Rudra’s Storm	Aftermath:  Occ deals double damage
Mandau (90)	Relic	49	176	Att +35	Mercy Stroke	Add effect: Poison
Dakka +2 (90)	WoE	47	201		Rudra’s Storm
Kila +3 (STR)	ToM	45	190	STR +10	Attack +20
Kila +3 (AGI)	ToM	45	190	AGI +10	Evasion +20
Kila +3 (DEX)	ToM	45	190	DEX +10	Accuracy +15
Fusetto +3 (WS DMG)	ToM	42	186		WS Dmg + 10%
Fusetto +3 (TP Bonus)	ToM	40	186		TP Bonus +100
Coruscanti	Qilin	49	189	DEX +15	Crit Hit +5%	Occ deals severe damage
Lux Pugio	Qilin	48	195	DEX +10	Crit Hit +4%
Twilight Knife	Shinryu	40	190	QA +3%	TP, HP or MP Drain
Triplus Dagger	Isgebind	38	176	TA +3%	Increases TA Damage
Rapidus Sax	Amhuluk	32	150	Acc +12	Haste +1%

What the hell do I do? I have a Twilight Knife, a triplus dagger, a rapidus (don’t use) and am nearly done with an AGI Kila.I’m going to finish that up for the new WS anyway. I could work on a Dakka but Twashtar and Mandau are very unlikely.

I am more likely to see a Lux Pugio as I regularly do VW but Coruscanti seems rare. I caused a huge discussion in shell between 2 THF about Twilight v Triplus. I don’t have full EAF+2 yet (done feet/body, nearly done on hands, legs and head soon).

I know I should /equip the THF knife and then /equip something else.

I have questions like…

1) Does a Dakka +2 at 90 (done for comparison because for me the 95 Twashtar is unobtainable) or even +3 beat a Coruscanti and under what conditions?

Because I duo on THF a lot and I love my Sneak attack, I glanced at the dex Kila but I know THF’s attack could use a boost so then looked at a STR kila. But then I get told I’m ‘doingitwrong’ and should finish my AGI Kila because it’s full of awesome sauce for TA. Which when duoing and procing in dyna is about as much use as a chocolate teapot. My duo partner is too busy being off pulling and procing on DNC. But obviously in larger group events AGI and TA ftw. I am starting to be occasionally used in larger stuff so I need to consider it.

I am willing to put the effort in to obtain a decent but not ultimate set of daggers. Solo/Duo the fusettos look awesome for WS but DPS is important.

2) Why do people hate the Twilight knife? I can kinda see why the Triplus is nice with the EAF set bonus and our merits.

I am pulling my hair out here because I really can’t see a definitive solution other than sacrificing a taru and hoping that Coruscanti or even the NQ, drop from Qilin (yay for my Fajin boots!) and even then wth do I sub?

I know I am not the only one here who struggles with it. Anyone willing to try and help me out?

FFXI New Lv96+ WS (Galka version) – YouTube

FFXI New Lv96+ WS (Galka version) – YouTube.