RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

LeCard · **12-01-2013, 01:07 PM**

So, I don't know if it bugs anyone else as much as it does me but I need to vent!
Why does the gear from Dzemal Darkhold contain gear which can only be classified as Vanity gear since it is almost entirely useless after level only 1 level of use(assuming you get any of the gear before you level). On top of that, this gear has incredibly low drop rate, to the point that I have never even seen a piece of the buccaneer set, ever.

I just think that is SE is going to make 4 sets of gear (5 if you count the mage and melee coliseum gear as separate sets) drop from a single dungeon when it will be only good for one level or just to look pretty.

ERK! ok, rant done.

Rosekitten · **12-01-2013, 02:12 PM**

well if you get spares from Darkhold you can sell/trade them for ones you are missing. Thus why even lv 50's that go in there need on gear they dont need in order to sell it. The mage top by itself on Balmung I think (last I checked) ran around 90k if not more.Â

As far as the sets needed for the little achievements to wear a full set, oh I know your pain all too well. All the times I've been in there and I don't have a set of the ones for the achievements or the coliseum sets. ^^;

LiadansWhisper · **12-01-2013, 02:13 PM**

That's more a function of your Job quest than an issue with the dungeon itself, tbh.

LeCard · **12-01-2013, 04:01 PM**

(12-01-2013, 02:13 PM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: That's more a function of your Job quest than an issue with the dungeon itself, tbh.

Maybe so, but still to give you a dungeon that only unlocks 1 level before your job quest which gives you clearly better gear is the same as saying "this gear was meant for looks only if you don't care about that don't even bother with this dungeon." And when you make gear that is that blatantly just a vanity Item, for what ever game mechanic reason, the items shouldn't be nigh on impossible to get. I could understand if it was like a primal weapon or some such where it may not be useful after your relic, but it is still trophy to say "hey look what I did!" But this gear doesn't even denote that kind of achievement, maybe an achievement of how many hours you lost to a single dungeon(or how much gil you blew on it all).

I just think that such an obvious set up of so many gear sets is clearly either a poor choice for the level to unlock it, or a big fat you can see that it exists but no gear for you! Either of those just tick me off to no end(especially when I have done that dungeon at least 50 times and not once seen the buccaneer set. That means to even see the set, much less get it I may need to run a single dungeon 100 times that doesn't even offer any other real reward)

Olofantur · **12-02-2013, 05:35 PM**

While I won't argue the use of the gear in and of it self, there being plenty of room to number crunch vs AF with materia depending on the stats of your other gear ect.

But instead focus on the gear and the dungeon they drop in. Completely conjecture of course, but perhaps they wanted a way to include getting the Coliseum gear from 1.0, and DD being a 1.0 dungeon as well it just kind of fell into place? I think this would answer why that dungeon, they wanted to not have to retool a lot of "higher" end 1.0 gear (Although they did anyways, such as Amethyst gear that used to be good for BLM for +Lit dmg.) Since it would remain in an upper level bracket it dungeon fit from an early standpoint.

Particularly with the "Desirability" some people attach to the sets I can imagine they wanted to avoid a "HEY HOW COME I CAN'T GET THAT ANY MORE" things, (Which still crops ups with the Yukatas/Giantsgall/Goobbue, but I think those are less, well, 'showy' so are less noticed.)

Just a thought, it has its flaws of course but something i've pondered as well. That does how ever bring up how the new AF quests feel a bit strange, or rather, not as hazardous, but thats more due to a lack of higher-level enemies, open world dungeons (The Beast-man enclaves just don't have the same mechanics.) and the like. I remember using my "Mages Half-robe" for ages before I got the chest piece...

Ah well food for thought, thanks

LiadansWhisper · **12-02-2013, 05:54 PM**

(12-02-2013, 05:35 PM)Olofantur Wrote: Just a thought, it has its flaws of course but something i've pondered as well. That does how ever bring up how the new AF quests feel a bit strange, or rather, not as hazardous, but thats more due to a lack of hihger-level enemies, open world dungeons (The Beast-man enclaves just don't have the same mechanics.) and the like. I remember using my "Mages Half-robe" for ages before I got the chest piece...

Ah well food for thought, thanks

I suspect that the ease of getting the initial AF gear is there primarily to ensure that players have the appropriate gear (mostly, anyway) for doing the end story dungeons and getting into places like WP and AK.

Olofantur · **12-02-2013, 06:04 PM**

(12-02-2013, 05:54 PM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: I suspect that the ease of getting the initial AF gear is there primarily to ensure that players have the appropriate gear (mostly, anyway) for doing the end story dungeons and getting into places like WP and AK.

Oh no doubt, I think quite a few of the design choices were made to make Westwind/Prae/CM/AK easier to get into, providing a decent set of gear off the bat through the quests is certainly one way to do it.

Well that and a desire to make everyone feel that they have something "iconic".

LiadansWhisper · **12-02-2013, 06:09 PM**

(12-02-2013, 06:04 PM)Olofantur Wrote:
(12-02-2013, 05:54 PM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: I suspect that the ease of getting the initial AF gear is there primarily to ensure that players have the appropriate gear (mostly, anyway) for doing the end story dungeons and getting into places like WP and AK.

Oh no doubt, I think quite a few of the design choices were made to make Westwind/Prae/CM/AK easier to get into, providing a decent set of gear off the bat through the quests is certainly one way to do it.

Well that and a desire to make everyone feel that they have something "iconic".

Yup! Â Yoshi-P seems to understand that even casual and inexperienced players have a longing to have a cool-looking outfit that makes them feel like they are their class. Â Placing a more elaborate version behind Myth tomes was also brilliant, imo, because it's another way of encouraging those players to keep reaching so they, too, can get a hold of that really cool looking set.

Honestly, MMOs are basically a gear grind. Â Smile

Â Even I level professions mostly for their awesome AF gear!

Olofantur · **12-02-2013, 06:46 PM**

(12-02-2013, 06:09 PM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: Honestly, MMOs are basically a gear grind. Â Â Even I level professions mostly for their awesome AF gear!

Ha, I still remember my first "Eye of Flame" from BRD on my mage.

On the note of "Gear grind" EC (while I don't always agree with them, or their supporters) touches on the gambling/completion compulsion MMOs have run on in that way for an age.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode...mes-part-2

LeCard · **12-03-2013, 12:40 AM**

(12-02-2013, 06:46 PM)Olofantur Wrote:
(12-02-2013, 06:09 PM)LiadansWhisper Wrote: Honestly, MMOs are basically a gear grind. Â Â Even I level professions mostly for their awesome AF gear!

On the note of "Gear grind" EC (while I don't always agree with them, or their supporters) touches on the gambling/completion compulsion MMOs have run on in that way for an age.

My problem isn't grinding for gear, heavens only know howmany times I've run bray for gear. But when I run bray for gear I know 2 things: 1) they will drop within 40 runs at least once. 2) the gear will be useful for more than looking pretty when I do get it.

When you grind for Darkhold gear you know this: 1) the gear will maybe drop within 60 runs, if ever. 2) the gear will be completely pointless for any battle (with the exception of the tops) almost the second you get it.

THAT is my issue here, the gear is nothing but pretty and the odds of getting it without paying through the nose are astronomical! That is way too much of a pain to get something that you can only really rationalize wearing in the cities or when doing lower level dungeon that will cap the gear anyway.

(also, ok you grind the crafting for AF gear, but that gear is actually USEFUL for that class when you get it. )

Olofantur · **12-03-2013, 02:09 AM**

(12-03-2013, 12:40 AM)LeCard Wrote: -snip-

Oh i never argued the sensibility in the grind, (though as a note, no drop rate is guaranteed.) simply musing on why SE included that gear in the dungeon in and of itself, got further along in the discussion about gear in general and linked the the video.

Both the leggings and the top (Coliseum) can be decent for BLMs depending on how much Materia they are willing to sink in to them. (Though thats the case with all sockatable gear, and a poor excuse for the gear without the context of it, at least for me, being more about just keeping it in the game than making it useful for any long period of time.)

As a note, Aurum Vale drops plenty of AF slot gear that is useless (outside of turning into materia) by the time you get there. the itemization of sub ilvl 50 gear for generic casters with no slots will never be as good as 50 for that specific roll. (Baring stat weight of course.)