What Do You Think Of The August 2014 Update

I find myself wondering if they'll introduce a 119 Sparks set.

I like you and everyone else hated the Skirmish augmenting system, but that doesn't make the entire event bad. Skirmish has more replay value, gives better rewards, and is at least to me more fun than most High Level Battlefields.

High Level Battlefields are just reused content that they pretend is somehow new, we get two BCNMs a month that already exist (multiple times in some cases), they have mostly the same AI/patterns with maybe a twist or two, and are very fast content that have lackluster rewards. I'd much rather have a Skirmish than a High Level Battlefield.

yea, plus top-augmented skirmish gear is amazing and best in slot for a lot of things. i mean, i cant brd/blm stun or nuke in delve without my 5fc/30mab/30macc lehbrailg+2's!

Blagh, skirmish >:(

The Skirmishes themselves can even be fun, but the drops and augments are so frustrating that it's frequently led me to not do it at all.

I can agree with that, I still do them but the augmenting system is just so bad. Hopefully this new one will have a new forgiving system.

so you forgo having some of the most efficient equipment for situations like pdt/hybrid (acc augments/DA/Crit/magacc/FC/mab? if you spend any time on anything else it pales in comparison to the direct reward to time spent as skirmish, even counting augmenting processes.

See...that's sort of the thing though. It's weapons, not armor.

I have REMs. The absolute most I can hope for is a better non-REM great sword for warrior (I don't they'll beat Tunglmyrkvi/Kaquljaan for my purposes, and I don't use great axe because *** lame limited weaponskill merit caps) or the aforementioned quality sword/dagger for corsair, and I really don't see them doing either. These weapons tend to be jobs'-top-weapons onry.

So any Skirmish I do will be the ongoing frustrating runs through trying to 119 the armor and getting augments with +1/2 stones that I could have got with NQ/+1, respectively. -.-;

I don't find a lot of use for hybrid sets for anything that isn't solo'ing where it only "hurts" me (and I've yet to fail something I was trying to do because my Hybrid set was lacking).

And I refuse to waste my gil on countless attempts at augments anymore.

My luck with key items and wings -- even post-update -- has been absolutely abysmal.

So you'll forgive me (or not, I really don't give a damn) if I have better things to do with my time and money that leave me feeling slightly more fulfilled.

Limited playtime for not just this game, but for all my hobbies and preferred activities, generally, is what stops me from engaging in this random-*** nonsense. (edit: that is, except when I actually start feeling optimistic about it, then I do it, as I did yesterday, and am reminded that apparently I have angered Altana in ways I cannot fathom.)

I did several Skirmishes yesterday morning, for instance. Not a single wing, +2 stone, or Key Item.

Between that and throwing four more Savory Shanks at KB without a Defending Ring, I said *** XI and spent the rest of my day off playing other games and getting things done around the house.

I like results. You do work, you get things. I do Dynamis or Salvage, I don't *** up, I have currencies to show for it.

I do a BC, I may not get the drops I want, but I've at least got some chapters and some stuff I can sell.

I do Skirmish, I get no KI, I get no wings, I get NQ/+1 stones that give me sub-optimal results?

***. That. Noise.

having a full pdt set is a prereq for all jobs. its the most valuable set. i mean, bards that idle in full af3 speak volumes about their priorities and how far theyre willing to go to perform well in all areas, including damage taken. i mean, if i can hold shark on brd, whm, sch, or even cor while a party trying to get the win recovers, i know it was worth it.

also, youre obviously not going with the right people who know what theyre doing or doing sub 444 pops. experience skirmish with a 444+ a few times in a row with a good group before you knock it, i promise you that your tone will change. it may be a matter of luck, but its both profitable for those who have full sels of +1, and gearable for those who dont.

You can get pdt-3 with 1 or 2 stones, but DA and crit are not worth it unless you have millions upon millions to blow.

If your group is regularly needing a support to hold those mobs because they need to recover, your group isn't worth running with.

This is where I've come down on the topic. But I haven't been able to get any more wings/KIs to make any more +1s and it's getting really *** old.

Bukadan seems to think that being able to clear the zone somehow magically gets you good drop luck.

Worth is subjective. Many people would say that items like Duplus that cost 15-20m for DA+1 aren't worth it either. If you have the gil and value the extra stats it might be worth it.

I already mentioned gil.

I'll probably still favour warp scrolls, because I hate having to put on a piece of equipment and wait for the timer before I can use it.

Which is why I'm in such favor of making things r/ex more often.

And fixing drop rates.

Duplus Grip's drop rate is *** asinine. I love the fact that I have one, but I've actually considered giving it away to ls members at times in the past just because they're so desperate for one and Legion's drop rates are kinda out of whack.

Also, my White Whale Defending Ring, as mentioned. -.-;

well considering i do delve with 3-4 people, a dc or something like that causes those issues. but my point is that not having a full DT set for all jobs you use is a deal breaker of sorts. of course you can have a cor/whm just roll naked, but one with correct gear and that survives rerolling in the midst of damage/adds/bad situations speaks volumes about a persons worth overall

i dont get the big deal about warp items, ive had unlimited d3s since abyssea came out, and zones without monsters tend to have a moogle, waypoint, homepoint or something.

I, II, IIIx2. I admittedly didn't expect much from I & II, but they also take like 15 minutes so they're not bad to blow through. I generally don't consider anything less than 3 worth doing.

I've done a handful of IV/V post-update without KIs, though I've had wings there.

Pre-update I did probably 20 runs of varying tiers III-V. Never got a KI and got 7 wings total.

My runs post-update have been limited due to time and circumstance. I've Got 1 KI and another 4 wings.

I've never received a +2 stone.

You're applying my feelings on Skirmish to everything I do.

I assure you my gear is otherwise quite high end and I've largely compensated for lacking in the DT gear lost from Skirmish.