Amidst numerous servers of “try hards” and longtime players lies Famfrit, a more casual area with a dense population. There are, however, many players who still challenge the progression content despite the more laid-back community. As the game slowly takes away more and more incentive to tackle the raid system other than for bragging rights, we hope to turn the spotlight on those who dare to take on what makes FFXIV less of a grind and more a sophisticated dance with death.

Composed of seasoned raiders, Team Secret Oatmeal rose to the challenge and was the first on Famfrit to beat the entirety of Alexander Midas Savage. While many teams folded, Secret Oatmeal persevered and refused to back down from the trials presented. Now they are here to share their thoughts on the raid tier and their insights on some of today’s community issues.

https://www.twitch.tv/yoyogur/v/81679681 – A8S Clear Video

Introduce yourselves!

(Tee) Hi, I’m Tee Bao. I play Paladin and am the raid leader for the group Secret Oatmeal. In my free time I enjoy party finder trap parties, using auto translation dictionary, and making awful puns.

(Tristan) Hi yes my name is Tristan Tamashii and I’m a raider and crafter on Famfrit \o/

(Evalara) Hi. I’m Daya, and I play as Evalara Fayth on FFXIV. My friends call me Eva.

(David) Oh hello, I am David Anderson.

(Ezrael) Hey, I’m Ezrael Samaiya, better known as Sammy! Part of the free company Erotic Roleplay, er…I mean Euphoria Rising… And ammo supplier for the Secret Oatmeal static.

What will you guys do now since you are done with this raid tier?

(Tee) With A8S cleared, we’re doing our weekly farm so that all of us can finish getting our i245 weapons and BiS Midan Chestpieces as necessary. Other than that, we’ve been playing some other games, including a number of us on Overwatch.

(Tristan) We’re mostly just focused on getting our weekly clears at this point, other than that I’m personally focused on preparing my crafters with the gear and mats to be able to craft ilvl 250 gear for my group when 3.4 releases.

(Evalara) Before our A8S clear my interest in the game was waning to the point where I would raid log. After the clear my interest was revitalized, so I’ll probably be in PF trapping with my friends, and raiding weekly to farm for loot. I’ll probably play a ton of Overwatch, too.

(David) Do what we normally do such as getting our weekly pages, materias and capping lore; maybe work on DoH/DoL for the next patch.

(Ezrael) At this point, probably just stock up on stuff for the next raid tier and explore some other games. I have some friends that play Overwatch and Destiny, so I’ll be messing around with those to keep things fresh.

How long have all of you been playing FFXIV for?

(Tee) I originally started playing back in Patch 2.1. I played for 2 months then stopped playing for a year. When I came back to the game, it was just after Patch 2.51 and I had a lot of catching up to do. I’ve been playing since then. I think it was around April 2015. I really got into the game when Heavensward came out.

(Tristan) I’ve been playing since the beginning of 2014, although I only started playing hardcore about 4-5 months ago.

(Evalara) I’ve been playing for over a year and a half now. I joined in February 2015.

(David) After the 2.5 patch dropped.

(Ezrael) I’ve been playing since September of 2013, so a little while. Seeing how much the game has grown since then, back when Mor Donuts was nothing more than a campground, has been nothing short of incredible.

Did you play other MMOs prior to this one? Did you raid in any of those games (if you played other MMOs).

(Tee) I played WoW at the end of vanilla, beginning of Burning Crusade, but I was very casual about it. If Runescape counts as an MMO, I also played that many years ago.

(Tristan) Does club penguin count?

(Evalara) If you count Maplestory as an MMO, then yes. Runescape, too. Those didn’t last long, though. I’ve never really raided prior to FFXIV.

(David) I have, but I can’t grind for my life to be able to reach the level cap or be high enough to do any end game content.

(Ezrael) This has actually been my first experience with an MMO before and it’s been a pretty eye opening experience. Truth be told, I only got this game due to the Final Fantasy name and had no clue how things worked.

Was raiding your intention when you started playing FFXIV?

(Tee) I didn’t really know much about raiding at all when I started this game. I was just looking for an MMO to play with my college friends and we all started playing FFXIV. Raiding is definitely the most satisfying part of this game. It’s extremely satisfying to work through and beat a challenging fight, especially as a team.

(Tristan) To be honest I didn’t even know FFXIV was an MMO (or what an MMO was, for that matter?) when I started playing it, so no, I did not.

(Evalara) As soon as I discovered there were endgame fights, I immediately became interested in raiding. I joined in 2.55 and my goal was to complete all of the coils before Heavensward launched (which I actually did, thanks to my WHM, David). I’ve been hooked ever since.

(David) No, the only intention I had was to play a healer and randomly snipe heal/buff anyone killing mobs.

(Ezrael) Absolutely not. The idea of raiding used to terrify me back during ARR and I avoided it like the plague. At the time, I had a lot of self-doubt and never believed I would be able to clear content like this. It was actually a friend of mine (shoutout to Chel) that got me into raiding. Back when I used to be a BLM, he took me under his wing and explained the intricacies of the game to me. He basically forced me to clear T5 and wouldn’t stop bothering me until I eventually cleared T9. It ended up working out though, because that sense of accomplishment I had from clearing T9 was unlike anything I had experienced before. From there, I made the switch to BRD and joined my first static during Gordias. The rest, as they say, is history.

How did this group come together? And for Tee Bao, how did you know it was the right fit?

(Tee) My first raiding experience in Heavensward was actually after Heavensward came out. I was first recruited/tried out during Ravana Extreme progression right after the expansion. That group cleared and farmed Gordias, but it fell apart about 6 weeks after working on Midas progression. I decided to try to put together a new group after taking a week off the game. I brought Hawken and Z’ekias from my old group and brought in Eva, David, Rain, and Sammy from knowing them around the server or from hearing good things about them. To finish the group, I found Tristan through a referral on party finder recruitment. I knew the group would be solid when we went into raid on our first day and cleared A5S. Unfortunately, we didn’t get more than a day or two on A6S before it got nerfed, but we cleared it right after the nerfs. I think we cleared A7S on our 3rd or 4th week as a raid group and we were all really hype.

(Evalara) I was on the verge of leaving the server because my previous raid group disbanded and I felt that there was nothing left holding me to Famfrit. My WHM, David and I prepared to leave. One day he told me to hold on the decision because Tee Bao was going to message me about being in a raid group. I didn’t really know Tee that well before then. All I knew about him was that he was a part of one of the two groups that cleared Gordias on our server. When he asked me to be his caster, I accepted, not really knowing what would happen. Here we are a few months later with a Midas clear. 😀

(David) It came together when a guy who I recently became acquainted with asked me to play a part of his newly forming static. I don’t know why he even asked me or what I was getting myself into when he asked, but I knew he was part of one of the only two statics in Famfrit to clear Gordias Savage. Then, he starts to name other members he’s planning on asking who also have a good reputation, so here I am.

(Ezrael) Eva, David, and myself were in a previous static together that didn’t end up working out for multiple reasons. I was actually in the process of trying out for different groups (even considered transferring servers) when Tee messaged me out of the blue asking if I was interested in starting up a new group. When we first cleared A6S, I had a pretty good feeling about the group, but more than anything, it was just how well we all got along that solidified my confidence. The synergy we have is great, and it’s not every day you find a group that can wipe for hours and still manage to laugh together at the end.

What role do you play?

(Tee) I play Paladin, usually as the main tank. I also do most of the standard call outs, but I get a lot of help from my team on certain parts of each fight. I can also play Dark Knight, but I don’t enjoy the class as much.

(Tristan) Ninja 😀 I quite enjoy it.

(Evalara) I play Summoner. I have since I started and I always will. I’ve tried Black Mage, and while I’m decent at it, I just love Summoner too much. Maybe one day I’ll try it in Savage, though.

(David) I am the “main healer” that switches from White Mage and Astrologian from time to time.

(Ezrael) I am a BRD main, that occassionally goes MCH to mess with my SMN and WHM. Aside from dps, my job is to make sure that everyone has the resources they need to keep going in these long fights.

How often do you raid?

(Tee) During progression, we usually raided 3 days a week for 3 hours a day. Occasionally, we would do only 2 days in a week or push an extra half an hour on a raid day if we were making good progress on a fight.

(Tristan) We raid about 6-9 hours a week, 3 hours at a time. Sadly, this was my first ever raid tier, but I can say I thoroughly enjoyed most of the mechanics and difficulty or this tier and each fight left me with a satisfying feeling of accomplishment. It definitely made me improve as both an individual player and a team member.

(Evalara) All day every day. Raid or riot.

(David) 3 hours a day, 2-3 days a week, depending on everyone’s schedule.

(Ezrael) Contrary to what some people might believe, we don’t have a crazy raiding schedule. We normally raid about three times a week for about three hours each session. So, I wouldn’t consider us hardcore, but I guess it ultimately comes down to what someone’s definition is.

How did you like Midas as a raid tier? If you can, compare it to Gordias and Bahamut Coils.

(Tee) I really enjoyed Midas. The mechanics were fairly interesting and diverse. In addition, the variety on fight staging and environment were much better than Gordias. Midas had a good balance of individual responsibility and team responsibility for mechanics. I’m a big fan of ensuring individual player responsibility, whether it be a mechanic or DPS check. Gordias was okay. I enjoyed it because it was my first raid tier, though. A3S was the best fight in Gordias by far, but I enjoyed pretty much all of Midas. I didn’t really do coils until level 60, so I can’t comment on it.

(Evalara) I actually really enjoyed Midas as a raid tier. In my opinion, I’d say SCOB>Midas>FCOB>Gordias. Second Coil felt absolutely amazing and T9 was such a great fight and a great way to end that tier. Midas was really fun to progress through and A8S was also an excellent fight. While Final Coil ended the Bahamut storyline so wonderfully, I didn’t really like some of the fights, like T10 and T11. T13 was probably the most visually appealing fight I’ve ever beaten. I ranked Gordias last even though I did not complete Gordias: Savage for a number of reasons. It was extremely difficult finding a raid group in Gordias on my server after the great ‘exodus’ began. A lot of talent on Famfrit left the server and very few raiders were left. It was extremely discouraging, so near the middle of the tier I decided to work on rotation and improving my Summoner while networking on my server before attempting the next tier. A3S really burnt out the remaining groups progressing on the server, which caused many people to quit. The server started to die out and a lot of the familiar faces that I called friends were gone. Although Midas isn’t perfect, I’d say it is definitely a great step up from the previous tier. A lot of groups on my server are on A8S now, so that’s extremely exciting. Hopefully Famfrit will see more Midas clears in the near future!

(David) If you can, compare it to Gordias and Bahamut Coils. (if yall did that) Midas Savage was fun for me, except I disliked how it looked and the fact that it was such a struggle to fight small goblins in gimmicky machinery. It doesn’t feel right after saving the world and destroying primals, that it would be these things stopping me from feeling like I am the Warrior of Light. Also the fact how nice of a view and environment Coils were, it felt like SE couldn’t afford the budget to star their raid somewhere nice so they had to resort to filming in the sewers with incredible lighting. Content wise I’d say I’d enjoy it as much as FCoB with the mechanics. I haven’t cleared A4S pre-nerf, but I believe Midas is an improvement compared to Gordias, as Gordias alone destroyed Famfrit’s raiding scene. I enjoyed A3S challenges and mechanics more than most of Midas Savage, but fights like A2S were so incredibly stressful and lame that I took a month break from the game during my A2S progression.

(Ezrael) I found Midas to be much more enjoyable compared to Gordias, however it still lacks the appeal that Coil had when it was relevant. Granted, it’s difficult to create a story that’ll entice your playerbase the way Coil did, given that Bahamut was the catalyst that led us from 1.0 into 2.0 and was regularly mentioned in the Main Story unlike Alexander. Overall, I’d say they did a much better job with this raid tier, at least as far as gameplay goes. While I can’t speak much on Coil progression, I can at least say that Midas has placed a greater emphasis on mechanics, as opposed to Gordias, which I really appreciate. Gordias felt like a chore; focusing on high dps and crazy amounts of healing, while possessing little as far as mechanics, with the exception being A3S. I feel that A3S, even with the static-killer reputation, was a very well tuned fight. Most groups simply weren’t ready for a fight of that caliber, including my first static.

Did you feel like the tuning of the DPS checks in Midas were correct? Did you feel like you absolutely needed weapons to progress?

(Tee) I didn’t really feel like there were any DPS checks at all. The toughest checks were in the first week of A8S with i230 weapons, but other than that I didn’t really see any issues. I would have actually liked to see more DPS checks, especially if they could be approached creatively. In terms of being friendly to the majority of the raiding population, I’d say the DPS requirements were fair. I really like the ability to skip phases as DPS increases (ie. boost in A5S, jails in A7S). Skipping phases is really nice and adds a little bit more of a dimension to the fight once it is on farm.

(Tristan) Because our group formed late into the raid tier (hence, we had some lore gear) and our overall dps is above average, DPS never proved to be a problem. If anything, dps checks could have been a bit higher, but I probably wouldn’t think that if we were all in 220 gear, like the world prog statics were. I definitely believe we could clear a8s with 230 weapons if need be.

(Evalara) In my opinion I feel as though there weren’t really any harsh DPS checks in Midas. As far as A5S-A7S goes, there really wasn’t a need for weapons. A8S definitely required weapons to progress. I think Midas is just more mechanic heavy than some of the other tiers, so DPS wasn’t really a big deal.

(David) I, as a healer who enjoys and believe healer DPS is just as important, felt like it was lowered a little too much pre A8S. A lot of people now meet DPS checks without the need of healer DPS from A5S to A7S, then suddenly hit a wall when they do not reach the A8S DPS check where even the healers can’t help because the DPS check is tethered to only the DPS. I believe it should be tuned where you should know your class well enough to reach the last floor DPS check even when you are on the first floor, so you do not feel the need to learn your class last minute when you should be focusing on the mechanics of the fight instead. Making the DPS check any easier throughout just makes your DPS and healers lazy, and make Savage raiding lose its purpose.

(Ezrael) I didn’t find the dps checks to be much of an issue for the most part. At least, not to the point where we needed upgraded weapons to progress beyond a certain phase. Just about all of it could be done with adjusting your rotation/cooldown usage for the situation, though I certainly won’t argue that the weapons helped.

While in progression, did you feel like A6S deserved to get nerfed? People complained about the amount of damage being thrown out but a lot of groups still beat it.

(Tee) I enjoyed the difficulty of A6S on release, but I agree that a majority of groups would definitely struggle with the release difficulty of A6S. The reduction of Blaster mine RNG made the beginning of the fight much easier. In particular, I would have at least liked to see some sort of mitigation necessary for the hidden mine, as it was pre-nerf. Overall, I’d say the nerfs were deserved, but I would have liked to see something less heavy handed.

(Tristan) Definitely not, our group personally was extremely close to clearing right before the nerf happened, and we were working on it for a couple of weeks at this point. Of course, I’m also not a healer, so I only have a dps perspective to go off of here.

(Evalara) I wouldn’t have minded if A6S got nerfed either way, even though we cleared it right after the nerf. The damage going out was a bit intense, I agree with that for sure. I’m glad it did get nerfed as it gave other groups the opportunity to clear it and progress further into Midas.

(David) While in progression, did you feel like A6S deserved to get nerfed? People complained about the amount of damage being thrown out but a lot of groups still beat it. I honestly did not think the nerf was necessary because of what I said in the previous question about making healers less lazy. The damage nerf was definitely good for me, but I would not have mind the extra healing needed as it makes me step up my healing game. But since it got nerfed, it just made me DPS more, which I do not think SE was trying to make of the nerf.

(Ezrael) This one is a little difficult to answer, as our group formed about a month and half after this raid tier was released and I believe they nerfed it just prior to our clear. Regardless, I feel that the nerf to Blaster was at least somewhat warranted, given that you were sometimes battling RNG with mine placements.

What was the most difficult element all of you encountered during progression?

(Tee) I think the most difficult phase to progress through was A8S Robot Phase, only because there was a bunch of stuff going on. I developed a strategy for this fight by taking input from a couple places (PLD PoVs on Youtube, Layla Bell’s A8S video, Solitude Guide) and put something together that could play to our strengths as a group. Other than Robot Phase, I’d say the hardest part of progression was actually our week 2 clears of A7S and A8S. We had some lucky week 1 clears, so our week 2 clears tested our resilience as we wiped on late parts of the fight over and over. We learned the later parts of the fights and ironed out the kinks in our fight strategy more in week 2 for both of those fights.

(Tristan) Had to think about this for a sec, but probably the robot phase of a8s. A lot of group coordination, planning, and practice has to go into that phase to get it down pat. This is mostly due to all the mechanics being based on the robots’ HP percentages, and needing to know when to push them accordingly. We also had to a lot of raid days missed while progressing this phase due to vacations or other occurrences, which may have been part of the struggle.

(Evalara) Our A8S progression was halted for a couple of reasons. I’d say it was a combination of our Legistration strat which we wiped to a ton just so we can understand it better. The most difficult element was probably scheduling. Our Paladin, Tee, was gone for a little while on work trips so our progression was halted because of it. I’m glad we managed to clear the tier with a good chunk of time left, though.

(David) A7S balls. I can not believe how much it defies physics and how awful RNG has been to us with those balls. I’m pretty sure we raged more than we did on A8S and almost quit the game.

(Ezrael) There are a few things that come to mind; Height/Enumeration combo during A6S, Sizzlebeam doing an immediate dot tick upon impact in A7S, but the one that comes to mind more than anything was pushing Swindler and Vortexer on A8S. Just the combination of healing, dealing with ongoing mechanics, and managing dps to push them at the correct time was very frustrating.

(The first A5S clear)

Did you think the difficulty spike from A5S to A6S was huge or did you think it was right?

(Tee) I think the difficulty spike was fine from A5S to A6S and that it was actually more driven by the fact that A5S is much easier than the other 3 fights in Midas. I enjoyed progressing through A6S, and I don’t think the gauntlet design was as bad as some people say it is.

(Tristan) I do think the difficulty spike was pretty big, but I don’t a6s is at fault. I personally think, and I may get crap for this, that a5s could have been a more mechanically challenging and less forgiving fight than it currently is. This would have made it a more enticing fight as well as better prepare you for a6s. Albeit, I like ridiculously challenging fights, so I’m probably in the minority here.

(Evalara) For me, I thought the difficulty spike was just fine. We cleared A6S after being with each other for a few days, so it definitely felt like it was just right. It didn’t seem so hard for me or our group, since we researched a good amount of the fight outside of raid, discussed strats, and knew what to expect.

(David) Pre-nerf A6S I would agree with because of how awful for healers who barely need to heal A5S, to needing to heal so much for A6S. After the nerf I would say the jump of difficulty for healers was good, not sure if I can say the same for the DPS/tanks.

(Ezrael) Hm… SE probably could’ve done a better job easing the difficulty gap between the two, but I certainly don’t buy the A2S to A3S comparison. While I do believe the difficulty gap is fairly decent, it still feels much more lenient by comparison.

What is one thing you would fix about Midas that you would like to see in the next raid tier?

(Tee) In Midas, most fights seemed very burst-oriented with intervals of downtime. I would also like to see Square try to come up with some unique mechanics that they’ve hinted at with Alexander’s time travel theme. The only mechanic I really hated in this tier is A7S balls, which seem to move strangely right when you least expect them to.

(Tristan) Bring back a7s balls but have 6 of them this time and if you get hit they do 100k damage. Seriously though, no mechanics that are stupidly dependent on rng like a7s’ balls. No one likes that.

(Evalara) I personally enjoyed Midas. As I mentioned before, I found the difficulty spike from A5S to A6S to be just fine. However, I can see and understand that it set a lot of players back, even after the nerf. To remedy that, I’d like to see the next raid tier slowly progress in difficulty, so that more raiders can clear the content. That’d be rad.

(David) I always felt Final Fantasy was always a visually appealing game, I would have loved to see something more that involves Hinterlands. I would also like to see balls roll correctly or something more big or exciting on each floor excluding Winged Justice, because that was pretty darn exciting.

(Ezrael) Uh, I’m not entirely sure. Overall, I just really liked the way this raid tier was designed. I guess if I had to say anything, if you’re going to incorporate balls that roll around the arena, at least make sure they follow basic physics. SE pls

(Their A7S Clear Screenshot)

Other groups on other servers are wanting to count EX Primals out of progression because of the ability to form random groups to clear. Do you think this should be the case or would you like them to be counted towards progression?

(Tee) I don’t really have a preference either way. EX Primals when they’re released are somewhat relevant and are nice to see progression on, but after a few weeks the primals are much less interesting. I think Savage clears are much more telling.

(Tristan) Well, progression is all relative, isn’t it? I certainly wouldn’t call them part of my progression nowadays, but back when I was a more causal player, clearing extreme primals was a huge step for me. I honestly think considering them “progression” or not should just be decided by the individual player.

(Evalara) That’s an interesting question! While a world first/server first EX primal is impressive, I don’t think it should be counted towards progression. I don’t think they should count toward progression for the very reason mention in the question – it’s a lot easier to form a group for it, and it’s easier to clear.

(David) Our static does not really care for the progression of EX primals, just a fun thing to run. Technically, it should always be considered progression because you have actually cleared something others have not done or are able to do. I do not really see the point of leaving that out of progression as it is its own thing.

(Ezrael) I can certainly understand the pride in having your group’s name up saying you’ve cleared an EX Primal, but given that most primals lack difficulty that can compare to even the first floor of a raid, not to mention the lack of a weekly lockout, it’s hard to argue that they should be considered a part of progression. Ultimately, I have no strong feelings about it either way. If EX Primals remain in progression threads, great! If not, that’s cool too.

There was some discussion about the want for the completion of Stone, Sea, Sky before entering raids and EX Primals. Is Hummelfaust good enough as a gate or should there be more?

(Tee) I believe Hummelfaust is a great gatekeeper as he stands now. It allows for an entire raidwide check, which allows for the balance of tank/healer dps, cooldown usage, DPS rotations, and basic knowledge positionals and DPS rotations. I especially liked that Midas had 2 smaller fausts prior to Hummelfaust because it added a little bit more of a mechanical test, as well as testing the tanks ability to snap aggro. Stone, Sea, Sky is really the lowest level of content gate and only proves the bare minimum that a player must do to perform in game.

(Tristan) While doing so would help party finder groups recruit competent people with more ease, doing so would be a huge hinderance to world prog statics. I believe this because some people in world first prog statics may not be able to beat the a12s sss dummy right off the bat (especially healers and tanks), not because they aren’t competent (obviously), but just because the gear level is just so low at that stage. These groups feed the tome weapon and its upgrade to their best dps in order to balance out the dps requirements needed for the actual fight. So no, I don’t think making SSS clears a requirement would be a good idea because for world first prog groups, it may actually prove to be an unnecessary gear lock, and nobody likes those. Hummerfaust (or the equivalent) is the perfect gate because it judges the group’s dps, not just the individual, which is what matters in the end.

(Evalara) There was some discussion about the want for the completion of Stone, Sea, Sky before entering raids and EX Primals. Is Hummelfaust good enough as a gate or should there be more? I think the current ways to check dps are alright. They could be better but they’re fine. The dps someone can do on a SSS dummy doesn’t account for downtimes in a fight or mechanics that might cause dps to drop. Regardless, it’s still a good indicator that a lot of people use. Hummelfaust was a good enough gate for a5s at release. It was difficult for some groups at that time due to ilvl and all that.

(David) I never heard of this before, but I honestly think that it is a great idea. As I’ve stated earlier, I believe everyone should know how to play their class correctly and effectively before trying to learn a fight on its own.

(Ezrael) I feel that the Fausts are great for the Alexander Savage raids. They’re not very complex, however they do give a group a bit of an idea as to where they stand with basic elements such as group DPS, tank’s managing cds and healing. As for EX Primals, I do feel that it should be necessary to pass S/S/S in order to have access to that content. Granted, it doesn’t test mitigation or healing knowledge. Unfortunately, a fairly decent amount of players (namely DPS) that do not understand how their class functions and can ultimately bring down the group. Not everyone has access to a parser and S/S/S, at the very least, allows people to know where they stand from a rotation standpoint. It might sound mean, but some people do need to be made aware that if they don’t have a solid understanding of their class, then they won’t be ready for that kind of content.

Your thoughts on Nidhogg normal mode and catch up patches.

(Tee) Nidhogg normal mode was a step in the right direction. I believe that people should have to put some effort into the game to progress the story. With that being said, people really need the tools in game to understand that they are performing poorly. Catch up patches are great for the health of the game, though I hope they can do more for keeping the player base interested throughout the entire patch cycle.

(Tristan) Also an unpopular opinion but I think Nidhogg normal mode is the perfect difficulty. Doable for DF groups without being absurdly easy. I understand people getting annoyed because they’re getting unlucky in DF and just want to complete the story, but i also believe that content that isnt even remotely challenging is wasted content. As far as the rest of the catch up patches go, weeping city is probably the best 24 man raid we’ve gotten so far both aesthetically and mechanically (even though it can be a headache with some groups), and Nidhogg extreme is a decent enough fight for me to be satisfied with.

(Evalara) Your thoughts on Nidhogg normal mode and catch up patches. Nidhogg normal was an okay fight. I don’t have much to say on it to be honest. Catch up patches are a mixed bag for people in my raid group. I was never a full-fledged raider until Midas, so catch up patches were really good for someone like me. I can understand how someone who has beaten savage can get upset that others can upgrade their gear for little to no effort. I personally don’t really mind that much.

(David) No thoughts, I got carried through normal mode as I took a break from FFXIV and started late, so I never felt the struggles.

(Ezrael) No particular opinion on Nidhogg NM. It’s not a particularly hard fight, but people seem to be having trouble with it. Catch up patches are always going to be a necessity and there’s nothing wrong with that. For players new to the game or that’ve taken a break it’s a great way to get them back up to speed. I did find it interesting that they chose to make the weapon upgrade available so soon considering they didn’t allow that for the Eso weapons until Midas was implemented. I’m sure some people will say I’m being an “elitist” or want to be a “special snowflake,” but it does feel as though it, somewhat, trivializes the accomplishments of those that’ve cleared A7S.

What kind of incentive would you put on raiding?

(Tee) I love raiding for the challenge. The gear is a nice benefit, and I’d love for the glamours to be unique to raid gear, rather than simply dyeable versions of current story mode gear. I would love if SE tied titles to each raid, or even some other symbol of recognition other than gear.

(Tristan) Does raiding need more incentive than it already has? I honestly think there is more than enough incentive as is; you get the gear, a mount or minion, and most importantly, the satisfaction of completing the most challenging content currently in the game. I dont think the main reason the majority of the playerbase doesnt raid is because there isnt enough incentive, but rather they dont have the time available to commit certain hours of their week to raiding. That, or they feel they don’t have the skill to raid; which is a silly reason since practice makes perfect, especially in a game like this.

(Evalara) Incentive, huh? For me, the loot is nice. To be more exact some good incentives would be gear, weapons, and a decent story.

(David) The beautiful gear you can receive. You can’t feel complete without a mixture of lore and Midan savage gear.

(Ezrael) I’m just here for the chicks.. I’m kidding, that’s a bit of an inside joke to those that know me. On a serious note, definitely the challenge, pride, and prestige. It’s fun having content that really tests my abilities as a player and there’s nothing quite like finally getting that clear after putting in hours of work. It’s exhilarating to say the least. Of course, there’s also the prestige that comes with it. Sounds egotistical, I’m sure, but it drives me. Again, “special snowflake” status.



What are your thoughts on Famfrit as a server?

(Tee) Famfrit is a great, close knit server. While it’s been getting smaller with many transfers draining the raiding population, there are so many friendly people on the server. I often recognize the same names running around the world in Famfrit, and I know a good number of people who transferred off, only to return to Famfrit because they missed the atmosphere. As Famfrit gets smaller, I really miss the frequent traps in party finder, so I hope those will return as 3.4 approaches.

(Tristan) You mean Failfrit? Jokes aside, although Famfrit has lost most of its population and we are currently the only static to have cleared Midas savage, I do love the close knit community that Famfrit has cultivated. It seems like everyone knows everyone on this server, and that’s a cool feeling that more populated servers can’t replicate.

(Evalara) ARR Famfrit was so fun! Even after completing a lot of the stuff in the game during ARR, I still found a reason to log on every day. HW Famfrit is kind of depressing. During Gordias, I even tried transferring to Leviathan! I missed my friends, so I came back 3 days later. Although Famfrit can seem dead at times, it’s my home and I love it very much <3

(David) Something I should keep to myself.

(Ezrael) Famfrit is a very friendly server overall, but the Great Gilgamesh Migration definitely took its toll on the raiding community. There are still talented players on the server, they’re just a little harder to find now and tend to be pretty tight knit.

Our time together is coming to an end, do you have any parting thoughts before we wrap this up?

(Tee) Thanks for the interview! For people who want to raid, or want to try raiding, definitely go for it! It takes some effort and patience in order to examine your own play and to improve upon it, then bringing it together with 7 other people in order to challenge the game’s hardest content. My first raid tier was Gordias, and I see new faces pop into the raid scene all the time, even on Famfrit. The most important part of raiding is to have an open mind, and to be open to improving your own gameplay and working for the good of the team. Overall, the most important thing is to have fun. If you aren’t having fun, then what are you doing? Enjoy yourself!

(Tristan) I’d like to thank you very much for the interview! It was nice to share my thoughts and I hope I provided some decent information. The questions were very interesting and I enjoyed crafting my answers! Good luck to everyone in 3.4! To those who are thinking about raiding but are nervous about reaching out to people, let me just say this: DO IT. At the very least, you’ll build ties with people who also love this game and have more friends to enjoy it with. Once you start raiding with a group you have chemistry with, you’ll look forward to it every week and wonder why you didn’t try it out earlier, take it from me!

(Evalara) To raiders struggling out there, don’t give up. Don’t let your dreams be dreams! (Hopefully no one else said this. RIP)

(David) Cleric Stance please, no PvE content in this game including A8S would need you to heal 24/7. A tank at 50% health is still a living tank, make use of their beautiful vit unless there’s an incoming tank buster, disregard this message. Also tanks, cooldown rotation for your healers sake, it is not fun being blamed for a death of a topped up tank who did not properly mitigate a tank buster, or have auto attacks as well as mini busters look like several tank busters in a row. Spoil your healers like what Tee does for me.

(Ezrael) Nothing really pertaining to the raids, so much as advice for those that would like it. 1) As good as you think you are, there’s always the opportunity to improve. If you can, find a player that inspires you and learn from them. Ask for help, watch guides, do whatever it takes. Never stop trying to push your abilities. 2) Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! Join some learning/farm parties, apply for static positions, offer to sub, etc. The more you can make a name for yourself the better. You never know, you could get lucky like I did and find a group that can push content. 3) Don’t burn yourself out on the game. If you’re not having fun, then what’s the point? 4) If you happen to see me around and have any questions, please feel free to ask! I’m more than happy to answer any questions you might have. 5) No matter what people tell you, there is no such thing as “too much whiskey”.

Any shoutouts?

(Tee) I’d like to give a shoutout to the Famfrit server first and foremost. Shoutout to Darth Bunbun for recruiting me to his raid group during Gordias, which gave me the great experience of clearing content with a fun group. Shoutout to Chel and Sora for traps. Shoutout to the Reign FC for helping provide raid food and support! Shoutout to Secret Oatmeal for being an awesome group.

(Tristan) Id like to thank Kiwi Iskadda and Ahldfyr Caermhas (currently on Balmung) for encouraging me to “git gud” and stop being a “scrub” at the game! They’re the only reason I started to play this game more seriously and do the best I can in order to keep up with them! And of course, I’d like to thank Tee Bao for not only getting our group together, but being the most level-headed and positive raid leader I’ve had. His personality definitely suits the position 100%. Thanks again for the interview!

(Evalara) Shoutout to my laptop for pulling through for the A8S clear while playing at 20-30FPS :^)

(David) Hi Secret Oatmeal friends, can’t wait to see what foolish thoughts you wrote. Also, hi Kate, Claire, Asuna, Celi, Vyncent, Caine, Vay, Mikey, Elan, Frisi, Ahri, Flara, and Claire’s brother. And although Eva is a Secret Oatmeal friend, Eva, my one true Summoner

(Ezrael) Want to give a big thanks to Senna Belizaire (Chel) for forcing me to clear coil back in ARR. Without that, I wouldn’t be where I am now. My favorite weeaboo in maple syrup land, Sora. Darrow, for calling me a scrub when I cleared A8S. Vic (even though I’ve never spoken with you) and Flara, you both give me reason to constantly improve. And thanks to everyone else that has supported me along the way. Much love!

Thank you and congratulations again!

If you would like your team to be featured in future articles, please contact Genos Axel in game or on Twitter @GenoCast.

https://www.twitch.tv/yoyogur/v/62049250 – Clear Video for A6S

https://www.twitch.tv/yoyogur/v/63254474 – Clear Video for A7S

(Thumbnail Image Credit to Tee Bao)

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