2008 - (07/29/2008) The Myriad Arms of Balrahn, cont.



'''The Myriad Arms of Balrahn, cont. (07/29/2008)'''

The next version update brings with it a number of additions and adjustments to the highly anticipated "Myriad Arms of Balrahn," those mysterious weapons of myth and legend.

Arms of Balrahn Quest Adjustments
One of the uncountable legacies left by that most famous of Aht Urhgan emperors, Balrahn, was his unparalleled collection of what have since come to be known as "Mythic weapons." Much like their Dynamis counterparts, the relic weapons, these weapons were designed with the intention of being markedly difficult to obtain, as befits their value as prestige items. There are several points of departure between the two weapon groups, however, including both the series of questlines required to procure them, as well as the weapons' attributes themselves. Whereas the successful upgrading of a relic weapon demands that a player repeatedly participate in Dynamis runs, and subsequently requires a potentially large sum of gil, the mythic weapons are tempered by players fulfilling a series of conditions over a prolonged period of time. Though the means of acquiring relic and mythic weapons may differ greatly in many respects, a number of factors were taken into account before the introduction of the latter to ensure that the eventual time required for obtaining them would be roughly equivalent. That being said, it has since come to our attention that one of the prerequisites, namely that concerning the amassing of alexandrite, has greatly surpassed the original intentions of the development team. At present, the number of pieces of alexandrite required is recognized to be in excess of a reasonable amount.

A general survey was conducted to ascertain several important facts regarding Salvage and the alexandrite drops within. These included, but were not limited to, considerations such as how many instances of Salvage were being run by players, which routes were being taken and which enemies fought most frequently in each area, and an overall gauge of player progression through Salvage. From this data, an estimation was extrapolated of how much alexandrite would drop server-wide on any given day. Following the introduction of the mythic weapon quests, we were able to confirm that the alexandrite drops were occurring on a par with what was assumed would be the case. The overall amount available for distribution, however, was judged to be overwhelmingly lacking.

In response to these findings, the version update will usher in a reduction to the total amount of alexandrite necessary for the completion of the mythic weapons. Also, new means of obtaining alexandrite will be introduced in an attempt to ease the gathering process.

Arms of Balrahn Quest Additions
Supplementing the amendments listed above, the coming version update will also introduce a new battlefield to round out the Arms of Balrahn questline. Victory in this battlefield, along with successful completion of the relevant quests, will cause the mythic weapons first obtained in the ruins of Nyzul Isle to transform, recalling their original powers and rendering them capable of devastating new job-specific weapon skills.

These weapon skills will also be obtainable by players not in possession of finished mythic weapons via completion of weapon skill quests, also new to the upcoming version update. Once unlocked, they will be available for use whenever a player equips a weapon of the same type on the appropriate job. Though the destructive power of the attacks themselves will remain unchanged regardless of the quest completed to obtain them, only execution with a mythic weapon will grant the powerful Aftermath effects. The new weapon skill acquisition quests were developed with the aim of affording all players the ability to enjoy some the exciting new content we have planned, while at the same time not diminishing the value and prestige of the completed mythic weapons. Whichever path you may choose to embark upon, we wish you the very best of luck on your adventures!