Initial Thoughts on Final Fantasy XIV Patch 5.5

 I managed to finish the MSQ for the FFXIV Patch 5.5 that released yesterday.  As usual, the story for this game continues to be very compelling.  The patch also added a ton of content that I haven't even been able to touch yet.  

Since I've mostly been working on my DOH/DOL jobs, I was a little unprepared for this patch, having not done anything on my level 80 SMN/SCH since the last patch.  As a result, I had to purchase some gear to qualify for the ilvl minimums on the new dungeon in order to complete the latest storyline.

That's probably one of my primary issues with FFXIV to date.  As the main story quests roll out, particularly in endgame patches, there is content that is gated behind an ilvl requirement.  In this case, you would have either needed enough tomestones saved up from older content to exchange for upgraded gear.  Or you would have need to be relatively current on going through the most recent raid instances.  

In the case of this patch, the minimum ilvl for the new dungeon was 490.  If you had been spam running the dungeon from the 5.4 patch, you still wouldn't be there, since that dungeon dropped 485 gear.  The most recent raid from the patch 5.4 dropped tokens each week for 510 gear, but you would have needed to be running it basically every week to get the drops you need.  

The raid version before that, which did not have a weekly limit on drops, only dropped 480 gear, so that wouldn't do the trick.  The alliance raid that was available before Tuesday also had a weekly limit for 490 gear.  So you would have needed to be grinding each week just to have the gear for a main story quest dungeon.  Maybe that's the intention, and there are likely other sources of gear that I'm missing, but if the idea is for you to see the story, it seems like it would be helpful to have a story mode version of the dungeon without an ilvl requirement.  

I could also just suck it up and do the raids.  

On my DOH/DOL jobs, I'm making pretty good progress.  Basically everything is at level 76, other than mining, which is 77, and fishing, which is 75.  I'm still mostly using GC turn-ins and Beast Tribe quests to level, but thinking about switching to Crystarium levequests and Crystarium Mean quests for the homestretch.  The odd thing is that there doesn't seem to be any general consensus on the fastest most efficient way to level crafting.  I hear levequests a lot, GC turn-ins and Ishguard Restoration.  So your mileage likely will vary.  I'd recommend just doing whatever approach you enjoy the most.

ESO

I'm also really enjoying playing my way through ESO.  I'm basically almost done with the whole Daedric War / Morrowind arc, being about one quest away from finishing Summerset.  What a beautiful place!

Also, this picture is from Clockwork City, but still pretty cool.

My Templar is now sitting at level 42, and I'll be heading off to work on the Elsweyr stuff next.  Once I get relatively current on content, I'll go back and finish Coldharbour on this toon and do the other two covenants.  Assuming I have time before the next xpac drops, which is doubtful.

Cheers,

Joar