Community Watch Spotlight: Auction on Melmond
This Saturday, CS Linkshell is going to be having an Auction for the Melmond Server. It will be held on Saturday, 10/16/2010 at Limsa Lominsa's Fountain Plaza. The event will start at 12:00 PM PST, and will run until all items are going out. If you play on Melmond, this will be an excellent opportunity to come away with some top quality crafting gear. A lucky player will also walk away with a cool
1 Million Gil. For more information, read
here.
New Version Update
Today, Square Enix has bestowed upon us yet another huge FFXIV update. Lots of things have been changed, but the most notable is none other than Market Wards.
Market Wards
We have been craving the Market Ward updates for weeks, so take some time to read how they are effected this patch - after all, this change affects nearly every Eorzean adventurer.
Originally Posted by
Square Enix
- Market wards have been modified as follows:
* Wards are now assigned specific item categories.
* Items corresponding to a ward’s item category will receive lower tax rates than items that do not correspond to the category.
* For an example of the new ward names and item categories, please visit the following page:
(
Lodestone Market Wards )
- Targeting and selecting a retainer will automatically open their Bazaar.
I know it is a little more organized than before, but the names are still a little bit on the confusing side. Once you have selected the appropriate market ward, you will get a reminder via your chat log, notifying which items have a reduced tax. For example, I entered the Spellcraft Row, a ward dedicated to selling caster weapons.
After leasing the stand, I was ready to sell my Conjurer Weapon at a rather exorbitant price. Prior to the patch, I would have been taxed 5%, but not anymore!
I hope SE implements multiple retainers soon, because it would be very nice to have specialized retainers in certain wards. Either way, saving 3% will be huge savings when the item cost continues to rise in the late game.
Party Experience
They have slightly changed the way experience is earned within parties. It doesn't seem like a huge
nerf, but I guess SE wants us to party with people closer to our own levels. This is a definite must-read, as you may start wondering why experience is dropping at certain times.
Originally Posted by
Square Enix
- The party bonus system (which awards bonus skill points for battles fought in a party) has been changed so that the bonus is awarded based on the number of fellow party members in the same area who are within the appropriate skill rank range, not simply the total number of party members.
* The party bonus system awards more points when there are more party members within the appropriate skill rank range.
* In this case, "appropriate skill rank range" means a skill rank no more than five ranks lower or higher than your own.
When partying with people considerably higher than myself, I noticed relatively no drop in experience. This just encourages players to find groups closer to their own ranks.
Crystals
A few days ago, SE made a
Crystals FAQ that put the maximum number of crystals at 999. In the latest version, that total has been boosted drastically.
Originally Posted by
Square Enix
- The maximum numbers of crystals and shards each character and retainer is capable of carrying has been changed to 9999. This is a temporary measure and crystals or shards obtained in excess of this amount will automatically be discarded. The system is undergoing a fundamental redesign and adjustments will continue to be made.
Bug Fixes and Other Stuff
SE finished things off by listing off the latest bug fixes and display updates in the latest patch.
Originally Posted by
Square Enix
- NPC display priority has been modified. This will ensure that important NPCs, such as Baderon, are displayed first.
- An issue where the retainer would not appear when summoned with the Summoning Bell has been fixed.
- An issue where the retainer would be visible to other players when summoned with the bell has been fixed.
- An issue where text commands could be used to equip items that the player should not have been able to equip has been fixed.
Overall, it appears to be a pretty good patch. I know the Market Wards are going to make players extremely happy. I am going to update the news very soon when I test them out for myself, so check back!
