Ever since the 2.2 patch hit, there’s been much discussion, mostly negative, about the next progression for relic weapons in XIV. The Trial of the Braves, which is a conspicuous nod to Final Fantasy Tactics, which has you meet a new NPC hailing from Radz-at-Han, an exotic locale in the Far East across the Jade Sea from Eorzea. He’s located in convenient proximity to Gerolt, whom you did your previous relic weapon quest and then upgraded it to its zenith (+1) form, so it would suggest that small hamlet in the North Shroud will see its share of adventures looking to upgrade their weapons.
Once you speak to Jalzahn, with a relic zenith equipped, he will inform you that to reach new heights you must acquire 12 pieces of atma that harken back to the tales of the Zodiac Braves. Each atma is unique to a certain area and you must engage in FATEs in that area with a relic zenith equipped until you get one which is prompted with a hard to miss pop-up on screen.
The chances of an atma dropping are very low. It took me about 250 FATEs to acquire all 12, judging by my FATE achievement log. Some areas were much easier than others, while a few were long soulless grinds for several days. Grinding for a rare drop is not unique to FFXIV and is certainly commonplace in RPGs. It’s a dated mechanic to be sure and it is certainly frustrating because there’s no clear end point. You’re just as likely to get it the first time as you are the five hundredth time. Hopefully it won’t take that long but I’ve read harrowing tales in the community of people who have little to show for days, even weeks of doing FATEs.
After ~250 FATEs I got my Atma weapon!
Grind or not, atma farming is another barrier put in place to acquire better gear. Now because it’s a random drop rate, atma is not distributed fairly. It’s not based upon time spent or the amount of effort you put in. I don’t condone the system, but I suggest you stop getting mad at people that have the shiny things you want. Even they just stumbled upon in their first FATE. The dreaded RNG isn’t going to be suddenly removed from FFXIV:ARR or most RPGs for that matter. There’s always a chance you’re going to trip down a flight of stairs, catch on fire, and fall into a pit of spikes. Bad things happen.
Now I would not balk at some concession like “do this # of FATEs and get an atma” but the access level is lower than any other content that would grant you a weapon of a similar item level. Set the bar too low and everyone will be running around with animus weapons. Sure it’s a paper thin coating on a blatant timesink grind but they need that huge wad of gyshal greens to keep their fat chocobo moving!
Certainly it would be quicker to grab a Leviathan weapon but those only drop from Leviathan Extreme and you have to get through the first three extreme primal fights to even attempt. If you don’t have a committed group, whether it be a static, linkshell, or free company helping you through content, it’s going to be difficult. Not everyone has a good reason to avoid the random matchmaker from duty finder and the often elitist pretentiousness of party finder.
Even then, a Leviathan weapon wouldn’t match a fully upgraded Animus weapon. To match it you would first need a mirror which rarely drops from a successful LeviEX win. I haven’t seen a single mirror drop so far and I have dozens of wins. Yep, it’s another grind! On top of that you’ll have to beat the rolls of 7 other people who are all going to roll on it whether they promise not to or not.
Atma at least gives a player who lacks alternatives to go and farm FATEs to get something which they don’t need to compete with anyone for (except for that dastardly RNG machine!) It’s appealing to the more solo-minded player though not as much a casual player since it is still a significant time sink, unless you’re lucky.
There’s something for everyone if you want a shiny new weapon. You can farm FATEs and fill up your Atma books by yourself. Others will get their gear from Extreme Primals and Second Coil. There’s always going to be some barrier that you need to sink some time in to accomplish those goals. Random number generators aren’t going away. You’ll have to contend with them in some form in each scenario. Just hang in there or look elsewhere to get a better weapon. Find a free company that works well with you and I’m sure it will broaden your options.
The Intrepid Traveler 