Final Fantasy XIV recently released patch 3.2, which brought players lots of new content, features and improvements. The patch also completely changed the way that level 60 players gear up for end game content.
Tomestone Changes
Players use end game currency, known as Allagan Tomestones (Tomes), to purchase weapons and armor once they’ve reached level cap. There are various types of Tomes, which are retired from time to time during big content patches. Patch 3.2 was one of these patches, and it retired the lowest form of level 60 Tomes, the Law Tomes.
If you still have some Law Tomes in your inventory, you can take them to Mor Dhona and exchange them out for Eso Tomes. The exchange rate is 4:1, but at least you get something for the retired currency!
As one Tome is retired, a new Tome is introduced! This patch brings the new Lore Tomes, which you trade for ilvl 230 gear! Quite a leap!
Yasha and Asuran Gear Sets
Previous to patch 3.2, you used Law Tomes to purchase the ilvl 170 Yasha gear. You then used Centurio Seals from clan hunts to purchase items that allowed you to upgrade this to the ilvl 180 Asuran gear.
This gear still exists as a quick stepping stone to get into level 60 content, even though Law Tomes no longer exists. You can now purchase all of this armor in the Forgotten Knight in Ishgard for Centurio Seals alone. This gear is also pretty cheap, so it’s a good option for boosting the ilvl of a fresh level 60 job quickly.
The cost of seals for the upgrade items have also seen a price cut, so upgrading the Yasha gear is much cheaper than before.
Eso Tomes and Armor
Eso Tomes are much easier to get than before. Anything that used to reward Law now rewards Eso, including level 60 Trials and Leveling roulettes. The new dungeons introduced in patch 3.2 also give out a lot of Esos for each run.
You still purchase the same artifact armor with Esos as you did before. However, the cost of this armor has been cut in half, so it’s much easier to obtain.
Not only that, but the Mhachi Farthings that you use to upgrade the Eso armor are also easier to get. They used to drop once a week from the Void Ark raid. They now drop once each time you run Void Ark. The Illuminati Gobdip, used to upgrade the Eso weapon, can now be purchased with the Mhachi Farthings, so upgrading everything to ilvl 210 is very much within reach.
Love from the Beast Tribes
Another new feature that arrived with patch 2.3 is Tomes as rewards for daily beast tribe quests. At level 60, each Vanu quest rewards 15 Eso Tomes. Likewise, each Vath quest rewards 5 of the new Lore Tomes.
While this doesn’t seem a huge amount of Tomes, if you do Vath quests daily, and daily Expert roulette, it will take you only 5 days to cap Lore Tomes compared to the 6 days it used to take to cap Eso Tomes. So that’s a little bit of a time saver in the end.
Introducing Lore Tomes
As I mentioned before, Lore Tomes are the new kids on the block. Like all new tomes, these are capped right now, only allowing you to collect 450 per week.
You obtain Lore Tomes from various dungeon roulettes, beast tribe quests, PVP, and in small amounts for raids and other end game content. Dungeon roulettes are the most common ways to earn these, supplemented with the daily beast tribe quests.
Once you’ve gathered enough Tomes, you take them to Idllyshire to trade in for the new primal-themed ilvl 230 gear. As noted earlier, this is a pretty big jump in ilvl over the previous Eso Tome gear, which was ilvl 210 when upgraded. The new gear also allows you to meld materia into it, a first for Tome gear, which means you can improve the stats that you choose, making it even more powerful overall.
Brand New Expert Roulette
Along with the new Lore Tomes, the Expert Roulette that we once knew so well has undergone a lot of changes. The two dungeons that used to make up the roulette - Saint Mocianne's Arboretum and Pharos Sirius (Hard) – have been rolled up into the Level 60 dungeon roulette instead. Thankfully, they also added the Aetherochemical Research Facility for all those players who are still working on finishing Heavensward.
So that means we got two new dungeons this time around. The Antitower, which is actually a part of the new Main Scenario questline, is a neat upside down castle with some cool boss throwbacks to older games and lauded music icons. The Lost City of Amdapor (Hard) is a romp through some interesting boss mechanics with lots of butterflies.
Overall, I feel the difficulty and frustration level of these two dungeons is somewhat less than the two that came before in Expert Roulette. Right now, with people still working on gearing up, the dungeons are as complicated as they’re ever going to be, which means they won’t be too bad to run once players get their Lore gear.
Alexander: Midas
For those who want more challenge and gear, Alexander: Midas (both normal and savage mode) are the new 8-man raids.
You must have an item level of 200 to enter Midas normal, and just like the previous Alex normal raids, you can loot only one item each week. Just like the previous Alex, you may need multiple items to exchange for the new gear, which is ilvl 220.
The savage version of Alex Midas requires the completion of normal mode. It also follows the patterns of the previous savage raid in that it drops Manifestos and loot. Currently, the savage loot is the highest in the game with an ilvl of 240.
Crafted Gear
For those who are crafters or have crafter friends, this patch has brought new craftable gear that is actually relevant to raiders this time around. The Eikon sets are ilvl 220 – so not quite on the same level as Lore gear. But, if you have money, resources and time, or access to a 3 star crafter, it’s a way to make a big jump in ilvl early on in the raiding game.
About Those Weapons
If you’re looking for end game weapons, there’s several different ways to currently earn them.
First, you can save up your Lore Tomes for a ilvl 230 weapon. In addition to Tomes, you will need a High Capacity Tomestone which you can get from trading a Midan Gear in Idyllshire. This Midan Gear drops from Alexander: Midan floor 8.
Second, if you manage to clear Alexander: Midan Savage floor 8, you can pick up Illuminati Deep Gobdip. This upgrades your Lore weapon to ilvl 245!
And finally, the new primal battle, Sephirot, can be challenged at the new Containment Bay S1T7 (Extreme). This fight drops the ilvl 220 Sephirot weapons.
So, as you can see, FFXIV patch 3.2 has changed much of the gear progression, while adding many different avenues to achieve your gearing goals. Best of luck to you!
