Lack of content and another level increase looming

[Runespider]

So I'm just curious what everyone thinks about how FFXI currently is, especially with another level increase coming soon.

With Abyssea almost every piece of content FFXI had was made obsolete, this would of been fine if there had been swathes of new content added after abyssea or regular addons/expansions but neither of these things happened.

Right now FFXI has very little content, Abyssea being the main show in town and it's very easy to cap on that or at least get bored of it, increased level cap will only make this worse.

Personally I think once the novelty of the new spells and level wears off (a few days) the increase will deepen the boredom many of us have been feeling.

All I can see being a slight saving grace is making voidwatch easier for the masses and that becoming more popular but it's too small an event to really do that on it's own.

So yeah I think the silly payment options linked with the serious lack of content FFXI has are going to cause a major dent in the playerbase, it's harder to justify paying for something when you have to manually pay every month and know you are pretty much bored our of your mind with what they are offering for it. Even moreso when they make you pay more than the actual sub costs.

They don't even really bother to show any teasers of the upcoming updates anymore, Abyssea release was a peak and now we are stuck down in the trough...and looking at how the dev team is working it's likely we are going to stay there.

[Seha]

New content is coming, so wait before saying the game is done.

[Tagrineth]

Keep in mind while Voidwatch is currently small, it's going to get expanded. There are four total Voidwatch phases planned, and we've only seen Phase I.

[Malamasala]

If only voidwatch had drops that were good.

[Leonlionheart]

Voidwatch does have drops that are good... See: Rancor Collar, Ganesha's Mask, Strendu Ring. The rest are meh/situational though.

Too bad the drop system kinda screws you over though. I like the concept, a lot actually, but the execution (WHM can get Fazheluo Radiant Mail, while WAR can get Anhur Robe at the same time and there's nothing they can do about it but /toss) is rather poor. Instead why not make the bodies have a system like sea, where you turn in an item to obtain a piece of gear, except this would be piece of gear of your choice instead of Aura of Adulation = Novio Earring.

[Monchat]

They released the level cap increase too fast. They should have waited 6+ monthes before each increase. for the level 95 cap they will give us renewed old lv75 events like they did for sky/dynamis: assault/limbus/slv/einh/znm... I dont mind as long as its not working with synergy, but with magian instead. This will be easy for them and give time to build real new content for the level 100 ( ~summer 2012). New content takes time, im not in a hurry.

[Tagrineth]

If only voidwatch had drops that were good.

It has plenty. Tonatiuh Axe, Rancor Collar, Deluxe Animator, the Radiant Mails, the materials used to make the "NQ" Radiant Mails, Tefnut Wand, Strendu Ring, Ganesha's Mask...

Problem with Voidwatch is the all or nothing atmosphere surrounding it.

I think they did it this way because they're basically "free" to pop.

For instance, Belphoebe. Ive had my eye on a Tefnut Wand for a while now yet when you do battle, you'll either get the Wand, the less rare Dagger or a steaming pile of nothing.

Yeah, and you can sell the dagger for a decent amount still iirc? which wouldn't be possible if the dagger was more common. More middle-of-the-road drops would be nice yes, but considering Voidwatch is a relatively "free" event, it's not SO bad.

Sure at one time getting 13k EXP from a battlefield would have been nothing to scoff at but at this point most of it is wasted as EXP has become trivial thanks to Abyssea. Cruor is welcomed but that ties back into old content.

Cruor kinda ties back into Abyssea, but they made Cruor do stuff for Voidwatch too so it's still relevant currency, even moving forward with the next couple updates.

Where are the overarching rewards? A system designed like this needs a point system where rewards can be chosen once an individual works hard enough.

This assures participants that no matter what Voidwatch encounter they participate in, they stand to gain.

...cruor. <_<

[Sparthos]

I think they did it this way because they're basically "free" to pop.

Abyssea is "free" to enter yet no such restrictions exist. Even the most useless mobs had a piece of gear one of the twenty classes could put to use.

We're supposed to be moving away from all-or-nothing yet Voidwatch ep.1 seems to be going right back into the quicksand that plagued Salvage where either you got a 35 or a waste of time.

Replace 35 with radiant mails and you have Voidwatch pools.

Yeah, and you can sell the dagger for a decent amount still iirc? which wouldn't be possible if the dagger was more common. More middle-of-the-road drops would be nice yes, but considering Voidwatch is a relatively "free" event, it's not SO bad.

The dagger is going for 40k on my server. Pretty crap for a reward.

Cruor kinda ties back into Abyssea, but they made Cruor do stuff for Voidwatch too so it's still relevant currency, even moving forward with the next couple updates.

If cruor are the "points" for Voidwatch, what's the point of doing Voidwatch? You could simply sit in Abyssea and burn until you reach the amount you need.

The problem you run into is that if Voidwatch wants to stand on its own, it needs to grab individuals and at least be moderately rewarding. It doesn't have to club players over the head with loot but it needs to be something worth doing for the long haul which it isn't right now.

Going up to 95 perhaps the playing field will change.

[Ravenmore]

Abyssea is "free" to enter yet no such restrictions exist. Even the most useless mobs had a piece of gear one of the twenty classes could put to use.

We're supposed to be moving away from all-or-nothing yet Voidwatch ep.1 seems to be going right back into the quicksand that plagued Salvage where either you got a 35 or a waste of time.

Replace 35 with radiant mails and you have Voidwatch pools.



The dagger is going for 40k on my server. Pretty crap for a reward.



If cruor are the "points" for Voidwatch, what's the point of doing Voidwatch? You could simply sit in Abyssea and burn until you reach the amount you need.

The problem you run into is that if Voidwatch wants to stand on its own, it needs to grab individuals and at least be moderately rewarding. It doesn't have to club players over the head with loot but it needs to be something worth doing for the long haul which it isn't right now.

Going up to 95 perhaps the playing field will change.

Its really is just like salvage with a couple of jobs getting some great and everyone else sidegrade crap. Anything that can be put on AH is not a suitable reward to get people to do the content. Gil has lost most of its value it had at 75 so even getting 1 mil(whats rancor collar was going for) for something you might not even see for run after run is not rewarding.

The only way to get everyone doing the event is to make the emp.weaopn 95 upgrade come from the highest tiers.

[Panthera]

That final mission's still unresolved so I'd like to go to Abyssea Al'Taieu.

Please no, please. I would hate to see the billing stuff get resolved, only to see that the only thing this game has to offer anymore is one event, Abyssea, and the new levels fail to bring new challenges.

So I'm just curious what everyone thinks about how FFXI currently is, especially with another level increase coming soon.

I am deeply dissatisfied with the game itself, and I couldn't put forth the effort to go through the Click'n Buy for this.

There is one event with up-to-date gear. If you don't like it, you're out of luck.

There is no story-line anymore.

There are no characters anymore.

Whatever challenge there was in exping is all but gone now at any level.

Flower is more difficult than this.

I look back at the old days with a sad sense of nostalgia. People wander around at level 40 in Holiday Event gear nowadays. Mid level gear isn't worth the time, energy, money or inventory space to get because they'll level out of it too quickly and too easily. You used to have to take each level seriously, you had to be committed, be professional, be proud.

Now it's a little girl's friendly dress-up game where nothing can really hurt you, where the mobs are so non-threatening that you had might as well just be holding hands with them than fighting them.