https://i.imgur.com/CTc2PW0.jpg
FFXIV has plenty of challenging content for many hours.
Ultimates. Savage raids. Criterions. Deep dungeons. Large-scale alliance raids. Chaotic raids. Min ilvl/no echo runs even, if you're really into it. Whoever says that there's nothing to do in endgame simply never tried to do actual endgame.
A newcomer who just came into the game and skipped story/level is still looking at hundreds of hours of gameplay. You know, like, ACTUAL gameplay, not back-and-forth with Wuk Lamat.
The best option would be to provide a skip that takes players directly to DT, as this is a new story arc, and a quick recap for the previous expacs could be added.
Do people even use New Game+? I have never heard anyone using it and I even forgot this thing existed.
Also people have low faith because of Yawntrail and the hype didn't deliver expectations that were promised you know. DT was overhyped and people believed this would be a fantastic expansion, then when they saw it, it was an actual garbage and mostly negative reviews everywhere. That tells you enough why people don't want to be on a hype train again and why they put low expectations.
We were promised:
- Housing changes. What we got is just increase in slots (which are even halved of what it was supposed to be delivered). Also over 400 items, we get hidden function yeah. Where are the rest of housing features?
- Blue mage - Where are the blue mage changes ??? We were promised about Blue mage 2.5 years ago BTW, right at the start before DT even came. We never got this delivered. Now they will use blue mage update for 8.0 hype lmao.
- BeastMastery - Where is this? Oh coming in September which means BM remained in DT expansion for merely 13%. Was advertised as a hype for people, never delivered.
- Broken face sculptures and make ups? Why so many faces, races, eyes, lashes are broken in DT? Why they never fix this?
- Broken shadows. Shadows are broken during the entire DT expansion yet no fixes for this. Why?
- More bugs appearing at each patch. I can't believe that we constantly have bugs with Occult Crescent.
- Patches that are prolonged like crazy.
Oh and Switch 2 thing? Haha, players just realized that all changes about combat, classes, evolved mode, were done exactly to satisfy Switch 2 port. Can't have dots, RNG, procs or many buttons for switch 2 users. That would be hard! What? You thought they did this because they listened to the community? Lmao.
"HoW aRe PeOpLe HaViNg So LiTtle FaiTh in 8.0 beFoRe it'S evEn oUt?"
Funny how people thought that there won't be level 110 because YoshiP said "no we will see to implement something new because we stop at 100". Lmao, yeah they will change their formula of course.
I agree with 1 free story skip per account (1 character only). If they want to play from the beginning after playing the latest expansion, they can easily make a new character.
Honestly they could literally create a 2-5 minute recap video of ARR- DT and use 7.5 as the new starting point for people who buy the skip. I love the story but DT is not a good selling point to start the story if someone is interested and the 1-110 is over 500 hours if you watch all the cutscenes and only do the MSQ.
They have to do something but at the same time they will probably do nothing since they havent in so long and my guess is that those level and story skip tokens are selling very well.
create a new story arc and have new players default to that arc but have the ability to play the other story arc at any point. I've been craving an ARR style reset where we start a "new character" (still your character just everything reset) on a new story line. Let us keep glams and allow us to "travel" back to the first arc and maintain our lvl/gear etc there. But fresh start on new story with all new characters etc. It's a bit of a pipe dream but I was really hoping for this outcome. And IMO it's the only way you can really maintain an MMO long term. But I'm not a game designer so who knows.
I am really really REALLY hoping they can fastrack old MSQ so I can finally get my friends into the game.
I think the MSQ for 7.5 was nearly perfect pacing. Just straight to the major plot points.