Famitsu Interview - YoshiP 3 Year Anniversary Interview

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Originally Posted by zosia

This interview made my stomach churn.

I really don't get this idea of closing this "gap" between player skill levels. Is SE's goal just to homogenize performance? Everyone already gets raid equivalent ilvl gear to keep the gap as small as possible, now we are going to lose rotational depth to further shrink an already small gap?

I just don't get it, why keep shrinking the gap? What's the point? If SE always caters to the lowest common denominator, and they want to shorten the gap between the skill ceiling and floor, does that mean this game's skill ceiling is moving closer to the floor (the lowest common denominator)?

This interview made me legit sad...

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This. The game was already unrewarding for a diligent player and now they are making it even worse.

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Originally Posted by Welsper59

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Right now the only thing between story mode and Savage is the EX primal of the month. Do you think that is all that is needed to be raid ready?

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Originally Posted by Vantol

Yeah, except no classes are fun in this game, because they are all the same.

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PLD was okay back in 2.0 (yes, I like simple gameplay). It's okay now since all HW did was add two abilities to existing combos.

Also, tell me about how playing a MNK or a DRG is exactly the same as playing a BRD or SCH or PLD.

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Originally Posted by StrejdaTom

That's the problem. Some of the 50 level classes weren't fun. BLM, MNK plain boring.

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That's a subjective claim. I felt BLM flowed beautifully at 50. Don't remember MNK, since I was too busy trying to ignore the carpal tunnel I was developing from playing it with a keyboard.

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The only problem here is that by making savage midcore the game will have no hardcore content.
I consider it quite a problem because the only thing that kept me subscribed since 2.1 were raids.

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This is why I push for 3 difficulty settings for raids rather than 2.

I have faith in their ability, seeing how they handled (most) 3.0 Jobs/Actions. I just feel like this might not have been the most logical conclusion for them to have come to going forward. I may not be a game developer, but the concept of problem solving is pretty consistent...

A) Identify the problem, or what needs to be fixed. In this case, gaps in performance among players.
B) Identify the root, and cause of the problem. Which I feel they might be misinterpreting...
C) Only after identifying the cause, can you hope to find a solution. In this case, the solution seems to be raising the bottom line.

This might not be the best example, but... If you're teaching a class, and only 5% pass an exam (far exceeding the other students), while everyone else either fails, or barely scrapes by, what is your takeaway from that? Do you immediately give up teaching those who've failed? Do you immediately believe the only solution is to make the exams easier?

That's what it feels like their answer is. Either that they've given up hope on teaching people the system mechanics in a cohesive and interesting manner, or that they didn't really look into that as a possible reason for the gap in skill. I consider myself to perform above average, and I assure you, it wasn't the game that taught me how to. It was 100% through external means. It was the DPS forums (with legit mathematicians and insane theory crafters), it was videos, it was watching top team PoV's of the job I wanted to learn. To me, this alludes to the fact that they must believe tooltips are enough to teach people how to play their jobs (in every way) optimally, which is a sick farce. This fix that (seems) to raise the baseline is at best a band-aid. The real fix is teaching your players how the systems of your game work. Even games as obtuse as Monster Hunter and Dark Souls do it, there's really no excuse for such a well polished game as XIV.

If they are intending to reduce skill bloat and adjust rotations with 4.0, I hope they take this opportunity to finally disassociate classes from jobs.
Personally I have 0 issue closing the margin for performance output so long as the play style is engaging and fun.

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It's too late to change the rotations during the 3.x series so we'll lower the difficulty of the final tier of Alexander instead.

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That's just disappointing.... Only reason to login for quite a few people are savage raids because it's the only challenging content right now. Midas isn't even that hard, difficulty is okay tbh.
Just because people can't handle there characters or get some teamwork done doesn't mean content is too hard.

I worked so hard to get my MCH rotation and BLM rotation just right. I mean, sure I need to stand in that aoe for my refresh of Enochian.

On a serious note, will it just be like other MMOs that you just smash buttons and win?

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Originally Posted by Rikku1987

Midas isn't even that hard, difficulty is okay tbh.
Just because people can't handle there characters or get some teamwork done doesn't mean content is too hard.

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Abysmally low clear rates, super punishing mechanics, tons of instant party wipes, and numbers tuned around scholar shields mean the content is too hard.

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Originally Posted by Brannigan

Abysmally low clear rates, super punishing mechanics, tons of instant party wipes, and numbers tuned around scholar shields mean the content is too hard.

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Well, that is why it is called Savage. If your mode is not unfair, well designed, and suppose to be the hardest content in the game, then I say good job.

I wasn't aware the loc team's arbitrary naming decisions dictated how difficult a fight should be. I suppose if the end goal is to completely finish off the raiding community, then they should continue to pump out stuff as hard as Gordias and Midas. I doubt many people will continue to play Kaizo Alexander Bros much longer, though, especially when you get the same kiss on the cheek by just waiting 3 months for upgrade items from Void Ark.

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Originally Posted by Brannigan

Abysmally low clear rates, super punishing mechanics, tons of instant party wipes, and numbers tuned around scholar shields mean the content is too hard.

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Can't speak for other raiders but i love super punishing mechanics and tons of instant party wipes.
Whatever we don't know what next Alex will look like. At Gordias times they said next will be easier, i was worried too but Midas is awesome and i like it. Next Alex tier is probably not too bad, we'll see (soon).

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Originally Posted by Rikku1987

Can't speak for other raiders but i love super punishing mechanics and tons of instant party wipes.

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Fortunately, you don't have to speak for the other raiders, the abysmal clear rates we've seen on two raid sets in a row now pretty much tell us even those that once considered themselves raiders don't like what's going on, or find it too difficult to overcome.

Let alone the massive majority of other players who've come to find it unappealling enough to attempt. Raiding at that level just isn't fun or feasible for most players - which is bad when you've made it a cornerstone of your game.

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Originally Posted by Hyrist

Fortunately, you don't have to speak for the other raiders, the abysmal clear rates we've seen on two raid sets in a row now pretty much tell us even those that once considered themselves raiders don't like what's going on, or find it too difficult to overcome.

Let alone the massive majority of other players who've come to find it unappealling enough to attempt. Raiding at that level just isn't fun or feasible for most players - which is bad when you've made it a cornerstone of your game.

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Oh, and you think that the difficulty of Alex is the only problem?
Isn't it maybe also caused by the fact, that raiders were used to get their own story, different looking gear, completely new experience of bosses and environment and now they are just getting recycled version of normal content?
Nah, that can't be, they raid for the challenge, not for actually getting a reward. :)

Definitely taking a cautious approach to all of this. What I do not want to see is buffs getting absurd, well, buffs on their proc time, thereby making applying them nearly an afterthought. If say, Heavy Thrust goes from 24 seconds to 40 and BotD follows a similar upswing, it will make the whole rotation feel incredibly basic. Not to mention, the 2.5 cooldown will be far more noticeable. This all said, we really do not have enough information to decide one way or another. At least, not in my opinion. So I'll be waiting to hear more.

It does kinda dash my hopes Weeping City would be the new difficulty standard though.

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Originally Posted by Bourne_Endeavor

This all said, we really do not have enough information to decide one way or another. At least, not in my opinion. So I'll be waiting to hear more.

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Well, Yoshi said they can't make the changes untill 4.X, which definitely makes this time completely suitable to state our concerns and ask questions. If playerbase wants to have some impact on the changes, it needs to speak up now, not when they already happen.

That's why I am vocal, I want to hear more informations from SE and to know where the game is heading. Expansion will come in next year and I want to be sure I am not pouring another year into the game just to end up with 50 level rotation which would make me leave. I expect my job to evolve, gain stuff during the way and become harder. I don't wish to play the same for next 10 years.

I have to agree with some things Yoshi said. 1st off I have all battles classes at 60 and really pushed myself not only on a dummy to learn and tweek end game rotations but i also did the same in as much content as gear would allow me to (gotta love those lore tome gates). Anyway I'll start off by saying Nin and MNK's lvl 60 rotations are phenomenal and the devs really made those classes fun as heck to play at 60. They still pretty much kept the 2.0 rotation but added some twists and extra skills to really help push the job dps numbers. I would say DRG is more or less the same as 2.0 but adding that stupid timer to the extra skills kinda killed it for me. Dont get me wrong DRG is still fun as heck to play and once you get into the rotation and master it the timer is pretty much non existent unless a mechanic in a boss fight lasts too long which forces the buff to drop off. BY that time you can just reapply the buff due to how it works which is way better than BLM's enochian timer.

With that said BRD and BLM really got shafted hard in 3.0. BRD is a great class but when you throw in a buff that really doesn't buff your dmg kinda hurts. BRD is still doing about the same kinda dps you would have seen in 2.0 the only difference is BRD was turned into a Bow Mage... yes some may like and others do not... I fall into the somewhere in-between category. Some skills look really sweet but when clipping certain GCD skills with OGCD's skills causes the execution to look distorted and well not natural at all. And gods forbid you slightly touch the toggle stick while casting as it will cause you to stop casting all together. BRD is a physical damage dealer type that is good for mid to long range so it needs to look and feel like one. I'm not saying that BRD's should be allowed to run and dance all over the place and still have full dps. What I think should be done is to put in place something that feels more natural and relaxed. Basically the buff should force you to stand still so you get a 35% boost to damage and also have your auto attacks back. However, if you start moving around for more that 1 second you will loose the 35% buff + auto attacks and also lose 15% damage for as long as you are moving. That's roughly 50% or more total damage lost if you decide to jump around like a monkey. I think that would be more than fare to have the cast times removed and to have auto attacks back.

BLM rotation is a lot of fun once mastered. However, there are way to many timers and if enochian drops off for whatever reason like extended mechanics or blasted by a stun, sleep or slow the punishment for losing enochian is a whopping 25% to 35% damage lost until you are able to reapply enochian. And depending where you are in the fight could unfortunately prevent you from recasting enochian until the next phase of the fight. That could last almost a full minute of casting the 2.0 rotation and that is a lot of dps lost. BLM already has to deal with slow casting timers, dropped dps caused by quick aoe targeted drops, interruptions and Astral/Umbral timers... On top of all that they have to keep up Enochian... seriously just make Enochian a trait but still keep the same rotation. Simply increase the cool down of leyline by 15 to 30 secs to balance it out. This will make it so that we can keep going with the 3.0 rotation even after long mechanics. BLM is by far the most punished job due to a timer on enochian. To be a successful BLM you have to learn every encounter by heart so you know when you can side step casts and when to not eat an aoe. All these factor in when its an appropriate time to recast enochian. Seriously I want to enjoy the mechanics not hate them due to bad timing and a mistake on a rotation. Seriously you have to be 80 to 90% perfect on your rotations to keep enochian up 95% of the time. No other job has to deal with that... Even MNK with Greece Lightning doesn't have it that bad. If greece lightning drops off so what it recovers a heck of a lot faster than BLM and you dont have to revert back to your 2.0 rotation. Also, Mnk has a skill that will reapply greece within 3 to 4 GCD's so yea lets not compare apples with bananas.

Over all there needs to be some things changed so most players can enjoy the classes more. Dont get me wrong I love every singlr class for what they are but f Ii could choose just a few things that needs to be changed it would be Timers and RNG in rotations... I bloody hate timers. Timers do not make it more difficult oh no defiantly not more difficult. Timers make it less fun and is more of headache if anything. Nothing more frustrating then seeing enochian drop off not due to skill but due to an over-sized mechanics or by some long phase change. Its not fun at all and should be removed at least for certain skills like enochian. Sure keep the astral and umbral timers but for the love of gods remove the dreadful enochian timer.

I actually like this. Look at WoW, every expansion completely revamps every class instead of just giving them new skills. In FFXIV, I feel like Heavensward was just like 2.0 all over again but with new zones and 10 more levels. If they actually change how the jobs play, it will be a breath of fresh air. Currently the game feels stale and the combination of overly scripted boss fights with tight mechanics + very precise and linear rotations makes the game feel more like a giant QTE that you have to learn by heart than like an actual game. I'm not even talking about the skill bloat. I also hope that they change the end-game formula we have since 2.0 that starts to become very boring after nearly 3 years (unlimited tomes for "starter" max level gear, 450 weekly tomes for higher ilvl gear, 2 new max level dungeon per patch for the expert roulette (was even 3 before 3.0), 4 raid bosses per patch cycle, 1 ex primal per patch that drops a weapon, a 24 man every odd patch for catch-up gear, and grindfest relic steps for those who want to do it), we need a breath of fresh air there too.

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Originally Posted by StrejdaTom

Oh, and you think that the difficulty of Alex is the only problem?
Isn't it maybe also caused by the fact, that raiders were used to get their own story, different looking gear, completely new experience of bosses and environment and now they are just getting recycled version of normal content?
Nah, that can't be, they raid for the challenge, not for actually getting a reward. :)

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A shinier reward isn't what is going to save the problems of the raid design, especially since some of it is bleeding into the ex trials, causing players to (again) give up trying to clear them due to the sheer complexity.

After being left with easier content and no hope to play harder content, people start to wonder why they are bothering to put in the effort that they do, knowing that the game punishes them and anyone who parties with them anyway.

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Originally Posted by Freyyy

I actually like this. Look at WoW, every expansion completely revamps every class instead of just giving them new skills.

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Yeah, although there's a lot in the interview I disliked, I think this is pretty much a good thing. The expansion gives them a chance to really look at the base gameplay of a job and make changes to it, like what they did to warrior in 2.1 only to an even greater extent.

Items might be super boring and raiding might give no rewards whatsoever in 4.0 but job revamps will probably end up a good thing.

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Originally Posted by Brannigan

I wasn't aware the loc team's arbitrary naming decisions dictated how difficult a fight should be. I suppose if the end goal is to completely finish off the raiding community, then they should continue to pump out stuff as hard as Gordias and Midas. I doubt many people will continue to play Kaizo Alexander Bros much longer, though, especially when you get the same kiss on the cheek by just waiting 3 months for upgrade items from Void Ark.

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Yea it actually did. Savage is dictated as the hardest mode they provide currently. Normal > Hard > Extreme > Savage. Savage mode of SCoB was very clearly for more hardcore oriented groups. When not everyone can beat a Savage mode raid, then I say mission accomplished. I don't even know why developers care about clear rate numbers. If anything, if too many people won it would be considered too easy. As long as the difficulty is fair and well designed, then let it be hard.

Again, Savage is not the issue, it should be over the top hard. Normal mode is what needs to change. That needs to be on a level that midcore can take on at a decent pace (FCoB level). SCoB to this day still got it down the best, it just lacked rewards at the time.

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Originally Posted by Velhart

Yea it actually did. Savage is dictated as the hardest mode they provide currently. Normal > Hard > Extreme > Savage.

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Then why are most of the max level "hard mode" dungeons actually easier than their "normal" counterpart which are part of the levelling ? And why are the extreme primals' current difficulty more in-line with the old Ifrit, Garuda and Titan's hard modes back in 2.0 (before the massive overgearing) ? I think that the difficulty modes' names make absolutely no sense whatsoever in this game.

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Originally Posted by Velhart

Again, Savage is not the issue, it should be over the top hard. Normal mode is what needs to change. That needs to be on a level that midcore can take on at a decent pace (FCoB level). SCoB to this day still got it down the best, it just lacked rewards at the time.

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What do you suggest they do for the players that couldn't beat Coil, then? Them complaining about being roadblocked from the story was what gave us Alexander Faceroll Mode to begin with. The devs aren't going to renege on that decision; they're just going to nyerk Savage.

It's like you forgot everything that happened in 2.x.

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Originally Posted by Freyyy

Then why are most of the max level "hard mode" dungeons actually easier than their "normal" counterpart which are part of the levelling ? And why are the extreme primals' current difficulty more in-line with the old Ifrit, Garuda and Titan's hard modes back in 2.0 (before the massive overgearing) ? I think that the difficulty modes' names make absolutely no sense whatsoever in this game.

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Because the game became more popular and more weird people slipped in. Everything had to get easier except the raids. :D

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Originally Posted by Freyyy

Then why are most of the max level "hard mode" dungeons actually easier than their "normal" counterpart which are part of the levelling ? And why are the extreme primals' current difficulty more in-line with the old Ifrit, Garuda and Titan's hard modes back in 2.0 (before the massive overgearing) ? I think that the difficulty modes' names make absolutely no sense whatsoever in this game.

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I didn't say that developers used it right. Was only saying if it is called Savage, then it should be over the top hard. Their naming convention is pretty screwy and that itself needs to be fixed.

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Originally Posted by loreleidiangelo

What do you suggest they do for the players that couldn't beat Coil, then? Them complaining about being roadblocked from the story was what gave us Alexander Faceroll Mode to begin with. The devs aren't going to renege on that decision; they're just going to nyerk Savage.

It's like you forgot everything that happened in 2.x.

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Either offer three modes or wait for echo buffs/mechanic nerfs when the next tier is released. Worked out pretty well in 2.0.

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Originally Posted by StrejdaTom

Oh, and you think that the difficulty of Alex is the only problem?

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Yes?

Far more people participate in Nidhogg EX than in Savage and that's despite it following the exact same formula - rehashed content. Care to explain it with anything "but" difficulty? I can't, honestly. Even nowadays with the rewards being obsolete I see more NidEx parties in PF than Savage.

If Savage was easier, I can tell you the current rewards would MORE than suffice. Make it as easy as normal mode with the same rewards and everyone and their mother would run it.

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Originally Posted by Velhart

Either offer three modes or wait for echo buffs/mechanic nerfs when the next tier is released. Worked out pretty well in 2.0.

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The devs have said that they don't have the budget (or the interest, can't remember which) in making three modes. If 2.0 worked out "so well", we wouldn't HAVE Alexander story mode. This is what you are not understanding. The dev team did NOT feel like Coil story was accessible to enough people, so they changed their raid structure. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean they're going to go back to "how it was".

If participation is the baseline for whether content is added, remains, or gets scrapped, then Savage mode raids are ABSOLUTELY going to be the thing that goes, if the devs can only afford, or only have the desire to create, two tiers of raiding.

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Originally Posted by Velhart

Yea it actually did. Savage is dictated as the hardest mode they provide currently. Normal > Hard > Extreme > Savage.

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You're hung up on naming conventions for some reason.

1) Hard and Extreme are only used for dungeons and primals at the moment
2) Those basically mean nothing anyway. More parties wipe to Pharos Sirius normal than Pharos Sirius Hard. Where's Ravana normal?
3) It seems very important to the devs that more people be allowed to access raid stories via DF

Alexander is called Normal Mode/Savage Mode because they don't want people in Duty Finder to feel bad for wiping to "easy mode." Alex Savage is very clearly the main raid attraction, intended for groups of friends or like-minded players to use teamwork and strategy in order to kill bosses and get loot. Alex normal is very clearly balanced for the Duty Finder crowd to go in, kill it easily, and get out without too much trouble.

SCOB Normal was clearly the main raid attraction, intended for groups of friends or like-minded players to use teamwork and strategy in order to kill bosses and get loot. SCOB Savage was an extra challenge mode added by the devs in order to give groups who were already fully farmed and familiar with SCOB something to do. That's why it only gives titles.

Personally, I also think that SCOB Savage was added because without it 2.3 would have been a pretty gimpy patch as far as battle content goes. As I recall it added housing, a primal (Ramuh?), CT2, and SCOB Savage. If you compare it to 2.1, which added ~*three*~ extreme primal battles in addition to CT and PVP(?), it would have looked a little sparse without SCOB Savage.

Anyway I'm rambling here but I'll just say this: Savage SCOB was a lot of fun to learn and progress through. So were First/Second/Final Coil. Gordias and Midas were not. They're okay once you actually know the fight 100%, but there are far, far, far too many super punishing and instant wipe moves during the learning process. I very much welcome a return to anything resembling Coil difficulty and I don't care what stupid name they give it.

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Originally Posted by loreleidiangelo

What do you suggest they do for the players that couldn't beat Coil, then? Them complaining about being roadblocked from the story was what gave us Alexander Faceroll Mode to begin with. The devs aren't going to renege on that decision; they're just going to nyerk Savage.

It's like you forgot everything that happened in 2.x.

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What should they do? Nothing lol no1 said people have to complete all content.

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Originally Posted by Velhart

Either offer three modes or wait for echo buffs/mechanic nerfs when the next tier is released. Worked out pretty well in 2.0.

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No it didn't. Echo failed to ease difficult, and usually instant kill mechanics that were popular in SCoB. and people become just as impatient about having nothing to do and no parties to do it with. There was still terrible clear rates of Final Coil before going into Heavensward, and not a small amount of it was due to T9. Doing nothing would have been in fact far worse, as there would have been nothing to fall back on in the face of a tier as poorly made as Gordias. Waiting, is not playing, it is not enjoyment, and non raiders can get bored of the same old df, now made worse with 2 dungeons, just as easily as raiders do.

I hope they don't get rid of some skills. HW dungeons are far easier than ARR, due to having those skills. SMN 60-70 skills are a godsend.

I hope his statement means they aren't adding new skills to the jobs.

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Originally Posted by Pasquale

What should they do? Nothing lol no1 said people have to complete all content.

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Apparently "gitgud" wasn't a NA only thing. people were feeling the need to complete it with peers in Japan too, according to the interview. Also, as people decide to no longer attempt raid content, the pool of players shrinks, that statics dissolve, and it becomes harder to justify its continued existence as people refuse to even do it when it isn't the latest content.

4.0 expension introcing job with 3 skills !!!

-the first will buff you
-the second will debuff baddies
-and the third will do tons of damage

With that cylce,everyone will have the same result ! thanks SE

More seriously,i have a very bad feeling about it,all i read is that they will do rotation easier to "close" the gap,but seriously,if people want to close that gap,they should just read their skills a bit,cause closing gap because people dont wanna read is just BS.

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Originally Posted by loreleidiangelo

The devs have said that they don't have the budget (or the interest, can't remember which) in making three modes. If 2.0 worked out "so well", we wouldn't HAVE Alexander story mode. This is what you are not understanding. The dev team did NOT feel like Coil story was accessible to enough people, so they changed their raid structure. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean they're going to go back to "how it was".

If participation is the baseline for whether content is added, remains, or gets scrapped, then Savage mode raids are ABSOLUTELY going to be the thing that goes, if the devs can only afford, or only have the desire to create, two tiers of raiding.

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It is a hard thing to argue because the mind set of many is fixated on "people need their story!" instead of trying to design a MMO. The developers do need to know when they are making a MMO, and when they are making a Final Fantasy game. It is pretty obvious SE won't go in the route I suggest, but it doesn't mean I will agree with it. It is pretty poor design when you are in the mindset of trying to balance casual/midcore/hardcore. Make a raid too hard, the midcore scene dies out. Make it too easy, the hardcore scene takes a dip. Making a FCoB level raid and a Savage mode to that puts those balances back in check. WoW knows this, or at least last I played it. They may of put a controversial easy mode in, but it was not in the expense of their midcore/hardcore scene by still having Normal/Heroic mode intact.

I will not completely dismiss a story mode, my main argument is that it shouldn't be in the expense the content was designed for. 95% of this game is already on the casual side, the exclusion of story mode would not kill the casual scene. A midcore/hardcore player will quit the game over the raiding scene before a casual player does.

But apparently I am just out of the loop on what people like now. Instant gratification content.

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Originally Posted by Brannigan

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I think we can agree the naming convention of difficulty in this game is just wonky overall.

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Originally Posted by Kallera

No it didn't. Echo failed to ease difficult, and usually instant kill mechanics that were popular in SCoB. and people become just as impatient about having nothing to do and no parties to do it with. There was still terrible clear rates of Final Coil before going into Heavensward, and not a small amount of it was due to T9. Doing nothing would have been in fact far worse, as there would have been nothing to fall back on in the face of a tier as poorly made as Gordias. Waiting, is not playing, it is not enjoyment, and non raiders can get bored of the same old df, now made worse with 2 dungeons, just as easily as raiders do.

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Then SE should simply nerf it more. Most people don't care if content gets nerfed hard after their the next tier is released. I remember T7 in Coils considered by some the worst fight in SCoB, but the nerf after the new tier came out, it became a joke of a fight after that.

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Originally Posted by Velhart

Then SE should simply nerf it more. Most people don't care if content gets nerfed hard after their the next tier is released. I remember T7 in Coils considered by some the worst fight in SCoB, but the nerf after the new tier came out, it became a joke of a fight after that.

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You don't get it. You're giving those players nothing but bordem and seperation in the face of endgame. why should they try to improve when the game is punishing even on lag, and the players from the top deride them on content they already can do easily and feel stuck with doing? Heavensward has been resulting in player being taught that because they are unable, they should be unwilling to do it. When that happens, the pfs and player pool runs dry.

I am 100% certain that the reason as to why there's no many Savage clears are NOT due to overload of skills , it is due cause of people without the time and a static. As simple as that.

If Alex was Pugable like a ex primal you will see more clears. But people will not take the chance in going pugging.

If you find the people and the time for practice , you WILL clear it eventually. But if we have non of that it won't happen.

My solution is to go back to COIL level and REMOVE savage all together simple because there's not enough people with time and statics. At least COIL was pugable and ENCOURAGED more people to make the effort to learn

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Originally Posted by Kallera

You don't get it. You're giving those players nothing but bordem and seperation in the face of endgame.

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And story mode that doesn't last past a month for many players is that solution? Most beat it within 1-2 days, then only reason to go back in is to get gear that will be replaced quickly by tomestone/crafted gear. Well then again that midas gear item. Only needed to do A8 for that though.

Casual players already have plenty to work off of. Relic quest, Palace of the Dead, Diadem(or at least when they fix it), primals, hunts, Aquapolis, various story side quests, card collecting, and much more. Midcore/Hardcore? EX primal and four raid bosses.

I still don't get how you can argue that the devs should axe the raid mode with the highest percentage of completion simply based on some feeling that it's "killing the midcore/hardcore scene". If WoW suddenly lost it's ridiculous amount of funding and had to scrap one of it's four raid modes, I can assure you that LFR would not be the mode to go.

I don't think the hardcore raiding community will quit because there's a story mode raid, they'll quit because raid content in this game is laughably sparse in general. There's four bosses every 6 months that, when on farm, will take you one evening to complete. Given tome caps and terrible drop RNG, a hardcore raider will be BiS in a maximum of like five months. So one month of gearing an alt job, if they even care about it, all to have the gear replaced with the next tier.

Don't fixate on story mode, it's not the problem. General scarcity of raid content and constant "gear resets" are. SE's IMPLEMENTATION of releasing story mode first and making people farm it for relevant gear is pretty bad design, but it's very existence isn't.

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Originally Posted by Derio

I hope they don't get rid of some skills. HW dungeons are far easier than ARR, due to having those skills. SMN 60-70 skills are a godsend.

I hope his statement means they aren't adding new skills to the jobs.

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Since you know the summoner skills we'll use them as an example.
Dreadwyrm Trance and Deathflare. (iirc the names correctly)

These could be trimmed down into a single skill.
Upon activation it places you in Dreadwyrm Trance.
Upon a second activation, it activates Deathflare.

Since Deathflare drops you out of Dreadwyrm anyway, once you get it there isn't a need to have Dreadwyrm able to just toggle itself.

You keep the same functionality, and trim up to have one less necessary hotbar slot in use.

This game for me is like that of being in a bad relationship with someone I once liked, but i don't wanna break up until I find someone else first. FFXV is that someone else.

The massive nerfing of Steps of Faith and allowing subpar players into HW to flood the DF with noob tendencies did it for me.

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Originally Posted by Mature

I am 100% certain that the reason as to why there's no many Savage clears are NOT due to overload of skills , it is due cause of people without the time and a static. As simple as that.
If Alex was Pugable like a ex primal you will see more clears. But people will not take the chance in going pugging.
If you find the people and the time for practice , you WILL clear it eventually. But if we have non of that it won't happen.

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This is exactly where I am. I have approximately 2-2.5 hrs to play 5/6 nights a week. Once you remove the time needed for Expert Roulette, weekly 24 mans, weekly crafting Red Scripts, some revenue generation time. I am left with only 1 maybe 2 nights tops to work on any end game. Add to the fact that I have to go to bed at a reasonable time finding a static was neigh impossible. I just gave up looking for one a very long time ago. I am just not reliable enough (due to RL) to waste that static's time.