How to revitalize FFXIV and keep player retention

Feedback on Enhancing Player Retention Through Unreal Trials and Ultimates

Hello fellow adventurers and the dedicated Square Enix team,

I’d like to propose an idea that could breathe new life into the player experience for Final Fantasy XIV. The goal is to keep players playing old content, while also encouraging "sleeping" players to want to log in.

Unreal Trials and Ultimates: A Mount-Worthy Incentive
Unreal Trials and Ultimates already hold a special place in the hearts of the community for their challenging mechanics and nostalgia. However, adding a compelling, long-term incentive could elevate their appeal. I suggest introducing mount drops based on the associated primal, with a low drop rate, as rewards for completing these encounters.

Why It Works
Replay Value: Players would have a strong reason to revisit Unreal Trials and Ultimates repeatedly to try their luck with the mount drop. The low drop rate ensures the content remains engaging for an extended period.

Minimal Investment: Reskinning existing primal models or slightly modifying them to serve as mounts requires relatively low development resources compared to creating entirely new content. For ultimates, the mount can be the ultimate primal itself or something close to it in context. Image Alexander Prime as a mount :O

Appealing to Collectors: FFXIV has a thriving collector community, and mounts are a huge draw. Adding these mounts to the pool can revive older trials and expand mount collections simultaneously.

Retention Booster: The thrill of chasing rare drops keeps players coming back. It’s a sustainable way to maintain interest without heavily taxing development resources.

This approach aligns well with the philosophy of revisiting and revitalizing past content to make it relevant again, akin to the philosophy behind Unreal Trials. It adds an extra layer of excitement and satisfaction for players who conquer these challenges.

I believe this change could bring a meaningful boost to player engagement while being a cost-effective solution for keeping the game vibrant. Thank you for considering this suggestion, and I’d love to hear thoughts from other members of the community as well.

See you all in Eorzea!