Let's talk about MSQ.

First of all, hello. How are you?

Secondly, I must say that Final Fantasy XIV is, without a doubt, one of the most creative MMORPGs, narratively speaking, ever made. The MSQ is the heart of the game, responsible for some of the most memorable moments in the genre. Still, after more than a decade of continuous story, it's natural that difficult—and necessary—questions arise about how this narrative is presented, who it's accessible to, and how far it can evolve.

This topic is not a critique, but an exercise of imagination and design: What if the MSQ took it a step further?

What if the player stopped being just the executor of others' decisions and started actively influencing small moments of their own journey?

What if new players didn't have to climb a mountain of mandatory content before finally playing alongside the current community?

What if the world of Eorzea finally advanced in time in a visible and consequential way?

Below are some proposals organized into four major pillars. They are not intended to be perfect solutions, but rather starting points for discussion — ideas that already exist, on a smaller scale, within FFXIV itself (such as Variant Dungeons and New Game+), taken a little further.

1. Make Player Decisions Matter

Let's say I'm at a point in the MSQ where a large-scale invasion is occurring in the kingdom where my WoL is. I must rush to the throne room and protect the king's life from the invaders who come to capture him. After an exciting MSQ, I'm taken to point B: which is to reunite with the Scions and invade the enemy's fortress, thus defeating evil at its root.

But let's say that from point A to point B, I'm not simply guided by the story, but I have 3 choices of what to do?

1. Leave the invading general to Thancred to deal with, while I go to the throne room to protect the king with Alisaie and Alphinaud.

2. Suggest that Thancred reinforce the defense in the throne room, and I take care of the invading general myself.

3. Suggest that Thancred take care of the invading general, while I get my mount and join Y’shtola and the other sorcerers of the kingdom to help conjure a powerful fireball from the sky.

There are three options of what to do that change a single cutscene + combat duty (3 options), exactly as it happens with Variant Dungeons, but in MSQ.

One thing that frustrates many players is this feeling of being a supporting character in their own story. Nothing is decided by the player. Absolutely nothing. And that completely breaks the idea of ​​RPG.

You don't need to change the story, just one cutscene or another, punctually and that's it. And if this happens about five times throughout MSQ + once per MSQ patch, it would be truly amazing.

2. Lower the MSQ Barrier for new Players.

That's right. Lower the MSQ barrier required to be on current content. You start at a more advanced expansion instead of starting at ARR.

This will make it take less time for new players to reach the endgame. Many newer players will actually reach the end (instead of giving up along the way). Queues for high-level content will also decrease considerably. We would have the case where the MSQ Roulette will feature the last dungeon and raid of the new MSQ as an intro, and changing as a new expansion is released, and not always Praetorium/Castrum Meridianum.

Solutions(?):

1. The new character starts "three behind" in terms of expansion compared to the most recent expansion. For example: In expansion 8.0, the new Sprout starts in Shadowbringers. In expansion 9.0, the new Sprout starts in Endwalker, and so on. Thus, there are always three expansions for new players to learn to play before reaching the most recent expansion.

2. When creating a character, the player chooses one of the 8 initial battle classes, but will begin their adventure in Crystarium (for Shadowbringers), Old Sharlayan (for Endwalkers), or Tulliyolal (for Dawntrail). They will start at the expansion's level (70, 80, or 90), with equipment of the appropriate ilvl. The character also starts with the job equivalent to their class (having a Soulstone equipped).

3. The player chooses one of the three Grand Companies when creating their new character. The new character will then have the Aetherytes of the first three city-states enabled (for GCs and seasonal events).

4. In the case of SHB, the new character is the same WoL from previous expansions, but "lost his memories" during the transition from the Source to the First. So we have a WoL struggling to recover his memories. For EW, we could have a WoL student in Old Sharlayan (a kind of reincarnation of the old WoL who died at the end of SHB, perhaps?). And for DT, we could have an inhabitant of Tural (Also amnesiac? Did he get lost in the Void during EW and mysteriously wake up in Tural, his/her homeland?)

5. A quick introduction to WoL's past life is shown in a scene right at the beginning, with two or three quests that help to situate the protagonist's new situation (These quests can also be used to level up your character. 30/60/80, for example.)

6. The new character learns to use their abilities in the Hall of the Novice in the city where their adventures begin.

7. Some lines of dialogue from the beginning of the expansion change to better fit the new player into the plot.

8. Upon completing the current MSQ intro, New Player+ is unlocked, where the new player can complete MSQs from previous expansions, such as "flashbacks." This is a way for the new player to revisit older stories to gain a better understanding of the narrative (while still not being forced to complete them).

9. The new player unlocks older content by playing New Game+ with older expansions. That is, they can play ARR to unlock/complete Crystal Tower and then proceed with SHB>EW>DT>8.0.

10. One way to encourage new players (and veterans too) to play older FATES games is to include them in the Shared FATES content. This could be done gradually. Perhaps raising the level of these older FATES games to the level cap of the new intro would also do them justice?

11. Old duties can be performed normally in Unsync mode, as has always been the case.

3. Free Trial: The Complicated Part
Now comes the complicated part: Free Trial.

Option A: The most recent expansion and previous expansions included in New Game+ (except for ARR) are in the paid package + Subscriptions (this includes HW and SB). So we would have SHB, EW, DT, and ARR in the Free Trial for new players (while the old Free Trial model would still work for older players).

Option B: All expansions are available in the Free Trial, except for the most recent one.

Option C: Eliminate the Free Trial model for new accounts.

Option D? Any ideas?

4. The Long-Awaited Time Skip
Once the previous issues are resolved (if they occur), we return to the MSQ. It's very simple, but it addresses a broader theme afterward: Having players experience or complete other content to advance the story. More or less like what was done with Crystal Tower.

So we have an expansion where players need to do the Ivalice raids to continue in the MSQ, or Bozja, or the restoration of Doma, or space exploration, or job/class quests, or the Society Tribe storyline, etc. This leads us to:
Time Skip.

I know this can also be really difficult to do, but it's not good to have a stagnant world. Alphinaud/Alisaie need to grow, the same for Ryne, Gaia, etc. Other characters need to be born. New problems need to occur in Limsa, or Gridania, or Ul'dah. We need the capital of Ala Mhigo rebuilt. We need Doma rebuilt. We need a continuation to the Resistance arc in Ivalice. We need The Empty to have real life and civilization. Much of that can only happen with a Time Skip. Or perhaps an arc that allows WoL to use a time travel mechanism.

So…

In Summary
Small narrative choices, with localized impact in cutscenes, can restore the feeling of protagonism and choice to the player in WoL, without breaking the linearity of the story.

The current volume of MSQ is intimidating. Proposing a new entry point — with skippable initial expansions, intelligent narrative contextualization, and creative use of New Game+ — can drastically increase the retention of new players, strengthen the endgame, and revitalize old content.

Any structural change in MSQ progression directly impacts the Free Trial model. This involves difficult choices, commercial concessions, and space for alternative ideas that reconcile accessibility with sustainability.

As the story progresses, the world needs to keep up. Character growth, political and social consequences — all of this calls for a time jump (or something equivalent). A living world cannot remain stagnant forever.

The intention of this topic is simple: to discuss the future of MSQ as an RPG, not just as an extremely well-written linear story, and to make it a way to make the game more accessible to newer players (and veterans as well). Agree, disagree, refine, and rebuild the ideas—but let's discuss how FFXIV can continue to grow without losing its identity.

What do you think?