Story Line Quest

Hello all, just coming back from a break to FFXIV. Recently started a new character with my wife who has never played before.

I am just surprised at what this game passes for "content". There is literally so much running back and forth for the main story line it's ridiculous. Who in their right mind approved content to make you run back and forth between quests endlessly for countless hours? This is not content, it is a time sink.

Please remove at least 30-50% of the pointless back and forth that you are FORCED to do. You cannot bypass the main story and yet it is easily the worst part of the game. As a long time Final Fantasy player and fan the story line in this game is an absolute disgrace. CG's of people talking, endless back and forth questing that has no relevancy to the larger plot, and just drives players away.

The story line is in desperate need of revamping. This is Final Fantasy, story driven. Not pointless side quests forced into the main story.

This is a subscription-based MMO. What did you think they would do?

How much of the post-50 story have you gotten into? Also if they remove every "pointless" (subjective) sidequest are they to instead just have main story only with just one super mega awesome battle after the next that give out hundreds of thousands of xp so you can faceroll to max level in two days?

The early story is admittedly not all that amazing but you have to do a bit of world building, Heavensward storyline though is exceptional and the patches leading up to this were pretty good as well. It get's much better but you gotta get thru the early stuff first.

Why come in here with an insulting attitude? You know, A LOT of games have fetch quest, yes even offline single player games(Skyrim, Dead Island, Reckoning, just off the top of my head). You are choosing to not pay attention to the world around you, fine, play however you want, but there is no need to be insulting about it. Plenty of people love the story and world.

Id advise you stick with it the heavens-ward story line is really good your really going to enjoy it.

I know it is boring, especially when you are left behind a lot. But there is not really much you can do about it.
I always took it like fillers in Anime. Who wants does the quests and reads the dialogs, who doesn't want just clicks trough. It is hard for MMO to have only good and different quests, because that way there would be only a few of them.

I'm not really sure what you mean OP.
I found that FFXIV's storyline is really well done. They spend a lot of time building it up into quite an epic journey.
I enjoyed the storyline and the side quests, and yes, many of them were fetch quests and I still enjoyed the quests and the world.

That being said, ARR is *very* friendly toward newbies and players whom have never tried an MMO before, so much so that to vet players it can appear as very boring.
If you made a new character to play w/ your wife, I suggest you try to slow down and just really take in the world. It will probably help her too since ARR can seem quite overwhelming at first.

Yes 2.0 to 2.X era Main Storyline does feel linear and tedious but the way I see it it is more of a long Intro Arc of the storyline.

The story picks up in 3.0 and is a lot better developed.

The 2.0 to 2.X MSQ focused too much on how the WoL became famous in Eorzea so our character is treated more like "the new guy" still working our way up the ladder.

3.0 Main Storyline is more developed because the WoL is no longer some guy but the "Great Hero of the land that can do anything better than Everyone" while going into the concept that the WoL still has limits as well. Not to mention the 3.0 MSQ does make the player feel more like a adventurer traveling with his or her companions.

2.0 to 2.X lacked the "You're a Adventurer" feeling because the WoL is part of a Organization treated more as a worker of that Organization.

My whole point is the game is completely unfriendly to new players. Three friends and my wife cannot deal with the back and forth story line quest requirements. It's just a waste of time.

That's the point of my post, not to be negative, but to show that it's pushing people away from the game because they aren't Final Fantasy fans and aren't hooked to play even if it's boring. Why not put a teleport stone in Vesper Bay? you really need to sprint there 20 times before you even get your chocobo? Then ride your chocobo there every time after that?

It's horrible gameplay, it's not fun, it's not exciting. It's just lazy time sinks they are justifying as gameplay. It's a load of garbage and needs to be stated as such. About 10% of the story line is interesting, the rest is filler nonsense.

Gee willickers, a time sink? In an MMO??? Scandalous! I'm sure SE will turn right around and edit their quest structure on ARR just for you now that you have shone a light on this wholly unprecedented and absolutely heinous aspect of MMO design.

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Originally Posted by Fusoya08

My whole point is the game is completely unfriendly to new players. Three friends and my wife cannot deal with the back and forth story line quest requirements. It's just a waste of time.

That's the point of my post, not to be negative, but to show that it's pushing people away from the game because they aren't Final Fantasy fans and aren't hooked to play even if it's boring. Why not put a teleport stone in Vesper Bay? you really need to sprint there 20 times before you even get your chocobo? Then ride your chocobo there every time after that?

It's horrible gameplay, it's not fun, it's not exciting. It's just lazy time sinks they are justifying as gameplay. It's a load of garbage and needs to be stated as such. About 10% of the story line is interesting, the rest is filler nonsense.

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To be fair they actually say why there is no Aetheryte in Vesper Bay.
Short answer: politics
Long answer: ...politics

You think FFXIV is 'unfriendly to new players' - this is actually completely false, as the game's very design was intended for new players. This is why content is locked behind story completion - Naoki Yoshida wanted to guide new players into the game gradually, letting them 'learn the ropes' so to speak by not overloading them with everything at once.

Sure there are a lot of filler quests that do drag the story out a bit, but even those so-called 'filler' quests have a deeper connection to the story - everything happens for a reason, even if said reason is just to build your rapport with the people of Eorzea, which given the events of 2.55 ended up karmic and helped the player out in a big way. This is the actual point of the story - you're the Warrior of Light not just because you can slay Primals and save the world, but also because you're not afraid to help those in need, no matter what trivial problem they have or regardless if there is a potential reward or not.

As for the lack of an aetheryte in Vesper Bay, Aska Ray summed it briefly, but the specifics of it (which is actually mentioned during the storyline), is the Scions of the Seventh Dawn refused to accept bribes from Lord Lolorito, so to spite them he conspired with the rest of the Syndicate to prevent an aetheryte from ever being installed there, instead having an ostentatious statue of himself erected there, effectively laying his own ego over the good of the realm. Besides, how hard is it to simply teleport to Horizon and ride a chocobo to there? It takes what, not even a minute? It's actually not that far even if you have to walk it.

I'm really sorry for sounding harsh but you are coming across as very entitled and lazy in your posts - maybe if you weren't in such a rush to get through the game and actually took the time to stop and actually immerse yourself in your surroundings, you might actually enjoy it more.

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Originally Posted by Fusoya08

Why not put a teleport stone in Vesper Bay? you really need to sprint there 20 times before you even get your chocobo? Then ride your chocobo there every time after that?

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Teleport to Limsa.....Aether to Arcanists Guild...Take Boat to Vesper.

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Originally Posted by Fusoya08

My whole point is the game is completely unfriendly to new players.

<snip>

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/wave

New player here. I LOVE ARR's storyline and questing, and it didn't drive me away one bit. In fact, it made me want to stay a good long while, and see the rest of the story. :-)

Generalizations are generally not accurate or productive. ;-)

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Originally Posted by Fusoya08

Why not put a teleport stone in Vesper Bay? you really need to sprint there 20 times before you even get your chocobo? Then ride your chocobo there every time after that?

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1. Set your homepoint to Limsa Lominsa or teleport to Limsa Lominsa.
2. Take the ferry to Vesper Bay
3. ...
4. Profit

Vesper Bay is only 1 loading screen and 5 seconds away from Limsa Lominsa

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Originally Posted by Fusoya08

My whole point is the game is completely unfriendly to new players. Three friends and my wife cannot deal with the back and forth story line quest requirements. It's just a waste of time...
...It's a load of garbage and needs to be stated as such. About 10% of the story line is interesting, the rest is filler nonsense.

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Another new player here. To be honest, it sounds like you, your wife and your friends all dislike MMO levelling, because this 'back and forth' seems to be pretty standard. At least FFXIV gives you plenty of options with travel, you can teleport or hire a chocobo if running is too slow.

Personally, I'm enjoying the story and the running around. The world looks fantastic and because I chose to run rather than teleport, I'm getting a sense of the geography. If I need to run to a dungeon, I can because I know where it is.

I guess there's not much more I can say, you either enjoy questing and feeling immersed in the world or you don't.
If you want to skip all that 'garbage' and get to the end as quickly as possible, this game won't accommodate you. It's a shame you're not enjoying it but you shouldn't assume every new player feels the same way.

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Originally Posted by RyuRoots

Gee willickers, a time sink? In an MMO??? Scandalous! I'm sure SE will turn right around and edit their quest structure on ARR just for you now that you have shone a light on this wholly unprecedented and absolutely heinous aspect of MMO design.

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I'd just like to point out that 'everyone else does it' and 'its always been this way' are not exactly brilliant reasons for anything.

EVERY single find X, deliver Y, kill Z quest inside of the MSQ has a reason that is tied to the MSQ.
If you skip the MSQ and ignore the reasons, then this game is NOT for you, it's heavily story based.
You start as a no-name adventurer, one of thousands. NOBODY has a reason to trust you, to help you, to give you ACTUAL tasks, you need to prove your worth, show what you are capable of.

Nobody would just follow a random adventurer on a raid of Castrum Centri for example. But someone who killed 3 primals? That's a very different story.

Later it picks up though. You become the savior of Eorzea, the Warrior of Light.
Especially in 3.0 the amount of "fetch" quests or "kill 15 X" quests is very low, and the story is incredibly well written.

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Originally Posted by Fusoya08

I am just surprised at what this game passes for "content". There is literally so much running back and forth for the main story line it\\'s ridiculous. Who in their right mind approved content to make you run back and forth between quests endlessly for countless hours?

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So you want it to be like WoW? Where everything is in one place? Where after you are done with the quests you never revisit zones? Where it's literally a theme park with disposable rides?

No thank you.

I want a WORLD. Not an amusement park.

Not to mention it's such a waste the way they do things in WoW. Entire zones left to rot after you run through them once.

And seriously, you complain about running back and forth in this game? You can teleport instantaneously around the world! Unlike WoW with its ridiculous flight paths that have you sit on a stupid bird 15 mins straight able to do nothing. Talk about lengthily "cutscenes" - because that's what flight paths are.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fusoya08

My whole point is the game is completely unfriendly to new players. Three friends and my wife cannot deal with the back and forth story line quest requirements. It's just a waste of time.

That's the point of my post, not to be negative, but to show that it's pushing people away from the game because they aren't Final Fantasy fans and aren't hooked to play even if it's boring. Why not put a teleport stone in Vesper Bay? you really need to sprint there 20 times before you even get your chocobo? Then ride your chocobo there every time after that?

It's horrible gameplay, it's not fun, it's not exciting. It's just lazy time sinks they are justifying as gameplay. It's a load of garbage and needs to be stated as such. About 10% of the story line is interesting, the rest is filler nonsense.

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This is literally every MMO out there. If they don't like that kind of thing, then MMOs aren't for them.

No point in posting this on the forums. If you just criticize the story a little everyone will come defend SE and tell you how great the story is and blah blah.
The story is very bad and I'm glad I only have one more alt to run through the heavenwards story with

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Originally Posted by Anapingofness

That being said, ARR is *very* friendly toward newbies and players whom have never tried an MMO before, so much so that to vet players it can appear very boring

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It is and it isnt. They could do alot better on information for someone new to mmo's. Even as a long time mmo player I found myself saying "now what" way to often. Especially in the dead spots between quests.

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Originally Posted by Tuathaa

It is and it isnt. They could do alot better on information for someone new to mmo's. Even as a long time mmo player I found myself saying "now what" way to often. Especially in the dead spots between quests.

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I can't say that I've had that problem, then again I'm not new to MMOs. However, I made my statement based on my own observations of several newbies, one in particular stuck out to me because he is not a gamer by any standards and had never touched an MMO in his life prior to XIV. Yet, he was able to find his way around by reading text from both quests and the active help screens that pop up. He was drawn in by the world and then shocked by just how much there is to do.
I suppose, it's safe to say that everyone has different experiences but that doesn't change the fact that FFXIV ARR was designed with newbies in mind- specifically newbies new to MMOs.

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Originally Posted by Jandor

I'd just like to point out that 'everyone else does it' and 'its always been this way' are not exactly brilliant reasons for anything.

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Right, and I never said it was? I'm saying tough, get over it.

I think it all depends on the expectations of the people playing. What is it you guys were expecting out of the game? If you skip the story and just attempt to hammer through the levels only to do the end game content, then yes, I can see you being disappointed. I'm sorry you are ignoring the RPG part of the genre's acronym. This "problem" has been brought up and, for now, is fine. once we get in to 4.0 YP acknowledged that there would need to be a few tweaks.

Since you like to bring up personal anecdotes I would just like to mention a friend of mine recently bought in to the game and she has been loving it. She mentioned there did seem to be a lot of side quests but just going through the MSQ and actually paying attention and reading them is making this one of the best Final Fantasies she has played since FFIX.