Patch 5.3 will allow Flying Mounts in ARR areas!!!!

Public Excitement Announcement!

https://imgur.com/5vRaTP0


I wonder if this is all we'll need to make the ARR quests go smoother between patches 2.0-2.55? There're no Aether Currents either. Flight is automatic.

That and old trial synced to level 80 with new Unreal Trials. They're doing Shiva first because they have to adjust the whole fight instead of just the HP.

I really hope we can fly over once impassable areas like the lake inbetween Costa del sol and wineport and the lake inbetween the mill and bronze lake.

Be nice if they allowed us to swim too...

The quest changes seem the most important to me:

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A Realm Reborn changes (A Realm Revamped?)

-Streamlined MSQ quests

-Approximately 13% content removed

-Other quest content streamlined, much less grindy/bloated and less steps, better for new players

-EXP boost and more gear rewards from quests. No need to do side quests to reach level 50 and beyond for HW.

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That's going to be major in drawing in new players. ARR has been by far the biggest turn-off for any newcomer. We've all said and/or seen in Novice chat, the phrase "stick with it, I promise it'll get better in HW!".

All of the details from 5.3 sound incredible. I mean it is really packed with content and new updates/changes.

Really excited for the flying in the ARR areas. I am also excited about the Shadowbringers story concluding because I am ready to transition into what is coming for 6.0.

Adjusting the original zones to account for flying will have taken up a lot of development time and resources so it'll be interesting to see what happens now that particular project is concluded.

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Originally Posted by Theodric

Adjusting the original zones to account for flying will have taken up a lot of development time and resources so it'll be interesting to see what happens now that particular project is concluded.

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Such a negative outlook.

This is great. I actually have been waiting to do new game + because I wanted to do 2.0 again. This development team continues to amaze me.

Awesome!

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Originally Posted by Liam_Harper

The quest changes seem the most important to me:

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Does that mean new game + can be started from level 1?

I like them going back to improve ARR. I remember starting in 2018 and almost dropping out of FFXIV during the 2.X quests. Definitely a lot of stuff you can cut out while still telling the same important story beats.

Unless they're going to add actual reasons/motivations to being able to fly (beyond just not having to pay like 40 gil to move between the two sides of Eastern La Noscea), I feel like this will amount to a lot of effort invested for not very much effectively changed. Having both of the mount speed boosts (which I've had for a long while now) made ARR traversal rather simple enough already.

And this is just me being a pedant, but it honestly made more sense from a stylistic viewpoint for flight to only become available starting in 3.0. The expansion was titled Heavensward, for crying out loud. It makes more sense that way.

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Originally Posted by DynnDiablos

Such a negative outlook.

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It's true though, it would taken up a lot of Dev time to implement flying in every zone given that there are 17 zones in ARR and as someone who has gone OOB a fair bit (reported how every time) there was certainly a lot they didn't want you to see like the nin job quest house being very far below Eastern la Nosca map or the 2D trees in Coerthus Central etc. So it really does make you wonder where the resources are now being relocated to (most likely 6.0 stuff)

The last sentence on the picture does bother me a little.

(due to these changes, players will no longer be able to climb certain scenery)

what dose that mean? will i not be able to climb the ceruleum pipeline Northern Thanalan anymore.

I'm surprised they went as far as making flying available in the ARR zones. I figured they would just streamline the ARR and ARR patch msq quests and call it a day.

Gotta say, I don't like it. :X For what it's worth, I wish they never brought full-flight to XIV. The overworld in this game has always fairly empty, but new zones are designed to be HUGE, and quite often you can fly around and not see another soul. I feel like it has done a bit of harm to the social aspect of the game.

I really love how GW2 and Archeage have handled their mobility options in game. In both games you have gliders, which do not allow for unlimited flight. Then you also have various mounts that come with specialized skills to help you navigate terrain. Some mounts can glide, some help you scale tall ledges, some allow for fast travel in/over water. It just makes the whole world feel far more immersive than simply flying straight from point A to point B.

But yeah, I feel like bringing flight to early zones will only help to emphasize how empty the open world is, and provide even less interaction for new players working their way through those zones.

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Originally Posted by Skivvy

Gotta say, I don't like it. :X For what it's worth, I wish they never brought full-flight to XIV. The overworld in this game has always fairly empty, but new zones are designed to be HUGE, and quite often you can fly around and not see another soul. I feel like it has done a bit of harm to the social aspect of the game.

I really love how GW2 and Archeage have handled their mobility options in game. In both games you have gliders, which do not allow for unlimited flight. Then you also have various mounts that come with specialized skills to help you navigate terrain. Some mounts can glide, some help you scale tall ledges, some allow for fast travel in/over water. It just makes the whole world feel far more immersive than simply flying straight from point A to point B.

But yeah, I feel like bringing flight to early zones will only help to emphasize how empty the open world is, and provide even less interaction for new players working their way through those zones.

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I kind of have to agree even though I'm excited for it. I think from a lore stand point, it makes more sense to have given ARR flight at the original HW access to it, but I get it's to make 2.1-2.55 flow better. Unpopular opinion here, but I think not having to be at the raid entrances also harmed some of the social aspects of the game. It was like another get together meeting point that was some place other than Limsa.

Super glad to hear it
Now if we could just have the mount speed boost apply to flying mounts too...

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Unpopular opinion here, but I think not having to be at the raid entrances also harmed some of the social aspects of the game.

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Nah, having it be that way would have "harmed social aspects" of the game by causing people to quit. There's so much reliance on the DF in this game that this would have quickly become way too tedious.

The chimera and hydra fights for ARR relic used to work this way (and as such, required premades). These were changed for a very good reason.

I am VERY excited about flying being added to ARR zones. I LOVE flying. I understand some don't, and you don't have to if you don't want to. There's no world PVP being ruined excuse. You can still help the lowbie if you keep an eye out for them. And if you're concerned about reduced social interaction, go to the aetherite in Limsa. I have never once, and I've been playing MMO's since 2006, been stopped randomly on a road while running on the ground for a conversation with someone I don't know. I've met people at objectives, sure, but never once made a friend from a random stranger running by.

I worry about FF14 as every time they streamline something they simply fit. I don’t want the game to be too casualized tbh. Like removing healer identity was a step in the wrong direction and I can foresee plenty more ahead. But this one is mostly one sided.

But no more EXP buffs unless you have multiple high end jobs already. Already bad enough that new players have Lv 60 jobs during Shiva and ignore half their job quests due to the mediocre difficulty

Part of me is really hoping to get on top of the area west of Horizon that takes you to camp Westwind. That was the original area in V1 with the bottom rea being more a cave and I would love to be back up there for fun if nothing else

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Originally Posted by Jirah

I worry about FF14 as every time they streamline something they simply fit. I don’t want the game to be too casualized tbh. Like removing healer identity was a step in the wrong direction and I can foresee plenty more ahead. But this one is mostly one sided.

But no more EXP buffs unless you have multiple high end jobs already. Already bad enough that new players have Lv 60 jobs during Shiva and ignore half their job quests due to the mediocre difficulty

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Exp and leveling up almost feels none existent anymore for anything under level 50. It's almost like the level ups should just be out right given to you per quest anymore. Or one dungeon, 1 guaranteed level up. That feels like the direction we're eventually headed. All these exp boosts and none of it on gear that could have it as bonus effects.

Oh nice. Anyone got a link to everything that was revealed by chance? I missed this one.

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But no more EXP buffs unless you have multiple high end jobs already. Already bad enough that new players have Lv 60 jobs during Shiva and ignore half their job quests due to the mediocre difficulty

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Got a friend who gets through the story at a very casual pace, and I'm pretty sure they reached level 80 while still in Heavensward MSQ, probably primarily through roulettes. This kind of pacing is unusual, but I don't see what's necessarily "bad" about it.

Also I don't think difficulty is the reason some people ignore their job quests. It's usually either laziness or forgetfulness (or in the case of later job quests, because they mostly don't actually give you anything)

As an aside, I wonder if this means they will be blocking off that secret beach in Mor Dhona that you could get to by exploring out of bounds. Always did like that spot.

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Originally Posted by DynnDiablos

Such a negative outlook.

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I don't think it was meant as a negative outlook. To somewhat redo ARR and streamline the quest for the MSQ it definitely does take resources away from other things for FFXIV.

Now I am interested to see what else they can bring now that the ARR revamp is completed and not as many resources being diverted to that project.

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Originally Posted by Fynlar

Unless they're going to add actual reasons/motivations to being able to fly (beyond just not having to pay like 40 gil to move between the two sides of Eastern La Noscea), I feel like this will amount to a lot of effort invested for not very much effectively changed. Having both of the mount speed boosts (which I've had for a long while now) made ARR traversal rather simple enough already.

And this is just me being a pedant, but it honestly made more sense from a stylistic viewpoint for flight to only become available starting in 3.0. The expansion was titled Heavensward, for crying out loud. It makes more sense that way.

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The next expansion will very likely utilize those old ARR zones. So it makes perfect sense to do the groundwork on modernizing them during the patch cycle leading up to whatever event takes us back there.
Its not a simple undertaking to turn the visual tricks into traversable terrain. There'd need to be a reason for it.

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Originally Posted by DynnDiablos

Such a negative outlook.

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...not really? Since nothing I wrote in my previous post was negative. I was commenting on how it'll be interesting to see what happens next with the game's side projects.

Wish I didn't waste my time farming those weekly B rank hunts for mount speed scrolls these past few months.

Either way flying is a welcome change as that is one of the big reasons I like this game.

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Originally Posted by Sylve

The next expansion will very likely utilize those old ARR zones. So it makes perfect sense to do the groundwork on modernizing them during the patch cycle leading up to whatever event takes us back there.
Its not a simple undertaking to turn the visual tricks into traversable terrain. There'd need to be a reason for it.

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I had considered this possibility awhile ago. Expanding the old ARR zones to be larger, flight only-accessible locations. But I doubt they would take this approach if level 50s have access to level 80+ areas that haven't been mentioned in lore at any given point. They also wouldn't add new monsters if you could just fly past them. Wouldn't be any reason to. If they do add new stuff to old areas, we wouldn't be there very long. They'd be side quest locations at best or a hub area for a relic step akin to how North Shroud was. Now that's not to say, they couldn't add new FATEs, but this goes back to the whole, why? Reasoning.

SWEET, now getting to FATES just about to end will be easier!

Personally I don't think we *needed* flying in the old zones. For one they are already small enough traverse in about 1-2min(Besides upper Noscea...) and 2... personally with the addition of flight I'm not gonna see as many people in zones as I cruise around in them because everyone is just gonna be flying high up and make each zone feel even emptier than they were. They could of just added another speed upgrade to move as fast as flying but... probably not because it might be a little uncontrollable. xD
Hmmm... only a few zone are even big enough for flying to matter a bunch (C. Coerthas, S. Thanalan, *E. Shroud....*)

Flying in the ARR zones really felt like it came outta nowhere. I seem to recall them saying... I think this was back before HW launched, that retrofitting flying into ARR zones would be too much work... or something along those lines. I pretty much discarded the idea altogether, thinking they wouldn't actually do it. Boy was I wrong.

Honestly never had much of an issue with lack of flying in ARR. Felt like it gave those zones a bit of an old-school feel, but hey I'm curious to see how they rework said zones.

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Originally Posted by DynnDiablos

Such a negative outlook.

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But it’s right, we have been getting less content because of this. Not saying it in a bad way but now that it is done I can’t wait to see what comes next.

I Believe I Can Fly is being removed, so I wonder what they're going to do with the title and chocobo hat you get from the quest

Homogeneity vs Uniqueness. Choose your poison!

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Originally Posted by Fynlar

Got a friend who gets through the story at a very casual pace, and I'm pretty sure they reached level 80 while still in Heavensward MSQ, probably primarily through roulettes. This kind of pacing is unusual, but I don't see what's necessarily "bad" about it.

Also I don't think difficulty is the reason some people ignore their job quests. It's usually either laziness or forgetfulness (or in the case of later job quests, because they mostly don't actually give you anything)

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With the boost and the preferred status, it would be easier to be 80 not 50. I don’t get this thought process the fast lane to 80 doesn’t equal to fast lane to Shadowbringers they’ll be capped for the whole expansion. Even outside of preferred it wasn’t even difficult to keep up the exp

Nothing bad but what’s the point of it? Warrant levels useless? Misguide new players into thinking they unlocked their entire kit once they hit the 70s? Misguide then into thinking their level holds merit when they still have starter gear? I fail to understand it all

I just hope the zones look okay from above. I think there may be a lot of stuff that was only ever built to look convincing from ground level - the overhead view from the Nymian Leap of Faith course is a bit odd if it's meant to be a finished product. Most noticeably there's a deep valley between the kobold mining camp and the mountains, when from the ground it seems like it's supposed to be built on (and tunneling into) the side of the mountain directly.

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Originally Posted by Fayt1203

The last sentence on the picture does bother me a little.

(due to these changes, players will no longer be able to climb certain scenery)

what dose that mean? will i not be able to climb the ceruleum pipeline Northern Thanalan anymore.

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That's probably about them changing some of the geography to block off certain areas, or changing some of the vista jumping puzzles.

You know, even right now people are not stopping to chat each other up in the ARR zones as much as the vocal people against this pretend to be. Lets be real, we aren't these amazing social butterflies that need to chat up every single character that comes into our view. And people won't be flying immediately anyway if you are so worried and down about it. You still have to complete The Ultimate Weapon quest. If you are worried about interaction so bad, then go to Limsa or Ul'dah.

I, for one, can't wait to get around places like Southern Thanalan, Middle La Noscea and Central Coerthas more easily.