So, what was missing? (FanFest 2021)

The Keynote seemed pretty packed while it was going on, and even threw in a surprise or two, but looking back it really does feel a few things were missing that I was expecting to hear more about (or hear about at all).

Some of these were addressed as "info coming later" but some just felt completely absent.

A few things that stood out to me:
- Island Sanctuary
- Small scale PvP Mode
- New Gold Saucer game/content that was mentioned before as being something major
- New customization options, inventory management options, glamour options, etc.

It doesn't really feel like any of this will fit into anything left on the fanfest docket outside of maybe a super brief mention during the Q&A.

Anything you wanted to see or expected to see that wasn't there?

Might make more mention during the Live Letter tonight.

The fanfest isn't like a comprehensive dive into everything they got coming, it's largely just an announcement saying "Hey, this is what we got coming" and we learn more later on. Like we won't learn about job changes until a few months out from 6.0's release.

Edit: But yeah, we'll likely learn more at the live letter tonight.

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Originally Posted by StriderShinryu

- New customization options, inventory management options, glamour options, etc.

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These please.

The keynote felt pretty light IMO. I assume it's partly because the big reveals of Australia servers and bunbois don't affect me at all.

I just wanted to see anything gameplay related. But I'm starting to realize that gameplay is really low on the totem pole in this game.


I enjoy the story and lore/aesthetics, but I'm kinda irked that we get big infodumps on these but then have to wait for painfully slow-dripped information regarding anything combat based.


Highlight for me so far was just the full Cinematic and the Reaper gameplay snippet.

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Originally Posted by StriderShinryu

The Keynote seemed pretty packed while it was going on, and even threw in a surprise or two, but looking back it really does feel a few things were missing that I was expecting to hear more about (or hear about at all).

Some of these were addressed as "info coming later" but some just felt completely absent.

A few things that stood out to me:
- Island Sanctuary
- Small scale PvP Mode
- New Gold Saucer game/content that was mentioned before as being something major
- New customization options, inventory management options, glamour options, etc.

It doesn't really feel like any of this will fit into anything left on the fanfest docket outside of maybe a super brief mention during the Q&A.

Anything you wanted to see or expected to see that wasn't there?

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Well for starters, the fanfest isn't over, and we might get info in the LL. So calm down.

The live letter tonight will have a schedule of upcoming patches (and perhaps events) heading toward Endwalker.

It sounds like they will have another announcement showcase event (or maybe just a live letter, or a non-live letter) going into more details on certain topics.

For those mentioning to wait for the Live Letter, the Live Letter should be covering content coming in the second half of Patch 5.55 and leading up to the expansion. It's unlikely it will be covering anything for EndWalker.. which is why I said in the OP that it doesn't seem like there's anything left in the FanFest that will cover this information.

You're probably correct but it also a LL during a fanfest, we may get some information and announcement. We'll know within 12 hours.

Considering we have 6 months until release I can only imagine that there will be some type of press tours over the coming months with each one shedding a bit more light on things that may not have been fully touched on last night. All of that will more than likely run right up to the point of them releasing the job abilities trailer and benchmark program.. or so I suspect.

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Originally Posted by Kyuuen

Considering we have 6 months until release I can only imagine that there will be some type of press tours over the coming months with each one shedding a bit more light on things that may not have been fully touched on last night. All of that will more than likely run right up to the point of them releasing the job abilities trailer and benchmark program.. or so I suspect.

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Yeah in/around august-september I would imagine

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Originally Posted by Euphares

I just wanted to see anything gameplay related. But I'm starting to realize that gameplay is really low on the totem pole in this game.
I enjoy the story and lore/aesthetics, but I'm kinda irked that we get big infodumps on these but then have to wait for painfully slow-dripped information regarding anything combat based.

Highlight for me so far was just the full Cinematic and the Reaper gameplay snippet.

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They made efforts in the past expansion when it comes to gameplay.
For HW... Not a lot they just brought savage to life.
For SB, we got job gauges and role action rework.
For ShB, we got massive reworks and reworks through the patches.

I kinda agree I'd love for them to talk more about the job direction. We know for sure they'll do it in a liveletter before the EW release.
Healers and damage rotation are top priority, SMN/SCH news is necessary, BRD also needs news.
Do we have to wait 5 months before the next news?

5.5 part 2 is the last content patch before Endwalker. We still have 6 months and a number of live letters before launch. I imagine any live letters post fanfest will focus on the Expansion. Also keep in mind a lot of content is still in development, hence the slightly delayed release date. Better to under promise and over deliver than announce something and have it end up left out because it wasn't ready yet.

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Originally Posted by Euphares

I just wanted to see anything gameplay related. But I'm starting to realize that gameplay is really low on the totem pole in this game.


I enjoy the story and lore/aesthetics, but I'm kinda irked that we get big infodumps on these but then have to wait for painfully slow-dripped information regarding anything combat based.


Highlight for me so far was just the full Cinematic and the Reaper gameplay snippet.

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They will never cover gameplay this early (lol) in the development cycle because it's all still extremely in flux. Expect them to do the same thing they did for sb and shb and for there to be a very long livestream about a month from release where they go over expansion combat changes for everyone and go more in depth on the new jobs because that's about when they finalize that stuff.

Well, the Q&A was pretty disappointing. I didn't mind the questions that were asked but definitely would have liked to have at least a couple of more pressing issues be addressed. The biggest problem, though, was just the time. It was great that YoshiP was so willing to go in depth to answer each question but there just was not anywhere near enough time allotted for the Q&A (not to mention they started late and ended early). Ideally this segment should have been a couple hours long by itself.

Supposedly YoshiP is answering each approved question by email to the person who asked it but that doesn't really help the general audience if it's not compiled and posted somewhere we can all see it.

Literally the worst Q&A they have ever done. Extremely disappointed that the question screening led to this crap fluff parade. I know that's how these usually go, but they also usually answer at least 1 or 2 actually good questions, but not this time.

there was literally ZERO chance of anything controversial being asked. not sure what everyone was expecting.

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Originally Posted by DrWho2010

there was literally ZERO chance of anything controversial being asked. not sure what everyone was expecting.

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The Class and Encounter Design teams to match Soken's quality performance?

Really though some insight into what they're going to do at a broad level would have been nice. You can highlight some goals based on prior feedback without committing to any tangible changes at this point, which also facilitates player feedback by allowing us to focus on current aspects we find in conflict with their goals, and that kind of feedback is useful in the interim. That's why people are disappointed.

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Originally Posted by Arkdra

Literally the worst Q&A they have ever done. Extremely disappointed that the question screening led to this crap fluff parade. I know that's how these usually go, but they also usually answer at least 1 or 2 actually good questions, but not this time.

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Isnt it some of the good question already answered with email interview with some youtuber like mrhappy etc? and I am pretty sure that all thing they can answer and inform already being answered and informed in the Keynote and the live letter, the main reason for the live Q&A is more likely to be directly involved with fans and player, in that aspect I think thats enough

I was really hoping for some news/updates on the hat/hairstyle situation for Hrothgar and Viera. Really happy to see them bringing the missing genders in though.

As a MNK player, I wanted to hear about Job changes...

I'm an early riser. I'm usually up at 4AM and am happy I didn't lose anymore sleep staying up for the question answer. Disappointed to learn nothing of substance was discussed.

I really had hoped that we would learn much more about the island sancturary. :( Its after all the content I look forward to the most.

Maybe its just a feeling and not correct, but seeing how we only get this one fanfest instead of three and how we do have to wait a bit longer for the release I felt, that we barely got much information. I guess it also might be because we got information on sage before that?

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Originally Posted by Kolsykol

As a MNK player, I wanted to hear about Job changes...

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They'll talk about job changes later on in the year, probably a month before the expac drops.

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Originally Posted by StriderShinryu

The Keynote seemed pretty packed while it was going on, and even threw in a surprise or two, but looking back it really does feel a few things were missing that I was expecting to hear more about (or hear about at all).

Some of these were addressed as "info coming later" but some just felt completely absent.

A few things that stood out to me:
- Island Sanctuary
- Small scale PvP Mode
- New Gold Saucer game/content that was mentioned before as being something major
- New customization options, inventory management options, glamour options, etc.

It doesn't really feel like any of this will fit into anything left on the fanfest docket outside of maybe a super brief mention during the Q&A.

Anything you wanted to see or expected to see that wasn't there?

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the expansion don't come before end of november, honestly it's more of 6 month away, far more time for announce more content, than announce stuff they haven't finish yet...

the QA section appeared to be missing any questions of substance.

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Originally Posted by SpiralMask

the QA section appeared to be missing any questions of substance.

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I felt that too, but to be honest, I never expect Q&A's to have questions that would stir a lot, and more like curiosities...

Said that, I could notice someone with a "Where are the Highlander eyebrows?" written on their background. Assuming that was related to the question that person might've asked, and that they chose that question to possibly be answered, I wonder if they actually have something for extra customization options coming along the way.

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Originally Posted by DrWho2010

there was literally ZERO chance of anything controversial being asked. not sure what everyone was expecting.

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Well nobody is saying controversial questions should have been asked, but they could have talked more about actual gameplay.

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Originally Posted by Raikai

I felt that too, but to be honest, I never expect Q&A's to have questions that would stir a lot, and more like curiosities...

Said that, I could notice someone with a "Where are the Highlander eyebrows?" written on their background. Assuming that was related to the question that person might've asked, and that they chose that question to possibly be answered, I wonder if they actually have something for extra customization options coming along the way.

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Oh I'd really like to see the answer to that... every highlander face should have an option eyebrow in the face details! I can use the facepaint one, but it's not the same as a real eyebrow!

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Originally Posted by Stanelis

Well nobody is saying controversial questions should have been asked, but they could have talked more about actual gameplay.

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For me, as indicated in the OP, it wasn't even just about gameplay related questions. It's more that there are, first, some pretty major new modes or new content that had already been announced but that we got basically no information on and, second, some obvious outstanding questions that were not addressed at all.

I'm not even someone who is that fussed over the whole Viera/Hroth hair/hats situation but it's clearly something that should have at least been acknowledged. I also think that there should have at least been some sort of commentary on the growing discontent many players have with class homogenization and removal of skills. While those topics certainly could have been broached in a "controversial" way, they aren't inherently controversial topics and the dev team could have brought them up themselves or, in the Q&A, selected question askers who asked those questions in non-controversial ways. Maybe they even did select some of those questions to be asked but because the Q&A was so short relative to the length of YoshiP's answers they just didn't get around to them.

In any case, while there was a lot of good stuff in this years FanFest, it does definitely feel retrospectively lacking regarding actual information and fanbase engagement.

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Originally Posted by SpiralMask

the QA section appeared to be missing any questions of substance.

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Honestly what I expected. It is very rare that they do anything more than that.

No new deep dungeon was kind of bad for me. I hope they have not given up on such a unique re playable concept.

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Originally Posted by Puremallace

No new deep dungeon was kind of bad for me. I hope they have not given up on such a unique re playable concept.

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They've actually already mentioned this in a couple interviews following the February announcement stream, they've made plans to include it in the 6.x post launch content

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Originally Posted by Kiurai

They've actually already mentioned this in a couple interviews following the February announcement stream, they've made plans to include it in the 6.x post launch content

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Just wish we had a name. The assumption with the FF4 theme is Tower of Babel but a official confirmation would be nice.

The Keynote felt a bit empty to me though a lot of stuff they already "mentioned" in the announcement showcase was discussed a bit lightly. That said it still had enough to offer to warrant its existence with reaper, male viera, etc.
The Media tours in Sept/October is where we will start seeing most of the action in terms of new info.
Given that 6.0 will be ending the most major story arc its understandable they cant say as much as they might otherwise in other expansions. Atleast until 5.55-5.58 is out.

I'm not sure why a lot of people are here acting disappointed, unless you are a newer player. They will have another event and some LLs closer to Endwalker explaining things like job changes, other content, etc. They want to keep the hype going.

As for the Q + A I knew there was going to be weird questions so I skipped it, always is lol.