"body swap" duties

Dont get me wrong, i love the game and find it very pleasant to play as a WoW refugee.

The only thing that i hate about this game is the "body swap" duties (dont know how to call them in other words). They are very boring and frustrating some times.

Anyone else feels like me??

(Sorry for my bad english)

I love them and hate them at the same time. I like the occasional break from my character in the story, but I hate looking over a bizarre hotbar just to throw it away a few minutes later.

Heck, I hate changing jobs on my own character because I hate relearning hotbars.

I like those quests because it breaks up the monotony being the WoL all the time. But i also noticed that many players do not like those quests or raids.




Cheers

I enjoy them. They're a good way to show that our character isn't the only individual contributing to a battle.

We already spend 99% of our time running around as our own character and any duty performed as another character only needs to be completed once so it's not like we lose control of our adventurer for very long.

I think they break the flow of the story for me. I'm happily watching cutscenes and immersed in the story and suddenly now I have to read the tooltips of those skills I'll likely never ever use again, just for that 5 min fight that I know absolutely is tuned for me to win comfortably anyways.

I feel they add nothing to the experience and only serve as a sudden stop to the flow (which often is at the climax of that part of the story). I would definitely prefer just looking at that fight as a bystander.

But I've heard many people who love taking up these plot roles during the story, so I guess I'm fine with it as long as it's in moderation. I don't want it everywhere for 6.x and beyond. People can enjoy it if they want. Just don't go putting this kind of fight everywhere.

I don't really like the RP duties either. I'm very immersed in my character and the story and this breaks it for me.
It also continually forces classes on me I don't want to play. If I wanted to play drg or rdm, I'd have rolled those.
In addition, they're usually so undertuned, it's boring. Just mashing buttons randomly wins it for you 90% of times.

I dig 'em, they're fun little breaks from the usual job stuff and allows you to see the power of your allies, or... other spoilery things.

That said, I wish that they'd either be harder, to be more engaging, or shorter in many cases. Some of them, a certain one in ShB especially, go on a little too long and outstay their welcome.

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Originally Posted by ZelrothDenathrius

Anyone else feels like me??

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I am with you, I don't enjoy body swaps as much as being my lalafel-self. When I turn into a giant race, the world feels very different, slow and clumsy is the best way I can describe it.

And yeah, hotbars suddenly changing isn't great.

There is one in particular, near the end of StormBlood that is just way too long. That one needs to be split into two.

Happens in all Final Fantasy games, deal with it.

A few of them drag on longer than they really need to, but otherwise I don't mind them. Probably helps that I already level everything, so I have at least a basic understanding of how the different jobs work. It's nice to be reminded sometimes that, while the WoL is the strongest of the Scions, the rest of them aren't pushovers either.

A fair number of the roleplay duties drag on a lot longer then they should due to the boss having extremely bloated HP; the Thancred one in ShB being the biggest offender.

That's the only real complaint I have about them, though.

I'm another that does not enjoy them because they're immersion breaking. I'm here to play a character and job of my choosing, not someone else's. I also very much dislike being unable to change keybinds to what I choose to use when playing the equivalent job.

But it's a Final Fantasy game and franchise fans like to play their favorite NPCs so it's not something that going to go away because SE is heavily into fan service (fan service is cheaper than coming up with original ideas). As long as they don't get more common than they already are, it's not going to drive me away from the game.

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Originally Posted by Arohk

Happens in all Final Fantasy games, deal with it.

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your answer is a bit aggressive to be honest.

Maybe you have a bad day today it seems. I hope you are alright mate!

I'm a little torn on them. I really do enjoy when they are used to show us an experience we couldn't have had otherwise, especially if they actually incorporate a new/different play style than we generally have access to as the WoL. In this way, I do feel they were generally much better in EW overall than when used earlier.

When I really do not enjoy them is when they end up just being playing another standard fight against another standard baddie, just with a horribly gimped moveset (and maybe playing as a job we have no interest in playing). That sort of "body swap" can be left in the trash bin.

The only problem with them imo is how braindead they are to play, spamming 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 isn't fun.
But if they were any harder people would complain a lot more I mean there's people who unironically want Jobs to play like that..

Sometimes i like the body swap duties and if not just let the toon die and redo in easy mode, seems to be ok like this for me. Much more i missed the skip button for the Endwalker "follow me but i should not see you" quests.

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Originally Posted by Loonies

Much more i missed the skip button for the Endwalker "follow me but i should not see you" quests.

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OMG, i hated those quests. Luckily there were not many of them.


Cheers

I quite enjoy them. While some say it breaks the flow, I find it a fun fusion of cutscene and gameplay. Usually these body swap duties showcase the character in question either running around trying to help everyone, often showcasing character development or the severity of the threat along the way, which more likely than not would end up being an awkward time wasting cutscene, or its the character trying to hold their own and fight off a big threat, which COULD make for a decent cutscene but... I would be sorely disappointed if I couldn't fight them myself.

Case in point, 5.4.

The scions had to split up and defend multiple areas from Lunar Primals. It made sense that the WoL couldn't just go around fighting these primals one by one, due to the severe impending threat, and that the other Scions would have to fight these primals themselves. Given that these are special lunar variations of old primals, I would have been disappointed if they were just handily dispatched in a short cutscene, or worse, offscreen, and not have the opportunity to fight them myself. In this regard, I fully appreciate body swap duties, in that they let me experience the fights myself, while also giving at least one character a turn in the limelight

Heck, I also loved the in from the snow duty and would like to see more like that... though perhaps more improved upon, and maybe not necessarily MSQ content since I'm aware a lot of people really didn't like it, but perhaps as additional side content?

Also, as a tangental point, I would love it if we were able to replay solo duties without having to go through NG+. NG+ is great and all but if I just want to play a duty again that's a lot to go through for a one and done duty

I don't like the RP duties either. I cringe every time they force one on us.

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Originally Posted by Arohk

Happens in all Final Fantasy games, deal with it.

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This is never not a terrible answer to a complaint about something.

It's just mindless franchise fanboyism.

I like them when they aren't just combat stuff...mostly because it's very disjointed from my actual bar loadout. I like it when it's more of a minigame (like Thancred sneaking around)... less when I'm fighting a long/dragged out fight with a small handful of abilities (Thancred solo fight in shadowbringers)...

storywise I have fun but actual mechanics...it's not so much. I'd rather just play a generic soldier helping the scions out using my class as is.

I like them gives you a different perspective.

I like them but also do hate them because they change my keybinds and that sucks for muscle memory.

They're really boring 99% of the time but nowhere near as bad as the follow along and escort quests this expansion. Those type of quests can go and stay gone.

They're fun. It's nice to do something different every now and then, especially if you get to play one of your favorite characters (Alisaie) in the story.

Hate them.

They are not challenging and they make you play a watered down job that plays like a level 10 character. Every time I see one about to happen I let out an audible sigh of "This shit again".

MSQ barely has any combat content outside of the required dungeons, and then they replace some of it with the "Roleplay duties".

I'd be happy if they never came back.

I love the rp duties... they're always fun seeing a different perspective on things... except Alphinaud he can die in a blazing fire... but I didn't completely hate his...

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Originally Posted by Larirawiel

OMG, i hated those quests. Luckily there were not many of them.


Cheers

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The Azure-Haired Boy can kiss my behind. Little annoying jerk.

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Originally Posted by Thi

Hate them.

They are not challenging and they make you play a watered down job that plays like a level 10 character. Every time I see one about to happen I let out an audible sigh of "This shit again".

MSQ barely has any combat content outside of the required dungeons, and then they replace some of it with the "Roleplay duties".

I'd be happy if they never came back.

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Some are worse than others. I enjoyed what was basically “Metal Gear Thancred”. Hated “Random Imperial Guy and Crawl for 2 minutes at the end”.

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Originally Posted by KageTokage

A fair number of the roleplay duties drag on a lot longer then they should due to the boss having extremely bloated HP; the Thancred one in ShB being the biggest offender.

That's the only real complaint I have about them, though.

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This exactly. The novelty wears off faster than the scenarios boss hp.

The Role playing quests would be better if you could rebind abilities, using a 3x4 hotbar setup, it puts all the abilities on my hardest to hit buttons at the top and doesn't let me move them.
Rebinding my hotbars for a single fight then having to go back to my original bindings is a pain.

Imagine how fun those duties are when you are not using hotbar 1 because you don't want that ugly lock symbol in your UI? Clicking everything on pet hotbar is peak XIV gameplay.

The one with Thancred in ShB was painful to get through, IMO. It was too long, too many different parts involving the same guy, and just honestly a terrible experience.

However the one I've experienced in the very beginning of EW was quite fun! I thought they were better spaced-out and I kind of liked experiencing the different jobs at a much more palatable level of difficulty to get a taste for how it might look/feel to play without going through with leveling one myself. Thumbs up for this iteration of body-swapping.

Yea I did not like it as well. TBH I do not like all of the times we took control of others besides ourselves as well. I mean I really don't mind them in general but I hope they disappear in the future haha. I know some people like the experience of being able to play thancred, Yshtola or some of the other major characters but for me I rather watch a cutscene of them fighting and defeating those foes instead of spending several minutes spamming 3-4 buttons just to see them defeat the enemy lol. Rather they use those resources to instead create a good fight cutscene.

I love them, they require people to be more careful in their approach, plus we never played as a Garlean before so it was a good experience, lack of self healing and magic etc..
Also generally i like RP Duties cause i can play as characters i like~

If anything they should do more of them!
I do tend to read the hotbars briefly anyway, so i tend to have no issues xD

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Originally Posted by Nerfworthy

The one with Thancred in ShB was painful to get through, IMO. It was too long, too many different parts involving the same guy, and just honestly a terrible experience.

However the one I've experienced in the very beginning of EW was quite fun! I thought they were better spaced-out and I kind of liked experiencing the different jobs at a much more palatable level of difficulty to get a taste for how it might look/feel to play without going through with leveling one myself. Thumbs up for this iteration of body-swapping.

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It doesn't help that Ramjet is awful anyway, overpowered with no explanation. Kinda like pre boosted Zenos.

Would prefer to stay myself, do not enjoy the swap.

Never played anything but myself in ffxi which is what it should be :)

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Originally Posted by Sathona

I love them, they require people to be more careful in their approach, plus we never played as a Garlean before so it was a good experience, lack of self healing and magic etc.

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Oh I didn't mind that specific one, I was technically still playing my character. In from the cold fit the narrative just fine(not talking about the inconsequential outcome, that's for another topic) and it was a fun change of pace. I also saw it more as a puzzle mission than actual fight.

But whenever they throw me in one of the NPCs, I just can't wait for it to be over. If they were at least somewhat challenging, but if you just randomly spam your buttons and are halfway decent at dodging, you've already won.

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Originally Posted by Lelila38

Oh I didn't mind that specific one, I was technically still playing my character. In from the cold fit the narrative just fine(not talking about the inconsequential outcome, that's for another topic) and it was a fun change of pace. I also saw it more as a puzzle mission than actual fight.

But whenever they throw me in one of the NPCs, I just can't wait for it to be over. If they were at least somewhat challenging, but if you just randomly spam your buttons and are halfway decent at dodging, you've already won.

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Same. Hence I rather they use the time and resources into making those good cutscenes instead. It feel like just time sinks for me. But Again I guess some people do find it fun to play other NPCs so I can understand why they put it there.

The only two times they handled those well were with the ShB trials questline and the solo duty in 5.5.

All the rest is typical SE AAA style over substance shallowness against enemies with bloated HP but undertuned threat while you spam the same action 90% of the time until a targetable totem/weapon/barrier appears that you need to destroy.

Then people clap because they're "CONTROLLING Y'SHTOLA OR G'RAHA TIA <33333 "