Dragonsong War Ultimate Story Mode

Looking at Dragonsong War Ultimate, it seems to have great storytelling in the encounter that feels as good as something like Castrum Fluminis, but then I get sad because I look at clear rates on my DC, and according to community data they're 0.85% for TEA as of last summer anyway.

I think about the fact that I would probably need to spend hundreds of hours training to both clear savage and actually do the ultimate, and it's just something that I don't want to do, I'd rather just use all that time on developing personally fulfilling hobbies or something. So instead of playing through this cool story in an encounter, I'm just watching youtube videos of it, feeling sad that I can't play it.

Would be cool to experience the encounter in a story-mode, or normal mode though. Surely if the ultimates are just supposed to be extreme challenges for the top 0.85% on my DC that I don't have to participate in, those same top 0.85% also wouldn't have to participate in the normal mode - so it should be fine. Not asking for any weapons out of it anyway.

The entire Heavensward MSQ was "Story Mode".

Probably bait, but nope. You want to experience DRU, then go prog/clear it.

There's no way I'm spending hundreds of hours clearing savage and doing an ultimate. I could accomplish any number of things in that time that would be far more personally fulfilling. It just feels really bad that there's some legitimately cool story content in there that sort of retells the earlier expansion events - but casual players are just locked out of it. It actually feels so bad I might delete my account. It's been a long road for me since 2013 but maybe the game just isn't for me anymore, probably just need to stick to single player stuff.

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Originally Posted by ameranth

There's no way I'm spending hundreds of hours clearing savage and doing an ultimate. I could accomplish any number of things in that time that would be far more personally fulfilling. It just feels really bad that there's some legitimately cool story content in there that sort of retells the earlier expansion events - but casual players are just locked out of it. It actually feels so bad I might delete my account. It's been a long road for me since 2013 but maybe the game just isn't for me anymore, probably just need to stick to single player stuff.

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If you aren’t willing to put in the time and effort, then you don’t get the experience. It’s as simple as that.

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Originally Posted by Rongway

The entire Heavensward MSQ was "Story Mode".

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This.

You've already done the Story Mode for DSR. All you're missing from the Ultimate is a "what if" scenario that has no bearing on anything canon.

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Originally Posted by ameranth

It just feels really bad that there's some legitimately cool story content in there that sort of retells the earlier expansion events - but casual players are just locked out of it.

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Hello. I am a fellow casual.
I like story content as well as appreciate the cool spectacle/mechanics seen in high-end duties.

I don't even do Extremes. (Though I did E8S - E11S at the end of ShB with Echo and that's it.)
But the people I play with regularly in-game does week 1 savage and Ultimates.
Like, I'm the only person in the group who doesn't even care about Savage.

Do I feel left out sometimes for being the odd one in the group (Like, being surrounded by people with TEA/UWU weapons, or BiS gear, while I'm just a pleb with normal raid gears)?
Yes.

Do I feel sad that I don't get to experience the cool mechanics they describe as they were progging TEA?
Yes.

Do I understand I do not get to experience those moments because I choose not to do the said content?
Yes.

Only you can change your own limits. If you really want to have a first-hand experience, you have to do it yourself. If you're like me who is unable to dedicate the time to do the high-end duties, then find ways to experience it some other way. There are live streams and youtube videos you can watch.

Now that DSR is out, I will spend less time with my friends as they will be busy with prog. But I don't mind. I will wait for them to clear and listen to them talk about their progress. Supporting them with what I can along the way.

EDIT: To add, there are no extra story in content past normals. Extra cutscene yes. But it doesn't add anything new to the story.

Seems a little silly to delete your character because you don't get a few bonus fights.

Like 95% of the game's content is designed for more casual players. It's fine for the most hardcore players to get a fight or 2 every expansion. Not everything needs to be for everyone.

Out of curiosity, did you come from WoW? (former WoW player myself)

WoW and FFXIV are reversed when it comes what is canon from raids. In WoW, Heroic (later Mythic) was canon. That of course pissed off the part of the player base that wouldn't do the most difficult content level for whatever reason. They didn't experience the battle within Frostmourne, they missed out on the Ra-Den lore, they didn't get to see the resolution of Cho'gall's story, etc.

In FFXIV, Normal is canon. Everyone gets to see the "real" story. EX/Savage/Ultimate are not so much additional stories but reimaginings of how the fights took place to make things "spicier" for the Wandering Minstrel's audience. There's a little "how would things in the fight have been different if such-and-such had/hadn't happened" sometimes but that's as far as it goes so you're not actually missing out on anything other than performing the new fight mechanics.

It's not worth creating a story mode for it when it's not new story, only exaggeration of the original.

There's no way I'm spending hundreds of hours learning to play guitar and writing hit songs. I could accomplish any number of things in that time that would be far more personally fulfilling. It just feels really bad that there's some legitimately cool touring content out there - but casual people are just locked out of it. It actually feels so bad I might delete my spotify. It's been a long road for me since i was born but maybe the music just isn't for me anymore, probably just need to stick to books or something.

Normally I wouldn't use the "just watch it on youtube" line, but if you're literally only interested in story, that's a perfectly fine option. You get all that story.

Experiencing it as an actual part of the fight is a reward for putting in the time and effort. It enhances that experience, makes the encounter more epic. I'm strongly against the idea that effort shouldn't be rewarded with anything too nice because people who don't put in effort will want the reward too.

It's not like the game is lacking story either. You have countless hundreds of hours of Story, Quests and Lore in this game that's fully accessible to every player and you're sitting here saying you're going to cancel your sub because there's a few minutes worth that you can't access?

Dragonsong isnt even canon. Don't worry about it.

I don't care if it's canon or not. Previous ultimates were just boss rushes for the 1% to enjoy.

This one is far different in that it has a very well crafted alternate timeline with in-encounter storytelling on the level or better than Castrum Fluminis.

For SE to design something that's this cool but then to rope it off to the top 1% only and tell the rest they can watch it on youtube is not acceptable to me, it feels really really bad, and when I start feeling bad about a game I'm just going to delete it.

Haven't decided yet but I probably will just delete my account. I would like to stick around for the rest of Myths of the Realm but hey - I can just watch it on Youtube right?

I suppose you can if this is really the thing that makes you quit. Seems silly to me, but it's your time/money.

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Originally Posted by ameranth

Haven't decided yet but I probably will just delete my account. I would like to stick around for the rest of Myths of the Realm but hey - I can just watch it on Youtube right?

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You're right. You'll be able to just watch it on YouTube if you can't be bothered to do the raid. You won't need to be subscribed to get any of the game lore. It's all there for the general public who wants to know.

That's what I did for HW and the first half of SB when I had a crap computer that would be running at 3-5 FPS in group content. At first I was just avoiding optional content but I ended up stopping my progression of MSQ because I didn't like forcing others to carry me through the content. I still wanted to see the lore though so I watched YouTube to get the story. I didn't complain to SE that they needed to create a special story mode for the content.

Proclaiming you're going to hold your subscription status hostage over something so petty is pointless. It's not going to change anything.

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Originally Posted by ameranth

For SE to design something that's this cool but then to rope it off to the top 1% only and tell the rest they can watch it on youtube is not acceptable to me, it feels really really bad, and when I start feeling bad about a game I'm just going to delete it.

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You know what’s not acceptable to me? People unwilling to put in the time and effort to earn something demanding that they get it anyways. If the alternate non-canon timeline mattered that much to you—so much so that you’re saying you’ll delete your account if you are unable to experience it, which I don’t believe you’ll actually do—then you would put in the time and effort to earn the “reward”. Instead, you are saying that you shouldn’t be expected to put in either, and still get the reap the benefit of the content. If we want to discuss things that are unacceptable, that is what is unacceptable to me.

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Haven't decided yet but I probably will just delete my account. I would like to stick around for the rest of Myths of the Realm but hey - I can just watch it on Youtube right?

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Threatening to delete your account isn’t going to make the developers give you a Dragonsong Reprise story mode.

I doubt they'll do an easier mode, best you can do is watch a full run on youtube after this is finished.

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Originally Posted by ameranth

I don't care if it's canon or not. Previous ultimates were just boss rushes for the 1% to enjoy.

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I don't enjoy gathering or crafting and pretty much ignored the rebuilding of the Firmament.
I'm not going to ask the devs to roll back the servers to that period of time because I want to chat with Francel and get the Saint title.
Part of playing an MMO is accepting that not all content is meant for you and not begrudging others that reap the rewards from that content.

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Originally Posted by ameranth

There's no way I'm spending hundreds of hours clearing savage and doing an ultimate. I could accomplish any number of things in that time that would be far more personally fulfilling. It just feels really bad that there's some legitimately cool story content in there that sort of retells the earlier expansion events - but casual players are just locked out of it. It actually feels so bad I might delete my account. It's been a long road for me since 2013 but maybe the game just isn't for me anymore, probably just need to stick to single player stuff.

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You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity.