Exploratory Zones - Do you hope they make a comeback in 7.x?

I was always a rather massive fan of Eureka (yes even Pagos), and I loved doing the Duels and CE's in Bozja/Zadnor. And the optional 48man raids are some of the most chaotic fun I have had in the game in ages.

So when it came to Endwalker and they decided they would not be continuing the Exploratory Zone system for relics and instead opting for currency/content grind again like Anima I was rather disappointed.

But that made me curious, how do other people in the community feel... do you guys hope a return to that era of farming NMs/CEs and duel cheesing to get your fancy title? Or do you prefer the return to the old ways of currency grind and deep dungeons/other content instead of a new Exploratory Zone?

Definitely not expecting much from this relic chase but running old content and tome/item/light farming. Loved Eureka and Bozja but people wanted a change and we're getting it.

Would like this to happen.

I only hope they come back much improved. Things like FATE sniping soured the experience last time around.

Yes, please.

I liked the idea of it, but would like it more if the grind was half as long. You hit a point where you'd already done the same circuit of skirmishes over and over and had no choice but to keep doing it rather than moving on to the next chapter of the story.

I would rather have more criterion dungeons, a deep dungeon and a separate relic quest. The relic quest should start earlier though.

I love Exploratory missions and would like more.

I would also like relic quests to start one patch earlier into the expansion too.

I'd rather they designed the regular overworld more like exploratory zones. That would give them more life and purpose than being a backstage for the MSQ.

Depends...

If they can innovate on it enough then that is perfectly find, and I would like to see them make a comeback. However, if they cannot then I don't want to see it make a return. I would like to see the contact actively improved upon and not just a quota.

Unpopular opinion it seems, but uhh, no? I really prefer the Endwalker way of doing things. Not a fan of Eureka or Bozja, at all, but I also never got to try them while they were current so maybe Id feel differently.

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Originally Posted by LaylaTsarra

...old content and tome/item/light farming.

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Unironically yes please.

So long as they don't try to artificially prop them up by tying the relic questline to them, I don't care what they do with them. I prefer a relic questline that gives you a variety of options. If there is new content designed for it, then I'd prefer it's more like Variant/Criterion or POTD that doesn't take you away from the rest of the game for entire nights at a time. This also helps the relic questline not be front loaded where if you didn't get there early then you aren't finishing it.

I'll try new exploratory zones if they put them out again and if they're not my cup of tea, then I can leave them to those who like that content. And if they don't have to try to please both the players that like that content and those forced there just for a shiny, then they can design the content specifically to be pleasing to those who like it.

While I would hope that we wouldn't have to sacrifice content in this game just for the sake of other types of content, sadly, it appears that they would rather put out the absolute minimum that they can.

Since it seems that they can't "spare any expense" going forward, or develop more than one type of content, I'd prefer another exploratory zone over the absolute failure that was criterion dungeon and island sanctuary.

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Originally Posted by MisterNublet

While I would hope that we wouldn't have to sacrifice content in this game just for the sake of other types of content, sadly, it appears that they would rather put out the absolute minimum that they can.

Since it seems that they can't "spare any expense" going forward, or develop more than one type of content, I'd prefer another exploratory zone over the absolute failure that was criterion dungeon and island sanctuary.

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it's another aveyond alt! :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by MisterNublet

While I would hope that we wouldn't have to sacrifice content in this game just for the sake of other types of content, sadly, it appears that they would rather put out the absolute minimum that they can.

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I can wholly agree on this point, it would be nice if they wouldn't need to sacrifice and substitute so much. Granted, it just isn't that simple anyway.

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I'd prefer another exploratory zone over the absolute failure that was criterion dungeon and island sanctuary.

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Personally, though, this is where I start to disagree, you aren't really accomplishing much in the long run for the development, nor the health of the game if you're more concerned with hitting a content quota, e.g., every expansion MUST have a deep dungeon and exploratory zone.

It eventually gets tiring, and to be frank, there is nothing in exploratory zones that they cannot do, or that they shouldn't be doing already in the open world. I would have liked to see the mechanics of exploratory zones as a more integral feature of the 'open world' content, that is to say I would like to see critical engagements in Thavnair, for example.

Further, it's worth keeping in mind that it took an exorbitant amount of time to 'refine' exploratory content, arguably nigh on 2 expansions worth. A lot of people forget just how barebones Anemos, Pagos and Pyros were in the grand scheme of things.

This is to say, that I think content such as Criterion Dungeon and Island Sanctuary should be given as much time to refine itself, as to what we effectively gave other areas of content.

That said, and to conclude, I think they should be looking to deviate from their comfort zone, not stick within it.

As long as we never see anything like Pagos again.

I remind those who think content was cut this expansion to recall that they likely had so much hands tied this time around with 7.0 and upgrades and XVI.

As for Exploration Zones. I'd love it if it had alot of Community Cooperation like Eureka Currently has[with at least a increase in waiting, dk if it regressed since the last time I was there to grind]
With Variable Difficulty, so the content can be cleared, but much more efficient and beneficial for those with higher difficulty itches.

as I commented before, and in the other content thread.
If people could live/interact with the outside world within.
I definitely would.[timer increase, Voting for/against Instance Locking, and Convenience NPCS(Ret/Mail) and access to saddlebags.]

I would hope they make all content be inter-progressable.
Just like some think we may have a Fate Farm this expac<Hoping for Shb/EW>
[but it would be alot to clarify, as it goes into Relics only. or Bicolor vouchers. so I'll leave it there]

I do not believe this will drown out any other content, as far as I can see, CBUIII had their Dev Resources Split Heavily recently into non-XIV related things.

[Though an Excessive Hope/Cope of mine would be, that we may receive and have new Variations of Exp-Zones emerge.]

Yes.

Eureka Pre-Echo difficulty.

Something that will last for two patches per zone of content.

The zone content of bozja didnt really excite me, neither did the lost action system or the resistance level stuff. Delubrum, castrum and dalriada were alright raids but to me they would have been better without the exploratory zone shell.

Honestly if they implemented some of the features of the Exploratory Zones into open world content like the solo duels for fancy rewards and Critical Engagements, as well as more Eureka style Notorious Monster fates in 7.0 I would love it and be fine not seeing more Eureka/Bozja-esque content.

But I doubt they would liven up the actual open world that much unfortunately...

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Originally Posted by Deveryn

it's another aveyond alt! :rolleyes:

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Who are you?

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Originally Posted by Kaurhz

Personally, though, this is where I start to disagree, you aren't really accomplishing much in the long run for the development, nor the health of the game if you're more concerned with hitting a content quota, e.g., every expansion MUST have a deep dungeon and exploratory zone.

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I was initially quite alright receiving other types of content in lieu of another exploratory zone. Given hope that the content would hold my interests and attention just as long as the exploratory zones did. Spoiler: They didn't.

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I would like to see critical engagements in Thavnair, for example.

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I believe it has something to do with scaling issues in the open world. Just take a look at hunt trains as an example and how quick they're obliterated.

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Further, it's worth keeping in mind that it took an exorbitant amount of time to 'refine' exploratory content, arguably nigh on 2 expansions worth. A lot of people forget just how barebones Anemos, Pagos and Pyros were in the grand scheme of things.

This is to say, that I think content such as Criterion Dungeon and Island Sanctuary should be given as much time to refine itself, as to what we effectively gave other areas of content.

That said, and to conclude, I think they should be looking to deviate from their comfort zone, not stick within it.

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They've already been designing dungeons for a decade now. Criterion dungeon is literally just a harder dungeon with a rez modifier. The only remotely interesting thing it had was pathing mobs in one room. Literally could have given it weekly random modifiers, rotating weekly bosses... something. They had me fooled with the variant dungeon thinking there was going to be different paths in Criterion. Couldn't have been more disappointed.

Island Sanctuary looks, plays, and feels like someone's pet project that they did on the side during off the clock hours. Not something that was announced as a major feature for an expansion. One major patch later and all they could add was a numbers change (+2 levels) and some glam. They have the system in place with landmarks if they ever wanna rip off Wildstar's housing plugin system with nodes that lets you do games and puzzles. But it was designed to be ignored, so I have no hope that they'll ever add anything remotely redeemable to it.
Quite frankly, the next few major patches better rock this game with its content, because what they're putting out right now with the increased developer time between patches is hilariously awful. They had an excuse with Shadowbringers, they don't with Endwalker. And they're going to have a hard time getting anyone to have any interest in the next expansion if this is what they have to look forward to.

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Originally Posted by MisterNublet

Who are you?

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Someone who smells the BS a mile away. You're quick to call things a failure because you personally don't like them. It reminds me (and apparently a few others so far) of a certain forum troll.

It depends on how they go about it. I personally enjoyed everyone in Eureka coordinating to prep and take down NMs much more than grinding the same handful of FATEs in Bozja, but I know a lot of people feel the opposite. Perhaps they could combine some aspects of both? Although to be honest I think I'd probably prefer if they skip these special instanced zones entirely and make the regular zones more alive and interesting instead.

I've heard some people liked Eureka/Bozja. I'm of the opinion that anything that takes development resources away from "content" that boils down to FATE farming is a good thing. Maybe they can improve upon it in 7.0. If I hear that it's FATE farming plus some extras, I'd rather they not. I had my fill of FATE grinding years ago. Doing a gajillion FATEs isn't fun.

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Originally Posted by Deveryn

Someone who smells the BS a mile away.

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You should pop a breath mint then. Eating up what SE is serving isn't gonna get you that invite to meet Yoshi-P himself like you think it will.

I don't want to do FATEs again. It's just a cheap grind and it's boring. The only fun I get out of that is resurrecting people that somehow die from them.

honestly, i would be happy if no more exploration zones got added. but if they do get added i won't shed any tears, i just won't do them lol. for relics i defs prefer the arr/hw template.

Im sure theyll come back later. Or at least as long as people keep asking for it since I wouldve just said "of course, theyre just taking a break from it this expansion" but I was surprised to learn thay they werent planning anymore deep dungeon content after HnH until the fans kept requesting for more.

I hope they make a return, even if it's not for a relic grind.

Kind of, they are fun for a while but the reality settles in pretty quickly that they are just FATE grinds.

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Originally Posted by SieyaM

Kind of, they are fun for a while but the reality settles in pretty quickly that they are just FATE grinds.

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Yee, they definitely need an upgrade. I don't mind the FATEs themselves, but they can be so much more :s

They seem like a cool concept for Square to treat as a sandbox for further gimmicks and experiment with concepts too

I would like to see exploratory zones that match OG FF11's brand of unforgiving encounters and environmental hazards. Just, you know, not like Pagos. Pagos took the worst parts of FF11 and somehow actually made them suck even more.

Yes please. Island Sweatshop and a copy pasted PotD isn't enough. V/C dungeons have unused potential but even if it was realized, I don't think it would be enough either. Unless they make something else that's new to fill the void, we will need something like an exploratory zone next expac. It also should be released far earlier than usual. x.25 or x.35 is too late in the expansion. I think x.15 or at least x.2 is more acceptable, and the zones can expand over the course of the expac as usual.

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Originally Posted by Absimiliard

Pagos took the worst parts of FF11 and somehow actually made them suck even more.

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Pagos is hell when it freezes over.

I really dont care if they do or dont.
But if they do, I hope whatever it is will be fun. Because thats all that matters.

Here is to hoping they learn from everything good and Bad they did with Both Eureka & Bozja.