Why PvP could (but won't) help solve the content drought

A quick browse of the General Discussion board and Reddit has a recurring theme since PLL84. Nobody seems happy about the amount of content in the game.

Good (and bad) news, everyone! PvP can address this problem.

Much of the content in this game lacks repeatability. As a result, players are constantly (and rightly) clamoring for new content. Most seem consistently disappointed.

One of the few modes that has unlimited repeatability is PvP. Many of you reading this likely put in tens of hours a week into FL or CC, while doing very little else.

Rather than trying to channel casuals into becoming high-end raiders, SQEX could address the content issue by improving PvP. Actually adjust balance more than once every couple of years, add new maps, objectives. Even new modes. Make PvP better!

But I doubt they will.

Yeah I appreciate the thought, and I can see how it can be a solution for some, but as someone that get frustrated very fast by both frontlines and CC (for different reasons), I strongly disagree. The same way you can't make most non-raiders raiders by making more raids, you won't make a non pvp enjoyer like pvp by changing it. For the people that like pvp, it's probably alreay the solution (or it would with some moderation), but I doubt it can become a global solution. The only solution to content drought is to stop the drought. As long as we go for the "one to palliate the lack of the other" solution, we all loose at the end.

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Originally Posted by CNitsah

Yeah I appreciate the thought, and I can see how it can be a solution for some, but as someone that get frustrated very fast by both frontlines and CC (for different reasons), I strongly disagree. The same way you can't make most non-raiders raiders by making more raids, you won't make a non pvp enjoyer like pvp by changing it. For the people that like pvp, it's probably alreay the solution (or it would with some moderation), but I doubt it can become a global solution. The only solution to content drought is to stop the drought. As long as we go for the "one to palliate the lack of the other" solution, we all loose at the end.

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I understand that this isn't a global solution; some people don't like any form of PvP and that is absolutely fine. But I'd suggest the lack of attention given to PvP may well be why you find the current modes frustrating.

At the very least, the limited resources devoted by SQEX to PvP suggests to me it has considerable scope to get better and attract a far wider community than it currently does.

I wonder if pvp could also provide more long term goals things to work toward than mere goodies (pvp series, achievements, and wolf marks). Like perhaps gearing alternatives. In before the pve aficionados barge in and start malding about how obtaining gear for another type of content than the one you run isn't fair... which is a legit take tbh but I don't know. The game really lacks gearing alternatives, whether it's for alts, for better and more flexible substat builds, or just for MMO progression.

On the maps, to be fair, they really seemed to have improved Cloud 9, and perhaps Red Sands but I'll reserve my judgement on that one until I play it. Remains to see what they're doing with Secure...

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Originally Posted by Valence

I wonder if pvp could also provide more long term goals things to work toward than mere goodies (pvp series, achievements, and wolf marks). Like perhaps gearing alternatives. In before the pve aficionados barge in and start malding about how obtaining gear for another type of content than the one you run isn't fair... which is a legit take tbh but I don't know. The game really lacks gearing alternatives, whether it's for alts, for better and more flexible substat builds, or just for MMO progression.

On the maps, to be fair, they really seemed to have improved Cloud 9, and perhaps Red Sands but I'll reserve my judgement on that one until I play it. Remains to see what they're doing with Secure...

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Interesting thought. Clearly there'd be howls if PvP gave unique gear, but maybe as a parallel path to current PvE methods. Although it all becomes glam after a few months anyway, I guess.

I always worry though, that any new ideas that provide desirable stuff immediately gets blasted by the FOMO crowd who want the stuff, but not the effort of playing PvP. And I like the fact that all gearing is equal within current PvP. That said, I'd likely be interested in a mode in which competing allowed you to gear up. But that doesn't seem likely.

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Originally Posted by Mawlzy

Rather than trying to channel casuals into becoming high-end raiders, SQEX could address the content issue by improving PvP. Actually adjust balance more than once every couple of years, add new maps, objectives. Even new modes. Make PvP better!

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They have been doing so. It may not be as much as what the pve counterpart gets. It may be once an expansion that they give us things, but they give us things. I do wish it's more that we can get in an expansion, but I won't complain since we're getting something at least. I think we won't have a problem coming up with new modes.

My main concern is the devs snatching maps and modes. It feels as though we have little to work with, because since Stormblood we only had frontlines, rival wings, and a competitive mode. That formula has not changed for the past 3 expansions despite going through a calamity.
I would like better balance when it comes to the 3 current modes that we have. I would like pvp to have better options when it comes to doing custom matches. However, I don't want things deleted either. They can make the modes they don't want to promote a custom set-up only instead of outright deleting them. It would be nice to actually experience the Fold instead of having to go into New Game plus and reload post Heavensward just to see how well I can push my current class in the competition between Eoreza and Ishgard.

Agreed wholeheartedly. Endwalker was a much better expansion for people who got into CC in some significant way.

I know Yoshi-P is passionate about it, he joins in on community scrims on JP, but it all comes down to them being stretched extremely thin and not committing to getting a dedicated PvP team like they've promised.

What is the plan for square enix to address the rampant scripting/boting/cheating issue ?

This goes for all content not only pvp, we have a massive cheating issue in 14.

Anyone ?

I might have more motivation to join PvP (especially Crystal Conflict) if the ranking system wasnt so terrible for anything but crystal
+ lack of any communication or strategization.

Playing jojo in lower ranks untill you get a lucky streak just is not fun.
As it is, newbies are completly gated out of ranked.

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Originally Posted by FROSTEDFLAKE

What is the plan for square enix to address the rampant scripting/boting/cheating issue ?

This goes for all content not only pvp, we have a massive cheating issue in 14.

Anyone ?

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Primarily it'll be left to the players. It's an area where Discord servers could help a lot since they can pool data.

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Originally Posted by Malganis_L

I might have more motivation to join PvP (especially Crystal Conflict) if the ranking system wasnt so terrible for anything but crystal
+ lack of any communication or strategization.

Playing jojo in lower ranks untill you get a lucky streak just is not fun.
As it is, newbies are completly gated out of ranked.

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They really should just delete the whole star system, put in points from get go and potentially streak bonuses until higher ranks. Also have heavier weighting for point gain/loss based on team skill differences. What's the point of having a variable if it's like +/- 2 points out of 100?

As for the main topic, PvP along with other non-deterministic repeating content like Mahjong could easily fill downtime between patches if it was actually taken care of. Expanding the rewards to include more of the player base would help a lot.

If you could reasonably gear your alts and have something huge behind a massive grind would be good start. Now both less PvP oriented players and long time contenders would have something to keep them playing.

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Originally Posted by Malganis_L

I might have more motivation to join PvP (especially Crystal Conflict) if the ranking system wasnt so terrible for anything but crystal
+ lack of any communication or strategization.

Playing jojo in lower ranks untill you get a lucky streak just is not fun.
As it is, newbies are completly gated out of ranked.

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Yes, it is frustrating if you manage to get one or two victories only to lose the next five matches. And if you don't have enough luck to rank up within the first few weeks you have no chance eiter because the mode is dead from there on.