Let's Try A Positive Post...Best Expansion HUB?

I wanted to reach out to the community and ask: Which expansion’s endgame hub do you believe is/was the best, and why?

For those who may be new or need a reminder, I’m referring to the specific "gear hubs" (not the main capital cities with the Market Boards):

Mor Dhona (Revenant’s Toll): The original. It began as a small camp and literally transformed into a town as the 2.x patches progressed. Can anything surpass the nostalgia of the Rising Stones?

Idyllshire: Heavensward’s goblin-operated haven. It’s compact, you can ride your mounts everywhere, and it has that warm "rebuilding from ruins" atmosphere.

Rhalgr’s Reach: The Stormblood hub. It’s incredibly unique with the massive statue and the monk temple style, although I know some found it a bit too spread out.

Eulmore: Shadowbringers’ "City of Pleasure." Love it or dislike it, the bright colors and that distinctive Beehive music are unforgettable. Plus, having everything on one level is very convenient.

Radz-at-Han: Endwalker’s colorful gem. It’s likely one of the most vibrant cities we’ve ever seen, and the music is a total hit.

Solution Nine: The Dawntrail newcomer. Pure cyberpunk vibes. It feels entirely different from anything else in Eorzea, but is it too large? Or is the futuristic look exactly what we needed?

What stands out for you? Is it the convenience (how near the vendors are to the Aetheryte)? Is it the music? Or simply the overall vibe and where people prefer to AFK and showcase their glamours?

Rhalgers reach or Mor Dhona. You could use mounts in them back then. Ydilshire was too far away from everything.

I'm quite fond of Rhalgrs. It was a bit more spacious, but allowed you to chill in the water, or on your mount.

Radz-at-Han is a close second. Vibrant colors, and the BGM slaps hard.

I wanted to like S9 (i enjoy the aesthetic personally), but the BGM kills any desire I could have had to idle there for longer. Now if I mute the BGM and put on the CP2077 soundtrack, i become happy as a clam.

From a purely aesthetical point of view I'd choose Radz-at-Han. Unfortunately it also brings some bad memories with it (taking forever until you get the central teleport, which makes navigating the place 50% faster; and the overly stupid way they killed the Satrap while everybody else was suddenly moving in super slow motion).

The development of Mor Dhona sounds nice, but I haven't been around back then, so no fond memories for me.

In the end I'd choose Idyllshire. The place is beautiful in its own way, you can ride, and it has a nice feeling about it of different folks and people working together for a common goal.

Idyllshire also saw gradual development. They dropped this after HW.

Eulmore is the one for me, music and mood was great, pretty design

I do actually like Solution 9 the most surprisingly.
The music isn't as bombastic as Eulmore, it has much open space compared to Radz-at-Han and it's not as hidden away as Rhalgr’s Reach.

Second would be Mor Dhona because it feels really welcoming.
Last would be Idyllshire simply because of it's music.

I was going to run and post about my fav old hub that was Old Sharlayan, but then I re-read the title and it's actually Sol9 since I like the modern sci-fi city themes and Nexus Arcade is a good area to AFK.

Eulmore, because of the pole dancers (just kidding)
Probably Idyllshire, as theres actual weekly reasons for me to go there and im not forced to go by foot.

Eulmore for the ambiance/music. Also everything is pretty close together so not much running all over.

Honestly I kinda like them all equally for different reasons.

Mor Dhona’s gradual expansion, Idyllshire’s fun gobbie vibes, climbing the statues/pillars and diving into the water at Rhalgr’s Reach.

Eulmore had such a unique aesthetic and felt very developed storywise compared to its predecessors, likewise with Radz-at-Han.

Then we get to Solution 9 (or I missed one lol?), which feels like the biggest ‘endgame hub’ we’ve had. Though idk how it compares in term of actual ‘size’, just that it gives the illusion of ‘feeling big’ even though the ‘endgame’ job is localized entirely within a small room lol.

i like the main cities more. in pretty much every expansion xD

but i guess i like idyllshire and eulmore a little bit more than the rest. i guess mostly because of nostalgic feelings?

the last place would go to solution 9 dont like that aesthetic xD

Mor Dhona, without question.

I dont understand the need for positive posts in this defacto place for feedback, we already got reddit for uwu wholesome content... just go there i go there myself.

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Originally Posted by Minarisweet

I dont understand the need for positive posts in this defacto place for feedback, we already got reddit for uwu wholesome content... just go there i go there myself.

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Because positive feedback is also feedback about what players like, so they can do more of it?

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Originally Posted by ZephyrMenodora

Because positive feedback is also feedback about what players like, so they can do more of it?

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100% and well said Zephyr...thank you!

i like Eulmore, Aetheryte right next to the tome venders.

Rhalgr’s Reach.
It's not overly large/empty, there's interesting areas around, I like waterfalls, it has a FC chest which is huge.. uhm... I like open spaces I guess. I think all cities should have a FC chest. (I'd say if Limsa wasn't the only place you can world travel from, my main area would be Kugane/Rhalgr's Reach. For some reason only these two have FC chests???)

Radz was abit too colorful for me. It was convenient though and music was abit of an earworm. I lost count of how many times I went to the wrong corridor..
Same with Eulmore abit too colorful, though I really loved the uhm tables area! I'd love more places with roses etc.. (though kinda ruined by the guy wasted at the bar RIP) I'd say Eulmore was most efficient, everything was within reach...
Solution 9 is abit too big/empty aside from the hub itself and the arcadion area...and abit too sci-fi for me.

I like mor dhona, Idyllshire and rhalgrs reach the most

Mor Dhona is my favorite. Great music, great atmosphere, and I'm a sucker for when a MMO gradually builds up an area. Nothing can surpass the Nostalgia of the Rising Stones, and it has the Crystal Tower in the background for extra Final Fantasy nostalgia points. I hope it somehow becomes an expansion hub again or at least stays the home of the Scions.

Idyllshire is okay, but the goblin steampunk elements aren't my vibe, and I have to admit, the music there kind of grates on my nerves.

Rhalgr's Reach has a cool layout, good music, but I just don't prefer dusty areas.

Eulmore is ugly. I hate tacky opulence, although it did drive the story-point home.

The layout of Radz-at-Han is weird, and it doesn't really feel like a "city" to me. I like the music there but can only tolerate it in small doses.

Solution Nine is probably my least favorite. I don't mind some technology in my Final Fantasy, but this place just seems off to me. It seems completely disconnected for me from the world, which is maybe what they were going for, but I don't like it.

Revenant's Toll is good and I like that it's seamlessly integrated into Mor Dhona. The gold standard.

Idyllshire is the worst one full stop, I love Soken but I cannot STAND the Heavensward settlement music, it's beyond annoying. Pretty boring place too.

Rhalgr's Reach is really the definition of mid. It's just fine I suppose.

Eulmore is the best. Good aesthetic, good music, no real wasted space. Only one to surpass RT.

Radz-at-han is way too big and empty plus the boisterous music with all absurdly vibrant clashing colors make it massive sensory overload. Awful. Only barely better than Idyllshire because I can stomach it without setting my BGM to 0.

Solution Nine is... weird. It's okay, I suppose. The music is cozy and the vibe and aesthetic are fine but it really doesn't feel "Final Fantasy" to me at all. It's more Phantasy Star adjacent than Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy often has high tech weaved into the setting but nothing even close to the level of S9 and even when they DO work in tech elements it always blends seamlessly with the fantasy, S9 meanwhile is just futuristic tech with zero fantasy elements.

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Originally Posted by ZephyrMenodora

Because positive feedback is also feedback about what players like, so they can do more of it?

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These positive posts are never a way to give positive feedback though, its always positivity for the sake of contrarianism. I've seen a few posts highlighting the good things done in an especific patch and those are definitely good examples of positive feedback, this one is not.

Since I like to roam the land, walk/run/fly around on my own, and prefer to not teleport (or take equivalent fast travel options) if I can't help it, that just really leaves Mor Dhona as the sole possible answer. After all, you can (and I generally do when I'm in the area) walk there from two of the starting cities and kinda from Ishgard.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Minarisweet

These positive posts are never a way to give positive feedback though, its always positivity for the sake of contrarianism. I've seen a few posts highlighting the good things done in an especific patch and those are definitely good examples of positive feedback, this one is not.

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Aren't you in this thread to be contrarian? You can just skip these threads, it even warns you in the title it's a positive thread. There aren't even that many of them.

You haven't bothered to participate in the actual topic, after all.

Idyllshire has been my go to for years for convenience. I think Old Sharlayan might be my actual favorite based on vibes. The overall enviroment is nice and love both the night and day theme.

Rhalgar's Reach.

I liked Eulmore a lot. The Layout was efficient.

I liked Eulmore too, the design of the place was pretty stylish. Only complained would be the times when it transitioned to daytime, the music's first few seconds really hurts my ears.

Mor Dhona, because it is the hub for classic adventure.

A hub without being able to use mounts has been and will always be LAME AS HELL! Especially when the hub zone has parked vehicles sitting all over the place.

It will always be Mor Dhona for me. I will always go there to exchange my discontinue tomestones. For the sake of visiting the place that I like most.

Idyllshire functionally, it has stuff to do there that'll keep you coming back to it (Faux Hollows/Wondrous Tails/2 Delivery clients), and you can ride mounts.
Aesthetically I honestly enjoy hanging around Solution Nine quite a bit

Sharlayan at night.
The music just hits a vibe.