A Request for Challenging Content

I think something we could really use in FFXIV is truly challenging content. This does not entail time spent waiting for a spawn but rather something that requires true player skill to beat. Maybe the future battle changes will remedy this but our current content is far too easy. I'm not asking for this to be implemented immediately but I'd like to see them try to keep challenge in mind when designing future content.

Things like bosses, NMs, story quests and dungeons should be challenging for players in the rank they are intended for.

Especially for endgame content, things like this should require a full group of 8 and should really test your skill and endurance as a player. Your group should have to have a plan and be well coordinated to win. There should be difficult, down to the minute fights that have you on the edge of your seat. Challenging content like this is extremely satisfying to overcome and most importantly, it's fun. Afterwards you have a sense of accomplishment.

This doesn't necessarily all have to be about stat values and straight fighting, unique content can also be challenging. A fight that forces you to constantly adapt to a changing situation is challenging. A fight that requires you to use something other than traditional battle tactics can be challenging.

An example of a fight that is unique, fun and challenging is the Jhen Moran fight from Monster Hunter (when you're not obnoxiously high rank). You're on a boat, this monster follows alongside the boat and moves around and attacks from a range.

You have to be mindful of what it is doing at all times as it's attacks are incredibly powerful and if you don't know what you're doing you will die quickly. It can ram the boat, to stop it you have to hit a gong as it is sensitive to loud sounds. When it's out of reach you have to man the ballista on the side of the boat and shoot at it. When it comes close enough to the boat you can jump over onto its back and do some serious damage but you have to jump back to the boat before time runs out. When it makes it's final approach before the second phase someone has to use the Dragonator with precise timing to pierce it's chest as it jumps at the boat. The second phase is a straight fight and usually comes down to the minute, your team is giving it their all to get the kill.

Something like that requires team coordination, proper timing and makes you adapt to a constantly changing situation. When you beat it, especially for the first time, you have a real feeling of accomplishment.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...1612#post91612

This is a request I doubt will be granted, SE has concerns far bigger than having "Challenging" content at the moment, and battle changes could throw everything in dissaray if they made anything "Challenging" right now.

Wait for the combat balances to be finished, then you can try asking for new content. Otherwise I suggest you take a well deserved break from the game for a while because the games not going to cater to you for a good while still.

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Originally Posted by BloodLotus

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...1612#post91612

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That's referring specifically to story-line content. I'm just speaking in general, for all battle-related content.

Believe me Jynx, I know they have larger concerns. I never said I wanted it right now, but eventually. Keep this in mind when designing new content and all that.

I'm fine with the content as it is, I love the game don't get me wrong. I just want to see some more challenging stuff in the future.

Well it's obviously in the cards if the game is to do well at any point in time. I just think it's premature to even be speculating on what it could/should be.

opened a similiar thread without much succes here:
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ics-Yes-Please

.. i'd like to hear more opinion .. up it if you can :D

Right, that's kind of what I'm talking about. Challenging and unique battles are far more fun and interesting than assured victory and not having to think.

If my memory does not fails me , aion had a mechanics were you could do dungeons from X-Y level. Then it was unaccessible for you . I think.

Anyways they were used to rank up and had a reset timer.

I like it.It was fun.

\signed.

Very little is challenging in this game atm, makes it quite a bit harder for me to log in. Still working on my build a little ... but that will be done soon.

I do agree with Jynx, and I feel that they are focusing on much larger flaws in game design vs content and perfectly balancing a raid encounter to push one's limits.

NMs are completely useless to any caster for drops ... I think they need to address that major hole in the NM loot tables. makes boring even less attractive when there is zero progression.

Challenging (or better, complex) content comes always after simple content in the development of a MMORPG, because in the first months the battle system gets always honed/finalyzed/rebalanced the most, and simple content works much better as "one size fits all".

It worked like that in FFXI, it works like that in FFXIV, it works like that in basically any and every MMORPG out there.

Otherwise you get "challenging" content like the initial raid bosses from Age of Conan, that were released right off the bat with relatively complex combat mechanics, and ended up being extensively exploitable and bugged to hell for several months after release. From being oneshotted by a certain skill, to changes in the battle systems that completely nulled the challenge for a while, and tens of glitches that made them absolutely unenjoyable and easymode.

I agree, but that said I really think we should just wait and not let them rush too much. I know it takes long and I rather have more content yesterday than tomorrow, but rushing them is not going to work either.

That said, I really would like to see challenging stuff, hard fights with lots of tactics involved where are the classes can get involved and play a big part in the encounter. However, I seriously do not want this to be a time-sink like in FFXI.

I would love fights that take 3 hours ... as long as I do not have to wait 3 hours for it to even spawn.

In short:
Hard challenging fights: YES
Time-sink spawns like in FFXI: NO

I do not consider Dynamis, Limbus and so a time-sink. I am really only talking about sitting there waiting for a spawn for 3 hours only to see someone else claim it. As long as they do not add that they can make it as hard as Absolute Virtue and I would not say a word about it ...

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Originally Posted by Abriael

Challenging (or better, complex) content comes always after simple content in the development of a MMORPG, because in the first months the battle system gets always honed/finalyzed/rebalanced the most, and simple content works much better as "one size fits all".

It worked like that in FFXI, it works like that in FFXIV, it works like that in basically any and every MMORPG out there.

Otherwise you get "challenging" content like the initial raid bosses from Age of Conan, that were released right off the bat with relatively complex combat mechanics, and ended up being extensively exploitable and bugged to hell for several months after release. From being oneshotted by a certain skill, to changes in the battle systems that completely nulled the challenge for a while, and tens of glitches that made them absolutely unenjoyable and easymode.

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oh god dont remind me lol.

My LS is really craving a challenge as well. It would be nice to have at least one serious raid mob.

From the SE dev post its sounds like we'll get:
1)battle adjustments and then raids (prob in that order doubtful same patch)
2)More storyline quests geared towards party play
3)Ishgard, which will probably add more storyline quests since our nation's will make us go to Ishgard, like FFXI rank 2 or 3 made you go to Jeuno, and then you heard the rumor about the "airship pass", stuff like that, seeing this being september 2011 or later.

/signed...give me that edge of my seat/life or death feeling during battle please

it's seem the battle would be added in 1.18 for my understanding which mean by 1.19 or 1.20 this game should be pretty good to play if they don't fix this by july/june i don't see this game going far.

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Originally Posted by Naylia

/signed...give me that edge of my seat/life or death feeling during battle please

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That's what I'm talking about! I want to go into fights like this not knowing 100% that we'll win, knowing that we have to give it our all to reach the goal.