Has SE mentioned anything about giving us a reason to explore in ARR?

[KamikazeMan]

I don't know why other people explore, but I like having a reason to explore beyond just sightseeing like a tourist. I like being able to uncover new areas not on the map, finding small treasures (valuable or not), maybe discovering secret caves, a mini game, new enemies, etc. In ARR, the zones are just hub for quests and offer absolutely no reason to go beyond filling up your map. Even the original 1.0 gave a reason to explore....like discovering the stronghold bosses for the first time, or finding NMs and even the world NMs.

[CrystalRainbow]

Same reason to go walk in the park. Something to do.
No everything need a reason other then that.

[Johnist]

Beautiful scenery, XP, and some rare fishing spots...

[KamikazeMan]

Give us a reason to explore? Sounds like a fetch quest in the making. Listen... if u want to explore or anyone for the that matter don't need any lofty goal or mission to do so. Go explore or dont. Nothing SE does prevents anyone from doing that now.

Achievement Log shows that you gain experience points for uncovering all locations on a map.

I saved all of them for level 48 and I practically hit 50 while doing this. it was also really rewarding to go see everything.

Same reason to go walk in the park. Something to do.
No everything need a reason other then that.

You guys are missing the point of my post. I'm not talking about just the sightseeing aspect of exploring....but the discovery and rewarding aspects as well. Perhaps I should have clarified that.

[KamikazeMan]

Ok, here is a great example of what I mean:

You're wandering around Eorzea and you come across a new zone. You run to the hub with levequests and enjoy the sight along the way. You might do a FATE or two or stop to fish for a bit. After doing a few leves, you move on because by then, the entire area is uncovered on your map. However, what if you had a reason to go 200 yalms out of your way to check what is behind some big rock to the east? With the way things work now, you won't find anything at all. However, what if you discover a chest that contains a vanity item, or a hidden entrance to a small cave and at the end of that cave there is maybe a cool ring for you to use or books that go into detail about the lore regarding that cave or zone you're in? The cave is unmarked on your map and you have no way of knowing it's there unless you go out of your way to explore and uncover it...unless friends tell you or you look it up online, of course, lol.

As things stand now, once your map is filled, you've practically explored the entire area. You won't find anything new beyond fishing spots or gathering points and have little reason to return once you finish your gathering log in the zone unless it's to FATE grind with other classes or friends.

[Taruranto]

The problem is that the world is so small and cramped that It barely feels like exploring... nothing like discovering the Manaclipper and getting to Purgonorgo in XI.

[Versiroth]

You needed a reason? I haven't reached level 50 yet and I have every single bit of the entire world map explored already.

[Teleniel]

You do get XP for finding new areas for your map (relative to your current job level), as well as an achievement for mapping all of a zone. Really what more did you want?

[KamikazeMan]

-snip-

EXP and achievements are silly rewards to give players that DON'T want to explore, lol. Those are for people that just want to have a nice and high achievement score and look for any means of gaining exp to level up. I want to find hidden areas, hidden lore information, hidden treasures (valuable or not), hidden NPCs, hidden enemies, etc.

-snip-.

And that's the problem. All you have to do is run around and the map is fully unlocked for you, lol. After that, there is really VERY little reason to go back to older zones to explore because once the map fills up, there is nothing else to explore. No hidden areas, no hidden trinkets, no treasures stowed away under a pile of rocks, no hidden lore items.....nothing. Zip. Nada. The only reason to visit old zones is for FATE grinding, leves, and gathering.

[KikInperi]

You do get XP for finding new areas for your map (relative to your current job level), as well as an achievement for mapping all of a zone. Really what more did you want?

Scroll up like two posts... he goes into detail about what more he wants....

Personally, I enjoyed getting to all the aetherial gates in 1.0. You had to master monster aggro mechanics, pray for it to rain, walk slowly by giant crabs you didn't really see anywhere else in the game, all the while taking in some BREATHTAKING views (all of the la noscea ones) and praying the lvl 99 one-shot-kill-you-with-a-ranged-attack wyverns didn't see you. It was fun as hell, and I miss it so much.