To all of you complaining about content nerfs, I got an important question for you:

[HurtigeKarl]

Did you got your relic weapon, beat CT and beat all Coil turns without ever consulting a website or youtube?

Did you learn all mechanics through your own analysis based on what you saw on your screen inside the game?

Back in the days, using outside sources such as the website gamefaqs to beat single player games or find out "secrets" was analogous to cheating.

Wikis and other websites "DUMB DOWN" current content by already handing you the answers to which the first groups were forced to learn on their own. If you are against SquareEnix dumbing down the old content, you better not be a hypocrite by dumbing down the content by using websites to get information you didn't manage to find out on your own through the game itself.

[ZDamned]

Yeah, I agree totally. I play without a Chat log because other plates dumb down everything I do once they start chatting with me.

[Doo]

Doing things without guides and videos is more fun but with mmos these days it doesn't work. When you don't know content you get raged on and everyone leaves after one or two tries. It's instant gratification or no deal.

[MomoOG]

Bit of an unfair comparison. MMO end game is heavily dependent on teamwork and so just figuring out blind doesn't work in most scenarios unless you can control the actions of others which in most situations you can't. If you show up trying to do an end game encounter blind, while others in party have experience or have watched video, they will kick you out. So the very nature of MMO end game forces in most cases for the player to "cheat" to some degree when compared to an old school single player game.

[HurtigeKarl]

Bit of an unfair comparison. MMO end game is heavily dependent on teamwork and so just figuring out blind doesn't work in most scenarios unless you can control the actions of others which in most situations you can't. If you show up trying to do an end game encounter blind while others in party have experience or have watched video they will kick you out. So the very nature of MMO end game forces in most cases for the player to "cheat" to some degree when compared to an old school single player game.

Sure, it take hard work and discipline to avoid dumbing down the content by using youtube or alike. The easy way is to simply take the shortcut. Among the few only people facing the content as it was meant to be faced are the organized groups that aim for a world 1st clear once new content is released.

I think it is acceptable that a group (usually around 8 people) as a unit tries to figure out a fight on their own, but going far more than that (which you do when you consult websites) is doing easy-mode dumbed-down version of the battle.

Edit:
Finding out how the battle works is a major aspect of the battle. Coil turn 5 is an excellent example of this, which is why many people cried about the Twisters. Execution is another major aspect (memorization and reaction time). People are taking the easy mode to skip the first aspect as much as possible. They are hypocrites if they start complaining about SquareEnix dumbing down the content further, when they happily were doing so on their own earlier.

[AnimaAnimus]

If you have a good fc figuring things out blindly is a ton of the fun behind any good mmo. If you want a free ride or just want a quick easy run then this does not work for you.

Wiki does not "dumb down" content by any means, just gives you strats. You still need to know your job, your combos, your spells, pay attn. to whats going on around you and all that to succeed. But when SE takes content and literally dumbs it down where none of the previous are needed it becomes boring. I build a relic from start to finish in 5 hrs and that is something that should never be on the table for what can be considered the "ultimate" weapon. Good King Mog was an easy fight, there was literally no reason to do anything to it. Titan too is not hard, you just need to pay attn. and know your job. There is nothing that is "too hard" in the current ffxiv. Heck most things are barely a challenge once you learn the patterns.

Ppl just want to complain about their personal schedules and want something fast. But I feel se should offer something for everyone, hardcore and casual. And dumbing down all content to fit just the casual or easy mode playerbase, like they currently have, is detrimental in the long run.

[File2ish]

...If you show up trying to do an end game encounter blind, while others in party have experience or have watched video, they will kick you out...

Not necessarily, at least some will help you learn it (like me, if I'm not the new one), or don't care as long as they eventually win (also like me). Other times no one even knows unless the new person states it or dies very early or clearly doesn't know a mechanic. At least in my case, and I may be a very lucky fellow in this regard; I've gone in blind to all of the duties and dungeons, I've never been kicked for "not knowing" the instance.

[HurtigeKarl]

If you have a good fc figuring things out blindly is a ton of the fun behind any good mmo. If you want a free ride or just want a quick easy run then this does not work for you.

Wiki does not "dumb down" content by any means, just gives you strats. You still need to know your job, your combos, your spells, pay attn. to whats going on around you and all that to succeed. But when SE takes content and literally dumbs it down where none of the previous are needed it becomes boring. I build a relic from start to finish in 5 hrs and that is something that should never be on the table for what can be considered the "ultimate" weapon. Good King Mog was an easy fight, there was literally no reason to do anything to it. Titan too is not hard, you just need to pay attn. and know your job. There is nothing that is "too hard" in the current ffxiv. Heck most things are barely a challenge once you learn the patterns.

Ppl just want to complain about their personal schedules and want something fast. But I feel se should offer something for everyone, hardcore and casual. And dumbing down all content to fit just the casual playerbase, like they currently have, is detrimental in the long run.

Finding out how the mechanics of the encounters work, is a major aspect of the battle. It is the actual part that relies on people using their intelligence rather than just reflexes and memorization. If anything, it is the only part that can be "dumbed down", because good reflexes and good memory isn't exactly intelligence.

[MomoOG]

Not necessarily, at least some will help you learn it (like me, if I'm not the new one), or don't care as long as they eventually win (also like me). Other times no one even knows unless the new person states it or dies very early or clearly doesn't know a mechanic. At least in my case, and I may be a very lucky fellow in this regard; I've gone in blind to all of the duties and dungeons, I've never been kicked for "not knowing" the instance.

I'm talking about end game content like EM or Coil.

[AnimaAnimus]

I wish they gave us actual mechanics and not just patterns. Its fine to have a boss do something specific say at 50% hp, but other than that its better if they use their abilities freely. That is what makes a good fight. The patterns are just the first part of dumbing the fights down, to do more just makes them silly.

As I said before wiki does not dumb anything down, just gives strats. You still need to know your job, even with patterns there are ppl who know so little about their job they cannot do it. Like the smn who uses no dots and just spams ruin2 or the whm who uses nothing but medica, or the brd who only uses heavy shot. These players are out there and they are the ones who are the most vocal and reason for further nerfs. Myself I like to go for new content with a FC and learn the fight before I look at anything. However with the current state of the game if you are unable to do so within the first couple days of content release and do not have a fc that is up to par or willing to do the content you need to at least watch a video cause you are not going to get a DF pt that will last more than a couple wipes.

Those of us who want more challenge need to start being more vocal and need to not bail after a wipe or two or this game is going to really turn into a snoozefest.