It's become a chore to even log on to the game

[Zantetsuken]

Not gonna happen, these forums will explode if they do that

Its not that difficult.

Ease them in slowly.. make the content 'optional' for a while... but interesting and rewarding.

Start cutting the 'flashiness' (glows, radical weapon designs, etc) out of the vertical grind stuff and instead add it to the difficult-to-obtain horizontal content.

Make alternate iLvl >95 gear that gives buffs to certain abilities like 1.23 AF, or has procs -- like 1.23 primal weapons had. But it needs to be more challenging to obtain than grind/rinse/repeat.. or memorize boss pattern. There needs to be some RNG to it *evilgrin* and it needs to cover a wide spectrum of gameplay. The point is the players don't HAVE to pursue it, and the more challenging it is, the more prestigious the items will be for those who obtain them.

People will work for items if they are interesting and rare, if not necessarily the most powerful. For a clear example, watch people flock to Odin or Behemoth FATEs to get worthless iLvl50 gear/bardings/furnishings. It's the RARITY that attracts them to it... The devs just need to harness this interest and energy and incorporate it into endgame.



Back in FFXI, relics were a total pain to obtain.. I never got one, but I enjoyed seeing other players with them as they proved it could be done... it was a far-fetched dream that made the player think that there was a vast ceiling for growth in the game, a way to 'touch the sky', even if they personally never reached it. <--- That is what ARR is missing right now. **

Instead we have growth gated by patches. And that gets old fast.


**Not to get too political/philosophical... But what we are seeing in ARR is a clear demonstration of the differences between 'Freedom' and 'Equality'. ARR is a game bent towards 'Equality'. Though many people like the idea of 'Equality' and pay it lip-service - in reality, 'Equality' is stifling and it oppresses in order to achieve equilibrium.

'Freedom' on the other hand, allows potential to be realized. It opens the doors and allows dreamers to go as far and as high as their effort, talent, persistence and dedication will fuel them - as a result, there will always be disparity between those who pursue their goals and those who settle for less. Note that those who would champion Freedom must be free of Envy -- because Envy is the the path that leads away from Freedom and towards Equality.