Why is FFXIV considered to be so hard/hardcore?

[Marael]

Personally, I avoid the so-called "hardcore content" in this game simply because I have played hardcore content in other games and hated every minute of it. I've headed endgame guilds in other games, which, for the record, always seems to be like babysitting a bunch of spoiled children who will never get along with each other, can never agree on anything, will fight with each other at every opportunity, and create the most ridiculous, pointless drama out of nothing. That, in a nutshell, is my experience with endgame in EVERY other MMO I have EVER played. I really dislike endgame drama, and I have seen more than my fair share of it in several different games. I'm really sick of people freaking out over little mistakes and demanding perfection, people fighting over who gets what loot, etc etc etc. I absolutely hate using voice chat, for my own reasons, and yet, as the years go by, fewer and fewer people are willing to play with anyone who doesn't. Sure, the fights might be fun, but dealing with the people and their drama and requirements isn't. I play games to have fun and relax, not to come home from my job and go to work at something that is even more stressful. I just don't need that crap, and I'm happy enough never touching it. That isn't fun to me, and it never will be. The game has enough for me to enjoy on a casual level, and I have no desire to reach further. When it runs out of casual stuff I enjoy, I'll go back to single player games. I promised myself when I first picked this game up that I wasn't going to get dragged into that raging sea of bulls#!t and drama, and I'm sticking to that. I just don't need that in my life again. It's not the content itself, it's the people that you have to do the content with.

[IndigoHawk]

If you play FFXIV, then you can answer your own question. Try using the Duty Finder in FFXIV to clear EX primals or Coil content.

People say the content is difficult because when they join groups to complete it, they fail over and over. Their opinion is based on results, not comparison to other games.

As for why people fail so often, FFXIV has a lot of 1 shot mechanics, many fights that cannot be completed if even 1 person makes a mistake (there is often no way to recover from a mistake), and overtuned dodge mechanics that are too demanding for the amount of lag the game has and the amount of skill the players have. In general the game is less responsive than many MMOs, which simply makes the entire game harder.

[Eclipsed]

in other mmos u usually didnt die to everything that is tossed around , for example : fire on the ground usually ticked for 25% of the player HP

there are lot of games with 1 shot mechanics? yeah but in FFXIV is nearly everything , even if u dont die, the mistake will cause a wipe later on , or u will kill another member...ect

the amount of times we called a wipe ...because is unrecoverable

You want to see hard with tons of one shots :

Akilyios (Rift): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=662OoYUvgwE

There is nothing in FFXIV that even comes close to the difficulty of that fight. But yet we pugged it hundreds of times.

I am starting to see a trend though, and some comments here do bring an important point to mind... A lot of the mechanics can cause fail conditions for another person even if both people execute their part correctly. I.E. Titan extreme if people don't stack, you can end up with weights in bad spots where 2 people might dodge their own weight but end up running into another persons. But even that is debatable as it can be prevented by just stacking or just... not running into the other persons...

[ElHeggunte]

It's "difficult" because you have a lot of personal weight combined with unforgiving mechanics utilizing strict timing in encounters tuned under the assumption that everyone executes their roles near flawless. Twitch mechanics in a game where some people still lag their way into AoEs (or just have poor timing) can be rough.

[Edli]

You people keep talking about these MMos of the past and how they were several times more difficult. I played a lot of them and I don't see it. I remember on WoW I would park my healer on some corner and play whack a mole on healbot. The difficulty was in how fast I could click on names. Or with a DPS, stay in the feet of some gigantic boss and furiously mash buttons for leet dps.

I have never experienced a fight like titan ex before and how everyone in the party must move around a lot to avoid one shots. The main reason why I find FFXIV fights difficult is how much movement heavy the fights are, something I rarely experienced on past MMOs.

[Ragecake]

There is nothing difficult in this game.

The 'difficulty' lies in finding 7 competent players to clear the content.

If you yourself can't handle what you believe is 'difficult' ingame, then the problem is from within yourself and not the game.

[Magis]

FFXIV is hardcore? Wut?

[Barimu]

You people keep talking about these MMos of the past and how they were several times more difficult. I played a lot of them and I don't it. I remember on WoW I would park my healer on some corner and play whack a mole on healbot. The difficulty was in how fast I could click on names. Or with a DPS, stay in the feet of some gigantic boss and furiously mash buttons for leet dps.

I have never experienced a fight like titan ex before and how everyone in the party must move around a lot to avoid one shots. The main reason why I find FFXIV fights difficult is how much movement heavy the fights are, something I rarely experienced on past MMOs.

Try playing WoW without any addons, you cheesed your way through the game just like everyone who used addons to help them. The amount of people that used DBM/Healer assisted addons was ridiculous. You made the game easy and addons ruined that game.

[Eclipsed]

I wouldn't use WoW as a great example.. For sure there were some tough fights in that game but you are right, overall that game was stupid easy.

There is nothing difficult in this game.

The 'difficulty' lies in finding 7 competent players to clear the content.

If you yourself can't handle what you believe is 'difficult' ingame, then the problem is from within yourself and not the game.

I am not complaining one bit about the difficulty. If it were my choice I would make it more difficult. Just trying to understand what makes this game "not click" with so many who have raided just fine in far worse circumstances in the past.

[Edli]

Try playing WoW without any addons, you cheesed your way through the game just like everyone who used addons to help them. The amount of people that used DBM/Healer assisted addons was ridiculous. You made the game easy and addons ruined that game.

True they ruined the game but you remove healbot and I would still stand there parked clicking on the party window instead of healbot.