Why is FFXIV considered to be so hard/hardcore?

[Yukiko]

If people are calling XIV hardcore they have absolutely no idea what hardcore is.

Would you consider "EvE online" hardcore?

I am not a friend of comparing games and saying this one is hardcore and that one is not, because its just stupid... You can not compare games!

Every game have harder parts and easier parts. The same is when you say just by playing some days not even reaching endgame you can not tell if the game is good or bad.
You need to play a game longer to judge if it is for YOU harder or easier than other games YOU played, but thats nothing you can say generally, it was for YOU and can not be same for others...
There are way too many factors who influence the gaming experience and only if you keep all those factors the same you truly can compare!

[Rex]

The only two answers I can come up with OP is:

1. Maybe a lot of those in fear came from XI, where NONE of these mechanics are used...mechanics in this game make XI seem like a cakewalk since most if not all content in XI did not require you to dodge or move.

2. Maybe it's not the content they fear, but the people doing it. They don't want to be that player who is horrifically bashed needlessly about being new or not catching on to something as quick as others. I've seen that before. I put a Leviathan EX learning party together for a couple friends, and it was very apparent that it was one in the PF, but we had someone (From our LS no less) join with us and start bad mouthing after just 2-3 very good tries. We got them further than I got on my first attempt. But it wasn't good enough for this person (who was well aware it was a learning party) and was extremely rude. I think that keeps some people from going into the Coils.

[Baneus]

Would you consider "EvE online" hardcore?

I am not a friend of comparing games and saying this one is hardcore and that one is not, because its just stupid... You can not compare games!

Every game have harder parts and easier parts. The same is when you say just by playing some days not even reaching endgame you can not tell if the game is good or bad.
You need to play a game longer to judge if it is for YOU harder or easier than other games YOU played, but thats nothing you can say generally, it was for YOU and can not be same for others...
There are way too many factors who influence the gaming experience and only if you keep all those factors the same you truly can compare!

In its own genre FF14 is not hardcore.

[Sonofbaldo]

The game isnt hard. The leveling system creates a sense of entitlement because the 99% of the game you can literally sleep through it's so insanely easy and effortless and takes up practically no time to accomplish. So when these players finally get to the 1 or 2 things in the game that are difficult, and they start actually dying, and are faced with the task of actually dedicating time to anything they lose their minds. It's just the way MMO's have become and there is no end in sight.

[ShinkuTachi]

Why is FFXIV considered to be so hard/hardcore?

This is mainly because we have different generations of gamers experiencing the same content.
Comparing FFXI/EQ hardcore to FFXIV hardcore, or say, 3rd/4th generation hardcore to 7th/8th generation hardcore, is like comparing apples and oranges. The state of gaming has changed immensely over the years.

[Sonofbaldo]

The only two answers I can come up with OP is:

1. Maybe a lot of those in fear came from XI, where NONE of these mechanics are used...mechanics in this game make XI seem like a cakewalk since most if not all content in XI did not require you to dodge or move.

XI was much more challenging. If you wanted to down a big boss 6 or more people had to work together. In XIV 4 or more people just spam their solo abilities and follow the "script" and boom...done. The only skill it takes to dodge scripted and telegraphed attacks in XIV is the ability to point your eyes at your screen. If you can't do that, there's something wrong with you.

[Baneus]

The game isnt hard. The leveling system creates a sense of entitlement because the 99% of the game you can literally sleep through it's so insanely easy and effortless and takes up practically no time to accomplish. So when these players finally get to the 1 or 2 things in the game that are difficult, and they start actually dying, and are faced with the task of actually dedicating time to anything they lose their minds. It's just the way MMO's have become and there is no end in sight.

Indeed. Having not actually raided for several years, I came into this game expecting Raid nights to be actual whole nights. As in, you continue to wipe until you get it right or the Raid Leader calls it. I'm used to a non-clear night lasting 5+ hours.

[Risvertasashi]

XI was much more challenging. If you wanted to down a big boss 6 or more people had to work together. In XIV 4 or more people just spam their solo abilities and follow the "script" and boom...done. The only skill it takes to dodge scripted and telegraphed attacks in XIV is the ability to point your eyes at your screen. If you can't do that, there's something wrong with you.

There's apparently something wrong with a very large portion of the playerbase (by your criteria).

Really though, I'd prefer if difficulty came more from knowing how to play your class well instead of the quality of your internet connection and reflexes while doing your rotation.

T4 was a lot like that, actually. Though if anyone goes down you were still pretty screwed, but it was far more a skill & strategy test than a reflex & latency test.

[Edli]

XI was much more challenging. If you wanted to down a big boss 6 or more people had to work together. In XIV 4 or more people just spam their solo abilities and follow the "script" and boom...done. The only skill it takes to dodge scripted and telegraphed attacks in XIV is the ability to point your eyes at your screen. If you can't do that, there's something wrong with you.

What he said still stands in a way. FFXIV is different, hard in a different way from FFXI and a lot of older MMOs. A fight like titan ex required for all 8 players to do the perfect dance for 10 min. A whole lot of synchronized movement all the time with one shot mechanisms and the inherent lag provided for a challenge a lot of players weren't used to before. I'm not saying FFXI is easy, just that being good at FFXI doesn't automatically makes you good at FFXIV. They're different.

[DistraughtKoala]

Can't lodestone your achievements, assume you're stuck on t5 and titan ex.