Let Players Speed Run Again

[ThirdChild_ZKI]

Here's why this is a bad idea: (brace yourself, I'll be editing this to exceed the character limit)

From a healer's perspective - Nothing is more boring to me than when a tank just pulls everything then I'm pretty much auto-pilot healing repeatedly for the next minute or so while everyone else spams AoEs ad-nauseum. Plus, you know, if I'm not stuck healing constantly, I CAN help fight. . .

From a DPS perspective - I'll never forget the thread here where someone was basically unable to run Brayflox HM, or get a party, OR got kicked out of parties at the start. . . just because he was a Dragoon. Sure, I'm aware some classes shine in certain situations, but the speed running epidemic had gotten SO out of hand that if you weren't running Bray HM with a BRD/BLM combo, you weren't running it. That's an absolute foul, no matter how time efficient it is. ALSO, purely from a Bard perspective, spamming Wide Volley is rather inefficient of TP usage, especially for the overall damage it does. That could be debated by several factors (gear, specs, etc.) but the primary point is once you run out of TP, then what? Goad and Paeon aren't instant refreshes, and Invigorate only goes so far. Once you're out, DPS slows down. And if you're trying to speed run, isn't that just counter-productive?

Now, from a tank's perspective, here's where I really have a lot of controversial things to say. First, and let me just throw it out there, mass pulls are a bad habit to form. Sure, if you can do it and handle it, great, but a lot of people simply can't. There's no reason for an i100+ tank to be dying to the first 3 combined mobs of Snowcloak, except to say bad, old habits. Yes, I can say that they ARE tougher, and do hit harder now (thus discouraging such tactics), but plain and simple, this isn't Brayflox HM. This isn't i90 somethings trying to reach 100 and up. Arguably, this isn't the same game anymore. The bar got raised after your item levels did. It's time for new tactics. It's time to BE tanks, not damage sponges while your party cleans up the mess you make.

Yes, I'm being a little mean about it, but the fact remains that speed running encouraged some very bad habits to be formed. Habits that might be hard to break, but worse, simply gimp the tank and by effect, the party. Oh, everyone shares the blame too, not just tanks. Anyone thinking that Wide Volley/Flare/Shadow Flare/Ring of Thorns/Death Blossom/Medica 2/Succor are the end-all of effective dungeon tactics, well, simply isn't doing it right. Sure, maybe it worked for a time as the quick, easy way. But think about it: You're all at higher item levels now. There needs to be SOME kind of challenge, or dungeons really would be boring. Don't miss the trees for the forest.

On that note, from a developer/artist's perspective (no, I'm not a dev, but I will play devil's advocate) - If I put work into creating a dungeon, then I would naturally do more than just focus on enemy encounters. I want you to experience it and enjoy it, admire it, appreciate it for its entirety. Not simply speed run it, get what you want, and never even pay attention to the work I put into it. Or perhaps should I just go the 1.0 route and copy-paste the same backdrop? Why not just create a "white room" and fill it with enemies that are all paper tigers, ready to be herded and killed? I'll tell you why: because THAT is boring. That won't sell my game. Unless by chance that is somehow part of the artistic vision, that's simply bland. Imagine Wanderer's Palace without the other parties exploring it, or the Tonberry Stalkers. Imagine Tam Tara HM without the creepy setup or the cryptic notes Edda left behind. If not for the mummies, can you say Qarn HM's final boss is all that challenging?

I get it: You at least want the option to speed run dungeons. Forced stops and high falls impede overall completion time, yes. But bear in mind, not only did speed runs foster bad habits and exclusionary practices among the community, it was the wake up call to the devs: it's getting too easy. The bar had to be raised. There needed to be more of a challenge. Without it, there would be no point to better gear or even newer "hard mode" dungeons. To trade time (reasonably) for challenge seems like a small and practical sacrifice. Some may not like it (and to that effect, I'd suggest adding some harder Guildhests with better rewards, but that's just me), but it's overall healthy for the dungeon running crowd. We had it too easy too long, and now even our gear simply outclasses any original challenges (I don't even get knocked back against the Demon Wall now). The bar had to be raised. Speed runs (for now) are a thing of the past.