What other MMO has done this, and why does SE think it's a good idea?

[hobostew]

I'm with the OP and think this will be a problem for the game over the long term if they continue doing expansions in the same way. You really don't want to place any barriers for new players to have to get through that may keep them from playing with their friends. Unless they add some absurd incentives to the old roulettes or make solo versions of the fights newer players are going to have a hard time getting through all of those old duties/trials once everyone is off in Heavensward content.

[Snugglebutt]

Do you have a link and/or quote for an interview that they will start in other cities, cause we know that at the very least the machinist guild is in Ishgard. Just wondering for my own curiosity, i enjoy the MSQ

I believe they said they are not creating a new 'starting city' quite a while ago, as such new 'characters' would logically start in the current ones (current starting cities like Gridania, Ul'dah and Limsa) and they said new jobs are unlocked after those characters reach a level requirement just like current jobs do. Take also into account all new expansion zones will be for level 50+ so it would make zero sense to have them be your starting city. New characters will have to start in a starting city as is currently the case so by proxy it means will have to start that new character in an old one, new jobs can be located anywhere after hitting a level requirement on a pre-existing class just like bard job is started in a tree trunk outside of any city.

I am completely certain the new jobs will have their starting NPC's placed outside of expansion zones, given they start at 30 and the expansion zones start around 50+ it would make no sense to have the new jobs start in the expansion zones. What you may find is the job quest line may lead to an expansion zone job guild that covers leveling that job past 50 but the jobs will not start in those new expansion zones of that I can promise you. The jobs will start in an area that ranges anywhere from 1-30, where they end up leading you as you gain levels I do not know but they will not start in Ishgard even if they do end up there after reach job level 50+.

[Ecks007]

FF games always had an amazing story in them, FFXIV's story might not be great...

Well, to be fair, I think it's a matter of opinion. There were parts of the story I didn't think were very strong while leveling originally from 1 to 50, but there were also some good parts as well.

In my opinion the story they have added after level 50 from 2.1 through 2.5 has been waaaay more interesting and involved. As a whole I am greatly looking forward to the conclusion of the 2.x storyline, that is, if you can technically call it a conclusion. I do believe it will more likely be an ongoing story and rather than ending at 3.0 it will merely continue but shift focus as to make sense with 3.0. We have been heading that way since 2.4 after all.

[Snugglebutt]

I'm with the OP and think this will be a problem for the game over the long term if they continue doing expansions in the same way. You really don't want to place any barriers for new players to have to get through that may keep them from playing with their friends. Unless they add some absurd incentives to the old roulettes or make solo versions of the fights newer players are going to have a hard time getting through all of those old duties/trials once everyone is off in Heavensward content.

It won't be that hard when the expansion hits, there will be plenty of new players doing that content to play with and not forgetting the expansion comes with new classes and a new race. While some people might just fantasia their old characters to the new race, or use pre-existing characters to unlock the new jobs...not everyone will so that and a lot might make a new character (I know I will be since the MSQ is a very good way to remove the tediousness of leveling an alt class plus very profitable for that character due to the materia IV rewards later on from MSQ). There will also probably be a new token system and revised old poetics system in place which will have people farming old content to build up those.

Do not forget also they are adding a mercenary system to help with low level dungeons. There is no major reason to worry about new players having to do old low level content between the influx of new players, the addition of new race and jobs, the inevitable change that will happen to the token system plus the addition of the mercenary system to help in lower level dungeons etc. New players will have it easier than ever before in the expansion in terms of doing low level content especially due to the mercenary system on top of all the current methods used to entice old players to help new ones and the influx of new players that is bound to occur to play that old content with.

So I wouldn't worry about that if I was you, at least not at this stage. Also there is not that much merit in saying new players stuck behind old content when want to play with their friends, because logically you must be referring to their friends as high level else they would be playing with them in that low level content anyways. If they had such friends, those friends would be helping them out with old content since high level characters are not restricted from helping and doing old content too in order to help their new player friends. If the high level so called friends are not helping their low level new player friends then those high level players were not friends to begin with.

[DoubleT]

you realize that when Rise of the Zilart came out that rank 5 in the story missions was as far as you could get at that time right? So by that stance, it is about the same as this game... Also kind of dumb to say xi didnt lock expansions behind content an then proceed to list several instances on where they in fact did lock expansions behind content.

[Tiggy]

you realize that when Rise of the Zilart came out that rank 5 in the story missions was as far as you could get at that time right? So by that stance, it is about the same as this game... Also kind of dumb to say xi didnt lock expansions behind content an then proceed to list several instances on where they in fact did lock expansions behind content.

It gave me a great laugh too. Not even sure if the OP realized it or not.

[Catwho]

I dont agree with OP, but his point is sky and sea were not needed to unlock the jobs of the expansion like being able to go to ishgard will likely be.

No, {sky} and {sea} were just themselves heavily locked and guarded behind difficult quests. And failing to gain access to {sky} made it very very difficult to reach level 75 on ANY job, since all the parties were inside the Shrine of Ru'Avitu at the time.

I actually suspect that the jobs will be available outside of Ishgard, to be honest. As someone pointed out, if the only requirement is level 30 on at least one class, then having the quests be in Coerthas Central Highlands makes perfect sense.

[Felis]

Do you have a link and/or quote for an interview that they will start in other cities, cause we know that at the very least the machinist guild is in Ishgard. Just wondering for my own curiosity, i enjoy the MSQ

Is it really in Ishgard or somewhere in Central Highlands? Because jobs don't have guilds.

[Natsuno]

Do you have a link and/or quote for an interview that they will start in other cities, cause we know that at the very least the machinist guild is in Ishgard. Just wondering for my own curiosity, i enjoy the MSQ

If Ishgard is just a bridge away from a level 30-35 area, I see no problems with the possiblity of all three starting in Ishgard (assuming Lv30 unlock/starting level). They could quite easily gate the Ishgard exits to new areas ala White Tiger Gate in Gridania.

Do not forget also they are adding a mercenary system to help with low level dungeons..

I think that's a completely different thing? The way I understood it is you go in there solo with a squad of NPCs.

It's possible that Ishgard access may be gated via "Before the Dawn" quest purely for people that have pre-ordered. This link is in the preorder section after all.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...82#post2836382
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/a...2&d=1426329252

Once 3.0 hits, it may turn out that Before the Dawn is uncoupled from the whole ARR main story, so that fresh level 50s (or restiction barring access to Isgard are eased so lv30s seeking a new job) can gain access much easier.

[Fenral]

Do you have a link and/or quote for an interview that they will start in other cities, cause we know that at the very least the machinist guild is in Ishgard. Just wondering for my own curiosity, i enjoy the MSQ

He said it during the PAX East livestream. [...] He did also say something about being able to complete the current MS as one of the new Jobs, and I can't imagine that being outside his control as Producer and Director.

Must these threads always go in circles?