New Jobs Gated Behind Completion of 2.0 Story?

[Bluevann]

But honestly, if you're so bent on not completing the (very easy) storyline, then you only have yourself to blame for not getting the full enjoyment out of the game. You can also feel free to ignore every single expansion pack ever released for virtually every MMO in history, since almost all of them require a strong level of game progression to play.

I think I have posted this a hundred times now, this thread included, but I'll repeat myself once more.

DISCLAIMER I have only played FFXI before this game (forgive me, though I don't get what's so sinful about it, everyone gets angry when I say I have...), so I will compare it to FFXI because it's all I can do.

The first expansion's story was tied to the base game's story, much like Heavensward and ARR. But the jobs? No. The new areas (excluding endgame areas of course), no. They were packed with dangerous high level monsters, of course, but it provided still chances for exploration for the sneaky newbie to take a look around. And all the following expansions after that one (CoP, ToAU, WotG, ACP, AMK, ASA, SoA) did not require the base game's completion, but rather provided new stories, new ambientations and new things to do, "expanding" what can be done in Vana'diel and what stories could be told. Areas were easily accessible after one or two of the EXPANSION's quests, not the base game's quests, at any level. Sure you needed high level survive the content, but jobs and exploration were always allowed to the newer player as well, with only a lv30 requirement to unlock the jobs (much like we have with all jobs excluding Heavensward's so far). So point one, no, not all MMOs have done what SE is doing now, there is at least one who didn't, and I'm sure if I knew more MMOs I could find more.

But all in all, some people here are just taken aback by the sudden change of policy at SE with Heavensward, you see. Thanks to Sprint, you can explore the most dangerous areas even at level 1. I braved Mor Dhona as level 1 alts to get them that black bikini slipper in the past. A Realm Reborn was always very exploration-friendly, with easily de-aggroable monsters and rather safe paths. With Ninja and Rogue, they showed more friendliness towards the new player, not gating the class behind 2.2 MSQ's progress even though the plot details all imply they could/should've. And last but no least, contradictions are sprouting here and there with Yoshida's statements about the accessibility to HW jobs from last year to today. There is no reason to get angry or defensive to all those who are questioning this huge change of policy, so different to the flavor the game has had so far. I personally do not understand all this ill sentiment towards the players who here are seeking some clarification.

EDIT: Also I don't understand why with your sarcasm you're implying I think you're being silly. I do not. T-T .... I just have a different point of view from your own and am in no way feeling like we just cannot co-exist with opposed opinions. Let's agree to disagree, shall we?

[d4rkie]

I do wonder if the new jobs are Ishgard-only. to get there you'll have to go though Coerthas (no chocobos at lvl 1 and no airship access because Ishgard is not in Eorzean Alliance). if it is, then there's no way you'll be able to do 2.0 story as new jobs, IMO

[Felis]

For someone who has just purchased the game, would they be able to start with Rogue?
I'd take whatever that situation is as an example of what to see when Heavensward comes.

No
For Rogue you have to finish the lv 10 class quest from your starting class to unlock the armory system (so you can join the Rogue guild) and have to do the lv15 story quest if you don't start in Limsa (so you can travel to Limsa).

It's an awful lot to expect brand new players to go through just to get up to speed and start playing the expansion, especially if existing players are going to be ditching everything 50 and below, it's going to be hell getting those trials and stuff completed - it's fine while there's still loads of overlevelled people doing roulettes, but who's going to still be doing that when 3.0 hits? There's a lot of impassable roadblocks in main quest progression which require duty completion, and without making sure existing players are incentivised to keep doing them through the duty finder, it's going to make for a horrible experience for any new players.

I'm sure the trials and dungeons to complete the 2.0-2.5 story will be part of the coming 3.0 relic quest and other quests.
I'm sure the devs have already a plan how to keep players still doing those dungeons and trials.
Another example what the devs can do is giving those dungeons boss cards for triple triad (currently there are no real dungeon boss cards ingame)

[Zfz]

an entire game's worth of obsolete content

It is only obsolete for you because you've done them all.

If 2.x content should be considered obsolete for someone who pick the game up, say at the end of this year, for the very first time in their whole life, then by the same logic, Lv 51-59 content are also obsolete the second you log in on the expansion launch date.

[RygaenYuui]

Possibly will be gated. As to how long it will be gated? Well, you see. XIV dev team has a very interesting way of nerfing gated content.

[Catwho]

Because requiring brand new players - which one can only assume they're desperately trying to attract by selling XIV/Heavensward bundles - to grind through an entire game's worth of obsolete content in order to access the expansion they've just bought the game on the basis of is a horrible, horrible way of keeping people playing.

I don't view that as desperation. It's a pretty good idea to ensure that new players don't mistakenly think they can just buy the new expansion and be able to play the game.

FFXI shipped with the base game and first expansion in a bundle when it was first released to NA, and they continued the bundled sets with each new expansion.

[FallenArisen0990]

It is a bit harsh but honestly it should have at least let you have access to those jobs at least with the completion of 2.0's story. Reason being cause you have to earn the right to do end game lol. 2.1 to 2.55, should unlock an area for end game like how FFXI did. You best bet there will be quests and stuff to make us redo 2.0-2.55 content to help new players advance.

[Gilthas]

If it's true that the quests to unlock the new jobs are in Ishgard proper, I have to agree that it's a quastionable decision. Imagine yourself in the position of a new player seeing all the news about Heavenward. They see the new jobs and go "Those look cool! I think I'll just buy this game." Then they log in for the first time and find out that they need to do a crap load of quests just to unlock them.

I think it's possible that although the new jobs are in an expansion zone, they aren't in the city itself. Not sure about the details that they have given, but I think they only said that you need to the main storyline to get into Ishgard, I don't think they said that you need to do it to enter any of the new expansion zones.

[MomomiMomi]

I think it's possible that although the new jobs are in an expansion zone, they aren't in the city itself. Not sure about the details that they have given, but I think they only said that you need to the main storyline to get into Ishgard, I don't think they said that you need to do it to enter any of the new expansion zones.

All of the job quests related to the new jobs will be in Ishgard as well, so the condition to access those will be the same.

Unless they change their minds, gated.

[Seig345]

Seeing as one of the core features of FF14 is story, they'd be remiss to simply lop off the first segment of the story, which is just as much a part of ARR as the physical areas are. If they weren't, you wouldn't need ARR in order to play Heavensward. SE can simply make the older content a little easier and therefore quicker to get through.