this game is NOT friendly for those who return after long absence

[VoltaAsura]

How can you complain that you aren't experiencing new content, when you haven't done the MSQs that unlock the HW content? Aren't the quests you have yet to finish from the 2.0 era "new"?

Also, I really don't understand why people want to rush rush rush into Ishgard and HW content - if you are so far behind. IF you aren't caught up: work on it and enjoy the story as you go along. Seriously, if this sounds like a hard requirement to enter HW/Ishgard, why do you even play?

[Zordrage]

Also, I really don't understand why people want to rush rush rush into Ishgard and HW content - if you are so far behind.

new jobs locked inside Ishgard.....thats why the Rush Rush Rush

and its not hard just toooo LONG and tedious and super boring.

[VitalSuit]

Yeah you missed a year of gameplay but the main story quest can be finished in a few days. I have someone in my FC that just finished the 2.0 storyline a couple of days ago and is working through the patches up to 2.55. I believe he's at 2.30 after about 2 days.

new jobs locked inside Ishgard.....thats why the Rush Rush Rush

I know it's only been a week but the new classes aren't even all that great. Astro's heals are lacking compared to both WHM and SCH, DRK's dps isn't bad at all but they're much weaker than a PLD (of course) so main tanking with them is difficult, and MCH's dps is just way too low/ Seriously MCH's need a buff.

[Kad00sh]

So you took a year off, and are now here complaining that you don't have an easy button to do the stuff we spent this time grinding on...
When did they announce HW? You couldn't be asked to pay your sub any time before that, to ensure you had all the stuff done? Now here you are asking to have all the pre-reqs waived cause you were too lazy to do it earlier? Wow the mentality of some people...

[JaderauntOnJenova]

Also playing catchup. For those of you on a high horse saying "stfu and just enjoy the content," I dare you to make a fresh character and do the main story all in a go. See how fun it is. (Hint: it is not fun.) I'm sure that if you were around and had the play time to do the main story as it was introduced, a chunk at a time over months with nothing else to do, you have fond memories. But laid out end to end in one endless, linear track, it is tedious and grueling.

I just started a couple months ago as a new player and had a lot of fun. Made it to the end of 2.5.5 with a couple weeks to spare.

[BroodingFicus]

its not the story the problem its that EVERYTHING is locked behind it and most of the Story is just Filler timesink fetch quests nothing else.
seriously i could easily cut out streamline like 50% of the MSQ from 2.0 to 2.55and would still make sense lol

Agreed. I'm not new but I have alts that need to level through the MSQ again and I hated the fetch/menial job quests that are given out between the actual plot related ones. Sometimes you are the warrior of light, sometimes you are a freakin' delivery boy with nothing better to do even though a primal is apparently on the loose or someone is in trouble etc etc. All of that could be cut at this point. Or made as side quests that are not required to advance. The areas are one thing but I have never agreed with squares choice to lock the new jobs behind the story wall as well.

[Pandalink]

You can pretty easily complete the level 50 MSQ in under a week. However, with that said I do find it hard to recommend the game now since there's such a huge timesink involved at level 50 to progress any further.

[Mokikoza]

If you play this game on one job only, you are not playing this game right. You can't have just 1 class/job. You can but people will always think you are a dick XD
In a game where you get to change from tank to healer to dps, you at least need 2 main class to be able to be more versatile. :X

[MXMoondoggie]

Also playing catchup. For those of you on a high horse saying "stfu and just enjoy the content," I dare you to make a fresh character and do the main story all in a go. See how fun it is. (Hint: it is not fun.) I'm sure that if you were around and had the play time to do the main story as it was introduced, a chunk at a time over months with nothing else to do, you have fond memories. But laid out end to end in one endless, linear track, it is tedious and grueling.

But we DID do it. We all leveled to 50 and did it again with other classes. We all ground out levels and FATE spam and some of us did it before all the roulettes and EXP boosts they put in the game now so people can rush to 50. Everyone suffered at some point levelling through tedious boredom. The only reason people are now complaining is because they feel entitled as an MMO tourist to only play new things and then leave again when they get bored of it. Post level 50 isn't even that bad if you take out all the optional content like HM's, Crystal Tower storyline etc all you need to do is the main story quest.

And again they told everyone a long time ago that they would need to do the main story to progress into the expansion and people had plenty of time to get ARR, do the main story,level to 50 and do the endgame main story up to Steps of Faith. Nobody forced you to do it all in one go just to play a new class because it's new and you only care about new things.

[KuroTenshi]

Honestly, anyone arguing FOR this system is insane. I doubt any of you that are in agreement with this actually went through it. There is absolutely nothing enjoyable about dredging through 120+ story quests for little to no reward before you can continue to play the game. This design choice by square WILL cost them players. Specifically I don't believe a single new player will actually go through this game and I personally will recommend anyone interested ~not~ play it, simply due to the lv.50 MSQ grind. It was and is a terrible experience, and anything that may have been enjoyable about the quests is stomped out by the ridiculous grind you have to go through to get there.

Also to those of you that are insane enough to think that just because they said it it's okay, just because you were warned someone is planning to shoot you in the foot makes it okay then, I guess, right?