Lv50 MSQ needs to be condensed...

[Kayote]

Personally id prefer it if it were made completely optional at least after 2.0. Sorry but ARR is over. Story isnt as important to everyone nor is it really so complicated as to require much of a synopsis to catch people up on the sequels (Heavenswards) story. This isnt Wheel of Time or Game of Thrones, like 98% of ARR is just typical JRPG storyline #23478.

I still dont understand those smug arguments of how "This is FF and FF is story driven" and "its part of the entire reason we're in Ishgard, herm." Um... so? Did anyone NEED to finish FFX to get into X2? No. FFXIII to get into XIII-2 or 3? No and no. Anything you needed to know was explained at the beginning or throughout the games (not that it was needed). Not to mention how its none of ANYONES concern whether or not I know, or care to know about anything in the storyline thus far. How about you all enjoy all the story you want and let others make their own choice? The only thing your self-righteous, story-forcing attitudes accomplish is drive more new players away.

Of course condensing it a little to get rid of all the fetch quest b/s would be a nice middle ground to alleviate the problem.

[sirDarts]

*snip*

Ummm, I have played FFX-2 without playing FFX before it, and I was confused as hell... So much that I went back to play X after around 10 hours in X-2.

Same would be with getting into HW without ARR, it just would not make any sense whatsoever.
Not to mention that if you don't care about the story and just skip all the cutscenes, the MSQ is doable INCREDIBLY fast, and gives you a crapload of EXP, it's by far the fastest way to level to 50 (actually 51.5ish) right now.

[Assirra]

Personally id prefer it if it were made completely optional at least until 2.0. Sorry but ARR is over. Story isnt as important to everyone nor is it really so complicated as to require much of a synopsis to catch people up on the sequels (Heavenswards) story. This isnt Wheel of Time or Game of Thrones, like 98% of ARR is just typical JRPG storyline #23478.

I still dont understand those smug arguments of how "This is FF and FF is story driven" and "its part of the entire reason we're in Ishgard, herm." Um... so? Did anyone NEED to finish FFX to get into X2? No. FFXIII to get into XIII-2 or 3? No and no. Anything you needed to know was explained at the beginning or throughout the games (not that it was needed). Not to mention how its none of ANYONES concern whether or not I know, or care to know about anything in the storyline thus far. How about you all enjoy all the story you want and let others make their own choice? The only thing your self-righteous, story-forcing attitudes accomplish is drive more new players away.

Of course condensing it a little to get rid of all the fetch quest b/s would be a nice middle ground to alleviate the problem.

I love how you call people smug for calling ffxiv story driven (which it is otherwise you wouldn't have EVERYTHING bound by it) yet the amount of looking down and insulting other people you do in 1 post is staggering.

[Felis]

I bet I really proved myself to the people of eorzea when I ...

Gathered a bunch of items for a feast in honor of myself

Yea. I can see why the people of Eorzea would really love me.

They wanted to give you your last meal.
And you get a bit of knowledge about goblin cheese. And you meet some nice Miqo'te girls.

snip

Would you also recommend someone, who never watched a Star Wars movie before, to begin with "The Return of the Jedi Knights"?

[Kayote]

Ummm, I have played FFX-2 without playing FFX before it, and I was confused as hell... So much that I went back to play X after around 10 hours in X-2.

Same would be with getting into HW without ARR, it just would not make any sense whatsoever.
Not to mention that if you don't care about the story and just skip all the cutscenes, the MSQ is doable INCREDIBLY fast, and gives you a crapload of EXP, it's by far the fastest way to level to 50 (actually 51.5ish) right now.

Ok ... good for you. You had the option of going back and playing it or skipping it entirely. Thats the entire point, it wasnt necessary. Players still can and do enjoy it. I played FFXIII-3 before finishing 2... I still havent finished 2, never will. Yet I enjoyed them enough to play through them... nor was anyone elses "fun" or "enjoyment" of the story hindered by my lack of FFXIII-2's knowledge. Quite frankly, I dont care, and its not ones business or place to tell me otherwise.

I love how you call people smug for calling ffxiv story driven (which it is otherwise you wouldn't have EVERYTHING bound by it) yet the amount of looking down and insulting other people you do in 1 post is staggering.

No... calling FF story driven AND thinking everyone should think the same way as you, that they need to play just as you, and enjoy the same things you do before earning some make-believe 'right' to play or enjoy the rest of the game is in fact, by definition, a smug attitude. Not to mention self-righteous. In fact you dont even need to say its story driven, it has nothing to do with it. You do not get to decide what I or anyone else should do with our time or what we should or shouldnt enjoy.

smug adjective; having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one's achievements.
self-right·eous adjective; having or characterized by a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or morally superior.

If youre getting insulted by factual statements, its because there is at least some truth to it, and you dont like it.

Would you also recommend someone, who never watched a Star Wars movie before, to begin with "The Return of the Jedi Knights"?

Recommending someone to do something is completely different from fighting against their right to do so if they so choose. Just because I recommend someone to watch the Star Wars saga from The Phantom Menace Attack of the Clones doesnt mean I should make them do so, or rather support Disney/Lucasfilm with some sort of artificial restriction on watching them in whatever order they want.

[Assirra]

You do realize that SE decided you WILL care about the story and not the players right?
Once again EVERYTHING is locked behind the story in some way, blame SE instead of insulting players.
And yes those are insult even if you claim they are factual which they are not since they are only based on your opinion.

Also, can we stop comparing different games to expansion which are essentially DLC. It makes you look silly.

[sirDarts]

Ok ... good for you. You had the option of going back and playing it or skipping it entirely. Thats the entire point, it wasnt necessary. Players still can and do enjoy it. I played FFXIII-3 before finishing 2... I still havent finished 2, never will. Yet I enjoyed them enough to play through them... nor was anyone elses "fun" or "enjoyment" of the story hindered by my lack of FFXIII-2's knowledge. Quite frankly, I dont care, and its not ones business or place to tell me otherwise.

You do have the possibility to skip MSQ.
You just click through all the text without reading it and skip all the cutscenes.
DONE

As said, it's the fastest way to level anyways, so there is absolutely no reason to not use it.

[Seryl199]

Personally id prefer it if it were made completely optional at least until 2.0. Sorry but ARR is over. Story isnt as important to everyone nor is it really so complicated as to require much of a synopsis to catch people up on the sequels (Heavenswards) story. This isnt Wheel of Time or Game of Thrones, like 98% of ARR is just typical JRPG storyline #23478.

I still dont understand those smug arguments of how "This is FF and FF is story driven" and "its part of the entire reason we're in Ishgard, herm." Um... so? Did anyone NEED to finish FFX to get into X2? No. FFXIII to get into XIII-2 or 3? No and no. Anything you needed to know was explained at the beginning or throughout the games (not that it was needed). Not to mention how its none of ANYONES concern whether or not I know, or care to know about anything in the storyline thus far. How about you all enjoy all the story you want and let others make their own choice? The only thing your self-righteous, story-forcing attitudes accomplish is drive more new players away.

Of course condensing it a little to get rid of all the fetch quest b/s would be a nice middle ground to alleviate the problem.

Heavensward is an expansion tying directly into 2.55. You finish ARR, go into Ishgard, and resume the story moments after from where you left off. It's not a sequel title with a new narrative, it's a continuation of the same game and story, so it very much makes sense that you're required to finish 2.55 before going into 3.0. Most of the seemingly generic fetch quests actually help humanize Eorzea a great deal, and the journal entries flesh out a ton of subtext that you might not pick up on if you're just skimming through text.

The story has been a driving force in this game since ARR's beginning. You needed to complete the story to access the HM primals, and Coil from there. Since then, every major patch has included story quests, and you have been required to complete them to access new dungeons and primals. With Heavensward following this standard, players have nothing to do anyways besides FATE's and sidequests (which are still going to be fetch quests) in Heavensward areas, because they need to complete the Heavensward story to continue progressing and unlocking new dungeons. Like it or not, this is a story driven game, as evidenced by this game's trend over the past 2 years.

[Alexander_Dragonfang]

Who dared to put an Storyline in my RPG. Whats next, jumping on my platformers?!

[Kayote]

You do have the possibility to skip MSQ.
You just click through all the text without reading it and skip all the cutscenes.
DONE

As said, it's the fastest way to level anyways, so there is absolutely no reason to not use it.

Thats still a looot of walking, porting and clicking. I skipped the entirety 2.1 cutscenes (2nd toon) and it took a while to do so. It was mind-numbing and boring. Other players are saying the same.

As for being the fastest way. How so? MSQ quests give plenty of EXP and they are the fastest way of leveling, sure. However AFAIK the HW MSQ and dungeons give more XP than those of ARR. How exactly is it faster to do them all versus getting an earlier jump on leveling in HW? Not to mention the new dungeons, flight and new classes? All of which have to be put on hold because of all the unnecessary old content.