100+ old quests to access expansion content...?

[Kuwagami]

Why not? Because the story will conveniently not require it? I want every expansion from here forward to require all new players to go through all this old story crap I am doing now. You know why they wont? Because people DON'T WANT TO DO THIS! They wouldn't sell as many copies of the next expansion if new players knew they had to go through this additional pointless gate, and that's why it wont be there. And, that is exactly the same problem that still exists here. So while you seem to think you have made a great point against what I am saying here, you may not realize that you have also demonstrated that the problem exists.

no. Because 2 things :

A) Yoshida acknowledged that forcing people to go through years of outdated content isn't going to attract new players

B) future developments of the story will most likely NOT revolve around the war of magi, thus not need HS's story

snip

Devs made a decision. Players as a whole agreed that while bothering for skippers, the lore reasons behind this choice were right and the story was short enough not to be a bother for true skippers (way shorter than the 1 => 50 levelling). There is no need to debate more as it's done now, and next extensions won't require HS's story completion.

[Enkidoh]

Firstly, as has been stated repeatedly the reason why access to Heavensward content requires you to complete the entire storyline is because the city of Ishgard has been inaccessible since the original version of FFXIV was first released - thus SE needed some lore explanation why a city that has been closed off for years suddenly throws open it's doors. The reason is because the storyline actually leads you there and fully explains how you end up there. Yoshi has already stated that the second expansion would not be the same and thus this was simply for pragmatic reasons.

You say you want to experience the expansion's content - please tell me what content do you want to experience? Flying mounts can only fly in expansion areas (and it only becomes unlocked by doing, surprise surprise, the expansion storyline) - you cannot fly in ARR areas (flying mounts act like regular mounts there). Everything else at the moment is just MKII versions of ARR content - Primal fights (both hard mode and extreme), FATEs, Hunts, dungeons, raids (currently only Alexander) - all these are not really that different to earlier content in ARR, other than having a higher level/item level requirement (Note also this is not criticizing the expansion for a supposed 'lack of new content' - I'm just using it to take stock of the OP's main issue with the game).

Hence, you're not missing out too much by 'not doing the cool content' like Alexander - take your time and experience everything the game has to offer including the older ARR content rather than trying to jump ahead to be 'seen with the cool kids'. 'Learn to crawl before you can walk, and learn to walk before you can run' and all that.

[Niwashi]

Why not? Because the story will conveniently not require it?

Because for an expansion to require the base game is different than for one expansion to require another expansion. Once 4.0 comes out, there will be people who just buy the game and the latest expansion, and don't want to buy other expansions just to get to 4.0 or 5.0 or whatever they're up to by that time.

With the base game, SE doesn't have that limitation. Everyone getting an expansion needs the base game anyway, and needs to level to endgame in it. Requiring you actually play the game while doing so isn't much of an additional requirement, so SE could add the story to make the expansion fit into the world it's set in. It allowed them to use Ishgard as a setting for 3.0, which they couldn't have otherwise.

[AriaEnia]

I hope I don't meet skippers in DF, they can't play, like one of my fc member...
Most of them are fate grinders.

[LeeraSorlan]

Im with you OP, this lockout hasnt really effected me because i wasnt new on HWs release, but i dont like this games story at all. I skip 90% of the story after i realize it still isnt enjoyable.I dont play this game to be locked into a cutscene, i play this game to be social and play with friends.


The whole argument of "this game isnt for you" is entirely false, this isnt a single player, the story is 1 out of many reasons to play, not just the only reason and for people like me, its not a reason at all

The people defending this hold no merit as well.
Sure, from a "lore" standpoint, the lockout makes sense, but from a gameplay standpoint, its awful.
From a new players perspective who only wants to play up to date content with friends in an MMO, its completely unpleasant to be forced into doing single player content for hours on end.


Lore also falls flat when you can make an Au ra in ARRs story just by buying the expac and noooooooo one cares


Gameplay always comes before lore in these types of games

[AskaRay]

Gameplay always comes before lore in these types of games

By "These types of games" do you mean FF games or MMOs?
Because FFXIV is a FF title before it is an MMO...the devs care greatly about the lore they have built.

[LeeraSorlan]

By "These types of games" do you mean FF games or MMOs?
Because FFXIV is a FF title before it is an MMO...the devs care greatly about the lore they have built.

No, ff14 is an MMO. As such it follows many MMO standards and expectancies.Lore is fine. But an MMO is a changing creature and lore should never halt gameplay.


I already stated as well that lore is also irrelevant in ARR when you can be an Au ra at the very start and no one bats an eye. Why is this? Because it would require too much work for it to make sense lore wise. What did square do? They chose to ignore the lore and let you be au ra in ARR because it works from a gameplay view.
Gameplay in an MMO should ALWAYS come over lore, because as was mentioned, MMOs evolve.

[Lambdafish]

If the devs make this happen I want to go to ishgard at lvl 1 I don't want to do any story at all I just want to taken straight to idleshire, I'm entitled to that, I paid for my game, I don't want to start the MSQ, I want all the content right now </end sarcasm>

In all seriousness, maybe enjoy the game you have been given? The devs have enough of a hard time providing the hungry masses with content without people wanting to skip over the most lengthy piece of content we have, and as it stands, the story is really interesting and enjoyable for the most part.

Edit: What frustrates me the most is that raiding got devalued with an easy mode (same bosses, similar mechanics) all because people couldn't access the story of coil, this meant that the feeling of facing the next boss, which innately felt like a powerful entity was lost as you had already face-rolled a version it. And then with all this crying out for more accessible story (which must have been loud because the devs listened) comes you and others like you asking to skip the story. There is so much entitlement on both sides, and I wish people would just do and enjoy the content that the devs give them (the story, and any content to get to that story)

[AskaRay]

snip snoop

Technically there is no conflict with ARR and Au Ra because they are based on "demons", not "dragons".
Whether that's a complete BS response or not isn't the point... but the point is that's why Au Ra are pretty much even allowed into Ishgard without being lynched on site in the first place. If you start as an adventurer in ARR as an Au Ra... that's even better since the only concrete thing about the WOL is that they are either not from Eorzea at all or they haven't been back in a long, long time (see: opening cutscene).

So honestly I don't see a problem with that... no Au Ra in ARR areas? Dang you're lucky; you must be one of the first to travel this southwest out of Othard!
(south west...? yes... I think so you get what I'm saying)

[Kuwagami]

snip

The fact that FFXIV is an MMO doesn't negate that it is a FF first and above all.

Lore has always prevailed in FFXIV. You can see it in the PvP restricted by GC, which is horrible from a gameplay perspective (hurray for horrendous queues) but perfectly understandable from a lore ppint of view.

I can't see anything in FFXIV yet where gameplay came before the lore, apart the fact that you can play every race and genre regardless of their demographic importance in Eorzea.

(This doesn't mean some lore isn't BSing you at some point, like the fact that yugiri hides herself even if your character is already an Au Ra, but the loreofthese events is made so that this particular event dosn't matter : Yugiri hides herself not because your character and the NPCs around you during CSs might fear her, but because people in general in Eorzea aren't used to see Au Ra people wandering around).