I wish everything was harder and there was capped level content.

[Cilia]

@Cilia

And making the early game harder from the get-go while ramping up the difficulty throughout the story would provide more a sense of accomplishment as well. Why not just make it stupidly hard from the beginning, so you feel really accomplished for finishing? ... because that's not enjoyable to more people than it is, and the game needs to appeal to as broad an audience as possible to be profitable.

There is difficult and/or time-consuming content to do. For difficulty, find a static and do Gordias Savage. For time-consuming, get a Zodiac or Anima weapon. Also remember that a lot of the content you do from 1-50 has been nerfed into the ground. Both Titan and Garuda were serious challenges during 2.0's story, their respective Hard Modes (which everybody did for their Relic weapon) even more so. Steps of Faith? You were lucky to get a group where people didn't drop when it was first released, because it took serious effort and a few tries to succeed, and even then it was a close shave.

Ravana was difficult on 3.0 release because people were used to being able to just overpower the content through gear and ignore mechanics; he's the first fight where you can't do that in 3.0. Bismarck similarly throws a curveball, requiring attentiveness and having a DPS check that some groups can't clear; I still die to this day in Bismarck HM (normal) because people just can't hit the shield generator when he dips down and can't burn adds quick enough.

Content is usually more difficult when it's first released and later made easier so people who join (or people who suck) can catch up to the endgame raiding scene, which is what the game's built around. When content is easy people complain it's not hard enough, but when they're taken out of their comfort zone by new content they complain and quit (or: Halls of Reflection). The glory days of requiring tremendous effort to get anywhere in an MMO is gone, and I agree it should be a little harder (just a little), but...

WAIT! Wait...

I just think back to my FFXI 75 cap lifestyle and the sense of accomplishment I had for doing literally everything I had to do.

I just think back to my FFXI 75 cap lifestyle and the sense of accomplishment...

I just think back to my FFXI...

Dang, just another XI vet with rose-tinted nostalgia goggles on reminiscing about how great XI was.

Putting it as politely as I can: XIV was not, is not, and never will be XI-2 mechanically or in terms of the world. Wanting or expecting it to be or to become as such will only lead to disappointment. It's a very different game, made to compete with the contemporary market, not the MMO market of 15 years past.

To everyone else: there's nothing to see here. Move along. Keep moving.

Nope. There are too many of us who only want to play Softcore. Making everything hard will cause unsubscribers.

I'm not suggesting it be made too hard, but the current content is boring to casual players because it's so easy. Also my main gripe is with the Knights of the Round fight, since even on release it was absolutely pathetic for being derived from one of the most awe-inspiring summons from the franchise ever. I just hope they don't butcher Ark if they put it in...

Also, "softcore?" *snicker*