What is PVP lacking in FFXIV?

[Elyl]

The very simple answer to this question is: PVP.

Aside from the 4v4 and 8v8 feast matches, all the other scenarios rely HEAVILY on PVE aspects.

Bring a capture the flag or tower defense scenario and you have PVP, but to run around and get MOST of your score from destroying crystals or towers isn't what people are looking for in PVP

[Geologo]

The very simple answer to this question is: PVP.

Aside from the 4v4 and 8v8 feast matches, all the other scenarios rely HEAVILY on PVE aspects.

Bring a capture the flag or tower defense scenario and you have PVP, but to run around and get MOST of your score from destroying crystals or towers isn't what people are looking for in PVP

I didn't play other MMOS but honestly I liked one by one all the pvp addition on this game.
I agree that something have to be fixed or changed for any of those scenario, bu to me, the most annoying part of PvP is the queue, that actually force you to wait afk A LOT (I spend more time waiting than playing, and to me for a game this is a big issue) and to queue for always the last pvp content.
I feel that anyone have his preference about different FL and 4vs4 match, and it would be great if you can decide among all of those and the Duty Rolulette could work to fill the missing spots.

Talking about Shatter, I like the idea that you have to switch between PvE and PvP rotation, even because you can still be helpful focusing the opponents and not the crystal.
Anyway I think that for shatter they should give something like +8 for each Kill, +9 for each kill earned by a Battle high, +10 for each kill from a Battle Fever, to balance more the points acquisition between PvP and PvE, and also give an incentive to kill someone.

[Eorzean_username]

I actually like FFXIV's weird pseudo-PvP version of PvP, I think it's partially designed this way to make it forgiving for PvE-oriented gamers that need a way to feel useful even if they're clumsy under hostile pressure (that's a good thing, it motivates them to keep trying and getting better).

But I am also not a very experienced PvP gamer, so I suspect my perspective is naturally biased.

That said, I would very much like to see a mode that's more PvP-oriented in terms of deciding victory — for variety, if nothing else. Februs frequently suggests a 24 Secure with no Interceptors and a fourth capture point in the middle that must be contested for victory. That wouldn't be Secure any more, but it does sound fun to have to just outright KO the enemy if you want to win (one reason I enjoyed Seal Rock, contesting a node meant a battle to the death first).

[jonbo]

The only way to win pvp now is to not pvp -_-.

[MihaelB]

They need NPC bots to reduce queue times because clearly there isn't enough player interest to lower queue times. The majority is not willing or wanting to wait 30-50mins to play a 10 minute game which may end up in all likelihood disappointing. Perhaps a system can be used to reduce bots when there is more player interest in prime time but guarantee at least a 5-10 minute queue to maintain governed interest.

[Dimitrii]

They need NPC bots to reduce queue times because clearly there isn't enough player interest to lower queue times. The majority is not willing or wanting to wait 30-50mins to play a 10 minute game which may end up in all likelihood disappointing. Perhaps a system can be used to reduce bots when there is more player interest in prime time but guarantee at least a 5-10 minute queue to maintain governed interest.

No offense but people don't play PVP to play against bots so this isn't the answer. Since our PVP population clearly sucks, and SE will not remove the GC tie in for whatever reason, they should pprobably stop designing these modes from a 72 man perspective and scale down the participants 24 from now on with maps matching the scale down. It makes no sense to design these modes for a population that cannot support it and made even more difficult your own designs (GC restriction).

[kisada]

a team dedicated to making fun game modes that are properly balanced.

you can't have any kind of competitive game mode thrown out there without people working on hard on it behind the scenes non-stop. otherwise we get what we get: game modes that have massive flaws where you get a ton of unhappy players.

i don't blame SE for not putting more resources into pvp as a whole because their whole thing was to make as many different and fun attractions for people as they could. as stated before, they wanted to make FFXIV like an amusement park. it's just unfortunate that pvp is treated as a sideshow when it has the potential to be much more.

[Eorzean_username]

The only way to win pvp now is to not pvp -_-.

Shatter can be played this way, but I don't think it's an effective strategy on average. I haven't seen a match of Shatter end in favor of a team that tried to avoid all conflict. When an aggressive team shows up and starts getting Battle Highs, stealing bases, denying Ice, or taking opportunities to kill opponents contesting Ice (situational) — that team tends to pull into 1st and stay there.

Overcautious teams that try to wait it out and just race to new Ice usually settle around 2nd place.