Been playing this game for ~3 months now. My thoughts so far

[Lisotte]

What's annoying is everyone who says "the story just isn't for you," they then don't give very good arguments about why they think the story is alright.
Now I think OP makes some very good points about why the story seems all over the place, it's random and is completely at the behest of the gameplay. "Well we need them to fight a cool boss, throw in a primal/garlean/this other thing!" They kill off promising characters before you get a chance to really know them, and leave the dull characters from 1.0.

That said, for myself and many people still playing the game, we've been playing patch by patch (or a couple patches at a time) for 3 years. If you just started 3 months ago, and bum-rushed your way through it, it's like the guy that marathons some critically acclaimed TV show in a weekend then after that says "it was okay." You need down time to digest it. However, as I mentioned before, FFXIV's story isn't a critically acclaimed TV show, it's an ongoing anime storyline with arcs and such. I've been able to get invested because... I've been slowly following it over the years, but it could be SO much better.

As for the healers in dungeons thing... there are people that actually tryhard in roulettes? Last I checked the average thing people did was watch TV or something while doing roulettes because there's no way to make the thing you've run dozens of times not be dull.

There is really a gap between the casual level in this game (play a little bit each week for your tome handout), and there's the hard as balls raid which only works for the tiny group of people who are able to commit 1-3 nights a week or more to it (I have a varying schedule so there's no way I could raid in this game, even though I did do tough events in FFXI). Hopefully Deep Dungeon will fill that midcore gap, but we're pinning our hopes on that one event, and Diadem possibly getting revamped. Weeping City is fun, not facerolly, but it drops gear that doesn't really matter and once you get your drop for the week there's no reason to do it again.

Disagree there about the anima, you wouldn't have lasted long in the FFXI days, those things took years to make and felt really rewarding once you completed them. These do as well, but less so because they're never going to be best and next patch they'll nerf the path to getting them and there'll be another step. For people like myself who can't raid the anima is really the closest thing we have to some kind of "glory gear," something that is an actual upgrade, that you can also show off.

It's hard to make challenging content that you repeat because after a certain point, even the hardest content you'll have on farm and then that's that. You'll see the community do so with Weeping City, you'll see a lot of people do so with EX Primals, and the raiders with Alex Savage. All fights are "if they do this do this" so they're a puzzle; once you learn it you're mostly good.

In a nutshell though, stockholm syndrome is real, if you've been invested in this game for years it's easy to start feeling comfortable and good with the story and not be critical of it, and the same with the content we do, aka "the same s*** every patch."

[AutoWhit]

It's fine if this is your play style more power to you and I'm not going to tell you to stop doing your thing. But for 99% of the content in this game most of your party are at full health during combat or at high enough health that they aren't at a risk of dying. I'd rather be DPS'ing and making content go by faster than sit there doing nothing and twiddling my fingers together waiting to cast a cure spell.

That's fine. I have no problem with a healer choosing to dps. I'm just saying they shouldn't be expected to.

[Exidrial]

No content I've played so far was hard/challenging.
The first time I did Hullbreaker isle hm I expected a challenging dungeon.I mean its labeled as "expert" but what I got was a dungeon with barely any mechanics and barely any challenge to it.I was extremely disappointed.I have not encountered any challenging fight yet.
There is the occasional wipe in Bismarck hm when the group fails the damage check.
The ministrels Ballad Ultima was a step in the right direction but that fight isn't particularily hard.

Are Extreme primals and Raids really the only challenging thing in the game?

[Moomba33]

Pretty much. Supposedly floors 100-200 of the Palace of the Dead will be challenging but we're a long way from those being released.
This game is mostly casual focused.

[zemogFC]

Yup. There's a very empty void of "mid-core" content.
Weeping City is mid-core right now but will become easy once people learn the fights better and get higher ilevel gear.

Savage and new Ex primals are too hard to people and dungeons and NM primals are faceroll easy.

[Malicewolf]

Are Extreme primals and Raids really the only challenging thing in the game?

Well honestly the Ex fights are fun. Even if you go in unsync'd at lvl 60, i've still seen people wipe because the mechanics are the name of the game ^^
But at the same time, if you have the basic understanding of the mechanics to the Ex fights, they will also be a walk in the park.

If you want a REAL challenge... you can try queuing for sync'd DF Ex trials... that's always a fun one. I do it every so often for Odin and Titan mostly. I find those fights really tough sync'd, especially when you're with a full group with ironworks gear or less with you. But you could also see that as an act of masochism...

Oh and hullbreaker HM doesn't count. It's the worst thing SE has ever brought us in terms of a challenge dungeon wise imo. However, I will say I actually LOVE getting it when doing Ex roulette. Only because I know it'll be a quick breeze to get through compared to the other option. But this is simply me liking the ability to do it easily and quickly after the 20 billion times I've had to run the 2 Ex roulettes.

[bass9020]

No content I've played so far was hard/challenging.
The first time I did Hullbreaker isle hm I expected a challenging dungeon.I mean its labeled as "expert" but what I got was a dungeon with barely any mechanics and barely any challenge to it.I was extremely disappointed.I have not encountered any challenging fight yet.
There is the occasional wipe in Bismarck hm when the group fails the damage check.
The ministrels Ballad Ultima was a step in the right direction but that fight isn't particularily hard.

Are Extreme primals and Raids really the only challenging thing in the game?

Dungeons haven't been challenging since Pharos back in 2.1. People whined and complained to high heaven because they took a bit of time to do and it was messing with there tome farming. Plus if the total incompetent player can't complete it then its deemed too hard and is made much easier.

[Lewtskie]

OP, as far as the story goes, you blasted through what others have taken 3 years to complete.
Taken in small bites its not so tedious and you can actually savor the cutscenes and story instead trying gorge on years of cutscenes in a few weeks. Of course you're not going to like it.

That said, for myself and many people still playing the game, we've been playing patch by patch (or a couple patches at a time) for 3 years. If you just started 3 months ago, and bum-rushed your way through it, it's like the guy that marathons some critically acclaimed TV show in a weekend then after that says "it was okay." You need down time to digest it. However, as I mentioned before, FFXIV's story isn't a critically acclaimed TV show, it's an ongoing anime storyline with arcs and such. I've been able to get invested because... I've been slowly following it over the years, but it could be SO much better.

Now, I get this may just be me, but I just find this concept rather... bad. This idea whereas the only way for it to look good is to not actually see it as a whole, where of course any faults or blemishes are much more apparent. Yeah there's an ingestion period to be had, but I've binged watched entire series before and when you do, you give yourself a day to really process everything. Not once have I felt that delaying any of them would serve to make them better. Mostly because those, much like FFXIV's story, is presented pretty much at face value. There may be little things to think about, maybe, like foreshadowing that people had to sit on, or certain cliffhangers, but that is by far a small part to the over-arching story thus far. Seeing it all together then and there just shows that they opt to drag out the storyline because up close, you see just how disconnected a lot of really is. Rather than expansive narration/storytelling to make us hate someone naturally, they drag out one very small bit suspense trying to see if any outside influence can add fuel to the fire. They keep you pulled long enough to when the next patch comes out, people are just ready to press on with events so they don't have to give any emphasis to "What's happening outside any immediate dangers", and that I feel has been one of the worst for these NPCs as it doesn't breathe any life into them. You only get to see them when there's things to be done.

You know what would have maybe made me or others care about Minfillia more? If every mission, even ones that didn't involve you meeting her, you have her in her office or somewhere else and she could have had some flavor text. Things on her mind, small conversation, anything really that could have fleshed her out, make her any bit more interesting other than what flimsy personality they showed off during missions. Same as anyone. Maybe my standards are just too damn high, but I want characters that actually look and feel alive. That's why I've said it's gotten better with HW. Because even after missions you'll find characters around in that moment where you can get some dialogue. It's certainly added much for Thancred; thus far he's the one that feels most alive. Alphinaud a bit better, but most of his still ends up focusing on the where the task leaves off.

[Kosmos992k]

You are healing wrong. I would mentally blacklist you if you were on my server.

Hmmm...and after this comment, I'm reminded what an intolerant bunch of people play this game. Note the phrase "play this game" It's a game that we play, you know fun and games, playing for fun, etc... It's not a job or a sport, it's a game, meant to be enjoyed for fun. If you personally lack the patience to deal with others who are not up to your pro-bro standards, then make a premade, and stay away from DF/DR. Complaints like yours display little more than your own intolerance.

[bass9020]

That's fine. I have no problem with a healer choosing to dps. I'm just saying they shouldn't be expected to.

Some people play a role because they enjoy that aspect and nothing is wrong with that at all. I love healing but I also love dpsing so it makes me happy a healer can do both. In dungeons I do both maybe I dps more than I should but no one usually dies so its ok! ^^ if people don't want to do it then thats fine, life goes on and so does the dungeon. Its not like you or anyone else is hindering the outcome like say a person RPing as an ice mage or a bard not using songs.....