Difficulty format for Normal and Savage will remain in 4.0

[Bourne_Endeavor]

From what I hear in here, it sounds like people don't know what they want, only what they don't want.

Perhaps a more apt comparison would be Bloodborne; a notoriously difficult game. Despite being touted for being brutally punishing, you can make mistakes during boss fights and still recover. From that point, it becomes a game of dodging and funneling a future need for Potions' Anonymous. Are you likely to bounce back? Probably not, but you can. Savage does not allow for those mistakes. You must play nearly perfect or you'll not only die, but wipe your entire group. The latter is what I suspect irks people far more.

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It's fine to clamor around the "git gud" mentality, however we're looking at a 1.16% clear rate. That is utterly abysmal to the extent the devs are literally wasting their time with Savage. Demands for player improvement to this extreme is being met with "Nah. It's not fun. I'll do something else." No matter how you divvy it up, people rarely fancy instant death mechanics or being routinely punished due to a razor thin margins for error. Citing Elysium means little because they are a step above almost everyone else. You do not balance content around hardcore players, especially world progression types. They make up among the smallest percentage of your fanbase.

You can blame NA/EU individuality all you fancy, but there comes a point when you have to look at the content itself. If enough people aren't enjoying it, then it's failed to accomplish the intended goal. NA/EU tend to be far more picky regarding their content consumption hence why grinds are frequently vilified this side of the ocean yet more acceptable in JP. Square has to cater to both mindsets, lest they continue to see content ignored by a massive portion of their audience.