Main Scenario Restriction Bloodstorm - Very Very Bad idea.

[LineageRazor]

Wrong. It absolutely does. Most end-game content was/is gated behind the story. Dynamis, Limbus, Sky, Sea were among the major end-game content gated behind the story. Certain other content was gated partially by story. Assaults, Nyzul, unlocking various jobs, Escha, etc.

As I noted much earlier in the thread, this is only partly true. There are many endgame activities that are not locked behind MSQ, or only behind a minimal amount of MSQ. Endgame activities that provide endgame-quality gear. Voidwatch NMs are one good example, but MOST of the endgame for the Seekers of Adoulin expansion could be accessed right off the bat, or with only a handful of MSQs (the first three MSQs, if I recall correctly?).

The biggest takeaway in how FFXI did things RIGHT is that each new expansion had LOADS of content available right off the bat. Even Rise of the Zilart, the ONLY expansion that required ANY MSQ progress from the base game before you could access its own MSQ, provided more than half a dozen new zones that you could explore from day one, all with their own quests, objectives, and new jobs to play which could be accessed without even a scrap of MSQ progress in the base set OR RotZ. Only Sky was locked away.

Compare that to Heavensward. What could you access in Heavensward, if you hadn't completed MSQ? Au Ra. That is all. Not a great incentive for a prospective customer to buy the product.

Fortunately, SE has seen the errors of their ways, and at least SOME content in Stormblood will be accessible without completing MSQ. I am worried, though, that it will not be enough. I'm fairly certain that ALL of endgame will still be locked behind Stormblood MSQ, which will be locked behind Heavensward MSQ, which is locked behind ARR MSQ. And that the next expansion will continue the trend. And the next. And eventually, players looking for an MMO (even players who LOVE storyline) will see how long it will take before they can start participating in battles that are both challenging AND provide meaningful rewards... and move on to another MMO. They day that happens is the day that this MMO starts to die, and as a player who loves this game, I don't want to see that happen.

There may be players playing this game who love the story and absolutely don't care about endgame, but I'd guess they are a minority, at best. Most players at least want the option to swim in the deep water, even if they're not good at it or casual about it.

This kind of end-to-end storytelling which assumes that all previous expansions have been completed simply isn't sustainable in the long term. It's just peachy for long-time players who already have all or most of the MSQ behind them - but any MMO needs a constant influx of NEW players, as well. This guy put it quite well:

The MSQ of the base game is one thing. But there is and never will be any succesful MMORPG which demands you to play every published X-Pac (in the right order) to enjoy the newest X-Pac.

Never.

Ever.