For stormblood do you want the gated conten path of hw, or the free roam path of arr?

[Nestama]

Its always been gated in FFXI.

Gated to some extent, anyway. You could still enter the new expansion zones to unlock the new jobs and such without even having to beat the Shadow Lord.

[Nezerius]

Im over leveled I have a level 60 and I havent done much hw , all Im sayin is let me do my job quest like I did in arr, let me do the 8 dungeons that are optional and do the story when I wana do the story. It wasn't a problem in arr so why would it be a problem in future expansions.

You're in the minority on that one, as most players will be progressing through the 3.0 MSQ while leveling to 60. ARR didn't gate the zones because they weren't gated in 1.0, and you've already been given the reason why the Heavensward zones are gated behind the MSQ.

I'd also like to point out that every optional lvl 50 ARR dungeon is locked behind the 2.0 MSQ.

[Roth_Trailfinder]

A level 15 MSQ gates access to and from La Noscea and Limsa Lominsa.

Don't tell people "I'm 50 and only on 25 MSQ and ARR is entirely free roam" .. you passed that gate. You passed the gate that allows you to take on multiple classes. You passed the gate that allows you to take on jobs (I forget if there is a level 22 or 23 MSQ for that, but you certainly need to be able to visit other cities for the 15'd class for your job).

Now, can you go everywhere in ARR once you've gotten past that certain level 15 MSQ gate? Pretty much, though surviving it might be difficult. It is certainly possible (though not exactly recommended or wise) to walk from Gridania to Uldah, or the other way, at level 1 if you desired. Obviously, most of the instances are locked behind MSQ, but for the world content, you can mostly get there after that 15 MSQ.

Can you do that in HW? OF COURSE NOT! There are MANY MMO's out there that gate, in some manner or form, access to expansion content. Level locks, keys, flags, progression, raid progression even. In HW's case, they lock access to Ishgard's two zones behind having HW and beating 2.55. They then lock the rest of the HW zones, even partial zones, off by progression. This is standard expansion fare.

I rather expect Stormblood to be similarly progression-locked. I actually somewhat expect Stormblood to be locked behind completing Heavensward's content, just as Heavensward was locked behind A Realm Reborn's content. They would have to come up with a brand new story, either tied in at a much lower level or not tied in to existing story at all, for them to have an expansion not locked behind the previous expansion's content, I think. And this may be a stretch, but I don't expect something like that before 6.0 or 7.0 ... not if they were dropping hints that stuff like taking the fight to the Garleans, and visiting Garlemald, might occur in 5.0, but not earlier.

[bswpayton]

A level 15 MSQ gates access to and from La Noscea and Limsa Lominsa.

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I have no issue with storm blood being locked behind hw , what my issue is , like I said a few times is the zones being locked in hw. From what Ive been reading many people dont want the jobs locked in the new expansion either. Because like I said with gating you force the players hand what if someone wants to just do msq bit by bit instead of all the way through in a straight line like hw is making you do. Would you say that there is less longevity in doing the story as you see fit are having to do the story to do somethings you may want to do. A person who is going to not rush the story is more than likely gona be a person that wants to put hours upon hours into the game play. Where as if you rush straight through after you get your gear and do a few extreme primals if you arent raiding what is there left for you to do at that point?

[Brian_]

When I joined this game back in ARR and leveled to 50 as quickly as possible via dungeon and FATE spam, I was pretty damn angry that my friends didn't tell me that basically everything in the end-game was gated behind the MSQ.

Just off the top of my head, I had issues capping tomestones because EX roulette was MSQ locked, the CT chain was MSQ locked, Coil was MSQ locked, Relic was MSQ locked, a lot of relevant primals and their EX versions were MSQ locked, etc.

Basically I got to 50 and had nothing to do because my MSQ was stuck at level 20 or something.

So yea, ARR was probably a bit more free. It really didn't matter, though. Everything I cared about was still gated behind the MSQ just like it is in HW.

So I disagree with the basic premise of this topic. Seems to be a common theme with this TC's topics, though.

[Lyraele]

So I disagree with the basic premise of this topic. Seems to be a common theme with this TC's topics, though.

What does "TC" mean? FWIW, I think HW's progression through the MSQ is simply more honest than ARR's was. I got to the early 40's and then everything basically stalled out until I proggressed the MSQ. At which point everything stalled out again until 50 at which point there was a flood of things to do. I'd have much preferred a smoother MSQ-oriented progression. Maybe I'll change my mind once I hit 60, but that's a ways away still.

[AnaviAnael]

TC= Topic Creator.

[bswpayton]

[QUOTE=Brian_;3962191]When I joined this game back in ARR and leveled to 50 as quickly as possible via dungeon and FATE spam, I was pretty damn angry that my friends /QUOTE]

Because for some reason like simple things in the game bothers everyone for some reason or another, like you said you ran out of stuff to do but did it hurt anyone that you leveled up to 50 and roamed anywhere you wanted no I really dont think that it did. If you got rid of the zone locks who is it effecting noone its not effecting peoples gaming experience to want to be able to step foot in a zone just because of lore.

I was told that I couldn't glam until I was level 50 so I got to level 50 because that was something I wanted to do, and the msq quest was gona be there it will always be there to do. So me being in mor dona didnt hurt anyone, just like people that hadn't done all of hw story being in a level 60 zone if they are level 60 wouldn't effect the game at all. What Im mostly just seeing is people want things to just remain exactly the same and dont accept any change, there is a reason why this game isnt in the top ten most profitable mmos right now. And I love the game best game Ive ever played but people complain about the cash shop they complain when , prism go to one instead of five. Like it makes no sense how something so small as being able to take your horse and go into a zone that you didnt unlock through msq would even be an issue but I guess it is its just pretty silly to me.

[HyoMinPark]

Correct me if I am wrong, but...

Ignoring the sub-50 optional dungeons in ARR (which many brand-new people actually don't know about, because they aren't directed to them in any way, shape, or form in the MSQ--and even those that do tend to hate those dungeons with a passion, particularly AV), the level 50 dungeons that were unlocked via sidequests and not during the main 2.x patches are still gated behind the last 2.0 main scenario quest ("The Ultimate Weapon"). Just like the optional dungeons in HW are gated behind the last 3.0 quest ("Heavensward"). So, in ARR, you couldn't have a level 50 character still on the level 32 MSQ about to unlock Brayflox Longstop, and go unlock Lost City of Amdapor, or Haukke Manor Hard Mode, and start farming for poetics or gear. I bring this point up because you asked in one of your posts about wanting to access the optional 60 dungeons so that you can start gearing up your 60 jobs. HW does not have any optional dungeons for you to unlock during the main 3.0 story like ARR did, but the dungeons you seem to be asking for are gated in a similar way that the level 50 dungeons were. So there really is no difference there.

It's been a while since I played through the later half of ARR, and the 2.x patches, but aside from being able to wander off into Coerthas Central and Mor Dhona at level 1, I really can't find many differences between the two. So you can't travel to Idyllshire or Azys Lla when you're a fresh 50 entering Ishgard for the first time. You can't, because it doesn't make sense lore-wise. Azys Lla isn't known to exist by many, and there's a big deal about actually breaking into it during the MSQ. So, it would make sense for you to not be able to just waltz right in there. Like JunseiKei pointed out, the story and the lore in FFXIV are extremely important. This is Final Fantasy after all, a franchise that has always focused heavily on the individual game's stories and lore.
(Fun fact: The NA store sold out of the lore book in less than 30 minutes on the day it released. That's how much people care about the lore in this game.)

I also don't think they could have gated ARR areas in any way, given that it probably wouldn't have made sense for Legacy players. "Hey, we know that you had access to Mor Dhona in 1.0, but you can't go there anymore unless you complete this, this, this, and this first." Of course, I never played 1.0, and I am not a Legacy player, so this is just speculation/mild rambling.

Sure, in ARR, you could be on the level 25 MSQ and do your level 50 BLM quest. But, the game was still designed with the intent that you would be close to the ending of the 2.0 MSQ, and not still in your starting city-state, or still hanging out in Little Ala Mhigo in the midst of the mid-20s MSQ quest chain. Also, I think it's worth noting that back when 2.0 was still fresh and new, the experience gained from MSQs and dungeons was not nearly as buffed as it is now. Even in the year that I've played, the experience buff in ARR has gotten even bigger (what with the HoN and the Brand New Ring).

With the jobs being gated behind HW, I know there's a lot of controversy around that. But, if you pay attention, the stories wouldn't make sense if you could unlock them right off the bat. Aside from the fact that none of the 3 jobs have a starting class (since SE is moving away from the class system), it's also worth noting that some stories mention events that didn't occur during the original 2.0 story line, or take place in places you can't access in ARR. Take the 30-50 DRK storyline. The level 45 quest mentions Leviathan, which was Patch 2.2. The level 50 quest mentions the Bloody Banquet in Ul'dah, which was Patch 2.55. None of these would make sense if you could unlock the job after hitting level 30 in 2.0. Aside from the fact that you can't access Ishgard, because, as noted several times in the story, Ishgard shuns outsiders, and closed itself off from the rest of Eorzea (and remember, you had to prove your worth to even get in there in the first place--The Steps of Faith). Again, the importance here on lore.

With HW, I think they're trying to enforce pacing yourself leveling WITH the story. Because, again, of the importance SE and the Final Fantasy name has always put on the story and the lore in their games. I understand not wanting to rush the story; no one here is forcing you to do that. But you seem to be pressuring yourself to finish it so that you can start gearing up your level 60 jobs that were already way ahead of the story itself before you entered Ishgard. There is no outside pressure. And, unfortunately, there will come a time when you catch up to the story, and will have to join the rest of us that are waiting for the next patch or the next expansion. There's no way around that...unless you unsubscribe for a couple of months, and then come back when there is more content.


Also, sorry if these points were mentioned elsewhere--I only read the first couple pages of this thread before I started formulating a response to it.

[Chocolys]

Concerning Heavensward, I was also a bit annoyed I could not use by DoH classes on the new region without having to unlock it thru the MSQ.

That aside, the "gates" I did not like on Heavensward were the one where you need to participate to a Duty, because I was like enjoying the MSQ and Side Quests, then boom "You can't go further until you complete X Duty".... and so great, it's not server peak time and i'm stuck watching the Duty queue timer without any possibility to progress further meanwhile.

Of course that's new, it was same on ARR, but at least every ARR region were totally opened once you unlocked airship city travel so you could explore around, and there was lot of new stuff to do between all the classes and side quests.