Appears more likely than not that new Stormblood areas gated by 3.5 Completion

[bswpayton]

I have done that - and I was not waiting to hit the latest content. Instead I was enjoying the old content.

I totally agree , if Ive never done it then its new to me, Im a mentor in the nn and alot of newer players wouldnt even wana skip the story even if they dont like arr story I meant ha. I get the jump potion idea, but to get to 3.5 would take a few weeks at most its not as bad as it sounds really.

[MasamuneBranford]

I have done that - and I was not waiting to hit the latest content. Instead I was enjoying the old content.

Some people don't like entering old instances where everyone else wipes the floor with everything (which will happen during the 2.1 to 2.55 content and 3.1 to 3.55 content). Not sure if you read my full post but I mentioned that. My proposal also still gates certain new content behind the old.

[Reinha]

Clearly, you've never joined an MMO multiple expacs deep. At some point, it gets boring going through a ghost town MMO while you wait to hit the content people are playing.

I have done that twice and enjoyed old content both times.

Besides, low levels in FFXIV are far from a ghost town. There's active discussion in NN every day, low level dungeons and PotD are frequently run by both veterans and newbies and Limsa is an equally busy meeting place as Idyllshire. The only thing that really changes at max level is the ability to raid and having a better story (which requires ARR story to understand anyway) compared to the first 40-or-so levels.

[Fawkes]

Why would new players want to skip all the old content? It is not like the new content is better than the old, and for a new player it is all new to them anyway.

I think the argument for not gating it/using jump potions is so that new players can get to play with friends at endgame as quickly as possible.

[MasamuneBranford]

I totally agree , if Ive never done it then its new to me, Im a mentor in the nn and alot of newer players wouldnt even wana skip the story even if they dont like arr primals. I get the jump potion idea, but to get to 3.5 would talk a few weeks at most its not as bad as it sounds really.

You honestly think it would take a few weeks to go 1-50 playing through all of the main scenario quests, go through all of the 2.1 to 2.55 main scenario quests (I recall the 2.5 quests were 5+ hours alone), 50 to 60 through all of the Heavensward Main scenario quests, go through all of the 3.1 to 3.55 main scenario quests? That's completely ignoring Hildebrand, side trials, side quests, etc. I think an average player would be hard pressed to get through all of the main scenario quests alone in under 200 hours. 200 hours is five full weeks of a full-time job. Would take 10 weeks for a player who can invest 20 hours into a single game per week .

[MasamuneBranford]

[QUOTE=The only thing that really changes at max level is the ability to raid and having a better story (which requires ARR story to understand anyway) compared to the first 40-or-so levels.[/QUOTE]

All new zones, new dungeons, new raids, new 24 man raids, underwater exploration, new town, etc. would be gated.

[Vexander]

This isn't something new or unexpected.

The possible including of the Jump Potion will offer new players who decided to join day one of the expansion launch, or any point after it, the opportunity to dive right into the current content. The Jump potions right now boost you to level 50 and mark MSQ completed up to 2.55. When Stormblood launches it will boost to 60 and mark MSQ completed up to 3.55.

That said, normally when players join an MMO for the first time after its launch and for the intent to play for a specific expansion, they -USUALLY- start playing 2-3 months in advance of said expansion to prepare for it. Few are the MMO players who buy the expansion, wait until launch day, and jump in, expecting to be on equal footing with everyone else. In -all- MMOs you still have to play catch-up in level at LEAST.

[Shougun]

Wonder how hard it'd be to detach some of the more fluff quests, and then keep that in mind for all future expansions. So if you join the game at like 5 expansions late instead of doing 200 quests its more like 50, and they're super EXP packed - the fluff quests could be kept just separated from being required. Also hope they can add more player tutorials, would help community experience with new people who come flying in at mach speed 9,000 if they know a little bit about their role and job (they've already added some which is awesome, but certain job specific mechanics are important too).

Hopefully their jump potion doesn't just complete the quests so you can't do them later, I think that'd be a big loss in possible enjoyment (SE spent a good amount of time making them good, not being able to experience it especially after you spent money would be a bit "Meh"). However, there NEEDs to be something done to ensure as time goes on the new players are not stuck behind a literal mountain of hours before they can do anything exciting with the majority of the player base.

Also agree that trying to tell new players that they need to pay 60 + 16 / month + 20 (guess for jump potion) is a good first time experience, that would feel like you just got gouged. I'm sure SE as a company wants money, but hopefully they can come up with some clever way to make money and not make it feel like a medical bill lol. When buying complete editions, the first one is free? Make Alt packages, dunno I'm sure they can do it - but they should be careful front loading the first time experience, a game that tries to tell me I NEED to buy 10 different things in the first second of looking at it is usually a game I avoid.

"Here are you $20 tissues, and your $40 trash can where you can throw them away, and for only $20 more you can also have shoes to walk across the glass field we placed before your car~ Enjoy~!!"

[dragonseth07]

I have done that - and I was not waiting to hit the latest content. Instead I was enjoying the old content.

Well, congrats, but you're not everyone.

Look at Legion. Lots of new subs, and everyone is making use of the level boost. Why? Because they joined to play Legion. Not the old stuff. It's not isolated to WoW.

[MasamuneBranford]

Everyone wants to debate. Nobody wants to look at a solution that I see no reason would not appease everyone:

"However, if it were up to me: Give everyone who purchases the expansion access to the new areas. Give everyone who purchases the expansion access to the new dungeons and raids (upon reaching the appropriate level). Take out all cutscenes in the dungeons / raids for players who have not played through the story. Gate the new players from the trials. Gate the new players from the valuable daily roulettes until they do finish the story (providing some incentive to play through the 200+ hours of old content). In my opinion; that is how it should be. Give the new player the opportunity to play up-to-date content in between the hours they will trudge through the old content."

Who has a problem with this? Why?