Quote Originally Posted by ThirdChild_ZKI View Post
And Steps of Faith.
The problem with Steps of Faith was that people would get it and instaquit, which made it hard to get groups to complete, which turned into a MSQ block. They don't like MSQ blocks. Despite the complaints, Shinryu normal didn't get nerfed because people *didn't* abandon it en masse and, although a challenge for a lot of people, it didn't turn into a MSQ brick wall.

DF balancing is always tricky because the tipping point between "this is faceroll for organized people" and "groups of randoms will not have the coordination to do this at all" is pretty thin and somewhat blurry. So if it's content they expect random DF formed groups to be able to clear, there are limits on what they can do that don't exist in Savage and especially in Ultimate.

Added to that, lots of "casual" players are playing for the story and such. Those folks pay and don't complain on the forum a whole lot, but they want the whole story. That's why you don't have story gated behind high end duties anymore: those people would be unable to do it and would likely quit in response, which means lost revenue, which is bad for the budget, which is bad for everyone. Hence the model of all story content being in normal modes, and Ex/Savage/Ultimate being for players that want a greater challenge.

Is it perfect? Not at all. Expert Roulette is a freaking joke right now and it's become its own problem due to being so easy that it's not preparing anyone for what comes later. But I think the overall design methodology is sound given the constraint that the market places on them.