Having to slog through lvl 50 quests is tedious

[Iscah]

DON'T skip through the scenes if you care about the story overall. Some are tedious but others are important and it's all leading up to another story event before you reach Heavensward.

Essentially it is a whole separate chapter of the game.

I don't really get the specific hate towards it, because the rest of the MSQ gives you plenty of pointless fetch quests as well. (Remember the lead-up to Titan? That was awful.)

(Also, don't get tempted into watching the "Heavensward demo" video from the main menu, because that has some 'recap' scenes that will spoil what's about to happen for you!)

[SoulEchelon]

I don't really remember them being an extreme slog, but then again I was heavily invested in the story so I didn't mind the fetch questing.

I will say this though - it pays off at the end. Whoo boy. Obviously not gonna spoil it but it all leads up to a fitting beginning to HW.

[Hasrat]

It's all a matter of opinion, of course. I find them boring because all I'm doing is delivering stuff. Basically, just fetch quests. There was even one quest that had me looking for tea leaves. Tea leaves!

You just described a significant chunk of all other quests in all other parts of the game. Go here, interact with the thing, talk with NPC, go back, talk with same NPC, talk some more, kill a few things, go back again, talk again, interact with more things.

It's an MMO. How much depth do you expect?

I mean, I get it. Half the conversations ever could take place over linkpearl, and Twelve, do I hate consecutively talking to the same NPC instead of just having the game auto-transport us together and continue the conversation.

Idk. I guess I'm in the other group of players that doesn't understand the hate. Didn't feel any worse than any other point in the game. Seemed to me to just be a natural continuation of the story, the denouement after the climax before tensions build again leading to HW. Because that's how tension cycles work.

[savageink]

On running through this while leveling alts, it can get a bit long. I didn't really notice while going through it the first time. My biggest complaint is all the quests for dungeons and raids and primals that don't close out when you unlock them in the duty finder and take up space in your quest log.

[BluexBird]

So after I defeated the Ultima Weapon and saw the various (and well done) cutscenes, and felt all the feels and was ready to jump headfirst into HW content, I discovered that I have to endure 100+ ARR quests first.

This is the reason why I wouldn't recommend FFXIV to any of friends. Think about all the other FREE MMORPGs out there that have better story, better combat, better user interface, and without a monthly subscription. And then ask yourself why someone would want to get involved with a game like FFXIV, where to get to the end-game content, you have to grind through over 300+ quests (half of which could just as well not be there), or pay to skip it all. It's almost insulting.

People will often ask me what I'm playing, and as soon as they show an interest, I immediately warn them about why they shouldn't play. And it's always the same answer - the MSQ is such a huge obstacle, it would take anyone an immense amount of dedication, motivation, and time to get through all of it, that they're probably better off getting into something else.

I really hope they find a better way to deal with this...

[Bobs]

Well there really is no end game in FF14 just higher numbers. The story it the only thing it has, try to enjoy it.
Not point in rushing to the end where we twiddling our thumbs all day; waiting for the weekly reset.

[basketofseals]

You just described a significant chunk of all other quests in all other parts of the game. Go here, interact with the thing, talk with NPC, go back, talk with same NPC, talk some more, kill a few things, go back again, talk again, interact with more things.

It's an MMO. How much depth do you expect?

I expect to have better context like the rest of the fetch quests in the game. They usually have personal stories involved, or tell you about the land and its history, or about the people that currently live there. Why a settlement exists, what do they eat, what's in the name, what are common issues, etc. Watching Tataru fail at various jobs and picking up the wrong aether crystal for the third time is a waste of time for everyone involved.

[KaivaC]

snip

ARR is incredibly tedious and boring when it came to a huge chunk of their patches. However, 2.5-2.55, the cutscenes there are totally worth it because of how it sets up HW. Just be forewarned, the cutscenes can last up to an hour, but at that point, it's purely story, and like I said, it sets up HW and why exactly you are in a particularly rough start in 3.0. I'd have to say that when you go through 2.5, that is when the story gets more serious than usual.

[Krotoan]

Well there really is no end game in FF14 just higher numbers. The story it the only thing it has, try to enjoy it.
Not point in rushing to the end where we twiddling our thumbs all day; waiting for the weekly reset.

EXCUSE ME? I WILL BE SITTING OVER HERE PLAYING WITH MY DOLLHOUSE AND DRESSING UP MY CHARACTER UNTIL YOU APOLOGIZE.

[Skivvy]

Will say, this is another thing that XIV's predecessor handles nicely. XI never forced you to complete the full MSQ before being able to partake in the latest content. ._.