Concern on the current state of FFXIV, and future content

[Penthea]

Spent most of yesterday in the place...I saw enough. I even left and came back to it multiple times because I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Ended up in an exp party for a better part of the night and did have a bit of fun (they were awesome, if any of you read the forums thank you for being so great) but in the end, I have come to the conclusion that I should always keep my expectations low so I'm not disappointed. And I am, very much so. I should have known better.

I'm not sure what you expected. I didn't keep my expectations low so I wouldn't be disappointed. But it seems many people expected something mindblowing like an entirely different game mode or something to that effect. I expected something similar to what we have seen elsewhere, which is what we got. Eureka is basically POTD fused with Diadem.

For the record I'm not a fan of either POTD (unless it's a high level floor) or Diadem. But I enjoy Eureka well enough.

[Grux]

Thank you!

I wholeheartedly agree with this post.

Regards,
A long time WoW player, from TBC to Legion, and as a long time FFXIV player, from ARR to current patch.

[Shokumoku]

Honestly I think you're right. The team has put more effort into their world tours rather than the content development that should be the backbone of those tours, because otherwise there would be no point and nothing to showcase during their tours. MMORPGs have to be constantly evolving and pushing ahead with innovation, they had a great run during Heavensward leading into Stormblood, but now the cycle is reaching its end and something new has to be presented, much like the 10 year Marvel cinematic universe cycle culminating and going out with a BANG with Avengers 3.

Also, their gear design crew has to be more diverse, otherwise all gear would look female oriented (i.e., AST gear). The seasonal events and the rewards are also going downhill... the yellow lady from little ladies even hinted they'll be going away forever.

Overall the whole team needs to undergo a huge overhaul, be it staffing or direction.

[ReplicaX]

OP I respect your opinion, however it has zero data on Eureka. Folks have been working hard figuring out the NM spawn conditions and tonight in only 2hrs and only spawning the 1st 8 NMs here are my results:

Time inside: 2hrs
NMs Spawned and Killed: 8
Lvls gained: 3 (lvl4 to lvl7)
Protean Crystals gained from converting: 306
Lockboxes obtained: 68

The majority of the instance helped spawn each NM. Teamwork. We went in order by the Elemental lvl of NMs. It was fun, it was fast paced, and NMs are the content period. They are better than S Ranks by far.

Just this alone, destroys pre-nerf Atma grinding, Umbrite, and Light grinding. In 2hrs, I am 50% to a +1 weapon. Hardcore NM grinders will get their +2s done in mere days if ppl in the instances start cooperating.

Anemos Stage: TBD

[Claviusnex]

It feels like they are creatively bankrupt and are not willing to take risks at all or are unwilling to abandon flawed ideas.

This is why I think it might be good that YoshiP was elected to the board as it makes room for some new talent that won't be ties into the "We've always done it this way" culture. The only question is if SE can see this as an opportunity to get a new perspective on the game.

[Hestzhyen]

I'm not sure what you expected. I didn't keep my expectations low so I wouldn't be disappointed. But it seems many people expected something mindblowing like an entirely different game mode or something to that effect. I expected something similar to what we have seen elsewhere, which is what we got. Eureka is basically POTD fused with Diadem.

For the record I'm not a fan of either POTD (unless it's a high level floor) or Diadem. But I enjoy Eureka well enough.

You're allowed to like it, no one can take that from you. But we were promised something different... and we got a poor man's XI instance. The best I can say about it is that it's pretty and probably took a long time to get it looking as good as it does. However, for a land of exploration and mystery, I spend an awful long time grinding in the same ten square feet... I just want to go out and see the dang place and feel like I can make some progress in a decent amount of time. If zerging trash mobs between random "boss" spawns is the only thing we're expected to do, then I expect to skip relic this time. The grind/reward ratio is way out of whack for the amount of enjoyment inherent in Eureka. There are only two things to track: upgrade drops, and your elemental level. Both are on a super slow drip and the first one isn't even guaranteed to be earned, regardless of the effort you put in. Progress for both of these is glacially slow so it's disheartening to watch numbers tick up by the hour and feel like you got tricked. I want to get PAID to do this content. That's bad.

I don't mind grind- I've done relic weapons before. I do mind when games try to waste my few hours of free time. The relic gear isn't even worth the colossal investment since it's WORSE than weekly capped gear- it should at least be on par with the basic Mendacity sets!

In the end I feel like XIV is taking random stabs in the dark when finding a new direction. Either that or their creative/gameplay leads just don't understand modern game design. There needs to be something to break the monotony, some short-term goals to work towards while you keep the long-term rewards in mind. I hope future updates address the lack of engagement somehow. And I hope SE finally understands that more of the same will not cut it any more.

[Masekase_Hurricane]

Everything the OP has said is spot on. If the game is going to continue with the same stuff every single expansion (or even reduced stuff), then I'm not sure if I will even bother with the next one. I'm not saying i'll quit as I have too many friends on here to leave, but I defo won't be forking out for the same old rubbish with a new ilvl tacked on.

Also I'm starting to think the DEV team has ran out of ideas and i'm also losing faith in Hiroshi as a Director. Yes i'm grateful to everything he has done to remake the game, but now that's all becoming a distant memory. Hate to say it but maybe the game needs a new set of eyes to look at it.

[execool]

Wish this wasn't connotated with WoW.... I tried that but didn't like it. Hard to relate to the thrust of the article as a result...

[Penthea]

You're allowed to like it, no one can take that from you. But we were promised something different...

Honestly curious, what were we supposedly promised?

[Hestzhyen]

Honestly curious, what were we supposedly promised?

Something new, that we hadn't seen before. Something that would be engaging and so far unseen in XIV.

Vague as all heck and not even true since as many people have said this is the same old stuff in a slightly different (albeit aesthetically pleasing) package. It's another open world like Diadem, where we zerg stuff to get random drops like Diadem and Atma, and it does not disrupt or even try to change the way we approach doing content. See thing, zerg it, boom, move on to the next is not new or revolutionary as advertised. Repeat until you burn out or get kicked out of the instance is standard MMO fare. You just have to be careful to stay within a small space so you don't accidentally pull an extra HP sponge if you're not in a position to be healed or heal yourself enough.

SE kind of hurt themselves by not being forthcoming about what to expect- leaving things to players' imaginations rarely turns out well for any game company. But Eureka is most definitely old stuff presented as a new and exciting bit of content... when it isn't.

I'd like to see them expand Eureka a great deal in the coming weeks and months. Add quests, adhoc co-op challenges, little daily goals, and more. And make the gear worth all the grind, of course. They can still earn good-will back by showing that they are still actually willing to try new things.