Quality of Life Improvements and MSQ Gating for New Players

[RiyahArp]

I think at 5.0 they probably will revamp the leveling anyways; at that point going through 3 separate storylines will simply be too much for new players. And at 5.0 is really the only time they could do a major change like that, so I wouldn't worry.

[Hasrat]

I think, if SE continues with making expansions as continuations of the story, rather than isolated stories of their own, they will eventually have to start granting skip potions to new accounts that buy the game and expansions. Maybe redeemable for something if you don't want to use them. Asking players to play through the entire story continuing through the first expansion or two isn't so bad. But as expansions pile up, that gets to be harder and harder to expect.

Just a consequence of the story telling. It's not a bad thing. It's just the difference between making the story flow together, or making smaller stories that have little bearing on each other. It's only a matter of opinion whether they made the right choice, and if you disagree with it, the game just might not be for you.

[AxlStream]

Speak for yourself. I played WoW for over ten years before I even started playing XIV and I absolutely adored the lvling content.

I personally enjoy the leveling process myself. Usually only once though. After that, I like using shortcuts like PotD and Squadron dungeons or the GW2 route of tomes of knowledge.

[Berethos]

I think, if SE continues with making expansions as continuations of the story, rather than isolated stories of their own, they will eventually have to start granting skip potions to new accounts that buy the game and expansions.

I can see them doing this as well.

While I'd like to see the .x series made into optional blocks (like you do 2.x as one long chain any time you want, including upon finishing 2.0, but can also just start Heavensward as long as you're level 50), even that presents some issues...like how do you handle if a player is on 2.4, 3.2, and 4.1, for areas like the Rising Stones, where NPCs move based on where you are in the MSQ?

I personally abhor the idea of cutting content from a game (I'm still salty that some of my favorite quests in WoW were cut and never replaced when they did the Catalcysm revamp, and these were quests that did not need to be removed) such that it can't be experienced by new players if they want to experience it, and I think rewriting to set things to optional (possibly having to do this more than once) is dev time taken from what new content we do get...

Granting freebie potions may be the cleanest option moving forward.

[TwistedTea]

You know people don't seem to understand hypothetical examples. I'm not a 'casual' in terms of time playing daily or wanting to hang out in Kugane with vet friends.I enjoy reading/watching cutscenes.

But I do have casual friends and can see from their perspective. You've quests in MSQ, especially ARR that go:
Speak with NPC X
Speak with NPC again
Now speak with him again
And again
...
10/10 story right there

Areas/maps,NPC should not be gated behind MSQ. Ungated only breaks story immersion for the individual.I've already acknowledged a free skip potion is the 'best' solution. However, that skip potion currently costs 2 months of entry level subscription.

With the cost of the base game, expansions included, that access to the newest content/areas is not appealing.

An MMORPG which cannot draw/retain in new subs at a sufficient rate has to increase costs for existing players, not just through subs.

[Hasrat]

The point that has been made, repeatedly, is those new players that do not remain with the game due to the story, are not the game's target audience in the first place, so it's not really a loss for the game not to retain them. There's never going to be a situation where they make enough changes to appeal to every player.

[Paladinleeds]

Plus, you also have people like me for whom, because the MSQ is mandatory, it feels it adds more weight to what I am doing. When I played WoW, I felt so inconsequential, so much "just another person in the machine", because of how the story was delivered. I couldn't get into it. But Final Fantasy XIV's story with the main scenario being mandatory and how it unlocked things for me, it added a lot more weight to it. Making the story optional would believe it or not actually kill that meaningful impact behind the story for me. And I'm probably not the only one either. Though I can definitely agree with a free story skip (and make said story skip unlock the relevant Deep Dungeons, as well as tell them HOW TO GET TO THEM!) - heck, throw in a choice of job levelling potion too. I'd be OK with that combined with the MSQ skip. But yeah, just don't ungate the story in my eyes.

[Iscah]

But I do have casual friends and can see from their perspective. You've quests in MSQ, especially ARR that go:
Speak with NPC X
Speak with NPC again
Now speak with him again
And again
...
10/10 story right there.

That depends entirely on what those NPCs are saying! (and how far they make you walk back and forth between them each time.) Some of my favourite things in the game have been 'talking to people' quests. Or deliberately seeking out NPCs between quests - or each objective within a quest - if they're giving different dialogue each time.

(Highlights for random NPC dialogue between objectives, if anyone is going back through MSQ: talking with the Scions in the Sylphlands when there are imposters about; talking with your companions at Moghome, especially Ysayle and Estinien.)

Areas/maps,NPC should not be gated behind MSQ.

What NPCs are you thinking of, exactly? Anything sold by the gear vendors can be purchased on the marketboard that you can access right from the start of the game. Some of it can be HQ and quite cheap because the MSQ inevitably throws more gear at you than you actually need, especially early in the expansions if the player has Ironworks/Shire gear and the MSQ-reward gear is not an upgrade, so everyone just takes it and tries to sell it.

[Hasrat]

That depends entirely on what those NPCs are saying! (and how far they make you walk back and forth between them each time.)

Tbf, this is one point I think they could actually work on to streamline quests. Instead of having us traipse all over the realm to talk to the same NPCs, just continue cutscenes with a teleport. (or at least teleport to the NPC that we just finished talking to)

Doesn't have to happen with everything. But it is incredibly frustrating when someone says "meet me back at [place]." Or when NPC A that you're talking to is also present when you get to NPC B.

It doesn't have to cut out any story or dialogue, it just cuts down on all the travel time to talk to interact with NPCs we just finished interacting with.

[RinzTeiruzu]

Can anyone who is defending MSQ to not be changed answer me these few questions?

1. If i buy a MSQ skip potion only without buying a job skip potion how does the character level up ? Does this make it almost compulsory to buy both potions (MSQ + Job Potions) together? (for new characters)

2. When trying to get a friend to play the game who is interested in raiding , how do i justify the price he/she has to pay (complete edition + msq skip + job potion) just to get to the content that my friend enjoys?

3. It's an apparent problem (even if not a big one) that MSQ gating is discouraging new players from FFXIV due to the time investment / money investment(skip potions) . This would mean less new blood in ffxiv and also in the long run may cause playerbase to decline and leading to what might be the end of the game that we love. Why are you people (MSQ Gate Defenders) so against trimming the story or allowing easier access for new players to get into the game?