The whale mount is up on Mogstation

[InkstainedGwyn]

While I can totally see the desire to have more things made available as rewards in game, there's still an awful lot of cosmetic stuff, emotes, minions and mounts, etc. just given away during MSQ and side quests. There isn't anything in the mog station that you have to have to participate in any part of the content - no keys for lockboxes, no xp buffs, no damage/stat buffs, no potions. Even the job/story jumps only take up up to the current content, you have to go through the most recent expansion no matter what - and you don't have to pay for the right to get into the content, short of buying the expansion like everyone in the game. It's not like having to spend $ or currency to unlock each zone, etc. In SWtOR, 99% of cosmetics, mounts, minions, emotes, and toys are from the Cartel Shop. When I stopped playing LotRO a thousand years ago, you could pay real money to get guaranteed legendary weapon upgrades, which had an actual affect on your gameplay. So, yes. Other subscription games do the same thing and worse.

Honestly, IMHO, it's like a burger. You pay your $5.95 for the burger itself, which comes with a few toppings. You want extra toppings, like bacon or avocado or egg or onion strings or whatever, you pay for those extras. You don't want the extras, don't pay for them.

Do I wish everything was available freely in game without any cash shop? Of course I do. I remember playing MMOs before cash shops became a thing. But I also don't feel like it's the "death of the game", and in a game culture where every game has a cash shop now, stripping it from XIV would probably actually cause the game to die. Even if the money it generates isn't going back into the game, if it's not generating money for other franchises, then its likely to be culled as "not worth their time". Especially if they're already spending money to fight DDOSs, which apparently people on these forums want them to fight, imagine that.

[Jandor]

Do I wish everything was available freely in game without any cash shop? Of course I do. I remember playing MMOs before cash shops became a thing.

I remember playing this MMO before the cash shop became a thing.

Good times.

[Ilan]

I remember playing this MMO before the cash shop became a thing.

Good times.

I've played games where people didn't think they own everything in the game just because they pay a sub.

Good times.

[Jandor]

I've played games where people didn't think they own everything in the game just because they pay a sub.

I doubt it.

[Skivvy]

I doubt it.

I've seen that sentiment on the forums here before, and I'm pretty sure a couple of them are in this thread.

[Ilan]

I doubt it.

You can doubt it all you want but there are actually a lot of people with a understanding of what they pay for and for what they don't pay. Well here a lot of people don't have any form of understanding for that but thats not new.

[Vahlnir]

Honestly, IMHO, it's like a burger. You pay your $5.95 for the burger itself, which comes with a few toppings. You want extra toppings, like bacon or avocado or egg or onion strings or whatever, you pay for those extras. You don't want the extras, don't pay for them.

The entire "burger" is half done in this case, and the few "toppings" we receive aren't very good. This game's cash shop puts some f2p ones to shame.

[InkstainedGwyn]

The entire "burger" is half done in this case, and the few "toppings" we receive aren't very good. This game's cash shop puts some f2p ones to shame.

According to you. I enjoy it. I'm not saying you have to, but I'm saying that a lot of people tend to take very objective opinions and pose them as "facts".

[Vahlnir]

According to you. I enjoy it. I'm not saying you have to, but I'm saying that a lot of people tend to take very objective opinions and pose them as "facts".

Oh, I enjoy the game. But it's got some glaring flaws. If you can't see that then...well...

[Theodric]

The entire "burger" is half done in this case, and the few "toppings" we receive aren't very good.

That's completely subjective.

This game's cash shop puts some f2p ones to shame.

Such as...?

Last I checked, the vast majority of F2P MMO's were seeking to squeeze as much money as possible out of their players through business practices more nefarious than those that FFXIV embraces.

There's a big difference when another fast food chain is selling a similar burger for 6$ with a choice of 4 toppings.

Other subscription MMO's like WoW include mobile app, inventory space, alts and far smaller cash shop free with the basic sub. FF's cash shop is far from the death of the game, I enjoy ff14, but it's still rather excessive.

I may be mistaking you for another poster, yet didn't you recently claim to have felt tempted to go back and embrace WoW only to find it lacking? If so, it's probably not the best comparison to make. Especially when it ignores the nuances of WoW's cash shop being far more expensive on average than FFXIV's equivalent.