5.0 and MSQ Skip: Free Skip Potion?

[Pepsi_Plunge]

since we are encouraged to use guides before entering a dungeon for the first time or guides for rotations.

We are? Honestly, that's not how I would ever play a game. A game is something I want to play myself and something I want to figure out for myself. I don't think you are supposed to use a guide for a problem you haven't even met yet. You're supposed to face a challenge and try to figure it out yourself (with your group). Therefore you even have mentors to help you with that. If everything fails, you can still look up a guide and try again.

Same goes for rotation. Guides help you to get better at what you do, not to teach you exactly what you do. You have 70 levels to learn your job and figure out (most of) your skills for yourself, with enough opportunities to test them in any given situation.

[Ranetsu-Akagane]

We are? Honestly, that's not how I would ever play a game. A game is something I want to play myself and something I want to figure out for myself. I don't think you are supposed to use a guide for a problem you haven't even met yet. You're supposed to face a challenge and try to figure it out yourself (with your group). Therefore you even have mentors to help you with that. If everything fails, you can still look up a guide and try again.

Same goes for rotation. Guides help you to get better at what you do, not to teach you exactly what you do. You have 70 levels to learn your job and figure out (most of) your skills for yourself, with enough opportunities to test them in any given situation.

When I first started I remember when someone would wipe in dungeons, they'd be asked if they watched a guide or asked why they didn't watch a guide ,sometimes even yelled at. Maybe that's only in certain dungeons this was in haukke manor (not sure if I spelled that right) sunken temple, aurum vale those are the ones I remember anyway. I remember seeing this a lot when I was new.

[TwistedTea]

Yes, I agree that the amount of content locked behind main story is a bit too much, but then again, a lot of it is locked reasonably due to how it ties into the story. It is a "necessary evil" for an artistic vision given...This game belongs to Square Enix, not players. As the creators they decided for it to be a story-driven MMO so stuff being tied to main story is only reasonable.

An MMORPG even "muh story driven MMO" has to compete in the MMORPG market. No one is asking to do away with niche MMORPGs but asking to reduce hindrances to the new player experience is not unreasonable.

It's not double dipping if you don't pay for anything twice...NOT instant access to that expansion. Thinking otherwise is ridiculous.

What kind of instant access are you talking about? Has anyone here supporting an MSQ skip proposed level 70 and fully decked out gear with access to the hardest end-game raids? An MSQ skip doesn't absolve the player from leveling classes,gearing up, learning rotations etc.

Also, they can provide the game for free too. They can provide the server code for people to make private servers. They can provide instant savage gear to everyone. That is a completely nonsensical argument. They made a product. You either like the product and use it or not like it and not use it, looking for something that you would. Simple as that.

Slippery slope argument. As paying customers we can provide feedback.

MMORPG stands for "Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game". It is not "Massive Multiplayer Only Role Playing Game". The difference between "online" and "only" is a huge one, because the first one means that many players are logged on at the same time whether or not they interact with each other, while the latter means that many multiplayer are online at the same time INTERACTING with each other. Some of the Battle Royale games nowadays are multiplayer-only. Solo content in MMO games is nothing weird. Lack of multiplayer content would be weird, but it's here and doing well. This game absolutely does meet the needs of being an MMO game.

So now we are arguing that because it fits the technical definition of an MMORPG, there's nothing wrong with something like the current MSQ, that forms the first impression for a new player of FFXIV as an MMORPG?

"...So yes, multiplayer in this game doesn't suffer. It won't suffer either, no matter how many of these things will become "soloable" with Trust or similar mechanics. Because if someone does not want to do multiplayer, they won't do it or will not readily cooperate, making playing with them a pain. Those that do want to socialize will still do.

So what's the problem then? If the MSQ is mostly a solo experience and skipping it only affects the player involved, why force everyone who might want to play FFXIV for its other MMO elements into doing it?

[TwistedTea]

So reading the title you're only asking for a free MSQ skip? What a terrible idea. The MSQ is a huge pile of experience for a new players first job and without it you're only lengthening the time they're going to spend grinding with the admittedly terrible pre-50 job/class kits. If you're asking for a free MSQ + Job skip then I also think that's a poor idea without somehow putting in place some catch up mechanics that they'd be funneled through first to give them more than the flat basics hall of the novice does. But I believe that WoW tried something like that years ago and found it actually didn't help, it didn't replace the experience of having leveled to that point yourself.

A player who chooses to utilize an optional MSQ is also choosing to accept the consequences. It simply means, if a player does not level through the MSQ, they'll have to find alternative methods. But for example, they can level through POTD,HOH and get ready for end-game way faster than going through the current MSQ.

Also, others and myself have proposed more than just the Hall of the Novice on this thread and others. The game does not adequately teach players class and fight mechanics for harder content. This is a separate problem that SE needs to address regardless of whether or not they implement a free MSQ skip.

[Bourne_Endeavor]

Who plays a final fantasy game just to skip the story?

People more interested in the battle content? Plenty of people aren't interested in the story. Not to mention, a good chunk of ARR is pointless filler. 2.1 to 2.3 is almost entirely useless. The Company of Heroes? Awful. I'm someone who likes the story and that quest chain nearly got me to skip dialogue. I was that bored. Regardless, why does it matter what other people do? They don't impact your experience.

[Novaslayer]

With this town this will be my third time playing through the MSQ. Doesn't bug me any and I have fun unlocking everything each time.

[Brill_]

Because ARR does have a whole bunch of pointless fetch/delivery quests,fetch,go here,now go there,now come back again just so we can send you off again.

Soon we will get new game+ so we can experience it again.

[Avatre]

When I first started I remember when someone would wipe in dungeons, they'd be asked if they watched a guide or asked why they didn't watch a guide ,sometimes even yelled at. Maybe that's only in certain dungeons this was in haukke manor (not sure if I spelled that right) sunken temple, aurum vale those are the ones I remember anyway. I remember seeing this a lot when I was new.

That is more a reflection on other people's impatience than the need for guides. 99% of the casual(story/additional dungeons/trials - basically anything outside of Extreme - debatable sometimes - and savage stuff) you don't need a guide for, you just need to pay attention and see what is going on. The people who demand that others read/watch a guide forget that there are new players out there that like to go into things blind. Many of those blind runners will accept advice, but prefer to figure things out themselves unless they ask.

[MsMisato]

I fail to see how skip potions are a service. We buy the game, the expansions and pay a subscription.

Current skip potions are a lazy and profitable way for SE who chose to gate nearly all of the content behind the MSQ.

Once upon a time there wasnt a store to buy in game items. Then they rewarded fanatsia for veteran awards and completing the msq. Then we cried for them to sell it. At first they said no, then they eventually gave in and started selling fanatsia and the rest is history.


Bottom line its a business and the skip poitions are more and likely here to stay. SE will do anything it needs to make a profit and people will buy them up. Just like everything else they sell there.

[Pepsi_Plunge]

I was okay with most of the fetch and bring-quests. Delivering a bottle of wine to a friend? Sure thing. Go and get some new clothes for Y'shtola? Why not. Fetch some ingredient for a meal? If I have to. But now the MSQ of SB goes ahead and orders me to collect sh*t. Literally sh*t. From mammoths. That's it. A Level 65 quest to collect shit? I quit. I'm outta here. I'm done with being an adventurer. Save the world yourself, I retire to Golden Saucer and make a living by playing triple triad...