We Really Need To Talk About The State And Path Of FFXIV

[Delmontyb]

I've wanted to see them bring back in the conquest system from FFXI into this game where the different grand companies "patrol" the zones and each week the grand company that did the best "work" gets the zone... I liked that Blue Mage got us out into the open world, but there isn't any real reason to keep coming back to it. Hopefully Shadowbringers helps address some of this.

[Slicedevice]

I've wanted to see them bring back in the conquest system from FFXI into this game where the different grand companies "patrol" the zones and each week the grand company that did the best "work" gets the zone... I liked that Blue Mage got us out into the open world, but there isn't any real reason to keep coming back to it. Hopefully Shadowbringers helps address some of this.

I've never played XI myself but that sounds like a good idea. The problem with Open world content like this is to make people do it regularly and keep the content "fresh". If the only way to keep a zone is to do quests, FATEs or dungeons, its gonna die out quickly. Also, something that plays a huge part is the reward. What does one get for holding most zones? Reduced teleport fees in those areas? another mount? I feel like they need to impliment some really huge and regular rewards for those who wanna do this kind of content, not just something you get once then never do it again.

Again i have no experience in XI so dont know how they did it there, but some overworld PvP could arguably be a way to fix it, granted it didnt affect those who just wanna PvE.

[Imuka]

I liked that Blue Mage got us out into the open world, but there isn't any real reason to keep coming back to it. Hopefully Shadowbringers helps address some of this.

I liked the Idea of the Bluemage on Paper, but not that they again needed to use RNG to strech the thing.
Also farming Mobs for Hours was not fun for anybody. Considering, that a large Part of the Community used exploits to Level him faster, because a large Part of the Community is sick of trash mob Grind seen as the "greatest achivement of MMO History", from Yoshidas viewpoint.

Getting the Skills on the Worldmap was fun, and everytime, I remembered a Mob in a certain Zone, to get a Skill was fun.
It was fun to travel around and try to find the right Enemies.
But the Dungeons and Primals were not fun at all. It was streched with RNG, to prevent people from Steamrolling it.
But it also punished the slower Players, by forcing them, to redo fights like Leviathan for Hours and always need to ask around if FC Members help them.
This is not fun. Sitting there and hoping, that FC Members will help you to get Progress for a Single Player Class.
It could have been fun to combine it with the Grand Company Commando Missions, to get those Skill.

Changes...I dislike sounding so negativ, but my guess is, that we will not see any changes. 5.0 won't change anything and 6.0 will also not change anything.
We expected changes based on the Heavensward Feedback for certain Stormblood things and nothing changed.
It became so much easier for the Devs to drive on the same lane forever, instead of trying something, because 14 is the Cashcow of SE, to pay for other Games to develop.

eureka is designed to be niche

Not really. Ultimate Fights, Feast, Lord of Verminion, Mahjong. Those are niche Content for the Game.
They are there, but pretty limited.
2 Ultimate Fights
Lord of Verminion is a Minigame...nobody asked for in this Version, because the people wanted FF14 Poke-Minionmon...but hey, there it is.
Mahjong is a Game for the small Part of the Community, that knows the Rule of it or are interested into the Game.
None of it is made for a large Audience of tries to make a large Part of the Playerbase play it, with Giant Carrots on Sticks.

But Eureka appeared 4 times in a row now, and will likely appear again in 5.x with nearly every Patch.
Calling it niche Content is like calling the second Dungeon per Patch niche Content, because you don't need to play it for the MSQ.
And it is not about effectivly grinding through this Content, it is about having fun.
Even if it would just take 10 Hours to Level 60, as long as it is not fun to do it, it is not well made.
And there is nearly nothing more boring, than fighting Trash Mobs in this Game, because the Combat System, was never designed for this at any moment.

But people praise it because they can spend hundreds of Hours in that place.
Going from that, we would need to say, that "The Last Jedi" was much better, than "The Empire Strikes back", because it was longer.
3 hours of "great" are better than 30 hours of "okay".

With a strech I could call the Design Idea on Paper being made for a Niche Audience, but the Devs put dozens of Carrots into it, to lure as much Players as possible in this Skinner Box in a Skinner Box, to call it a success for the Masses, while at the same time, not doing a lot outside of it for the Game.