why i quit before reaching endgame (feedback from a new player)

[Skivvy]

It's not a comparison between the two formats (though that doesn't change the premise one bit) as it is still the fact that Final Fantasy games have always concentrated on story first. This isn't new.

This is no different other than the story is continuous.

Only difference is the story is continuous in XIV? No, XIV forces you to complete 100% of the MSQ if you wish to be playing current battle content. Or maybe you just like exploring new zones? Have to keep up on that MSQ! Want to try new jobs? Hope you have access to Kugane...which requires full ARR/HW MSQ. There is a better way of handling this, and simply telling players that XIV isn't for them if they don't like the story is the wrong response.

XI let you complete most of the story at your own pace. Yes, you would at times need to complete up to a certain point, or have a certain rank, but the completion was left up to you after you unlocked whatever job/content it was you wanted. The story is not congruent in XI, but that's something that could have been improved upon with the release of XIV WITHOUT forcing it on players in-full.

At this point though, I'm going to tap out. I'm not trying to pull the "I'm gonna have the final word and will listen to nothing else!", but the last time this topic was around (last week or two?), it just goes around in circles and is a bit pointless.

[LadyKairi]

Want to try new jobs? Hope you have access to Kugane...which requires full ARR/HW MSQ.

Wrong. The only expansion jobs that require that is HW jobs, and even then you dont need to do the full story, just get far enough to enter Ishgard. People had issues with this (obviously), so they made it so the only prerequisite was be level 50 and put the quest givers in the original starter cities.