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

[Skivvy]

Who exactly is billing this as a story-based MMO?

Take a look at the SE shop and see how they describe each expansion.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/a_realm_reborn/system/
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/heavensward/
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/stormblood/

Advertised just like any other MMO - highlighting all the various types of content it has to offer (with story being just a part).

If someone can give me a quote from the Almighty Yoshi confirming that Story should be everyone's main focus and enjoyment, I will concede this point.

[DPZ2]

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/a_rea...world/#!/story

[Krotoan]

Who exactly is billing this as a story-based MMO?

Take a look at the SE shop and see how they describe each expansion.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/a_realm_reborn/system/
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/heavensward/
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/stormblood/

Advertised just like any other MMO - highlighting all the various types of content it has to offer (with story being just a part).

If someone can give me a quote from the Almighty Yoshi confirming that Story should be everyone's main focus and enjoyment, I will concede this point.

http://time.com/3817373/final-fantasy-14-naoki-yoshida/

With Final Fantasy XIV, we deliberately targeted those who have yet to play an MMORPG, and made certain that the first part of the game wouldn’t require players to recruit a party of other players. Also, the speed at which players need to react is intentionally slower at the start of the game. For hardcore MMORPG players, this may seem boring (and admittedly this is an actual piece of feedback we receive), but if we don’t attract new MMORPG players, then we can’t expect this genre to expand. Based on this concept, we took a story-driven approach, where the battle content becomes progressively harder while the story motivates the player to continue. At the same time, we introduced non-combat-focused elements such as player housing, the Gold Saucer and its attractions, and the Triple Triad mini-game for players to enjoy. We also added other content that mitigates the more casual player’s fear of not being able to catch up to high-level players, such as easing the difficulty of obtaining gear over time. For high-end content, the stages are very difficult at first, but through subsequent updates, their difficulty level is toned down so that casual players will be able to clear the older content. These little touches can be seen all throughout Final Fantasy XIV.

Sounds like the story is important..