An option for characters to start at level 50, pre-heavensward, for FREE

[PyurBlue]

It would be daunting for new players, to suddenly be given a dozen of combat attacks and abilities without even knowing what a combo is or how the basics of combat works. The big problem with getting into HW is the MSQ filler which grinds the leveling process to a complete halt for about a dozen hours for fetch quests that have no rewards.

Maybe. 50 isn't really that daunting. Black Mage doesn't learn very much between level 1 and 60. It's essentially Fire I all the way. Paladin has one combo and one AoE button. Balancing healing and DPS on healers is a little more challenging, but nothing a tutorial couldn't help with. As it is, I've frequently recommended that new players level in PoTD when they ask for advice on what class to play. Low level doesn't reflect high level play and some new players just don't find the slow pace of skill acquisition interesting.

There might be some need for a level 1 option for players totally unfamiliar with a FF14 style game, but starting at level 50 isn't something that I consider putting novices in too deep.

[Halivel]

Best solution Ive had was to take some of the MSQ quests out of the MSQ and list them as content side quests.

Actually just teach you-know-who to use <kupo!> linkpearl, this already will do a lot even without moving quests from MSQ to Side, really. Outside of this amount of quests isn't that dramatic, and gives you EXP if you bought expansion already so it's not useless either. You just spend incredible amount of time on running around instead of using technologies and this is weird.

As for starting with 50 level - eh... A lot of people do not get what to do with their skills even after manually leveling it from 1 until 70, yet you suggest to make them 50 lvl immediately. Bad idea, really. I mean, remember that biggest part of community are casual players and for a lot of them it's a first MMO as well. You are a complete sprout and then bam game just throw you into the middle of content from the very first second. Nice.

If you want to start with higher level - there is an option. Yes, it's not very inspiring to spend even more money when you just bought the game, but it is an option, and there no really any reason why SE would cut their money from selling it. If they suddenly will - well, cool, but it's somehow doubtful.

[Kaethra]

I think a compromise is in order.

A sort of primer questline that gets you caught up on everything that happens up to just before Heavensward, and its offered as a sort of quick and dirty tutorial to the various mechanics of the game. Its not going to teach you how to dungeon properly in a role. But lets be honest, dozens of hours of MSQ doesn't do that either.

But how it works is each section gives enough exp to get someone their next class/job action as well as a set of gear for that tier of levels. On completion you should be 50-51 and have unlocked everything in ARR. When someone makes a character they are asked if they wish to have the primer or the regular version of the MSQ. If they pick the latter, then it works as it does now. If they pick the former they are warned that all other quests are disabled until completion, cannot switch their class/job, and cannot return until completion.

Something of this nature could even encourage people to play alts.

[RyuuSkyez]

That's the incorrect solution to the earlygame MSQ. That MSQ isn't bad for the story its trying to tell. We just need to allow the devs to streamline that experience (Basically cutting out all the fetch quests and generally improving the way "talk to that guy and come back" quests work)

Problem is .. Would this community accept a patch that was lighter in content to allow them time to dedicate the quest teams to fixing up that period of the MSQ?
In all honesty, it would probably require an expansion to revolutionise it.

Agree with you post, the dev team really needs to go back and fix/streamline alot of things. They should really take a break from making new content and try to solidfy and fix what they have right now. Infact something I've waited for for a long time would be them fixing the male character creation because its still god awful, but they have never done that.

[Eriane_Elis]

I think it's fine as it is. Why? Because you would just shorten an incredibly good game. ARR is as long as an RPG. HW is as long as an RPG. SB is as long as an RPG. ShB is allegedly the largest of them all. Why would you want to cut content away from people? They already did this and some of the content they did cut was important. People in my FC are enjoying the ride from ARR to SB. Making a jumping potion available for free would be a huge slap to the face to the developers, those who already bought one, and also all the players who devoted so much time into this game. Don't try to cheat your way through the game, enjoy what's available because there really isn't anything quite like it.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

I think part of the problem here is people coming in with other MMOs in mind, thinking current endgame is the only thing that matters.

This game is more like a traditional rpg. The entire journey matters.

You wouldn't buy final fantasy 7 and request to only play the last disk, skipping everything else, would you?

[RyuuSkyez]

I think it's fine as it is. Why? Because you would just shorten an incredibly good game. ARR is as long as an RPG. HW is as long as an RPG. SB is as long as an RPG. ShB is allegedly the largest of them all. Why would you want to cut content away from people? They already did this and some of the content they did cut was important. People in my FC are enjoying the ride from ARR to SB. Making a jumping potion available for free would be a huge slap to the face to the developers, those who already bought one, and also all the players who devoted so much time into this game. Don't try to cheat your way through the game, enjoy what's available because there really isn't anything quite like it.

I agree, they shouldn't be cutting content in an mmorpg, infact I would actually like to replay the story of heavensward, but can only go through it once on a single character. I would also like to play the 1.0 story but obviously that wont ever happen, unless its done with the explanation that your dreaming and thats how you went back in time, that would actually be a really kool concept!

[Vahlnir]

I think part of the problem here is people coming in with other MMOs in mind, thinking current endgame is the only thing that matters.

This game is more like a traditional rpg. The entire journey matters.

You wouldn't buy final fantasy 7 and request to only play the last disk, skipping everything else, would you?

I completely agree. Still though, some quests could probably be cut from ARR to put it more in line with HW and SB. Neither HW or SB were too long or too short. I think they were just right. From a new player point of view, ARR is probably god awful, and some quests are simply unnecessary.

[Reimmi]

All thats really wrong with ARR is the patch content is waaaaaaay too long
should cut down the quests in that part by half, removing all the clutter but keeping the important bits

[RyuuSkyez]

I think part of the problem here is people coming in with other MMOs in mind, thinking current endgame is the only thing that matters.

This game is more like a traditional rpg. The entire journey matters.

You wouldn't buy final fantasy 7 and request to only play the last disk, skipping everything else, would you?

lol yea its like people buying a solo rpg and then requesting to be immediately placed into the final boss battle, because they dont want to actually play the game T_T Jesus Christ.