Option to unlock content without mandatory MSQ

[SannaR]

Going for BIS was totally up to the person to decide though. If that reward was important enough to them, they would clear the content. The difference here is that SE gave players a choice. They didn't force you to complete 100% of the previous stories just to work on what you actually wanted.

Only up to the person if they didn't want to do the hardest content. The XI playerbase wouldn't even take a smn who didn't have Alexander back before the PD nerf to events and that's before gear was even thought of. Depending on the job you came as to any event you better look like you were working on getting BiS or were known to have skills or you were seen by most on the server as gimping any group you joined or at least come as a whm. Oh and you better know the current meta or you were again left behind.

Also that's just gear if we go to travel most of the best ways to get around the world requires you to have done a lot if not most of the various storylines. One even makes you have to go through one of the citystates storylines just so you can get a key item that allows you not need two other people to open a door.

[Skivvy]

Only up to the person if they didn't want to do the hardest content. The XI playerbase wouldn't even take a smn who didn't have Alexander back before the PD nerf to events and that's before gear was even thought of. Depending on the job you came as to any event you better look like you were working on getting BiS or were known to have skills or you were seen by most on the server as gimping any group you joined or at least come as a whm. Oh and you better know the current meta or you were again left behind.

Also that's just gear if we go to travel most of the best ways to get around the world requires you to have done a lot if not most of the various storylines. One even makes you have to go through one of the citystates storylines just so you can get a key item that allows you not need two other people to open a door.

But again, the path in which you experienced the game was your own choice.

XI didn't force you to get BIS items. Some groups may have required that, but it was nowhere near a requirement to play the game and do well at your jobs. No different than how certain XIV PF/Static groups require extremely high gear for their groups. It's nowhere near a requirement set by SE, but if you want to play with that group, you'll do what needs to be done.

Options are a fantastic thing to have in an MMO. I don't think anyone here is saying to remove the story, simply make some of it optional.

[SannaR]

But again, the path in which you experienced the game was your own choice.

XI didn't force you to get BIS items. Some groups may have required that, but it was nowhere near a requirement to play the game and do well at your jobs. No different than how certain XIV PF/Static groups require extremely high gear for their groups. It's nowhere near a requirement set by SE, but if you want to play with that group, you'll do what needs to be done.

Options are a fantastic thing to have in an MMO. I don't think anyone here is saying to remove the story, simply make some of it optional.

Does SE make you do all that in XI? No but this thread is about making something optional so you can get to end game things. Then the whole XI doesn't lock you out of it's end game when it actually does as you have to advance whatever story or stories you need to advance until you're able to go and do which ever end game event you want to do. You want to do any end game event in a Seekers zone? You're going to have to go and do that storyline. unless they lately took off all the unlocks as I quit soon after it was being put into maintenance mode. Again if you want to actually get anywhere in XI without it taking a long time you'll have to go do various stories so that you can unlock all of the short cuts. Also you're not going to convince me that the majority of the player base didn't laugh at you if you didn't own a Byakko's Hidate for the longest time for certain jobs.