Just going to meekly cry for instanced housing, which I could go on at length to why I think they're better in general and better for this particular style of theme park mmo but I'll keep it short this once XD. (or that while they don't axe FFXIV right this second, that they're secretly working on their next MMO to release in a few years, and that has instanced housing).
Also imo adding more wards makes the wards less interesting unless they add them specifically per bursting at the seams need, as if they just add more so people can have the location / size / style they want then they'll damage the whole purpose of the wards and so they have to keep things tightly packed.
On instance, if you've friends, I believe it can do a better neighborhood like Wild Star did with it's far more personal more powerful neighborhood. The downside of that system was you had to know them in advance (to become neighbors), unlike here where you can have strangers for neighbors. At no point when talking about FFXIV do I think they should kill their wards because I think it sucks to lose something you like though. Yet I do think they could still add full, and more, powered every player instanced housing like system to this game without killing wards and without leaving ward users behind by adding the option of an instanced house for all players and leaving ward spots limited (MSQ and progression can be some gates to prevent massive data allocate to those who'll barely play the game, like ShB has a key area / magic concept that could really inspire taking housing to another level), those who own a ward spot get an outdoor postal address/yard to mess with (as they already have) and also get the instanced interior (already have) / instanced pocket world exterior (new to them) that all instanced users will get. So pay a bit extra to get a physical decorate-able PO box basically.
Although on a far more comprising yet probably still satisfying level, I imagine at least, you could have a sort of WoW Garrison via airships and that could rest neatly next to the current housing system as well a concept I tried to even write about here as I don't like to be seen as just complain without any attempt to offer deeper thoughts/attempt solutions.. At least in the sense of working with housing, like the instanced ward idea above, in that I don't want current users of the ward system to be robbed directly, it may happen indirectly if everyone chooses to say leave wards for an instanced only house cause they don't care about their postal address- but that imo means the system shouldn't have existed in the first place. Which might happen a little bit to some wards but I imagine most pre-existing ward users would only throw away their space if they decided not to login for a while or something (another thing instanced system could add as peace of mind and not feel like a tricksy corporation taunting you if you decide to unsub for a bit "if you leave I blow your house up!", now if you're away for long you'd only potentially lose your physical ward postal address and not your items / actual home as they'd be associated with the instanced exterior and instanced interior).
/lament
(somehow I still wrote more than intended, I need to become better friends with brevity xD...)
Knowing that Yoshida, looong ago, mentioned enjoying Dark Age of Camelot I'd also suggest the system might be inspired by that game as the systems are quite similar. Though also part of the reason why I think the system doesn't best fit / describe FFXIV, as these two are not alike at all. Either way though yeah I agree the system feels old school but, personally, not in the cool old school way- just old.



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