We should get exp boost in the game.

[EaMett]

They're going to simplify the process in the next patch. Also, FF14 is heavily story based like others have mentioned. Skip the story and you basically miss out on 70-80% of the actual content released in patches. So obviously it's not something that is encouraged.
Comparatively, WoW has little to no story attached to leveling so they can just fast track you to end game.

[kaynide]

Hard pass.

I am all for tightening older content like they are doing for the next patch and wholeheartedly wish they continue to trim fat off the main story as the game ages (specifically removing stupid fetch quests or go there, talk to NPCs, come back here..don’t we have linkpearls for this exact reason!?)

There are many games where maxing out takes no time like guild wars. Love them, but they are built for that kind of play. FFXIV I much prefer the slow burn.

Of course just my opinion.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

There are so many exp boosts already in the game. You don't need more exp....

[Melichoir]

I think it's about time we started getting exp boost and ways to skip the story in the game. Not to sound like a broken record or anything but, in WoW I can level to max in like 4 hours. Less if I really focus. It's not like it isn't there for a reason. It's like that so people don't spend all their time doing old content and so that they can catch up to current content. FFXIV isn't getting shorter and this is starting to become an issue. I'm not saying get rid of the story. I'm just saying why not give people the option to skip it if they don't want to do it and just want the new content? If it isn't right now, it will be daunting and very inconvenient for new players to start the game and catch up. I would like my friends to come play this game because it is fun. But, they don't have the time to invest into a story like that without feeling like they aren't getting anything done.

Just my opinion. Love Kair. <3

Edit: "Just buy a story skip" isn't an argument. New people aren't going to just drop $60 on a game to catch up to current content when they just paid $60 for the game. $120 just to play current content? Nah.

A big part of the game and it's experience is built around the MSQ. Unlike WoW, which youre just somebody in the horde/alliance, in FFXIV you are the central hero. So skipping MSQ vast parts doesnt seem to be in line with the game designers intentions. This doesnt mean that theyre not giving shortcuts - Jump Potions are the simplest way for giving people the ability to skip and do offer those, but therye not incentived. They dont want you to just use one like it's nothing, hence the price point.

Instead, youre actually given quite a bit when it comes to leveling. First, MSQ more or less is all you need to do. You wont need to grind dungeons, fates, side quests or many other things. If you follow the MSQ, youll be up to level most of the time. This doesnt include food buffs (all foods give you +3%), fates that give you boosted experience, FC buffs, and leveling items if you buy certain versions of the game or do some quests within game. Furthermore, theyre already going back and trimming down the 2.1-2.55 section of the game to make it more streamlined. This doesnt include any future plans they might implement in regards to speeding up leveling in earlier content.
Point is, there's already a lot going on, and a path that will take you to 80 without much extra effort or grinding.

Conversely, last time I played WoW, intro content was so stupidly over experienced that before I got a chance to get a feel for a spot or get into a quest chain, I was over leveled and was expected to go some place else. I could literally skip past huge parts of the game's story and it wouldnt make a difference. Get all the way to icecrown? Nah, forget that 's'. Youll be out of northrend and into a new xpac by the time you get through the second zone, if that.

The question you should ask yourself is, is the goal to just get to max level or is it to play a story and experience. WoW offers a different thing than FFXIV. Yeah, sometimes I just want to get to max level to see the new sights and sounds nad not care about story. WoW is better for that. If I want a game where there's a story and Im actually a part of it and not a bystandard, FFXIV is better for that.

Not even sure if this is an issue. Maybe this is a bit anecdotal, but when talking with new players, they dont mind the leveling or MSQ (with the exception of the 2.1-2.55 area, but that is already being addressed by the devs).

[MelodyCrystel]

I don't need to repeat what many others have already stated, so I will focus on what wasn't said yet.

Not to sound like a broken record or anything but, in WoW I can level to max in like 4 hours. Less if I really focus.

If (new) players would level that fast from LV1 / 30 / 50 / 60 up to Maxlevel a ka LV 80, I am pretty sure they wouldn't be able to get the most out of their job.

I'm no elitist, but I say each job a person plays should be understood by them.
->Looking at many new players (including rushers) I have seen in the last years, people who take their time with FFXIV are usually (far) better in this undertaking than those who can't wait to join in the tomestone-grind-machine.

And it's not only about knowing how / when to use what skill. Being capable of dodging AOEs and grasping mechanics / marks / debuffs is also something a player can't obtain by quick-leveling.

(I have seen in the last weeks many newer healers who never use Esuna on paralysis / poison and even let people die to doom. Coincidence?)

[MariaArvana]

They're going to simplify the process in the next patch. Also, FF14 is heavily story based like others have mentioned. Skip the story and you basically miss out on 70-80% of the actual content released in patches. So obviously it's not something that is encouraged.
Comparatively, WoW has little to no story attached to leveling so they can just fast track you to end game.

uhh, the MSQ in most patches barely lasts 2-3 hours. Compared to the huge replay-ability of raids, ultimates, savage raids, 24 mans, dungeons, Ishgard restoration, Side stuff like Eureka/Diadem/etc and everything else they throw into the patches, MSQ is nowhere close to 70-80% of content released in patches, I'd give it 10-15% at generous best.

As far as the topic, I'll just repeat what others have said. Doesn't really matter if FF14 is a story based MMO. There's tons of people who don't care for it and like to reach endgame to play with their friends at max level content, raid, etc. A good friend of mine has been playing since ARR continuously without ever letting his sub lapse and if you asked him anything regarding the scions, the most you'd get is 'the who?' Since he pays zero attention to that stuff. Luckily at least they introduced level & story skips so the people who want endgame don't have to get lost within or worse, quit during the ARR slog.

People find enjoyment in different parts of the game. Such a foreign concept, I know.

Yea, let's just skip everything and reach the endcontent without any effort.
You want to get the latest BiS gear too, so you don't have to grind it by yourself?

>Implying reaching endgame takes even the slightest bit of effort.

it takes effort to learn your jobs and compete in Savage/Ultimate to get the BiS gear. You can expend zero effort getting to endgame due to how easy the solo MSQ instances are, on top of the fact the mandatory dungeons/trials someone could easily get carried in without any issues due to undersizing. It takes time to reach endgame, not effort.

Complaining about the story in a Final Fantasy game is the equivalent of complaining about shooting people in a Call of Duty game.

If the Call of Duty game had major balancing issues, busted crosshairs giving inaccurate visual data on where your shots were going, weapons that completely dominated and annihilated every other choice in the game, etc. it'd be quite correct to complain about shooting people in a CoD game. Just as if the story of a final fantasy game is hugely overburdened with fetch quests, filler for the sake of filler without contributing anything to the development of the story, it'd be fine to complain about how badly designed the MSQ is. Just because its a trend in a franchise doesn't excuse it when one title has that trend badly designed compared to others.

I'm no elitist, but I say each job a person plays should be understood by them.
->Looking at many new players (including rushers) I have seen in the last years, people who take their time with FFXIV are usually (far) better in this undertaking than those who can't wait to join in the tomestone-grind-machine.

That's a failure on not reading tooltips, not 'getting the most out of it'. I boosted PLD to 70 in SHB because I wanted to try something different, took 10 minutes to read all my tooltips hit a target dummy for 5 minutes, went into an undersized dungeon for a bit to practice positioning mobs, and now I arguably tank better in about an hour of practicing than a sizeable portion of the playerbase that never pop their CDs, single pull, etc that leveled GLD from level 1 and 'got the most out of it.'

The game literally spells out the general idea of how to play jobs when you read the tooltips, you could start at level 1 or level 70, someone who wants to learn and get better will do so, regardless of time spent leveling. Ask all the dps who don't use key parts of their kit how much they 'got out of it' leveling from 1.

[Theodric]

Complaining about the story in a Final Fantasy game is the equivalent of complaining about shooting people in a Call of Duty game.

[Dfess]

I am still surprised at how many people recommend "spend more money". What's even more surprising is the amount of people just seemingly telling new players they don't want you here. Do you really not want this game to grow if it means they get to skip the story without paying extra for it? Also, there is so much more to do at end game than you people think. Crafting, housing, gathering, making money, raiding, pvp, mount collecting, transmog collecting, ect. This game has more endgame content than WoW by far.

[Dfess]

I don't need to repeat what many others have already stated, so I will focus on what wasn't said yet.


If (new) players would level that fast from LV1 / 30 / 50 / 60 up to Maxlevel a ka LV 80, I am pretty sure they wouldn't be able to get the most out of their job.

I'm no elitist, but I say each job a person plays should be understood by them.
->Looking at many new players (including rushers) I have seen in the last years, people who take their time with FFXIV are usually (far) better in this undertaking than those who can't wait to join in the tomestone-grind-machine.

And it's not only about knowing how / when to use what skill. Being capable of dodging AOEs and grasping mechanics / marks / debuffs is also something a player can't obtain by quick-leveling.

(I have seen in the last weeks many newer healers who never use Esuna on paralysis / poison and even let people die to doom. Coincidence?)

The issue with this is in duties everything dies so fast you don't get to really experience these mechanics until the end game. Sure you get the occasional one that comes out due to them being scripted that way but most of the time people just blow threw these so fast. Everything until endgame is pretty much tank and spank since you are being grouped with max level players with the occasional one shot mechanic.

[MelodyCrystel]

Everything until endgame is pretty much tank and spank since you are being grouped with max level players with the occasional one shot mechanic.

Like in Maxlevel-players only? Yeah, good joke right now, when enough people take a break.

Do you level jobs at the moment or play with alt-characters? I do the latter and have rarely LV80-people in instance-unlocking-ques / low-level- & LV50/60-roulettes.
->Often enough I end up in runs with me being the only 'senior' in the group.