How has your mindset changed with regards to other players since your started the ga?

[HakaseNyan]

I expect some competency, but I have learned to keep even lower expectations. I've had a mostly active sub since ARR, and I believe I've seen everything the players have to offer. Most players are people. So, you get the entire spectrum of personalities and behaviors traits available. Granted, certain types of people stay away from MMOs, and even videogames in general, but they're still here.

The game tries to nudge players in decent direction of how to play, but also undermines its own efforts at the same time. I leveled an alt recently to see exactly how 'Hall of the Novice' was incorporated. The MSQ now introduces the HotN, taking you right inside with a quest, but quickly sends you on your way to deal with Sastasha. You are not required to complete HotN, which is fine, but the amount of players that skip it are huge.

I proceeded to do Sastasha, Tam-tara, and Copperbell, and to my unamazement each Sprout (other than myself) was wearing some garbage gearset and played like a moron (I was the only one in full HotN gear). It was easy to tell none of them had a decent understanding of what their skills and abilities did; PGL not doing directionals, ARC missing DoT, ACN missing pet + DoTs. I even got to experience the elusive tank that doesn't realize it's a tank. It was sad watching this guy fumbling about at spawn, like he wasn't sure who went first to start the battle, until we all watched his majestic form step forward and... walk his way through two sets of mobs before panicking, sprinting even further into a quick death (he made it half way to the coral). We continued on after a brief explanation, and it was a complete mess. At no point did the tank say anything, and was uncooperative for the most part.

When you hand players like this a Jump Potion™, you get some extra frustration from players that have much higher expectations. They don't want to deal with that nonsense, and some will even bully them for not learning the basics. I've learned to only help those that genuinely want help. Players that don't want to help themselves aren't worth the time and/or hassle of whatever ticking time-bomb of a personality they may have.

[Vahlnir]

I don't think it's necessarily because of FF XIV but I would definitely say it's due to MMOs in general, but...I usually just hope for the best and expect the worst when it comes to doing content with random people.

Even so, I give them the benefit of the doubt. 3-4 wipes later depending on if progress is being made or not I may stick around. If there is no progress or if progress is going backwards then I am out and moving on to the next group. I've been around long enough to know a train wreck when I see it.

As far as the community as a whole goes I've always felt that, for the most part, people in this game are pretty friendly. There will always be jerks, but my good experiences outnumber the bad by a lot.

[FunkYeahDragons]

I'm more cynical, but I attest it to age, mostly. I don't like spending as much time on people online, navigating FC drama, things like that. I've mellowed out a lot on people's mistakes.

[Puremallace]

My best description of FF14 right now and this will make sense to anyone who has played WoW is this games current mechanics feel very similar to Wrath of the Lich King. I remember Pally tanking Halls of Lightening after threat was buffed and basically pulling most of the instance, there was a new shiny tank class that was over powered, tanks had huge defensive abilities so healers could now focus more on dps'n.

It is very remarkable the parallels. What I do not hope happens is the Blizzard approach of further dumbing down the game and pruning of abilities. FF14 feels so perfect right now with so much to do that the only thing they need to do is keep up the quality and community outreach and they have a guaranteed sub from me.

One thing I have noticed is the vaunted polite community does have its flaws and elitism that sort of reminds me of the lead up to gear score where veterans of the game were too pro hyper super duper elite to bother to deal with the "casuals" unless they met specific criteria.

To be honest I think Square Enix has been too light on ACT users and people who call it harmless will stay quiet as people are called out for their low dps in freaking roulette and violently berated by these super pro players who want the tank to pull the entire instance. The exact toxicity that Yoshida was worried about has invaded this MMO by relaxing the rules and looking the other way.

FF14 has that chance to over take WoW as that game in the US that everyone wants to play because Square Enix does not break their promises and take their community for granted but allowing the toxicity to fester will have consequences as it feeds on itself like a cancer.

Someone who calls themselves elite but cannot take 2 seconds to help someone who is new is not really elite in my eyes. If I am running through a zone and see a new player doing a fate I stop to help or I throw a Clemency heal their way. Every single duty I enter I simply say "yo" to let people know I am a human being and you can talk to me. I ask the healer if they do not mind me doing bigger pulls.

[TyrTry]

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One thing I have noticed is the vaunted polite community does have its flaws and elitism that sort of reminds me of the lead up to gear score where veterans of the game were too pro hyper super duper elite to bother to deal with the "casuals" unless they met specific criteria.

To be honest I think Square Enix has been too light on ACT users and people who call it harmless will stay quiet as people are called out for their low dps in freaking roulette and violently berated by these super pro players who want the tank to pull the entire instance. The exact toxicity that Yoshida was worried about has invaded this MMO by relaxing the rules and looking the other way.

Where are you seeing this????

If you see people spewing out numbers in a dungeon, they're not rude; they're stupid. That can easily get them reported.

This reads like you have a personal grudge against people who use third party tools like ACT and automatically declare them elitist...

[LaughingBanana]

Believe it or not, as I accrue more experience playing this game I grew even more patient of players' eccentricities and/or mistakes. I usually just laughed it off whenever wipes are happening or players do stupid stuff.

[ItMe]

Believe it or not, as I accrue more experience playing this game I grew even more patient of players' eccentricities and/or mistakes. I usually just laughed it off whenever wipes are happening or players do stupid stuff.

Big SAME.
Stupid shit going down is usually a pretty funny break from the norm, and a learning experience for someone.

[LaughingBanana]

Big SAME.
Stupid shit going down is usually a pretty funny break from the norm, and a learning experience for someone.

Yup! Like last night for example, running Aurum Vale with a Tank Warrior sprout. The player never used Overpower, he/she only used provoke up until 2/3rd of the dungeon when finally he/she used Mythril Tempest, and most probably he/she didn't know about the morbol fruit mechanics, at one time accruing 7 stacks of burrow debuff--the 1st time I've ever seen it happening to someone. He/she died, ofc, on the 1st boss, and then gets whacked to oblivion on the Cyclops boss, lol, and the last boss he/she didn't fare any better. Poor guy/gal.

My Scholar friend couldn't believe what we were seeing, and coming from a Warrior main who is now using WHM and DNC, I just found the sprout's eccentricities to be so funny, I was laughing my arse off the entire dungeon. One other Machinist PUG, bless his/her heart, stood on throughout even though we wiped so many times due to Tank's doing crazy shit, but that's probably because he/she's too lazy to dutyfind another Aurum Vale, lol.

I gave the warrior commendation just for kicks, lol, and perhaps to soothe his/her demoralizing heart for having played the class so badly, hahaha.

Truly, the highlight of my dungeon runs yesterday. I was so entertained by it I recorded it on my PS4, hahaha.

[Doozer]

I didn't really have any opinion of the game when I first started except people expecting me to know what to do...

And now I know that when I go into a duty with a mentor crown and open my mouth to even remotely explain anything, making sure to use a neutral tone so no one thinks I'm attacking them, I get called a c*nt and then people badger me through the entire duty when they should be actually playing the game.

They want to go fast and succeed on the first attempt while simultaneously making no effort to learn what to do or try something different. At least, that's how it is on NA worlds; not sure about EU or JP. So I started playing SAM because it has no utility and if they all fail I'm not carrying them anymore. They can learn from their mistakes or get stuck in a loop, it's not my problem. Though sometimes I encounter players who feel the same and I have a rare positive encounter.

Oh, and I know now that no matter what you queue for, you're going to get Labyrinth of the Ancients. Because people want 'fast' clears but still can't do the Atomos fight in 2020.

[NekoHina]

I have been playing since the beginning and the thing that has changed the most (that I have noticed) and bugs me a lot is how we used to be able to go into a dungeon “blind” (beyond the first day) and NOT have others jump down your throat for not watching a video first. It is fun to do a dungeon the first time as a surprise. But unless it is within the first couple of days of a patch, people expect you to have read a guide and watched the video and the video guide...so you better know the fight even before you set foot inside. There have been times when you get a great group who are up for the fun of it, but too many players these days treat this game as a job and a few extra minutes is just too much to ask. It is sad because it is supposed to be fun.