Please add trigger warnings to intense moments in the MSQ

[MilitaryVet123]

Trigger warning: Horror/Dark scenes ahead

As someone diagnosed with anxiety, I get easily stressed out when I watch intense scenes in the MSQ. It's not so bad most of the time but there are several moments I felt panic and my heart rate shot up. We're seeing more games implement accessibility options, including FF14. I welcome the thoughtful options that are implemented for low vision and colorblind players for this game and being able to play this game on KB/M or a controller also gives players with motor diseases more options. These are good things. However, the gaming industry has so far neglected invisible disabilities like anxiety or neuroatypical syndromes like ADHD. With so many games starting to look at accessibility seriously maybe we can encourage these companies to go one step further and also implement some easy yet positive changes for individuals with invisible disabilities, like mine. As someone with anxiety, Trusts have been so important for me as an individual. It allows me to enjoy the game and learn a dungeon by myself without pressure from others. I'm not antisocial - I just get anxious when I'm doing content for the first time because I'm worried about being judged. I hope we can do that for trials too soon. On the other hand, there are moments in the MSQ where my anxiety flares up because of intense scenes. It shouldn't be difficult to add some sort of trigger warning before these scenes, much like how there are warnings for players to set aside enough time to play through long scenes right now.

These are some of the examples of the different types of moments/cutscenes in the MSQ that should be preceded with a trigger warning in my opinion (spoilers below):

• Titania Jumpscare (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrDYo_R_vqI)

At around Lv 73 there was a scene where Titania suddenly jump scares you. I get that they are mimicking horror games, but I had to stop playing for an hour to get my heart rate under control. I was not expecting that scene at all because FF14 has never had any horror scenes like these. Honestly I'll be fine if these scenes just got deleted and the MSQ writers never make scenes like these again. But if not at least add a trigger warning before them.

• Edda

The whole Edda storyline was very disturbing and the final boss of Tam-Tara hard mode was too scary for me and I had to actively tell myself this isn't real to finish that dungeon. To this day I still don't do the Lv50/60/70 roulette because I'm afraid of getting that dungeon. There is a disturbing horror movie vibe in that dungeon and players should be warned about that. Also, I don't mind if this scene was deleted:

• Ala Mhigo racism/imperialism/torture scenes

There are a lot of scenes throughout the Stormblood MSQ where you witness Garlemald or Garlean sympathizers basically torturing or committing war crimes on Ala Mhigans. There was a scene where one of the Ala Mhigans begged you not to intervene and to me that was very traumatic and I was not prepared for this dark theme at all and almost broke down. I think a warning that the Stormblood MSQ contains a lot of dark and heavy themes related to war will be nice, because I was expecting a lighter tone and mood.

• Haurchefant death scene

I was completely unprepared for this scene and I had to stop playing for a week because it was just so sudden and I was so distraught I felt like I lost a friend in real life. I had to spend a week griefing and I didn't think a video game would hit me this hard but it did. Warning that the scene might be upsetting for some people would be nice.

These are just some examples that I think benefit from having a trigger warning added to them. I'm sure there are more but let's start small and add trigger warnings to the most upsetting scenes first.

[Tranquilmelody7]

Those Edda horror moments were honestly probably my favorite cutscenes in the whole game.

I'm sorry it upset you though.

[MilitaryVet123]

Those Edda horror moments were honestly probably my favorite cutscenes in the whole game.

I'm sorry it upset you though.

Thank you. I think it's fine if those storylines stayed in the game but some warning for them would be nice. Had I known Tam Tara HM was basically a horror movie trope I would have probably stayed away from it.

[SomeRandomHuman]

The thing with hauchefaunt's death... I'm sorry, but if there was any kind of warning about it it would ruin the entire impact of that cutscene. For a lot of players that put the final nail in the coffin for the "son of a gun must pay" mentality. Also it's a war, so it kinda goes without saying that there may or may not be more graphic moments.

The Edda storyline is one that is meant to be unsettling. Frankly, I find it odd you found that disturbing and not all the voidsent type of interactions like Haukke manor or the cannibalism in dusk virgil. Hell I find the toto-rak dungeon scarier than Tam-tara hard because arachnophobia.

I liked the Titania jump scare personally. As someone who enjoys a touch of the creepy, spooky, and even unsettling here and there I thought it was a nice contrast to the general playful and innocent nature of ill-mheg. Jump scares are meant to be what they are. If anything they'd just have to re-do the entire scene.

Lastly I'm sorry, but you expected a revoloution to be more light and easy going? The Ala Mhigans were the first nation to fall to the empire in Eorzea and like, any reputable evil villainy, made sure to snuff out any and all hope and dreams that they ever found.

I'm sorry you have issues with anxiety and such though, but there's things in this game that have more graphic things that is obvious by the plot line and other thematic elements.

[Gemina]

Thank you. I think it's fine if those storylines stayed in the game but some warning for them would be nice. Had I known Tam Tara HM was basically a horror movie trope I would have probably stayed away from it.

I'm too lazy to find it atm, but these kind of experiences all fall under the umbrella of "Gaming experience may change during online play." that is given as a clear caveat to your subscription.

As for Tam Tara specifically, if you've followed along the storyline from the first time you go in there at level 15, and read all the context before going into the HM, you should be well aware that nothing good is going to happen in there. I also believe after defeating the last boss, it was one of the first and few scenes where your character does not celebrate, but lowers their head in grief.

Still.... I will admit that even after I read everything, and was even given a hint that it was dark storyline; I was still not prepared for the events of this particular questline, or seeing her damn ghost in city states afterwards. Just creepy, beyond all that is freakin creepy. O_O

[stebo104]

@MilitarVet123 you do know what the game is rated at right? That's all the warning you should ever need.

[Ranaku]

You know there is a "warning" right? Called PEGI and seriously i think you (or your parents) are adults enough to know what that is...at least i hope so.

"This game has received a PEGI 16 because it features sustained depictions of violence towards human characters, moderate violence and encouragement of the use of alcohol/tobacco. Not appropriate for persons below 16 years of age."

I think and i hope that is clear enough and if you can't handle these things then don't play the game. Do we need now a trigger warning for every horror game because people can't read? (Or any game in general) If you don't like it don't play, don't go into a horror movie if you can't stand it and don't eat peanuts if you have allergies, it is seriously not that hard.

[Doozer]

You know there is a "warning" right? Called PEGI and seriously i think you (or your parents) are adults enough to know what that is...at least i hope so.

"This game has received a PEGI 16 because it features sustained depictions of violence towards human characters, moderate violence and encouragement of the use of alcohol/tobacco. Not appropriate for persons below 16 years of age."

Given that OP is on Malboro, it's likely they're in NA, in which case you'd want to cite the ESRB instead. I went looking on the ESRB site itself and found an interesting chunk of text that's quite detailed, and I wish it actually said this in full whenever the rating was shown:

This is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in which players navigate a large cast of characters that engage in missions and fight the forces of evil. Players explore environments (e.g., cities, plains, caves) and battle human and fantasy creatures. Players use swords, spears, axes, firearms, and magic spells (e.g., fire balls, energy beams) to defeat enemies in real-time combat. Cutscenes depict a man being stabbed from behind, and creatures emitting splashes of purple or yellow blood when struck. Some female characters are depicted from low camera angles, with lingering camera views of their buttocks (i.e., up-skirt shots). Dialogue contains suggestive references; for example, "The netmaster's probably up in his office polishing the mast just thinking about her," "stick yer manhood in the forge," and "You cheating little whore!" Several characters are referred to as drunk or drunken, while others sometimes talk about wine, rum, and grog. The word "sh*t" can be heard in the dialogue.

Instead we usually just get basic stuff like

Alcohol Reference
Animated Blood
Language
Suggestive Themes
Violence

Anyway, I'm pretty neutral on the subject, since although ratings give you a general idea of what you're going to get, sometimes there's really specific circumstances that are unusual for the game and can take people by surprise, like Edda/Tam-tara Hard.

[GrimGale]

The game already has an ESRB rating

Teen

Alcohol Reference
Animated Blood
Language
Suggestive Themes
Violence

The game also lets you skip cutscenes.

[Fynlar]

While I do sympathize to an extent, I fully recognize that these moments would lose a lot of their impact for many people if they came with a direct warning. As has been pointed out, the game's ESRB rating does point toward the fact that mature themes are present and not everything that happens in this game is gonna be sunshine and rainbows.

As for the more horror/jumpscarey elements... imagine watching any sort of horror/thriller/slasher flick where, when the killer is about to emerge and strike at our hapless heroine, a countdown of 10 seconds and a description of exactly what will happen when it reaches zero just appeared on the screen. Pretty much wouldn't even make sense to call it horror anymore; if this actually ended up in any "horror" movie people would be calling it a parody or a joke instead. Horror's whole effectiveness hinges on you not knowing what is going to happen, and even if you DO know what's going to happen, you don't know exactly when, or how. The surprise element is vital.

As far as FFXIV is concerned, the game doesn't delve THAT frequently into outright horror. Which helps keep it effective the few times it does show up, because you probably aren't expecting it. Again, that's the whole point.

Regarding character deaths in particular, designers/writers WANT them to feel like gut punches. They are trying to avoid the Eight Deadly Words: "I don't care what happens to these people." If it felt like a gutpunch, that's a clear sign that they designed/wrote the character well enough to the point that you grew some degree of an attachment to said character, as opposed to not giving a crap what happens to them.