Can we finally get real content / gameplay?

[RinaB]

I would like to see harder dungeons, talents and more pressure on healers. I find the difficulty of normal raids and alliance raids is ok since there is savage and ultimate but normal dungeons need to change. I want talents too for a bit of uniqueness to how you play your job.

[Iscah]

I'm just getting started, currently working on MSQ lvl 60, and already I can see the mind-numbing grind for tomes to get level 50 and 60 gear for some of my classes. Based on what i'm reading i'm not sure if I should be in a hurry to move forward lol. This "rinse and repeat" equation sounds really boring.

You don't need to grind for gear at all in the older endgame phases.

Endgame phase will give you at least one full set of the second-best tome gear for that expansion. The start of the next expansion's levelling phase will give you free gear that is higher again – not as good as the best tome gear, but it doesn't matter. That's the baseline the game sets for you and tome gear is a bonus.

You end up swimming in poetics over time if you run roulettes like 50/60/70 and alliances frequently. Trials and raids are a good way to earn a small amount each day.

[Jkap_Goat]

To be honest, i get easily bored of xiv and then log off out within 15 mins of playing the game, the battle system, linear hallway dungons make it so boring for me. It doesn't help that boss fights follow a particular pattern script where you know what's going to happen next.

I wish boss fights was more random, more interesting instead of a song and dance script

I wish the overworld was interesting and a bit dangerous instead of just going back there for hunt trains.

Shake up the battle system, make bosses have random attacks, get rid of the telegraph system (markers on floor)

I get on xiv, spend 10 mins of playing, get on XI and spend hours doing stuff like crafting, Seekers of Adoulin coalition missions, doing monstrosity, farming for rem tails to upgrade gear merit points farming , leveling BST, and THF to 99, killing Voidwatch NMs to get specific gear ( trying to get a necklace for WHM which is BiS) doing ambuscade, Omen..

So much i have to do on FFXI which it keeps me busy and the battle system keeps you more engaged and responsive than xiv

[muzickmage]

IMO, the problem with dungeons is ... group play. The fact that you have to do them with other people is whats destroying the dungeons and dungeon play experience.

A couple days ago I decided to take my level 64 Summoner, who is equiped with level 60 Ironworks gear (inluding all jewelry slots) and solo the ARR dungeons ... beginning with Sastasha, and one by one make my way to Castrum/Praetorium just to see how it all worked.

Despite being in Sastasha many times with a group I was surprised to learn that there was a room in Sastasha I didn't even know existed. Its a bit off the beaten path, and it's treasure box likely won't offer anything you'd care about so its doesn't matter that you skip it but.... the point is.... I only found this room as a solo player.

Immediately i'm wondering.... what else am I missing because of group play?

One by one I continue working my way through the dungeons.... slowing beginning to struggle as I reach level 20+ dungeons... not because of the enemies... they were of course not an issue for my well geared level 64 summoner... but because ... I didn't know that some things had to be clicked on... or pulled.. etc... to complete these dungeons. I didn't know about all these mechanics that were happening during dungeon plays.... until I had to do them all alone.

As part of a group.. I could complete these dungeons without any trouble at all a dozen times over while only half paying attention to what i'm doing. But alone... I found myself standing in one spot trying to figure out what I was supposed to do. OK... now that I know.... fair enough. But the point is... group play didn't teach me this. I had to teach myself during solo play.

How many of you know (and i'm going to guess all of you lol) that you need to use the canon to kill Livia Sas Junius in Castrum Meridianum? Well.... it was news to me. I have completed Castrum Meridianum literally dozens of times with a group without any major problems. But last night I soloed it and learned... wait for it lol... you can quiet the alarm by shutting off the big lights. AND... now I know why we ALWAYS ran down that dead end in every dungeon run. There's 2 pipes we have to blow up down there. Despite the many times i've been in this dungeon as part of a group... I didn't know these things were happening during the dungeon play. So when I went in as a solo player.... I was lost. I didn't know what to do.

I know now... but that's not the point.

As a solo dungeon runner... I found the experience more rewarding, more of a challenge, while at the same time... less stressful.

[muzickmage]

Just to mention (my experience in a dungeon)

Last night.... I ran the Praetorium only to be annoyed with the rest of the group. I ran along with everyone else... but purposely ran in last place in case there were someone confused and needed help. This turned out to be a big mistake. The entire group was just running past all the enemies without even trying to kill any of them... and I wasn't stupid enough to do it by myself lol. Or so I thought. Everyone clicked the magitech teleport and got teleported to the next part of the dungeons. Everyone except me. I couldn't click it. There were so many enemies surrounding the teleport area that I couldn't click on it. Every time I tried I'd click an enemy instead. They would kill me and i had to use the shortcut which 3 times brought me back to that exact same teleport only to be killed again by the swarm of enemies the rest of the group left behind as they rushed forward not caring about the people behind them. In this case... People = "me". Finally the shortcut teleported me to where the rest of the group was... HOWEVER.. it was with the Magitech armor. I had to go back down the lift to activate it... which everyone did on the way up... so I lost everyone AGAIN. They weren't shy about leaving me behind as I went to activate the Magatech.

Long story short.... I didn't have to worry about any of that nonsense as a solo player. The problem with dungeons is people. People are destroying the dungeon experience.

(so.... trying to stay on topic here) yes... dungeons are mind-numbingly boring, and easy. But.... lets keep in mind how much of this problem we are creating for ourselves.

If you're the type of player who runs past everything in a dungeons just to teleport to the next part of the dungeon - just to run from everything again to click the next teleport... how can I take you serious when you complain that the dungeon is too easy. Really? It's too easy? lol. Here's an idea.. how about next time you're in a dungeon... you try earning your way down the hall instead of running like a coward screaming its too easy. Also.... if its that easy for you ... then why is it the healer has to save your ass how many times now was it? You want a challenge... don't bring the healer being that the healer seems to be one of the main reasons why your sorry ass is making it down the hallway long enough to cry about how boring it is. lol.

My argument is.... group play is destroying dungeons.. and people (group play) are the reason why dungeons won't get much better.

[Jirah]

I agree the content has gotten really stale and formulaic and even in some cases gotten less interesting to appeal to the broader audience, and very disgusted in how most people responded. Rather than discuss the staleness they just say “play something else” is beyond unhelpful

To those that are defeatist, this sense of woe Will get you eventually. Also I just don’t like talking to people this dead set on de-evolution. For those that are in a mind of how run of the mil content has gotten I’d love suggestions

[muzickmage]

On the topic of gameplay/content. What's the opinion on SE challenges?

This is yet another example of "me being my own worst enemey" but... just to offer an example;

I was just getting settled in the Beast Tribe reputation quests eager to earn for myself the mounts for completing X quests and earning x points. While at the same time, hanging out at the Gold Saucer to play for MGP. There's a mount there I want as well. Fenrir for 1 million MGP. So the weekly challenges are important to keep up with.

Or at least they were.

All of this gameplay got thrown out the window by SE (and me not being stupid enough to do more than I had to) because thanks to the challenge, I only have to spam the Labrinth of the Ancient for a while and just purchase all the beast tribe mounts for 30 irregular tomes each, and... I can also purchase 50,000 MGP for also... just 30 irregular tomes.

This is just another example of saying the game is too easy, which is a fair argument... the game really is easy. But, at the same time, how much of that is our fault? How much of it can we really blame on SE?

[Anhra]

On the topic of gameplay/content. What's the opinion on SE challenges?

This is yet another example of "me being my own worst enemey" but... just to offer an example;

I was just getting settled in the Beast Tribe reputation quests eager to earn for myself the mounts for completing X quests and earning x points. While at the same time, hanging out at the Gold Saucer to play for MGP. There's a mount there I want as well. Fenrir for 1 million MGP. So the weekly challenges are important to keep up with.

Or at least they were.

All of this gameplay got thrown out the window by SE (and me not being stupid enough to do more than I had to) because thanks to the challenge, I only have to spam the Labrinth of the Ancient for a while and just purchase all the beast tribe mounts for 30 irregular tomes each, and... I can also purchase 50,000 MGP for also... just 30 irregular tomes.

This is just another example of saying the game is too easy, which is a fair argument... the game really is easy. But, at the same time, how much of that is our fault? How much of it can we really blame on SE?

Both the Community and Squeenix listening to the wrong People is the reason why Things are the way they are, the way how PvP recieved its large rework is a prime example of this statement.

If you aren't in the knowing, basically, PvP used to have alot more Skills and depth avaiable, to the Point where People were constantly complaining about the Hotbar being too bloated, but PvP combat itself, worked out just fine and better than it currently does. So, fast forwarding further, it happened and Squeenix listened to the Feedback and cut everything into what it is today, shooing away over 90% of the former PvP community away because they dislike the simple gameplay it has even today.

And now, PvP exists only for PvE reasons (only for easy exp) and for those few of the former community that stayed, have forever secured themselves a place in every top 100 ranking of Feast because they can easily manipulate the Rankings without anyone ever noticing from Squeenix Part.


My Point with this is, as long as Squeenix doesnt listen to their veterans of the Game about any constructive feedback, be it for any content, Things wont turn for the better and no matter how good the copium and MSQ story is, the fact that Gameplay aspects are STILL being neglected, remains.

[muzickmage]

I don't know anything about PVP gameplay. I don't participate in that area of the game. I do however remember seeing some chat about PVP in the novice network when I was there. Something about people joining the buddy system and taking turns throwing the comp so they could control the winning awards.

I can see SE wanting to maybe update that type of gameplay.

As for the hotbar reform, i'm not surprised to hear it was dumbed down.

[Iscah]

The entire group was just running past all the enemies without even trying to kill any of them...

This is a strange regional/DC culture thing. On my data centre at lest (JP Elemental) we just gather everything and kill it at the end. It takes like ten seconds and you get EXP for defeating all the enemies.

For everything else... watch your chat log and the objectives. It will tell you: you collected the explosives, you blew up the ceruleum pump, you need to attack Livia with the cannons. Look around and pay attention to what interactables are around you like the cannon loader.

All of this gameplay got thrown out the window by SE (and me not being stupid enough to do more than I had to) because thanks to the challenge, I only have to spam the Labrinth of the Ancient for a while and just purchase all the beast tribe mounts for 30 irregular tomes each, and... I can also purchase 50,000 MGP for also... just 30 irregular tomes.

That's how the moogle tome events work, yes. They are temporary and let you get stuff that would otherwise take more effort or time.

There are still other benefits to the beast tribe quests besides acquiring the mounts, like minions and eventually the capstone quests for completing all the tribes in the expansion. Being able to purchase the mounts has been nice on alts that I don't want to go through all of it again, but it doesn't make the tribe quests worthless.