Concern for onboarding experience of new players

[juiceboxed]

Does that mean pre-EW content should be tuned to punish players if they make mistakes? I couldn't disagree with this idea more. MSQ dungeons, trials, and raids should in no way punish players for making mistakes. MSQ content should be tuned so that all comers are able to progress through it without wanting to quit the game over it.

XIV has become this successful for being what it is, not for trying to be what it's not. People are coming in droves, are enjoying their experience here, and are staying. I can't tell when you started the game so I don't know if you've enjoyed the game for a long time or are a recent comer from other games and are playing XIV to have an MMO to play that's not the game(s) you left. From what you've said, my impression is you're the latter, and I say this with zero malice; if the main gameplay focus of XIV isn't to your taste, perhaps it would be best to find a different game that does suit your tastes. I've joined and left multiple MMOs over the years for this reason and have been a happier gamer because of it.

I don't want people to quit the game over difficulty either. I want people to slowly learn mechanics as they go through the game and understand what is safe and what isn't, and be punished for standing in bad things... because they kinda don't nearly as much since EW. This is what my friends told me, they could just cruise control through. I'm honestly willing to go with easy but not trivial for the game difficulty (it is currently trivial in MSQ) because different people's challenges. I'm glad you've tried the game out over thanksgiving, but are you sure it reflects the same after EW?

If I didn't love this game, I wouldn't be making a forum post about how it could be better. I'm trying to invite friends to play and they are turned off by the onboarding experience, mostly pacing now that another poster brought it up though. Anyway, improving the game is the whole point of the thread (I have all DoL and DoH maxed, everything above 70, and 5 90 combat jobs).