We lost 70% of our player base half a year in

[Shurrikhan]

Funny, when did Endwalker release..hmmm December 2021..I'm sure that's purely coincidental, right?

Nice try OP at fanning the flames of hysteria.

Is it "hysterics" to think that maybe an MMO shouldn't be content to have only a base of a third their expansion release numbers or two-thirds their patch numbers? That there should be a bit more to do in the mainstream content flow than just the new MSQ and initial raid clears?

A note: These are Steam Numbers and are over-exacerbated by this rhetoric.

The Steam numbers are not "exaggerated" by these claims. These are the literal Steam numbers. If those connecting to the game through Steam somehow had unified and distinct preferences from those logging in any other way, focusing on that sample might exaggerate what implications they have for the larger population.

We have no reason to believe, though, that Steam players are any more casual or hardcore or unappeasable than those who use another launcher.

Because ever since the part where you can't even transfer FROM Steam, people have not wanted to buy it on Steam for the longest time; hence low numbers for Steam.

These aren't sales numbers. You're looking at play rates from those who already bought and are locked into XIV on Steam.

Also to note, it's not a major patch. There are lulls in content that make the player count drop.

That's the issue, though, isn't it? Is XIV better for spiking and diving so heavily with patch cycles? Or would it be better if there was, say, mainstay content still to do without relying on omni-leveling or completionist achievement collection? Not further grinds like our tomestones, but, say, dungeons offering more than a single run's worth (if even that) of novelty each, or side-content like Eureka being less dependent on extrinsic rewards for any use.