They need to rethink how they do story in 7.0 +

[Theodric]

Ah, the Barrens back in Vanilla, home to headless raptors, footless zebras, hideless boars, toothless wolves, and Mankrik's wife. All of them five to ten minutes apart on foot. Because it was a level 10-18 zone and you didn't get a mount until 40.

And some people are nostalgic for that. The mind boggles.

A lot of it is because the game world felt like an actual world. You could pick a direction to run in and explore and find yourself travelling across an entire continent. Or jumping off of the side of Teldrassil to see what would happen, miraculously surviving and then spending half an hour swimming around the entirety of it in order to find a way back because you forgot what a hearthstone is.

FFXIV lacks that sort of engagement with the world. You can't, for example, climb to the highest point of the world as a mage and then cast slow fall in order to float across the skies and race a friend. I miss that sort of thing, honestly - and whilst others may not care, it's enough to contribute to a lot of the MSQ's coming across as mindless busywork.

[Jeeqbit]

Nothing feels more pace breaking than the sky being on fire - all of creation coming to an end - and we have to play dress-up with some rabbits, or help someone's marital issues.

On the moon, the sky is not on fire yet because it takes time for the final days to start. In Labyrinthos, SE wanted to create the feeling that the ship took a lot of time to upgrade and that you had to wait for it and the only way to achieve that effect is filler. Fading to black isn't the same because then when you remember the story, you won't remember a long wait.

Yeah, some random nobody comes up to the WoL and says: "Oh mighty hero who just saved the world for the hundredth time and are just about to get some downtime with their friends, could you help me by killing some critters?"

The WoL: "Nah, i'm kinda busy"

How about, Random nobody: "So you aren't as strong and mighty as they say. Afraid of a few critters."

The WoL: "I'll destroy them! Watch!"

[LisSquid]

On the moon, the sky is not on fire yet because it takes time for the final days to start. In Labyrinthos, SE wanted to create the feeling that the ship took a lot of time to upgrade and that you had to wait for it and the only way to achieve that effect is filler. Fading to black isn't the same because then when you remember the story, you won't remember a long wait.

Except that's not how it is presented at all. There's a way to construct time in a narrative, and by the content of the quests, the way the characters behaved, and the overall quality of the filler didn't feel like we were helping it along. It felt like a hard break.

It wasn't like in Shadowbringers where you help prepare the Talos, for instance. Side by side they barely compare.

[TheMightyMollusk]

A lot of it is because the game world felt like an actual world. You could pick a direction to run in and explore and find yourself travelling across an entire continent. Or jumping off of the side of Teldrassil to see what would happen, miraculously surviving and then spending half an hour swimming around the entirety of it in order to find a way back because you forgot what a hearthstone is.

FFXIV lacks that sort of engagement with the world. You can't, for example, climb to the highest point of the world as a mage and then cast slow fall in order to float across the skies and race a friend. I miss that sort of thing, honestly - and whilst others may not care, it's enough to contribute to a lot of the MSQ's coming across as mindless busywork.

On the other hand, a lot of it was empty space, half-finished concepts, and general time-wasting with no actual purpose. The kind of thing that most people nowadays write off as filler and padding.

[Jeeqbit]

Except that's not how it is presented at all. There's a way to construct time in a narrative, and by the content of the quests, the way the characters behaved, and the overall quality of the filler didn't feel like we were helping it along. It felt like a hard break.

It wasn't like in Shadowbringers where you help prepare the Talos, for instance. Side by side they barely compare.

I am guessing SE wanted to avoid getting into the detail of helping someone build a space ship engine. We already crossed into sci-fi territory in what is supposed to be a fantasy game with swords, shields and bows. To go into detail about engines and help one be upgraded might have gone too far. I am surprised it still ended up feeling like a fantasy game when what we were doing took place in space.

[Lilapop]

They even did a story based on that idea. I wonder if the OP is aware of it.

Either way. Such is life, with its highs and lows. Such is good storytelling. As far as the menial tasks go, I think people forget the kind of world this is. Just because we saved this place or that, there are still plenty of people that don't actually know who we are (clearly someone that doesn't let a little heroism get to their head). There's no viral video being circulated of our escapades.

not to mention if the game was as op desired... they would likely be complaining about... "why is the world always in danger and why is that all we can do in this game?"

[LisSquid]

I am guessing SE wanted to avoid getting into the detail of helping someone build a space ship engine. We already crossed into sci-fi territory in what is supposed to be a fantasy game with swords, shields and bows. To go into detail about engines and help one be upgraded might have gone too far. I am surprised it still ended up feeling like a fantasy game when what we were doing took place in space.

I don't know how they could have done it, but really did feel like a huge step down. That's when a narrative pause slips into filler for me - it felt pretty directionless when we have been shown that they know how to handle these story beats in the past.

We could have been collecting Primal essences for the craft, or something a just as weighty (we are the heroes, after all). Something the Sharlayans couldn't do on their own without devoting precious resources/time. It would give us that same sense of urgency while giving the story the chance to say time is passing. The way the pieces fell it was the Scions twiddling their thumbs.

[magitekLuna]

You think that's bad? Try doing beast tribes and scrubbing hippos, scraping the moss off of all of the walls, collecting excrement into sacks and spraying it over people.

We would move boxes because as the "god hero of the world", we would be strong enough to lift boxes where a lot of people are not. Serving tea is usually a strategy to get information now.

If the story was just all the exciting moments without any slow and quiet parts then the story would feel rushed and not real.

Beast tribes are not MSQ and you are not forced to do it.
As for "story can't be all exciting- no one sait need to be just cut the go here go there go here go there BS. There can and need to be calmed parts. Like when we All sit in a cafe and talk. As for the story will fill rushed if no fuller, did you played EW? It was the most rushed one so far. Way to much things that was given 0 time to develop. It's like we go to war , fast we go to the moon,fast we go to 5hr past if a non existent world , fast we go to space. Fillers did not help.

[Rein_eon_Osborne]

Loporrits ruined everything for me.

[magitekLuna]

Did I say that? I think I did say quest like this need to be side quests.