So Variant Dungeons,what we want for them?

[Cleretic]

They seem to want to do some low-key worldbuilding with this, which I love, and Sil'dih is a fantastic first choice for that. There being two other variant dungeons in the wings for 6.x suggests to me that they're focusing on the pasts of the three core city-states, which is even better.; we're likely going to be seeing Gelmorra and probably either pre-Limsa La Noscea or early Limsa.

To me the only disappointing part is that it seems to be branching but not randomized. That, I don't think, is gonna work out how they want it to; that sounds like we're gonna see all but the 'most efficient' path get completely abandoned about three days after the content's launched.

[Saraide]

They seem to want to do some low-key worldbuilding with this, which I love, and Sil'dih is a fantastic first choice for that. There being two other variant dungeons in the wings for 6.x suggests to me that they're focusing on the pasts of the three core city-states, which is even better.; we're likely going to be seeing Gelmorra and probably either pre-Limsa La Noscea or early Limsa.

To me the only disappointing part is that it seems to be branching but not randomized. That, I don't think, is gonna work out how they want it to; that sounds like we're gonna see all but the 'most efficient' path get completely abandoned about three days after the content's launched.

Correct me if I'm wrong here but the way I understood it, branching paths only exist for the story version that you can solo. Higher difficulties only feature a single patch.

[Shurrikhan]

To me the only disappointing part is that it seems to be branching but not randomized. That, I don't think, is gonna work out how they want it to; that sounds like we're gonna see all but the 'most efficient' path get completely abandoned about three days after the content's launched.

This was my key concern as well.

The path being "based on player actions," moreover, could be rather irritating, depending on its form. "Oh, someone accidentally baited the charging boss into the pillar? Guess we're stuck taking the pillar-as-bridge to that next area now; the normal on-win path is now locked out." Even if you were to end up with both paths in such cases, it could easily narrow quickly into a "best route" that quickly changes would-be variance into just another initial hurdle.

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Main hope: I want mechanics from which difficulty isn't so short-lived as those we can just learn our way around the once and can basically automate thereafter. Something for which the execution itself is difficult to perfect, but doesn't quite require (i.e., isn't balanced around) perfection, either.

Correct me if I'm wrong here but the way I understood it, branching paths only exist for the story version that you can solo. Higher difficulties only feature a single patch.

That's correct. I think the main concern there is stuff like any Relic grind tie-ins, which are certainly going to force more optimization than basically-only-intrinsic-rewards side-content. Virtually no difficulty plus further conflict-inducing knowledge gaps would just make Variant Dungeons a more... contentious form of regular dungeons, at that point. Well, hopefully they won't thus be linked, at least in the form we're guessing Variant Dungeons will take.

[TaleraRistain]

To me the only disappointing part is that it seems to be branching but not randomized. That, I don't think, is gonna work out how they want it to; that sounds like we're gonna see all but the 'most efficient' path get completely abandoned about three days after the content's launched.

I'm less concerned with this point since I can just go in solo in the story mode to take another path. I believe that mode can also be matched, and just won't hold to roles, so it won't really matter too much if grouping trends toward one path. We won't miss out on side areas like we do now until we can unsync a dungeon.