Why is endgame loot capped?

[Jojoya]

Unlike other games, I pay 10.99€ per month for ffxiv, and it has less replayability than other f2p games like league or pay once games like minecraft. If you believe it's acceptable for a game that requires subscription to have content that can be cleared in 1 day and raids that can be done in 1 week for hardcore statics and 4 weeks for the rest, then I think you are lying or just a fanatic who can't accept criticism. Doing all the MSQ from ARR to Endwalker is a good experience and I don't regret anything, but it could be just as easily turned into a single player Final Fantasy entry and almost nothing would change, people forget this is supposed to be a mmorpg. The only reason I haven't cancelled my sub is that I own a house and have to raid with my static every week.

I replay through content here frequently because I enjoy it. I don't have a problem with the subscription fee.

Trying to compare a subscription MMORPG to a F2P MOBA is pointless. They're different game types with different revenue models and different development needs. Not to mention F2P doesn't mean they're not making money. LoL made about $1.75 billion in 2020. FFXIV made about $500 million that same year.

FFXIV is a MMORPG. It is a massively multi-player online game. Players are assuming a role within the game, in this case the Warrior of Light.

Are you're trying to narrowly define what makes something a MMORPG? There's actually a broad variety of content that can be included in a MMORPG and the absence of one of those things does not keep it from being a MMORPG. A MMORPG doesn't even have to include combat content, even if that's been a staple in most of the games of the genre.

Players would absolutely notice the difference if SE converted it into a single player game because all those others they're used to seeing around would disappear.

Criticism is fine when it is based around what the game offers instead of what you think it should be offering, and when it is constructive in nature. "This game sucks!" isn't useful as criticism. "There's no content!" isn't even criticism, it's objectively false. And that's mostly what we've been getting here in the forum lately as players have the mid-expansion doldrums catch up with them. It's a normal cycle. Every MMORPG sees it happen. It doesn't always affect the same players.

As a personal guess (I definitely could be wrong), I think a lot of the current reaction is because we're coming down off the high from the culmination of Hydaelyn/Zodiark story but for the first time since ARR, the x.3 patch does not have a finale/epilogue of major importance.

3.3 - Final Steps of Faith, the finale to the Dragonsong War.

4.3 - Castrum Fluminis - an epilogue to the Far East portion of Stormblood.

5.3 - Seat of Sacrifice - the finale to the Unsundered Ascian story.

6.3 - Mount Ordeals - checkbox on the list of things to do to reach

Azdaja?

The patch doesn't seem that great because what's happening lacks the gravity of the corresponding patches in the other expansions. Quantity wise, we are getting pretty much the same amount of content but the type is differing slightly. We were warned all the way back at the Announcement Showcase to expect it. Things we would be doing would still be important but lacking the "save the world" gravity. Our characters are not needed to be the WoL at the moment. We're back to being a common, though very experienced, adventurer for a while.

Maybe that's a rough change for some to accept on an emotional level and so that's why they're feeling less than satisfied.

Only you know how you feel. Think back to 3.3, 4.3, and 5.3. How did you feel then and how does that compare to how you feel now. What has made the difference?

If you feel like it's really just the encounter quality that's off, I can understand that. For MSQ, Mount Ordeals feels like a cake walk after doing Storm's Crown. The developers are human. Sometimes they're going to miss the mark. But that also doesn't mean the game is doomed because they're going to continue to miss the mark in the future.

If there was a better game out there, trust me I wouldn't be here, but sadly the mmo market is filled either with korean bloatware or garbage like wow. It also happens that my friends are in the static, and we like hanging out and doing current content. I still didn't see you justify the price tag for the amount of content we get though. The story is worth the price you paid for the expansion, but the rest? Active sub to raid once in a while? Maybe you are like the guy above who just has 20 subs running at the same time and using them once in a blue moon.

The subscription price is for access to the game servers for as much of the month as you want (outside of maintenance downtime). It's not for the content.

If you feel like you're not getting your money's worth, then unsub until you think you will.

But what you might want to do is add up how many hours you play a month then divide your subscription cost by those hours. Then compare that to other services that you pay a monthly or hourly fee to access and the amount you use those things. Is the value really that bad in comparison?