How to Restore Confidence in FFXIV

[Deo14]

I have to disagree that it's not relevant. New players are paying customers just the same as the veteran players. Even if the side content is optional, many new players feel like it's content they have to catch up on because it's there.

The playable part of content this expansion isn't in worse shape than last expansion quantity wise. There have been some changes (such as Deep Dungeon instead of exploration zone, getting Variant/Criterion while the normal trial series got merged into MSQ instead of a separate quest chain, etc.) but we're getting just as much playable content overall.

It sounds more like the quality of the content and/or the rewards making the content less interesting to repeat.

What made Eden more interesting to repeat than Pandaemonium has been?

What made the Sorrows of Werlyt trials more interesting to repeat than Storm's Crown/Mount Ordeals?

It's a lot more difficult to try to compare Bozja/Zadnor versus Eureka Orthos/Si'dihn Subteranne because they're different content types but what kept people going back into the former while they ignore the latter?

Was there other content they were doing in Shadowbringers to fill time that doesn't have an equivalent this expansion, and what was so appealing about it?

I think comparing SB to EW would be more accurate, since SB had Eureka and DD, while EW has DD and 2 new types of content. Let's give EW small benefit and call HoH and EO equal. I'm not super passionate DD player, but I think HoH > EO, especially since HoH innovated DD, while EO is just HoH V2 without any major innovation. Only big change is dread beasts, but you just one shot it with pom of storm or skip it entirely.

So now that both DDs negate each other, we are left with Eureka vs IS and V&C.

Eureka is 4 maps + Baldesion arsenal. There is multiple new progression systems inside - your elemental level, element attunement, some very rare drops that have special effects inside Eureka and most importantly, logograms for Pyros and up. There is relic weapon progression for all of these maps + relic armor for Anemos (granted it's just dyeable artifact armor) and brand new relic armor sets for Pyros, Hydatos and BA. There are also that special chestpieces that give elemental bonus, which are still costy today. You can still sell logos for pretty good profit, too.

As for EW, there is IS, which, let's be real, is just excel simulator, everything on the island is there just to fuel the workshop. You can leisurely get max rank while playing 20-30 minutes per day for 2 weeks, after that, content is finished and you're left with checking out your island for 3 minutes per week. All the while entire content is barely connected to the main game.

Then V&C, which is great but has no incentives to run it again. There isn't really a progression, even though it has system similar to logos/lost actions. There is only 5 very basic, bland spells. Jump from variant to ASS is too big, which is shame since there is lack of content in between normal and EX/Savage content. But there is still benefit of doubt, since there should be 2 more dungeons released and rewards should be improved according to last LL. Whether that means more materia and one time rewards remains to be seen.

So I'm not going tell you that you are wrong for enjoying EW (unlike some people in here who try to convince me that I hate this game). If you don't play much I can see people enjoying simple one and done content like IS and V&C more than Eureka, but if you want to play more than 2 weeks per patch, then I think past expansions are much better for that.