Zepla: Endwalker is the Worst FFXIV Expansion I have played

[Lauront]

I feel EW patches put too much dev time into solo activities that don’t have longevity like using NpCs for story dungeons and Islands. Adding NPCs to MsQ dungeons every patch is also probably a feature most vets will never even use. I haven’t. Even new players I can’t see using them more than once if that.

Many MMO players much prefer long-term engaging activities they can do with others. We didn’t really get that in EW.

Well it's part of a deliberate design decision to make it more single player-like/friendly, a key goal they outlined for the next 10 years of the game. People voiced concerns over this being revealed as a major aspiration and selling point of the MMO for the next 10 years for this precise reason. And while I don't think it would be a problem in and of itself, if there were other stuff going on and they made full use of it (e.g. using it to provide more fine-tuned segregation in difficulty), the fact that there isn't and that the resources allowed to them are so constrained worsens the situation.

[Theodric]

There's a healthy balance to be struck where both new and veteran players can be appeased. As it stands, I very much get the impression that the game is slowly marching towards another 1.0 of lesser proportions due to taking veteran players for granted.

It's why I'd like Yoshi-P to sit down and devote some time specifically talking about what his plans are for veteran players rather than tell them to 'go play ultimate' or to 'take a break'.

He's devoting considerable time and effort into revamping large swathes of the game for the sake of new players. Which would be fine, ordinarily, if such future proofing didn't come at such a steep cost elsewhere.

[ZephyrMenodora]

Well it's part of a deliberate design decision to make it more single player-like/friendly, a key goal they outlined for the next 10 years of the game. People voiced concerns over this being revealed as a major aspiration and selling point of the MMO for the next 10 years for this precise reason. And while I don't think it would be a problem in and of itself, if there were other stuff going on and they made full use of it (e.g. using it to provide more fine-tuned segregation in difficulty), the fact that there isn't and that the resources allowed to them are so constrained worsens the situation.

I understand their desire to attract new players, and goal of attracting players who don't like playing with others so they can play this as a single player game.

But at some point when it feels like a lot of development time went into this, and not for content for actual MMO players and veterans who have supported this game all along, or for many years, I can't blame veterans for feeling slighted.

I do feel they chose this at the expense of veterans. I don't feel like they hired more people and this was just an extra. Because so much time went into this, I do feel there is less for ME to do as a veteran, and at the end of the day, I care mostly about whether I and people in my circle that I play with feel enjoyment. Not people who haven't played the 10 years the game has been out. Especially if they are solo-only and I'm unlikely to ever run into them.

[Bonoki]

I don't know, back in Heavensward it felt like most people didn't have their jobs all maxed at 90 like they do now when I would analyze them. So there was something to do back then which was to level your other jobs through FATE farms or roulettes until POTD came out.

I think for HW this is true. Boost Potions didn't exist yet and we didn't have any super quick leveling methods until PotD.

There's a healthy balance to be struck where both new and veteran players can be appeased. As it stands, I very much get the impression that the game is slowly marching towards another 1.0 of lesser proportions due to taking veteran players for granted.

It's why I'd like Yoshi-P to sit down and devote some time specifically talking about what his plans are for veteran players rather than tell them to 'go play ultimate' or to 'take a break'.

He's devoting considerable time and effort into revamping large swathes of the game for the sake of new players. Which would be fine, ordinarily, if such future proofing didn't come at such a steep cost elsewhere.

Very well said. I agree

[Nebelheim]

I understand their desire to attract new players, and goal of attracting players who don't like playing with others so they can play this as a single player game.

But at some point when it feels like a lot of development time went into this, and not for content for actual MMO players and veterans who have supported this game all along, or for many years, I can't blame veterans for feeling slighted.

I do feel they chose this at the expense of veterans. I don't feel like they hired more people and this was just an extra. Because so much time went into this, I do feel there is less for ME to do as a veteran, and at the end of the day, I care mostly about whether I and people in my circle that I play with feel enjoyment. Not people who haven't played the 10 years the game has been out. Especially if they are solo-only and I'm unlikely to ever run into them.

I feel like they started focusing more on retaining new players with shadowbringers and double downed on developing for new players with endwalkers. Compared to arr-stormblood where they provided content for both veterans and new players.

[Zairava]

Speaking the truth? They litterally add in content just rigth after it has been published and even ending showing pictures of items in live, that you can't obtain on day one of release... no I am not going to simp over those so called streamers, they offer next to nothing, if you look over stuff that is.

Give us personalities like Maidy kind of did it, if anything.. as in right now it is self absorped pompous BS with the current ones.

You're the same person who couldn't even read my constructive criticism OP, you're take on our views is worthless

Why are people putting so much stock in the opinions of a clickbait content creator?
At the start of Endwalker it was "FFXIV is so good WoW is so bad" because that sold clicks and views, WoW was in a slump in their patch cycle and xiv had a new expansion. Now it's flipped so all the content creators are flipping it around about how they hate xiv now.
In a year they will make videos about how "Dawntrail did it, how I came back to XIV" and people will eat that slop up like crazy.

Sometimes I have to wonder with the posts on here if people are actually forming their own opinion or are just regurgitating what they hear a streamer say for views and clout.

Base Endwalker was fine, it's the patches that have been completely lacking. Most of us have formed our own views and opinion, it just happens that even the content creators are starting to gain the same views as us.

Only if you're a vet. For casual or new players, there's a ton to do.

I've put in over 1,000+ hours on the steam version of FF14 and still have so much that I can do if I choose to.

Good for you lol

Veterans are a part of the playerbase whether you want them to be or not, if you don't release any content with lasting power mid-expansion you are going to have unhappy players.

So, question. From how people are talking about Eureka/Bozja, you make it sound like you've completed everything there is to do there. So all the relic weapons/armors for all jobs, all the items/mounts (included that awesome Fran bike!! so jealous)/etc (silly achievements aside if there are any). Is that true?

You can go back and get them whenever you want, and you don't need to play all jobs. You don't need to get all relics either just like you don't need to bash your head against a brick wall making thousands of collectibles. It's person by person.

Also, again, if you have to return to old content to get over a current expansion content lull, this only proves that content in endwalker is lacking with no longevity. So thank you guys for continuuing to prove our point.

[ZephyrMenodora]

I feel like they started focusing more on retaining new players with shadowbringers and double downed on developing for new players with endwalkers. Compared to arr-stormblood where they provided content for both veterans and new players.

It's kind of sad.

While I dislike clickbait titles, and was ready to immediately dismiss the video because of this, they are attention grabbing and I do think there are a lot of good points in the Zepla video. And whether it's deserved or not, I think the game devs do like Zepla and she does have a platform to hopefully reach them.

The more I thought about it and listened, the video is coming from a good place and the game won't succeed long term if it continues to ignore the playerbase who made the success of this game possible to begin with.

I already thought this game was new player friendly since the game is so easy for the most part.

[Bonoki]

I understand their desire to attract new players, and goal of attracting players who don't like playing with others so they can play this as a single player game.

But at some point when it feels like a lot of development time went into this, and not for content for actual MMO players and veterans who have supported this game all along, or for many years, I can't blame veterans for feeling slighted.

I do feel they chose this at the expense of veterans. I don't feel like they hired more people and this was just an extra. Because so much time went into this, I do feel there is less for ME to do as a veteran, and at the end of the day, I care mostly about whether I and people in my circle that I play with feel enjoyment. Not people who haven't played the 10 years the game has been out. Especially if they are solo-only and I'm unlikely to ever run into them.

I feel like they started focusing more on retaining new players with shadowbringers and double downed on developing for new players with endwalkers. Compared to arr-stormblood where they provided content for both veterans and new players.

I can't help but wonder if they thought veterans would want a break after the 10 year journey to EW, so they focused on new players being able to catch up for the fresh new adventure in 7.0

A lousy explanation but one I could very well see the dev team expressing

[Boblawblah]

You can go back and get them whenever you want, and you don't need to play all jobs. You don't need to get all relics either just like you don't need to bash your head against a brick wall making thousands of collectibles. It's person by person.

Also, again, if you have to return to old content to get over a current expansion content lull, this only proves that content in endwalker is lacking with no longevity. So thank you guys for continuuing to prove our point.

So that's a "No, I haven't done everything in the content that I'm currently complaining that we don't have". Well, at least you're being honest about having to have shiny new things instead of actual content to do (which you obviously have a lot of). So everyone saying "there is lots to do, you just don't want to do it" is right. So this argument of "no backlog for veteran players because we've done everything" is just nonsense.

[Nebelheim]

It's kind of sad.

While I dislike clickbait titles, and was ready to immediately dismiss the video because of this, they are attention grabbing and I do think there are a lot of good points in the Zepla video. And whether it's deserved or not, I think the game devs do like Zepla and she does have a platform to hopefully reach them.

The more I thought about it and listened, the video is coming from a good place and the game won't succeed long term if it continues to ignore the playerbase who made the success of this game possible to begin with.

I already thought this game was new player friendly since the game is so easy for the most part.

I agree i think zepla does seem to still care a lot about the game and seems genuine with her love for it and her criticisms and it seemed to hurt her for feeling she needed a break from a game she played since heavansward. And her point on the game starting to feel like a single player game and focusing too much on the hyper casual side could be just as detrimental to the game as what wow did on the extreme end of hardcore. They need a balance of casual and hardcore and focus on both ends not on the extreme end of casualization.