EW may be one of the worst expansions for raiders but was one of the best for casuals

[iVolke]

Everyone wants the game to get better.

Clearly not, considering how often people get harassed for offering feedback. Numerous threads on this forum as proof.

Remember when Scottzone quit the game due to the death threats he got because he dared criticized the raid forumla?

[Supersnow845]

I used to do that for the first few weeks, but why exactly would I make my IS workshop gains purposely worse when it also costs me less time than staring at the cryptic popularity and demand values in-game? I don't find staring at menus particularly engaging.

Exactly, IS is also bad from the perspective that it doesn’t even encourage you to do it yourself, you are actively hurting yourself doing it alone by wasting your own time and getting lower yields

At least if the cowrie loop was somewhat interesting people might be willing to take the lower yield so they can play around in the system, but cryptic demand gauges that barely even match up with the reward you get in a big ugly menu isn’t it

[Davixxa]

Endwalker was very successful and it is only the depressed and angry vocal minority that believe it has failed in any significant way. These players need to find more to do with their lives instead of playing a game that they hate so much.

Bravo friend. I have been trying to tell these people that for a long time. They have difficulty grasping this so I suggest we work together to get it through their thick skulls!

God damn is this an awful take. I love this game. That does not mean I think it's free from critique. And post-Endwalker is certainly worth critiquing.

These small casual friendly QoL changes are all excellent, very welcome changes that have made the overall game experience better but pull that veil back and the lack of long lasting content has absolutely hurt this expansion's content quality.

Bozja/Eureka aside, it's just sad to see Variants/Criterions fall flat, with a bit of reward incentive to farm them they could really have scratched that itch the lack of Bozja left because the welfare relics which are practically being handed to you for next to nothing could surely have been tied into that content like with Bozja with the ShB relic grind. It just feels like there's been some potentially fantastic ideas absolutely wasted.
The Alliance raids are another example. They're fun, but feel a little TOO easy at times. Maybe we could have seen some mechanics where each Alliance is given specific responsibilities for this encounter that encounter like say with World of Darkness's Cerberus fight. Tiny things like that can make the experience of the content feel more fulfilling and enjoyable.

I honestly genuinely agree with this take. Hell, I'm not even opposed to the idea of welfare relics, but the welfare should be optional? I don't personally think tying Variant and Criterion to relics is a great idea, but I do agree that the reward structure should be better. Agreeing on the easiness of the encounter as well. I cleared Thaleia with an all blind party (PF was set to Duty Incomplete) and we wiped a grand total of once throughout the entire raid. Not to say Alliance Raids need to be difficult, but I'd at least like to be forced to familiarize myself with the mechanics.

The people who complain about retention are usually the ones whom have all the spare time in the world and honestly consider me jealous.

The content literally lasts one weekend day. I'm sorry man, but this isn't it. I completed both Thaleia and MSQ in one day, and I even slept in. No, I'm not a cutscene skipper.

[Sjark]

You are going part of the community who do a facepalm when you realize there's a new lottery system built in the level 20 of the island. The new island level 20 buildings are breathtaking and more unique furnishings are being added. Will I get a, "I was wrong post from you?"

I think you messed up quoting me there.

It doesn't matter what level 20 buildings they add in, nor do I have any idea what lottery system you are talking about. I'll never see those things, because I'm done attempting to rank up on IS.
I've tried two times to return to Island Sanctuary, I'm not going to give it a 3rd attempt unless they make some massive changes.
I did not enjoy my time there, and I've had better times farming ARR relics, gathering relics, doing the Ishgard rebuilding expert recipes stuff.

[Volgia]

I'd say Hardcore players got about the same content you'd get since Stormblood. An "extra Ultimate" is not correct since the pandemic delayed DSR into Endwalker, we were supposed to get 2 Ultimates in ShB. The 4Man savages were the only new thing we got but other than doing it for completionist sake , no one is doing them for any kind of progression or rewards.

Casual players will be okay with the way this game is designed no matter the expansion, they're unlikely to delve in Bozja, Eureka or too much into Deep Dungeons. They aren't the kind to grind anything cuz they don't have the time. The only new thing they got was the Island Sanctuary.

Midcore players are the ones who are constantly complaining there's nothing to do, because either the content is too casual or too hardcore. I feel like Experts, 24 Man alliance raids and Deep dungeons/EurekaBozja should be the place for midcore players but it feels too casual to be engaging at all.

[TaleraRistain]

Exactly, IS is also bad from the perspective that it doesn’t even encourage you to do it yourself, you are actively hurting yourself doing it alone by wasting your own time and getting lower yields

At least if the cowrie loop was somewhat interesting people might be willing to take the lower yield so they can play around in the system, but cryptic demand gauges that barely even match up with the reward you get in a big ugly menu isn’t it

IS somehow makes you cheat by going out a Discord or a Reddit to get the answers instead of figuring it out yourself? Do you say the same about people who use cheating add-ons for raid content? You only get lower yields until you figure out the formula. The same as you only continue to wipe in a raid until you figure out the dance. It's fine if IS isn't someone's cup of tea, but don't try to pretend that it's forcing anyone to go out and get the answers from someone else. That's just laziness.

[Saraide]

IS somehow makes you cheat by going out a Discord or a Reddit to get the answers instead of figuring it out yourself? Do you say the same about people who use cheating add-ons for raid content? You only get lower yields until you figure out the formula. The same as you only continue to wipe in a raid until you figure out the dance. It's fine if IS isn't someone's cup of tea, but don't try to pretend that it's forcing anyone to go out and get the answers from someone else. That's just laziness.

It really doesnt matter either. I have never once looked at the discord spreadsheet and this week is my second week gaining favor tokens. After buying the new bike for 100k cowries I had 80k left over. For most weeks between patches I simply put the workshops and granaries to minimum output to just produce enough to have the weekly challenge log give me its 2k cowries. Not copying the optimized spreadsheet and just doing whatever you have the resources for really doesnt hurt you at all.

[Supersnow845]

IS somehow makes you cheat by going out a Discord or a Reddit to get the answers instead of figuring it out yourself? Do you say the same about people who use cheating add-ons for raid content? You only get lower yields until you figure out the formula. The same as you only continue to wipe in a raid until you figure out the dance. It's fine if IS isn't someone's cup of tea, but don't try to pretend that it's forcing anyone to go out and get the answers from someone else. That's just laziness.

The difference is there is actively zero reward for not using the discord, why waste your own time figuring out the formula and working through it when it provides you with zero rewards (and hurts you if you figure out the formula wrong)

Cheating in raids is cheating that’s the long and short of it, using discord as a shortcut because looking at menus for 30 minutes every week is not, if there was some incentive to doing things your own way (or heaven forbid they actually took the time to randomise everyone’s demand gauges) then this wouldn’t be a problem

You could even tie the gathering aspect to it by having every week everyone has a different material that is the bonus material that gives more cowries if you use it after you gather it yourself

So the system is lazily designed and you interact with it in a boring way, why do you think 99/100 people use the discord, saying do it yourself is like saying “yeah but you could get the tomestones needed to do the relics by only doing floor 90-100 of EO so really the relic content is well designed”

[Volgia]

IS somehow makes you cheat by going out a Discord or a Reddit to get the answers instead of figuring it out yourself? Do you say the same about people who use cheating add-ons for raid content? You only get lower yields until you figure out the formula. The same as you only continue to wipe in a raid until you figure out the dance. It's fine if IS isn't someone's cup of tea, but don't try to pretend that it's forcing anyone to go out and get the answers from someone else. That's just laziness.

I don't know. This is like saying to a player "So you watched the guide on savage instead of figuring out the mechanics and you're complaining the encounter is lame?", cuz I can watch a guide and fix myself to the most optimal strat but savage is still engaging content to do. My problem with Island Sanctuary is it's lack of customization, where in games like Animal Crossing you can change and even re-design terrains to make things look pretty, in IS you kind of have set places to put stuff. Everyone's islands look somewhat the same. To me the Island Sanctuary could have been the ultimate crafter / gatherer content, but it kind of messes with the whole housing system so...

[Asako]

Endwalker was a 10/10 on launch. The post content has been absolutely shocking bad. The lack of relic questing, lazy recycled 24 man content, no exploratory content and some of the worst trials in the game's history with no indication from the developers that improvements are on the way.
This game is great, but you'd have to be blind to not notice the absolute laziness in creativity and decline in games quality. The game isn't dying or anything but it absolutely cannot take another expansion like this one.