Dawntrail needs to better, not just more.

[Jeeqbit]

What if they ARE playing other games?

Many people are.

the 'other MMO across the road' did their presentation's deep dive on new features, and had things like 'new 1-5 player scaling content which offers new avenue for progression/gearing'

It would be nice if Criterion dropped gear, but I think they are afraid of rendering 8-person savage irrelevant or shaking up the formula. I do think that if it just dropped tomestone augments each week that it would be alright. All of this would require Criterion to be released at a more consistent time like 8-person savage or alliance raids. Releasing two after the last raid tier makes all this rather pointless.

reunlocking flying on an alt in FF14 is a pain

I disagree. If you click the Aether Compass regularly on the way to each MSQ task and do any blue sidequest objectives on the way to an MSQ task, then you get all the Aether Currents almost effortlessly in most areas.

cross realm Guilds (FCs in our terms, CWLS exists but kinda sucks in functionality)

I agree that cross-world FCs seem a logical next-step, but judging by the Community Finder, they view CWLS as a sort of cross-world FC.

Some of these issues are mitigated here because we have 'play every job on one character'

Indeed, but most of the ideas would be welcome if they did happen.

WOW is making big steps in player-dev communications, addressing QOL issues players have

Yes, they are addressing issues better and going back to their roots of taking from other games, such as the flight system from Guild Wars or the mentor system and numerous story beats from this game such as the final steps of faith cutscene, Convocation Crystals and Hydaelyn. Whether that means their game is saved or not remains to be seen, but it seems a good sign that they are doing what used to make them successful in the past.

Personally, what I actually like about this game is that SE does their own thing rather than copying other games much. Aside from it starting on the basis of FF11 and WoW, they went in their own direction since, mostly listening to player feedback, rather than just blatantly ripping ideas from other games.

The closest you could get to them ripping anything is making Criterion in response to requests for a mythic-like system, but it still ended up having significant differences. You could also argue the constant pursuit of Eureka and Bozja content was because of how WoW had unique action and progression systems per expansion and this was done here in a contained environment like Eureka and Bozja with grindy systems like WoW.

another deep dungeon, can't wait for a 4th version of Pomander of Steel/Strength woo

They specifically said this deep dungeon will be different. Remember that for the previous deep dungeon, they said it would work exactly the same ahead of time, whereas this time they have made it extremely clear it will be different.

"New Plans for Deep Dungeons"
"So we are currently considering new plans for deep dungeons, but at the same time we are also considering brand new battle content plans as well."

I've never seen as many plots available as this

People from Balmung and other popular worlds would probably be interested in them if SE would move them over. Before the lottery system, they used to take up all the houses within minutes of the plots becoming available and transfer to plots before others could get them from less-desirable housing areas.

no wonder I see so many prog parties for the ultimates in PF

I think part of that is not feeling the need to rush to do it since it syncs giving it longevity and also because after a while, dungeons release better gear for ultimates making them easier. A lot of people like easy, so they will wait it out until they have the maximum advantage like this.

the raid tier have 5 bosses instead of 4?

This is why we get phase 2 in the last floor of savage. We could also make the argument that Ultimates are additional bosses because savage is required to unlock them.

What if they take Variant dungeons, as a formula, and had that apply to regular dungeons, such that the route is chosen sort-of randomly from one of 3 or 4 'routes', giving multiple permutations of the dungeon?

I think they should do this. There doesn't seem any reason not to, to be honest.

Because the formula is THAT strict, and THAT predictable, we can make these kinds of predictions with ease.

I think this is a good thing. When I buy the expansion or subscribe, I know what I am getting months in advance, so I can subscribe for 6 months. I don't need incentives to make me subscribe for 6 months. I just need certainty and SE provides it with how predictable they are.

[Connor]

People come up with threads like this near the end of every expansion cycle. The game still isn’t anything more than exactly what it’s always been

[Ardeth]

Honestly, as a concept, you couldn't have picked a more vanilla boring call to adventure. I think that's my issue with it. We're gonna get some hastily put together reason as to why it makes sense, and it more then likely won't be as good. But who knows? Shadowbringers worked because it wiped the slate clean. This doesn't for me because it feels like more of the same. It just feels boring.

[Boblawblah]

I'm curious how they're going to make the WoL a proper villain that isn't just a ranjit style of 'oh, he trained for a long time'. Emet-Selch worked really well because a) he OOZED charisma, b) we were essentially hurting ourselves trying to get rid of the light and he could simply give us a nudge, and c) he was understandably powerful in his own right. If Dawntrail isn't just introducing yet ANOTHER Ascian, they're going to have to come up with something really good to make the antagonist threatening.

I really hope they can have another Shadowbringers style, new world with new adventure that is just as compelling as Shadowbringers was, but we'll have to wait and see. I'm concerned at the lack of build up in 6.x for Dawntrail as others are, but we'll have to see.

[Jeeqbit]

I'm curious how they're going to make the WoL a proper villain

We crossed that road in Shadowbringers. They told us we would become the Warrior of Darkness and we thought, finally, we will become evil!

Look how that turned out. All they did was make darkness a good thing in that world and for them to cheer on the warrior of darkness...

[Ayche]

Knowing gaming industry, you people ought to consider yourselves lucky to even be guaranteed the same level of quality as before.

[Kuroka]

We crossed that road in Shadowbringers. They told us we would become the Warrior of Darkness and we thought, finally, we will become evil!

Look how that turned out. All they did was make darkness a good thing in that world and for them to cheer on the warrior of darkness...

I think she was more about, where someone of our powerlevels should come from. As it, sure the higher dragons etc are strong, some Voidsend, but overall, no average warrior should be able to handle us, unless they use new tricks or numbers...

[Boblawblah]

I think she was more about, where someone of our powerlevels should come from. As it, sure the higher dragons etc are strong, some Voidsend, but overall, no average warrior should be able to handle us, unless they use new tricks or numbers...

Yep, wasn't referring to the WoL BEING a villain, that will never happen and was always a fake out. Just like this new "Scions will take sides" nonsense. No they won't. They'll pretend to argue/fight but then it'll all be just a fake out to trick the antagonist.

As you said, trying to find a good antagonist is difficult with how powerful the WoL is. Take away our power, and it feels cheap, but make some ordinary joe defeat us and it also feels cheap. They have to do it right.

[Kuroka]

Though after our Dynamis using enemy is gone, there might be new threads out there, that only waited for their time... but i dont think we go full "Alien Invasion" right now, nor do i think something from the shards will come over yet..

I do think we will be on different sides, but more like, "hey the world isnt at stake and i kinda see it differently, lets contest for who gets right!" - Like i can totally see the twins having different views there, as one is rather logic driven and the other one a total mor--- a hothead. xD

[Turtledeluxe]

Uh huh OP good luck with that. Haha