Fates that significantly change the landscape and area

[Ath192]

The trouble with having a zone's whole appearence and accessability based entirelly around participation in open world events like that is that once the majority of players complete it and get everything they want, they will envietably abandon it and thus it effectively 'locks' it out of reach of new people joining (FFXI suffered from this bad with much of it's content that was set up along those lines, like Conquest or Allied Campaign). FATEs are designed for players to freely come and go as they wish without tieing it to accessing other content like a town or NPCs in that area. And I do not see SE changing that.

I hope they do change it. For the sake of the overworld. Zones never need be abandoned either. In order to keep the servers areas well maintained a menu like the "shared fates" could show which areas are in need of assistance and reward tomestone and bicolor gemstones for helping it out (it has to be worth it, but its easily done). Thus ensuring the world will always be lively and well kept. That being said, even in its lowest most abandoned state, the area should have all the necesarry npcs and quest givers to continue with the MSQ, this is entirely optional content I believe would be most welcome.

It is well known the overworld offers very little to the player and these zones should be exciting.

[TaleraRistain]

I hope they do change it. For the sake of the overworld. Zones never need be abandoned either. In order to keep the servers areas well maintained a menu like the "shared fates" could show which areas are in need of assistance and reward tomestone and bicolor gemstones for helping it out (it has to be worth it, but its easily done). Thus ensuring the world will always be lively and well kept. That being said, even in its lowest most abandoned state, the area should have all the necesarry npcs and quest givers to continue with the MSQ, this is entirely optional content I believe would be most welcome.

It is well known the overworld offers very little to the player and these zones should be exciting.

You mention MSQ but what about side quests? If you change NPCs and the terrain then you could be cutting off access to either a side quest NPC or the mobs needed for a side quest.

[Ath192]

You mention MSQ but what about side quests? If you change NPCs and the terrain then you could be cutting off access to either a side quest NPC or the mobs needed for a side quest.

Either way doesn't matter much to me, perennial NPCs could remain to give the sidequests or some unique sidequests can change depending on what's happening on the terrain. As long as they don't give unique rewards or achievements people may have FOMO over I don't see much of a difference.

What I'm after is overworld gameplay that can encourage people to make the world feel more alive and like they contribute to it instead of just a prop for the msq.

For example, we will never see the firmament as it was under construction again will we? People did miss out on seeing some things, but at the same time, I don't think anyone here thinks that was a bad content to have in game, in fact several people loved it. So by a similar token sometimes dynamic things that change can be a good thing. Of course I don't want people to get locked out of essential content either, so the devs would have to use their brains but I don't see any huge roadblocks to this.

For example if an abandoned area has tattered roads and battered villages because noones been helping out a player might see it in that state, but if fates get done and the area becomes in better shape you may see nicer towns (same town, just different skin) and roads, and more npcs strolling about, but the core ones would remain in either scenario.

In the tribe/governing body scenario, you may see different slightly different architecture/town decor and guards with different armor sets and such, but again, the core NPCs would remain.