Island Sanctuary at Max Rank should give you something for Cosmic Exploration

[Shougun]

Given you quote them saying optional and visual, we have seen this before on varying levels. Blue cane is most recent and probably more poorly received, however in context of housing... We see it all the time. You can get some cool decoration from content entirely unrelated to housing. There is a strong precedence for that.

I mean if it's a whole feature, I could see that ruffling a few feathers, but a cool decoration? That would be a real common Tuesday of a concept, one we see all the time.

Perhaps unique if it couldn't be traded, but if it was sellable or visually clearly island inspired deco...? Though again it honestly seems OPs primary issue is the island being abandoned. I personally would like to see a column of lifestyle content pillar through all the others (never abandoned always being fed into by others, always relevant). If SE doesn't want to make the island that, fine, but it's a concept I'd like.

[HermitUK]

I personally would like to see a column of lifestyle content pillar through all the others (never abandoned always being fed into by others, always relevant). If SE doesn't want to make the island that, fine, but it's a concept I'd like.

I think the issue with that is that Square don't like locking new expansion content behind older expansion content if they can possibly help it. Bozja being locked behind Ivalice caused some grumbling, and I think it's part of the reason they put a cap on that whole storyline for now with the epilogues in the field notes, rather than carry it on. It's an infuriating stance at times (see also: NPCs stuck in side-content purgatory, never to interact with the MSQ), but I can see the logic behind it.

[Shougun]

I think the issue with that is that Square don't like locking new expansion content behind older expansion content if they can possibly help it. Bozja being locked behind Ivalice caused some grumbling, and I think it's part of the reason they put a cap on that whole storyline for now with the epilogues in the field notes, rather than carry it on. It's an infuriating stance at times (see also: NPCs stuck in side-content purgatory, never to interact with the MSQ), but I can see the logic behind it.

Definitely a possible reason! I personally think if they could make the pillar the housing system itself, and feed the lifestyle contents into housing, would be the smoothest version of that. Start players off with a baby inn room, quite cheap, and go from there. Although MSQ itself, at least with info we have currently, is still the largest "do they really care?" lol.

"I wont let players be forced to work on any content longer than expansion, except for the MSQ- that baby will be 400 hours of consecutive content and we keep adding to the top!!"

[MitsukiKimura]

Something like this shouldn't be forced on people who don't wish to take part in island sanctuary. It was a grind just setting things up on a weekly basis to get max rank and all I ever do now is just set out the exploration team, feed/collect mats, buy and plant crops. Not really engaging content. Only thing I enjoyed was getting to catch Paissa's.