Do you prefer your FFXIV solo or MMO style?

[Jeeqbit]

a lot of people really do prefer this MMO to be a solo experience

That's actually true of all MMORPGs unless they are completely about PvP, tbh. A lot of people have a degree of anxiety and are reluctant to interact with others until forced to, especially on the internet (why do you think many people use the internet a lot?) You will easily find that among the biggest reasons for not doing high-end raid content, beside time and having a job/family or playing other games, is anxiety. So they just continue playing solo, or with an FC that they are comfortable with. It's just easier to do it alone. No anxiety, no worries, no scheduling, no dealing with other people's mistakes and wipes.

An MMORPG can work by being a solo experience that has social elements alongside it (for example, showing off gear and titles in Limsa Lominsa, houses/venues), so this should at least be the case if it's going to describe itself as something other than a single player game.

It also feels like the game heavily favours the solo players experience.

Their intention is obviously to solve the problem I described above, by giving people with anxiety the solo experience they desire, knowing that the social elements outside of it (Free Companies, linkshells, /shout, Limsa, eureka, bozja, side content, discord) will have a fair chance of pulling them into a social environment that leads to them doing multiplayer content.

I've met some really cool people in boz because it forces interaction, something which I think this game SORELY lacks, considering its an MMO.

I really enjoyed Eureka and Bozja for this reason as well and it's why we're getting another Field Operation in Dawntrail.

I disagree with you that the game lacks social interaction though. FCs, housing, venues, RP, /shout chat at city states, alliance raid chats, relic FATE farms when they were current in ARR/HW, Eureka/Bozja when they were current, the Firmament when it was current, novice networks, map parties, mount farms, PFs, statics, gold saucer /shout chats, FATE shout chats like Chi and hunt shout chats/spawning/conducting communities. It's really just Endwalker that has had less social interaction than other expansions.

When people don't find social interaction it's just not knowing about these things or not knowing how to find them.

Stepping into the southern front instance and seeing people milling about and actually talking about the game has been so, so refreshing.

You're just experiencing what it was like in previous expansions prior to Endwalker. This is why people have been unhappy with Endwalker, and why a number of things will involve social interaction again in Dawntrail.

Overall, I love this part of the game where we can do relatively easy or medium-difficulty content, whether they are FATEs, CEs or Extreme trials, with other players. And it was features like Island Sanctuary being solo and relics being a solo grind that made a big hit on Endwalker's level of social interaction.

[IslingrHashslinger]

You're just experiencing what it was like in previous expansions prior to Endwalker. This is why people have been unhappy with Endwalker, and why a number of things will involve social interaction again in Dawntrail.

Overall, I love this part of the game where we can do relatively easy or medium-difficulty content, whether they are FATEs, CEs or Extreme trials, with other players. And it was features like Island Sanctuary being solo and relics being a solo grind that made a big hit on Endwalker's level of social interaction.

Well thought out response, thank you! That's the piece that I was missing. EW is the first expansion I've played as current content, so this is the first time I've really gotten to have the social aspect tied to actual gameplay/grind. When referring to social aspect I did mean gameplay integrated social aspect, cos I do recognise that a large portion of players essentially use FFXIV as a fun fantasy chatroom/RP server.

[Jeeqbit]

That's the piece that I was missing. EW is the first expansion I've played as current content, so this is the first time I've really gotten to have the social aspect tied to actual gameplay/grind.

I see. I'm glad you've got a sense of what it's normally like when the game isn't designed like Endwalker.

Since you like this stuff, I do suggest trying to do all the content you can in Dawntrail: MSQ on release, Cosmic Exploration with each update it gets, Field Operations, relics, Blue Mage update on release, Beastmaster on release. These will be uniquely social elements to Dawntrail and the social interaction will wane if you don't do them on release!

The amount of people unlocking Blue Mage in Stormblood, for example, was so great that every square inch of the area around the NPC met the render cap. When you are there, you are unlocking Blue Mage and learning spells with everyone. If you do it 5 months later, you're unlocking it alone.

When referring to social aspect I did mean gameplay integrated social aspect

I think it's good that we've established exactly what you mean. The game has a lot of social aspects but without the ones directly integrated with gameplay like Field Operations it still feels lacking. I do hunts, FATEs, alliance raids, join PFs and discuss raid strategies, help people clear things, do map parties. All these things are social but they are standard things that I've done since the start of the game or that remain for the entire expansion (like hunts and FATEs). Having social interaction integrated with the new patch content is just a different feeling altogether. You are learning and experiencing this new content together rather than alone like Island Sanctuary or relics.