So... This is the "improved encounter design"?

[Raikai]

I'm on the final line to clear (sabbaths) and I hold the exact same view as the OP. I'd rate those raids within the "pretty good category", but the very good category of the same old model and gimmicks. It's still chokefull of spread/pair/light parties mechanics, clones, chariot/dynamo, etc. The raid quality is good, but it's the model that's getting incredibly stale, and considering they promised new surprises and a willingness to work on making encounters creative again, then so far, I think they failed pretty hard, and i'll change my opinion the day they have actually something to show for it.



No need to get into strawmen either. Nobody here and especially not the OP has said that they have stopped enjoying the game.



People asked for encounters to get less homogenized, like jobs, and the devs have promised that they were working this expansion on making the encounters more creative. So far, they're not a lot, that's what the OP has been saying. Nobody talked about difficulty. Nobody is contesting that the first tier is always easier. We weren't promised more difficult fights, we were promised more creative and unique fights.

But honestly when compared to another one of Yoshi's recent declaration on how "they're quite happy with their current model" right now, I think we're just expecting them to change the game model when they're not willing to. So I'm not holding my breath for anything actually pleasing our crowd here.

Exactly. I see a lot of people here mentioning "difficulty" and it's defnitely not the point: they could've made the first tier easier while implementing a new model of encounter design.

I personally think it doesn't make a lot of sense to start the expansion in one note and suddenly near halfway through (when .2 comes) they completely change something as big as High End encounter design. That just seems off putting to say the least, because if it would scare people in the .1, why it wouldn't scare the same people if we get that in .2?

And I'm still having enjoyment in the game despite everything, but I'll probably take a break until 8.0 if the encounter design doesn't change much in 7.2. Again, not because I think the stuff we have now is poorly made, on the contrary, but I'd defnitely need a 'palate cleanser' from their formula.

[CaedemSanguis]

Exactly. I see a lot of people here mentioning "difficulty" and it's defnitely not the point: they could've made the first tier easier while implementing a new model of encounter design.

I personally think it doesn't make a lot of sense to start the expansion in one note and suddenly near halfway through (when .2 comes) they completely change something as big as High End encounter design. That just seems off putting to say the least, because if it would scare people in the .1, why it wouldn't scare the same people if we get that in .2?

And I'm still having enjoyment in the game despite everything, but I'll probably take a break until 8.0 if the encounter design doesn't change much in 7.2. Again, not because I think the stuff we have now is poorly made, on the contrary, but I'd defnitely need a 'palate cleanser' from their formula.

we're talking about difficulty because it's a risk to implement new mechanics they're not used to, it can either result as being too hard or too easy

and my guess is they didn't want the first tier to be harder or easier, so they didn't implement those new kind of mech

[Raikai]

we're talking about difficulty because it's a risk to implement new mechanics they're not used to, it can either result as being too hard or too easy

and my guess is they didn't want the first tier to be harder or easier, so they didn't implement those new kind of mech

But why it's a risk now, but not a risk in 7.2, since this is targeted just to a certain demographic of High End duty players? Especially when the 3 raid tiers in practice work as standalone entities, because you don't need to experience the first to get to the second or the third... I remember I started tackling Savage Fights more seriously in the second tier of Endwalker. I just feel that the best time to introduce change is always in the beginning of something.

[CaedemSanguis]

But why it's a risk now, but not a risk in 7.2, since this is targeted just to a certain demographic of High End duty players? Especially when the 3 raid tiers in practice work as standalone entities, because you don't need to experience the first to get to the second or the third... I remember I started tackling Savage Fights more seriously in the second tier of Endwalker. I just feel that the best time to introduce change is always in the beginning of something.

2nd-3rd tier/criterion savages/ultimates being too hard is more acceptable than a 1st tier being too hard