Quote Originally Posted by Shistar View Post
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I don't think you'll make progress with the general points here without recognizing something fundamental.

Because of the nature of FFXIV and the broad spectrum of players it attracts, there is a correspondingly broad range of ability when it comes to PvE. The evolution of fight design has further stretched this skill spectrum, since resolving mechanics has relied on an increasingly narrow skillset.

As a result, we have high-skill players bleating about normal content being brain-dead (see current active threads here), while the less-skilled are reaching the limit of what they can clear.

Another way of looking at this is that, in the past, essentially everyone was able to clear normal content, with EX+ providing tiers where more-skilled players could enjoy themselves, and the tiny minority of highly-skilled players being catered to with top-end PvE content.

That Overton window has moved. We are now in a situation in which a significant minority struggle to clear normal content. M1-8N are completely out of reach unless dying multiple times and being carried is the solution. And we have been told very clearly that 8.0 will make this worse.

There are several possible outcomes.

1. Normal content continues to get more difficult. ~25% of the playerbase at the low end of the skill spectrum quit before 8.0. More quit after 8.0 is released. I think this is the mostly likely scenario since it is already happening, and SE seem completely deaf to the issues of this part of the player base.

2. Normal content is made easier. Highly-skilled players claim they would quit in this event, which is incomprehensible to me given they have all the non-normal content, but I'll take this at face value and assume ~25% of the highest-skilled players quit.

Both outcomes are poor, thus:

3. Implement one of the many suggestions made on these boards to accommodate all players, from skill sliders, to NPC rezzes in normal dungeons, to increased echo... and many more.

Or better yet...

4. Revert normal content to something other than DDR rubbish that only tests a narrow sliver of gaming skill. SE is capable of this. PvP demonstrates it.