I thought the Deep Dungeon would be something new, but this is just Palace again...

[Sekundessounet]

When the new deep dungeon was first announced the slide said "New plans for Deep Dungeon", and it seemed like it would be something different to the usual DD format.
[...]
Am I missing something here?

Not to disregard your feelings because you can be disappointed for any reason, but to come back on this specific line : when they said "new plans for Deep Dungeon", it meant that they were actually planning on doing a new one. They stopped after HoH and Orthos was also tentative, so it was a way of saying that the format will continue on.

For the rest, well, Deep Dungeon will still be Deep Dungeon. If it was a wildly different progression, where you bring your actual gear from outside, might as well just be a new piece of content. No matter what, Deep Dungeon will always be a set number of floor, procedurally generated, where you level up and improve a weapon you can take outside after some time. Then again, if a new piece of content akin to Deep Dungeon but with these changes appeals to you, it's always good to voice that you want something like that !

For what makes it different, it is the setting of course, but also the mechanics have been quite improved, especially how this content deals with wipes for progression towards Floor 100. I think Votives are also added on top of regular floor effects, but someone might correct me on that.

And what really sets this one apart I think is the floor 99 boss and its instance. The fact that it is a boss whose difficulty is adjusted by player input is very interesting to me, and if it works out it could be a great idea to expand to other pieces of content.

[Sekundessounet]

I would also like them to shake up the gameplay experience of Deep Dungeon a bit more.

Systems changes were also much needed so I'm excited for those. I think this is an overall good step in the right direction

I agree yeah. What could be fun for example is to have a system similar to Phantom Jobs to shake up your progression. Hell, you could even put a Deep Dungeon in an exploration content.
But also, I think it could be nice if they did more with the level design of rooms. Each room being flat and somewhat of a square is part of what makes DDs monotonous. Having you just like, climb some rocks or go down a hole to reach the next room or floor could feel a bit fresh.

[Mecia]

I wouldve hoped for gameplay system changes as well. People have been complaining about the general gameplay of this game but somehow a fourth PotD is getting the slip?? Additional checkpoints and the offering thing are nice but its the same goddamn thing otherwise.

[Sunhwapark]

I just hope the rewards are a bit more interesting than <MateriaNameHere XII>.

[ServerCollaps]

i really liked the previous deep dungeons and I'm very looking forward to this one. It would be nice, if they increase the replayabilitiy by adding titles or achievements, that make you solo/clear it more than 1-4 times tho

[Ryaze]

No, it’s not crazy to expect that after 12 years a development team would introduce significant innovation. That the 4th iteration of content would be meaningfully different in approach, complexity, engagement or variety. I simply do not understand the people in this playerbase that think that adding checkpoints and an additional boss at the very end of the content is meaningful change.

I did a fair bit of PotD in HW and SB prior to HoH unlocking, leveled a ton of jobs. Did the same with HoH. EO was simply a new coat of paint and mobs were WAY too tanky sub floor 30. After skipping DD for an expansion the complete lack of fresh ideas in EO was so extremely disappointing. I still did the content, but far less than either HoH or PoTD. I got the TT card and then stopped. DD takes the weakest aspect of this game’s combat (trash mobs) and has you interact with it for 95% of the time.

Plenty of long-standing franchises that put out games on the regular still manage to innovate and make significant changes to the gameplay. Those that don’t, rightfully receive a plethora of criticism. Why this fanbase thinks that SE should be immune to criticism while paralleling the same circumstances is insane. That putting out the exact same content every 3 years but with different colors is acceptable.

After seeing the 2nd PLL I won’t even be unlocking the content. And this is from someone who unlocks EVERYTHING and does all side content in the game. It’s the same old stuff.

[Yeems]

It just sounds like you don't enjoy the general concept of Deep Dungeons.

They never said that they are redoing the base concept of how they work, because a Deep Dungeon is a Deep Dungeon.
However, they've made changes that allow for an extra challenge after, make wiping in a group less punishing higher up, give an additional random system with the (de-)buff lamp, and you even get higher tier hoard for beating lower floor sets weekly, if I remember correctly.

As someone who really enjoys Deep Dungeons both in groups and solo, I find these changes exciting, and as someone who enjoys raiding, I like the idea of a special boss where you can even decide how hard you want it to be.

[Valence]

I do agree with the OP, they brought nice QoL changes and the way the content can cater to a broader audience, but they didn't even try to change anything about the gameplay inside, or improve upon it, making the core of the content another reskin of palace. It's disappointing.

Palace didn't have Quantum difficulty that allows players to decide amongst themselves how difficult they want the boss to be with "offerings."

So yeah.. you're missing something here.

The thing you're completely missing for sure is that the optional quantum boss is all but part of deep dungeon. It just happens to require clearing that deep dungeon to access, but otherwise it's just yet another regular boss that has nothing to do with deep dungeons and rogue lites.

[ForteNightshade]

I never bothered with PotD, so I could not enter HoH or... the third one whose name I cannot remember.
Was something said about entry requirements for the new one? Does it still require you to finish some age old content, or will it be open to all?

Yes. They specifically mentioned you must have completed PotD 1-50 to access this new one. Same requirement as the others.

[Underscore]

It just sounds like you don't enjoy the general concept of Deep Dungeons.

They never said that they are redoing the base concept of how they work, because a Deep Dungeon is a Deep Dungeon.
However, they've made changes that allow for an extra challenge after, make wiping in a group less punishing higher up, give an additional random system with the (de-)buff lamp, and you even get higher tier hoard for beating lower floor sets weekly, if I remember correctly.

As someone who really enjoys Deep Dungeons both in groups and solo, I find these changes exciting, and as someone who enjoys raiding, I like the idea of a special boss where you can even decide how hard you want it to be.

I do like the general concept, and I'll give Pilgrim's Traverse a try if the rewards are appealing. I just think that by the fourth iteration it would've been nice to see that concept built upon in some way, y'know? Just something to give it some variety and perhaps make the floors feel less repetitive. Things don't have to follow a rigid formula, and I think deep dungeons have the potential to be more than that.