Finding joy in 14...

[Kirutsuki]

I personally took a break from 14 after 7.01 when the first raid-tier launched up until 7.25. I did M1S, M2S and got half way through M3S and things kind of just fizzled from there.
So the break was from ~July 25th, 2024 to May 27th, 2025. So ~10months.

I already posted a lengthy MSQ story related post as to why I was taking a break. TLDR being not vibing with the story at all.

But now, I'm already feeling like I have to find ways to enjoy the game. I log-in daily, do some society questlines and check my retainers and pretty much log-off.

But as I've been thinking about my initial "burn out", during those months I was taking a break and more recently these past few weeks, I think I know where the real issue lies ultimately.

When I was doing the first raid-tier I remember clearly being really pissed off at the weekly reward lock-out and you just getting 1 book if your rolls were bad on the other rewards. And kind of realizing how long it would take for me to get any meaningful gear progression for my efforts.

And the reason this is a problem for me became more apparent when Arkveld launched,
at first I wasn't all too interested in the Ex trial, but when I did the Normal-tier and saw that all the weapons would actually be an upgrade for all my jobs, I got alot more exited.

I haven't done any of the new relics, because SE didn't even try to innovate with the relic system to make it more modern. So when I heard it was just Atma grinding and Light-farming I was instantly out of it, despite me being a big proponent of gear progression. And me actually liking relic grinds from ARR as an example. But there's a reason for that. All past relic grinds have been adjusted to be more reasonable grinds since they've been out quite a while, but for the new ones in Dawntrail they decided to add them without these adjustments as if it's somehow a good thing to only do roulette spam.

Add to this that Duty Roulette itself does not reward the player enough for spending 20minutes at a time being stuck in a dungeon you've done a billion times, I've started to notice that FF14 just doesn't care to reward the player for the time they spend playing the games most repetitive content, nor is it worthwhile to pay a sub to a game that doesn't respect the time either.

And let's not speak of the fact that raid gear for current tier is still weekly locked. Ridiculous.

Here are some things that I think 8.0 should have, in terms of rewarding the players for their effort:

1. Double the tomestone rewards for all Duty Roulette. As it stands you're literally wasting time by doing roulettes for tomes as opposed to hunt trains. Unless you do them in the middle of the night when hunt-trains are not happening.
2. Allow Leveling roulette to have tomestone rewards, if you have 1 or more jobs at max level, while using another job.
3. Unlock raid gear entirely after max 2 months. There is absolutely no reason to gatekeep the gear longer than that.
4. Add ways for players to gain additional raid gear rolls that week, by doing weekly tasks. For example: Doing an Unreal-trial unlocks 1 extra roll on raid gear that week.
5. Seasonal reward structure for Criterion that gives an alternative way to get same ilvl gear as from current raid-tier. This is a pipe-dream, but you could make this gear ugly by using some ARR pieces that just have the stats from the current iLvl and those pieces would just automatically swap whenever there's a new raid tier, maybe not on the same week, but after the 1st week you'd see Criterion have some gear you could go get that bumps up your ilvl. IF you missed out on a roll as an example.

These are just random examples, but the main point I'm trying to convey is that I cannot find joy in the game unless I have variety of ways to improve my characters at all times. Even when I am "current" and I have "BiS" gear, I should have ways to go beyond it if I choose to.

Now I know there's alot of people here who wish the games gear would lose all stats and gear just becoming glamour rather than character progression, but I just can't get behind that sentiment when it's such an important part of why I enjoy playing videogames in the first place.

It took me a while to realize this, but when you are playing through the MSQ or leveling your alt-jobs the game does have a sense of progression and it keeps you going. But once you reach end-game and your only option is to do raiding, relics or just give up. I personally find it better to just give-up than try to be there every week playing my brain out just to get a few itemlvls higher.

To me it just doesn't feel like a worthwhile tradeoff and I hope 8.0 really tries to push the boundaries of innovation when it comes to this stuff that wouldn't be all that impossible to adjust either.

[Kandraxx]

1. implement anti-cheat so raiding in this game has at least 0.1% of a point. As it stands this is the only MMO on the market that is basically a giant private server when you're on PC.

[Kirutsuki]

1. implement anti-cheat so raiding in this game has at least 0.1% of a point. As it stands this is the only MMO on the market that is basically a giant private server when you're on PC.

I don't even cheat and I don't see much of a point beyond "that was cool".

[Kohashi]

1. + 2, eh I mean, you have alternatives, so I think it's fine
3. Well, 2 months unlocked, maybe not, but at least increase the tomes. Make a 4-month tier unlock, perhaps.
4. UR is much easier than savage, so I dunno about it; it doesn't sound all that fair.
5. hmm in some way that would be ok and also not.

I do think the entire gearing system needs to be redone.

[Kandraxx]

I don't even cheat and I don't see much of a point beyond "that was cool".

Seeing that you spent 30 minutes of your life to write a wall of text essay about a dying japanese video game you must know the point. You talk about that shit like you're living it.

[Vespar]

There has been much discussion on this topic in my household. I have come to the conclusion — as I have so many times since 2.0 launched — that weekly lockouts hinder players and squash their freedom and desire to play. I would love to gear up multiple jobs in tome or raid gear or anything other than crafted stuff, and I have that desire to do so CONSTANTLY but it is not feasible to do so with all of the damn lockouts. I would actually play more and probably use a lot more different jobs other than the 2 or 3 I main. This is my major gripe with the game since 2.0 released. Do away with weekly lockouts & tomestone caps, it is only hurting players.

[ViinaS]

1. + 2, eh I mean, you have alternatives, so I think it's fine
3. Well, 2 months unlocked, maybe not, but at least increase the tomes. Make a 4-month tier unlock, perhaps.
4. UR is much easier than savage, so I dunno about it; it doesn't sound all that fair.
5. hmm in some way that would be ok and also not.

I do think the entire gearing system needs to be redone.

I do not think it'd be unfair at all if said alternative gear looks worse and drops maybe 2-3 months after Savage.
Then you cna use it to fill out the stuff you already have.
Otherwise most Savage gear is only for Glam and necessary for Ultimates and farming... the same Savage and otherwise just for your e-peen feeling in weak-ass content it won't matter in anyways.

That said that argument if Savage rewards get unlocked earlier than... over half a year later.... would also just boil down to raiders being mad that others have a similar ilvl than them without doing Savage which is just.... little kiddie behaviour.

[FudoMyoo]

but the main point I'm trying to convey is that I cannot find joy in the game unless I have variety of ways to improve my characters at all times. Even when I am "current" and I have "BiS" gear, I should have ways to go beyond it if I choose to.

It's kinda sad reading the wall of text. Frankly just quit and find someone, some place or some games that makes you happy.. ya?

[Kirutsuki]

It's kinda sad reading the wall of text. Frankly just quit and find someone, some place or some games that makes you happy.. ya?

When I took that 10month break I played:

Lord Of the Fallen (2.0 update)
Alot of hours into Monster Hunter Wilds
More recently I've played Final Fantasy 1, 2, 3, 4 and now I'm going through 5.
I also played Silksong and Silent Hill F

Other games have been a good distraction from 14.
But I also want to see 14 get out of the gutter.

Also relationships often get in the way of my crippling gaming addiction

[Kirutsuki]

1. + 2, eh I mean, you have alternatives, so I think it's fine

Yes, there's other means, but you have to go out of your way to find them reliably. Not being in discord to find Hunt Trains is a big issue.
And the only other options you have is some gacha nonsense with Wonderous Tails.

3. Well, 2 months unlocked, maybe not, but at least increase the tomes. Make a 4-month tier unlock, perhaps.

Wait, you get tomes from Savage raiding? (joking)

4. UR is much easier than savage, so I dunno about it; it doesn't sound all that fair.

I don't mean you get the chest inside Unreal, but that you can re-roll in the Savage as if you never opened the one of the weekly 2 chests.

5. hmm in some way that would be ok and also not.

Yea, it'd be harder to implement, but as I said all these were just random examples to boost morale on doing them.