Sense of adventure, more than just dungeons

[Leowilde]

I played since the release of XIV 1.0, and I've seen all the changes that has been made to the game since the beggining up until now. When ARR came it brought a lot of good changes, like more unique location design - you can actually tell two settlements apart now: Camp Drybone has the Church of Saint Adama Landama, Fallgourd Float is, well, very different from Drybone etc.

But when I browse the forums and read Yoshi's letters, I see a lot of talk about endgame and everything centred around dungeons and primal battles. That's all good, but it seems the sense of the fictual world it's all a part of gets left behind. Everything is supposed to happen in some tucked away dungeon, and the world itself becomes nothing but the quickpath to those dungeons.

Isn't it possible to give the overworld some more attention? All those beautiful planes and forests, the desert and the barren fields, let them be more than just a means to an end (and an arena for FATE parties)?

I have said this in various posts through various threads on this forum, and I'll say it yet again: bring us some sense of adventure! Outside of the dungeons. We could need some areas that are actually large, and they don't have to have settlements and NPCs everywhere - in fact I'd rather they don't. It would be so nice to explore a large, uninhabited area and feel like I'm not around the corner of the next aetheryte (literally!). And there could be little things scattered in corners and bushes around the wilderness, little valuables for the passing adventurer to pick up.

And perhaps some high level mobs in some places that even lvl 50 players should not run recklessly into.

So to sum it up; more love to the areas outside dungeons and primal fights, some larger uninhabitet parts of nature. Adventure.

Please.

[Longelis]

I'd like to second, and third this notion.
I like FFXIV, I really do. But it hardly feels like an MMORPG after you burn through the (Pathetically easy) storyline. It's kind of grating and somewhat unsatisfying to go through areas that have no purpose past 50, just to realize it's better to sit in Mor Dhona and wait/search for a party to... well to do dungeons/boss fights.
And while we're at it; not every dungeon HAS to be instanced; quick burn runs. Dungeons don't really feel like large, labyrinthine dungeons to get lost in an explore, but just more like 'stages' or 'levels' that you burn through. May as well call Satasha 1-1, Tam Tara 1-2, Copperbell 1-3. Etc. :P

[Ardent_Dawn]

Hear, hear!

It isn't about creating a multitude of content, it is about creating depth in content, whether new or existing (in this case, existing). As MMOs are trending towards exploration, so should beautiful Eorzea be one of those adventures. There is so much in the lore to delve into, so much of the world to see, and if "layers" were added to the content instead of just adding additional content, the end-game wouldn't be necessarily the end of the game. Discover, uncover, grow!

[yukikaze_yanagi]

We all know how this end: feel amazed the first time, the second and third the place became just another map. Been there, done that

[Leowilde]

We all know how this end: feel amazed the first time, the second and third the place became just another map. Been there, done that

And what about single player games? If the areas of The last of us or Skyrim were to be bland and pointless, because the player wouldn't be amazed the second time anyway - what would that be like? Everything loses its gloss after a while of use, wether it's an area to explore in a game or a new car, but isn't the first time still worth it?

[Longelis]

We all know how this end: feel amazed the first time, the second and third the place became just another map. Been there, done that

A zone doesnt have to blow your mind with it's splendor each time you come in. (We will never have another Sanctuary of Zi'Tah)
However, I think it's better to tickle players sense of expanding curiosity and growth with an implementation of larger, open, and challenging zones.
FFXIV has a lot of beautiful zones, but with how they are implemented due to the storyline and quest structure; none of them really seem resonant with the sensations of comforting familiarity, or curiosity and wonder.

[yukikaze_yanagi]

And what about single player games? If the areas of The last of us or Skyrim were to be bland and pointless, because the player wouldn't be amazed the second time anyway - what would that be like? Everything loses its gloss after a while of use, wether it's an area to explore in a game or a new car, but isn't the first time still worth it?

Maybe. Still, exploration is still a thing can happen only one time. Done once, end of the fun. We can have better open world content than this

[Aegis]

When I came to get all the aetherial nodes for my Wanderer's shadow achievement/title in the last days of version 1 I was amazed at all the beautiful parts of Coerthas I'd either not seen before or didn't pay attention to as I was off doing something else.

I know they can't make individual environments that large any more, but I still miss that sense of grandeur.

[Dyvid]

So to sum it up; more love to the areas outside dungeons and primal fights, some larger uninhabitet parts of nature. Adventure.

I take it you don't do treasure hunting or beastman dailies?

[KraggyKor]

I take it you don't do treasure hunting or beastman dailies?

Just sad the beastmen 'strongholds' are little more than large camps, nothing on the scale of Davois, Bedeaux or Oztroja, let alone Zvahl.