How to make the game larger offer more content and more difficulty at the same time.

[PlanckZero]

The current maps we have are fairly small in many regards, but there is a means of expansion while offering more challenging content all within the existing areas.

The answer is simple, non instanced "dungeons". Right now all of the open world content available is out in the open, rarely are there any instances where you're inside a cave or a mine and even then most of those areas are incredibly small.

What the game needs is subterranean levels beneath each map. Non-instanced caverns, mines and ruins would fit perfectly into almost every area currently available in the game and these areas could provide a chance for the addition of more high level and dangerous content.

Right now the surface world is beyond tame with limited aggro, enemies that give up the chase 5 seconds later, and the ease of chocobo access no matter where you go. For the more casual players it's a virtual haven where you can goof around and have fun without having to worry about anything, but players that want their open world to have some teeth are left behind.

But with a subterranean world this can all change. You could have mounts too afraid to venture into or be called within each subterranean area, most enemies would aggro requiring players to actually think about how they move around or fight their way through. You can offer high level farming grounds perhaps with an increased drop rate or higher quality drops to compensate for the difficulty or even be able to have high end fates or boss-like monsters tucked away.

Additional space per map, an option of increased difficulty and more content for players all without actually having to add new areas to the game and maintaining an open world feeling outside of instanced dungeons all while retaining the player friendly surface world.

[EvokerKeii]

Undeorzea.

[Lyrinn]

I like this idea. I remember doing this in FFXII. Took a wrong turn in the stupid sandsea and ended up in the Zertinan Caverns. Panicked when I saw the mobs were twice my level, then went on a suicide run out of curiosity of what was in there and found Adrammelech.

I was expecting the beastman strongholds to be similar, but they're neither scary nor exciting.

[TitanACU]

Even though i don't have a problem with it now, being new to MMOs, I agree and think this would be really fun. However, i think this is a good time to break away from FATEs, especially if its a lvl 50+ Area. I think this is a great opportunity to bring back some classic dungeon crawling with some of these Notorious Monsters I've heard so much about. With some nice loot or rare Mats.(Of course they wouldn't be a common drop from these areas)

[gadenp]

If dungeons are to be open world-ed. They really need to set lockout timers for such dungeon bosses, else the elites will be camping these bosses and the normal people will seldom get any loot/drops/chances.

[yoshikwalla]

Personally, I'd love to take to the skies instead of drudge along an old, mossy cavern pit. *bleaugh!*

Also, dynamic leveling would be great too. In these areas, the party is given a collective "Sync level" based on the lowest-leveled party member, but enemies and quests give dynamic curved experience rewards to each party member individually, depending on his or her actual level. The enemies could have curved stats and levels that are based on the collective stats of the entire level-synced party. A lv45 can level up with a lv27 while the game still remains challenging. Or something like that, I dunno.

[EvokerKeii]

If dungeons are to be open world-ed. They really need to set lockout timers for such dungeon bosses, else the elites will be camping these bosses and the normal people will seldom get any loot/drops/chances.

Oh boy, lockout timers. Just what everyone has been asking for.

[Teon]

I like the underground idea. Give devs 1 year to develop it (assuming dev team barely tought of this content as an interesting choice).
So far, this game took the guildwars road with small istanced areas , no real open world environment nor feeling of dangerous areas. So boring..

[Musashidon]

i don't like this idea for 2 reasons.

1. i don't want a chicken for a mount really to afraid? wtf is a behemoth afraid of? seriously? really? come on! it takes a server of people to take the only behemoth in game down and it's afraid of this area? really?

now i use behemoth as an example but i can lvl my chocobo so why would it be afraid of this area? no thank you there is no area a mount shouldn't be able to go (i understand citys)

2. all drops are already easy to get nothing these monsters can drop would make it worth going into these area's more then for the first time exploration just like any other part of the game. now if you start having them drop myth or philo's yay even easier ilvl70 and 90 gear making things easy even easier.

the ideas are ok but really its open world content noone wants to deal with that stuff other then the hitting lvl 50 grind.

[Marxam]

Part of it is just poor map design. For example the Sagoli Desert can be made to feel much larger if instead they had the player enter in through west instead of the north meaning they would have to trek, starting at the forgotten sands, eastward until they hit that camp with the amailja.