Bring back zones like:

[Kirinichibon]

I'm not really sure what I miss about XI's open dungeons. They did provide a real sense of danger and accomplishment that wasn't at all formulaic. I don't want duty finder and fates to change, but it would be nice to have some of that sense of accomplishment back. Most of FFXIV right now feels like a treadmill, but no matter how nostalgic I get about FFXI - no game ever has been or will be more of a grind for me.

[BloodPact]

I'm not really sure what I miss about XI's open dungeons. They did provide a real sense of danger and accomplishment that wasn't at all formulaic. I don't want duty finder and fates to change, but it would be nice to have some of that sense of accomplishment back. Most of FFXIV right now feels like a treadmill, but no matter how nostalgic I get about FFXI - no game ever has been or will be more of a grind for me.

Yeah, there are definitely things to be missed; for example: solo farming Rogberry in the Temple and being scared and careful as a mage not to be get close to the hallway because pots could magic aggro you, and then if they did, managing the adds while keeping the NM on red so people didn't steal.

Things like those, the little solo or duo adventures with a friend were cool. However, for me "full party" or endgame content is better in here. I feel I get more out of my time in this game. There was nothing fun about camping Fafnir for hours, every day, and sometimes not even get to fight it, for weeks. And even then, omg those drop rates...

[Sotek]

I don't really get the nostalgia for XI dungeons...

I remember places like Garbage Citadel as a place where people go to grind EXP and have their souls crushed for hours, and occasional as a places where you'd grind trash for Coffer Keys before using Sneak/Invis to get around with zero danger until you find a chest to get AF gear from.

The endgame ones were better, but as endgame you went with a group, and that instantly destroyed and danger Sneak/Invis didn't cover. They just became "Run past trash mobs to get to the God Island for the real content" eventually. I have that in ARR, it's called Turn 3. That said... Damn, if Coil was open world? Awesome. Just the start of Turn 1 and all of Turn 3, but yeah, that would be amazing. Turn 1 ADS would be like some of the door mechanic bosses in XI (groups can leech past it), as would the Golems beyond ADS. The boss would remain in an instance to prevent camping, then after that you move straight to Turn 2, again an instance since the whole thing is a boss. Turn 3 is then completely open world and at the end you move on to Turn 4s instance and then Turn 5. Expand the areas for Turn 1 and 3, throw in some XI style Treasure Coffers on the Dark Matter mobs... Damn, that would have been awesome...

[Lord_Zlatan]

one area to add to the list would be Caedarva Mire. Not for the open world dungeon, but for the sheer danger of exploring.

[Doo]

There's just something about Vana Diel that makes it feel alive. Even though FFXIV is pretty just, everything feels fake. Like a fish in a pretty aquarium.



and La Tiene



Was it the sense of danger? The size of the zone? Was it the unique mobs that don't just have frontal/circle aoe attacks and stops chasing you after a couple of seconds?

[FritoBandito]

Even though FFXIV is pretty just, everything feels fake.

Yeah I'm with you on this. For me, it has a lot to do with the maps being much smaller and less wide open, and also all the invisible walls that limit exploration. I mean, I guess there's always Skyrim for that...but it'd be nice if FFXIV offered lots of world exploration.

[Mamba]

There's just something about Vana Diel that makes it feel alive. Even though FFXIV is pretty just, everything feels fake. Like a fish in a pretty aquarium.

Was it the sense of danger? The size of the zone? Was it the unique mobs that don't just have frontal/circle aoe attacks and stops chasing you after a couple of seconds?

Yes, it is the sense of danger.
You can't die in FFXIV at level 50 unless you are in an instance... it is simply put impossible, unless you go to aggro area and go afk.

[Morticous]

still nobody has explained how RMTing inside of a room will be vastly different then outside in the openworld we have today...

Also.. you never did any exploring down that other so different path in WP??? Me neither.. because it doesn't exist... Dungeons in this game could successfully be explored by blind people because there is only 1 way in.. 1 way out... and no way to get lost.

[Synapse]

Someone trying to defending FFXIV dungeons as something you can explore? /faceplam.

FFXIV does not fit with "explore"....

1) Username/Password.
2) Start screen
3) Character selection
4) Loading screen
5) City
6) Loading screen
7) Linear dungeon
8) Loading screen
9) City
10) Loading screen
11) Another DF
12) Loading screen
13) City
14) Exit game.

Welcome to Instanced Co-OP player RPG!

[Sotek]

Someone trying to defending FFXIV dungeons as something you can explore? /faceplam.

Oh, you knew every aspect of every zone and dungeon the first time you did them? No. Exploration was present at the start of the game. In 2.2, you'll be exploring Amdapori Township and it will be a new experience. Once you've explored it though, that is gone.

The exact same was true for something like XI. Once I'd done Sky bosses, Sea bosses, Limbus, Dynamis, etc. etc., they stopped being something I explored because I'd already explored them, just like with XIV they simply became things I did. I guess the only reason people never complained about this in XI was because there were completely and utterly pointless side passages you would never use once you knew where you were going.