First off, I'm not here to rag on the game in any way. Quite the opposite, in fact. I was so jaw-droppingly impressed by the new patch that I don't even have words for it, aside from saying I'm delighted that the dev team keeps outdoing themselves.

But this has also brought something to my mind in regards to the newbie experience. Now, most MMOs front-load all of their best content right at the beginning of the game, then half-ass the rest of it. FFXIV is the exact opposite, however. I won't say the early game is half-assed, but it isn't even a shadow of the quality of the late game. So I fear that new players may get the wrong impression about the long-term experience. Maybe SE needs to take a little bit of time revisiting the lowbie content to make sure that new players know what they're really getting in to.

Yoshida once said that while WoW numbers might be unrealistic, it is a goal worth working toward. I think one important aspect of player-retention is getting people hooked from the moment they hit 'Enter World'.

Just my two-cents.

Also, if it sounds like I'm fanboying really hard, it's because I just got out of the Gilgamesh fight about an hour ago and OH MY GOD I'M STILL NOT OVER IT