Can I progress in storyline without doing dungeons?

[Ketsuyame]

Once upon a time, the bread and butter of car manufacturing and purchase was the Model T Ford. Thankfully, we've moved beyond that now.

So what is it you're saying? Because unlike the Model T ford, this formula has been working for well over a decade. And it'll more than likely be around for even longer, whether you admit it or not. The Model T went the way of the dodo. Dungeon grinding isn't.

[Ecosmith]

Lol I think we'll have to agree to differ on the definition of 'working well'.

The Model T was in production for 19 years, btw. Not that that's particularly relevant to MMOs, but next time you're in a pub quiz it might help.

I'm not attacking your beloved 'rush to endgame and grind grind grind' model, I'm just suggesting there are other ways to do things. And they don't have to be mutually exclusive. Model Ts are lovely cars. And so are Ferraris. The roads should be big enough for both.

[Ecosmith]

That last bit was an analogy.

[Failia]

I can't really see where MMORPGs can progress to that you may be referring to. The entire point in having dungeons/raids/instances is to have repeatable content that their subscribers can do so they will continue to pay to play. If you don't have that, and people manage to get through all the available quests within a 3 week period (or considerably shorter in some cases for those with apparently a lot of free time), then you lose those people to something else. In such instances, people are playing a single player RPG that you just happen to be able to play with other people.

So far the progression that I can think of is:

Table Top RPG>Console RPG>MMORPG>LARP???

[Orophin]

If you're not willing to do dungeons for gear, the only alternatives are buying crafted stuff, or doing treasure maps and beastmen dailies for a small pittance of soldiery/mythology.

Every MMORPG has a grind of some kind. It really doesn't matter which game you go to, all of them have some kind of method to keep their hooks in you so you keep playing it.

[Moirear]

If you don't like the long queuing times for a ranged DPS job like BLM, try rolling a melee DPS. Or a healer. Or a tank.

The later I just mentioned different roles above, the quicker those players get into DF parties because there are less of them.


Unfortunately though, I believe what you're demanding is a single-player game. Most of the FF singleplayer games work like what you describe. You can easily complete the entire story without grinding, you only grind for optional sidequests or super-hard optional challenges that tangent the main story. But this is an MMORPG, and all MMORPGs involve grinding if you stick with them on the long run.

In all honesty, there's not a lot of story left in this game by the point you complete the main story, and the extension thereof that has been added with each major patch so far (only a few hours, each). You also don't need to be very geared for the main story content, only for the optional (arguably harder) objectives.

[AmyNeudaiz]

It's upsetting that I am now being told I have to change how I play games.

What a Dungeon is to an MMORPG is what killing is to FPS games. You are just looking for the wrong type of game if you don't like dungeons.

[LeonBlade]

Research a game before you buy it, if you are surprised you need to do dungeons in an MMO, I don't know what to tell you... If you don't like dungeons you don't like the gameplay.

[AthrunZolza]

Find a good company and get them to run with you that's what we do I have moods where I don't want to do any duns but they are fun too if you get friends to run with if your on exodus id be happy to help out

[Gnova]

Once upon a time, the bread and butter of car manufacturing and purchase was the Model T Ford. Thankfully, we've moved beyond that now.

But cars still have four wheels and a steering wheel 100 years later.
Things can advance (instanced content, solo content, endless side quests) but the core remains the same.
MMO tourists (people that flit from game to game but never spending significant time at endgame) want the games to be changed to suit their playstyle. The people that pay the subs for extended periods of time spend the time at endgame and part of the fun of playing the game is earning new gear and doing challenging content. Without that population a MMO is doomed to failure.