Question for the Devs; will Heavensward include a new STARTER City-State?

[Kusari-chan]

I hope they implement an Ishgardian housing ward. We have the desert oasis of the Goblet, the seaside jungle of Mist, and the forest community of Lavender Beds. I would really love to have the option of a snow-covered castles in Ishgard.

[Ecks007]

the New jobs may start at level 30, thus being Jobs vs classes.

I highly doubt that. Classes are there for beginners, and as such you can choose one during Character creation when you start the game, with each City State now having 3 classes each. With this old system, those classes have the ability to be upgraded to Jobs at or after level 30. That is 2.0.

3.0 We no longer have classes, but just Jobs. You won't be able to pick these jobs during character creation. You have to take a character into the new 3.0 zones and find the right npc to unlock them and start the Job story quests/leveling up process. I HIGHLY, STRONGLY doubt that they are going to just hand us an instant level 30 Job after unlocking the new Job(s). Now true, you might think "Why would they make us start at level one when we're in this new 3.0 area that I took my lvl 50 (2.0 Job) here.", well that's because you have that level 50 that you are able to switch to and safely return to the lower level areas from 2.0 and level up.

Though they might have a few areas in 3.0 around Ishgard that might be intended for leveling up your new 3.0 Jobs, we'll see. Personally I hope most (if not all) of the 3.0 content is geared for the level 51-60 range. After all, we have all of these already existing lower level areas to level up in. We don't really need more low level areas, and gaming wise it's always a good idea to make old zones still relevant/necessary to the players. Which it would be, for leveling up from 1 to 50.

After all, the new main scenario would be intended for players to begin at level 50 and progress up to the new level cap of 60. But that said, it doesn't mean that we wouldn't be revisiting areas of 2.0 again for certain things in the storyline. Again, we'll see.

Another reason for starting at level 1 is gaining abilities and learning what they do and how to apply them be playing with them and seeing how they work. This works best gradually, as players level up and gain new abilities. I would personally, not be interested in starting at level 30 and having a ton of abilities already that I now have to familiarize myself with all at once. As an example, it wouldn't be much different than some rich kid buying a max level character because they want to be cool without the "hassle" of leveling one up. Only for them to piss off every party they join because they don't understand how their abilities work or what their job even does, basically wasting everyone's time they group up with. Now, over some length of time (assuming the noob doesn't get fustrated and quit) eventually this kind of person might learn exactly what it is they should be doing and better be able to play the job they got. There's no telling how long that might take, and in the meantime they are going to build up a bad reputation as "That effing noob that doesn't know how to ____ right". Let's just say, this isn't a good thing.

I feel players should learn how to play the job they are wanting to be, by experiencing and testing things out as they level up. It really is the best way, and I know I'll happily level my Dark Knight up from level 1 once I get my hands on 3.0.

Just because 2.0 jobs started at level 30 (or techincally, whenever you get and equip the soulstone after level 30), does not mean they work that way in 3.0 specially considering there are no classes for these Jobs. No base class =/= instant level 30, it just means no base class. I'm all for the new system of new Job starting at level 1 and only being accessable via ownership of the expansions and the required in-game legwork needed to reach the NPC required to start and unlock the Job.

Functionality-wise, these npcs would work a bit like the class guilds and by that I mean I am sure there will be some kind of initial cutscene/story that introduces the npc and gives us a reason for becoming X New Job. Don't know if Soulstones will still be a thing, but it's possible considering we do have an armory space for them. However, it could be that the weapon will simply be what ties the new Jobs to the armory system, similar to how the weapon + soulstone currently does.

Either way, we're all going to be a 2.0 job when we reach these npcs, just like when you start out as one class because it's what you chose in character creation. You are already something else, and once you get the new thing unlocked you merely switch your weapon and become it. With the 2.0 system, we also have soul stones to equip that change the classes to jobs, but with no base class there really isn't a reason to have Soulstones in 3.0. As far as this is concerned, I feel it's definitely the right direction to take things.

The 2.0 systems will still be in place and remain that way for the old classes+jobs, likely for the foreseeable future. While I can see weapon types being the deciding and identifying factor that allows us to switch between 3.0+ Jobs.

That said, they could/can still created new classes in order to allow new character creation options for new players (though I think 9 is plenty enough already) in the future. Though, in my opinion this is far less likely to occur. That said, it could be possible since the systems already exist.

[Niwashi]

Just because 2.0 jobs started at level 30 (or techincally, whenever you get and equip the soulstone after level 30), does not mean they work that way in 3.0 specially considering there are no classes for these Jobs. No base class =/= instant level 30, it just means no base class.

Yes. It sounds as though the new jobs are going to be equivalent to the whole class+job combination of the current ones. For instance, there isn't all that much to distinguish gladiators from paladins or conjurers from white mages. It's essentially that they're called by one name at the beginning, then have a mid-game transition quest that lets them use a different name thereafter. With the new jobs, they still have the full range of levels to go through. They'd still be gaining "class" skills every few levels as well as a few that come from their quests. The only difference is that there isn't that transition step that changes their name part way through the game. (Plus they'll presumably have the job-style limitations on cross-class skills all the way through.)

So DKN corresponds to GLD/PLD rather than just to PLD.

Or, at least that's how I understand it. We won't really know for sure until the expansion comes out (or until SE gives some really detailed info on how all this is going to work, which may or may not happen).

[MageBlack]

I think of them as "Advanced Jobs" I wonder if it will strictly be a quest requirement to unlock or will you need to have X level Class or Job to unlock? I suspect it will be a "Go on a quest to find the Buster Blade" sort of deal, then that weapon will unlock the Job. Since these are using new weapons previously unavailable in the Eorzea I'm sure we will start at level 1 to learn to use it.

I'm still quite hopeful for an actual titled "Advanced" Job to come at some point in time where you will need more than two class/job's to unlock it (Red Mage = GLD + WHM + BLM all level 50(?)) Also still hoping for Jobs for the DoH and DoL classes that are more focused in their craft.

[Terin]

Not quite sure what you're referring to here. Nobody would be locked anywhere once the regional storylines merge at around level 15. When you need to do content in other areas, you go to those areas. At most players might be locked near where they started for the first 15 levels or so, just as those starting in Limsa are locked into the La Noscean island (and everyone else locked off of it) until level 15. Or it may be like Gridania and Ul'dah, where you can go between them at any time, but don't have much reason to until 15.

Exactly; it would make for a unique experience for the first 15 levels, but it could still tie back into the 2.0 quest-line at that point. I just feel like if I'm starting a new Dark Knight, it would seem weird to be in... well, *any* of the existing cities. The cold, harsh wintery areas surrounding Ishgard seem a lot more exciting to jump into, as it is more directly pertinent to the expansion itself.

[silentwindfr]

only one thing to say, it's not because we can become dark knight that directly we know HOW BE a dark knight. meaning, if we get acces to the jobs we need to train for master the jobs and the weapon. a two hand sword is not used like a two hand axe or normal sword. same for the astrologue or the machinist. we will begin to 1 and learn from the start how work the jobs.

do they will add new low level area? hell no, why that we have a whole world 2.x that are there for the 1-50.... let the 3.x be for 51-60.

[Terin]

I agree, the 2.0 world is still totally relevant, but there's no real reason that a new 1-15 zone couldn't be added. After all, *ALL* of the starter-areas have place that immediately jump up to higher-level mobs, so the same could easily apply to a new area around Ishgard.

Or, perhaps a better idea, have the starter area based around a small settlement on the outskirts of Ishgard. The Au Ra are clearly a *TOTALLY* new race to Eorzea, and although they might arrive at any of the existing cities as regular ol' adventurers, it also makes sense that they might found a new settlement, to teach the Jobs that they bring alongside them. Dark Knights, for example... I just can't see them setting up shop in any of the existing cities, but as Yoshi-P has indicated new players will be able to start the new Jobs right away, too, I feel like that would make sense.

Plus, it would give you just a taste of what Ishgard has to offer, before sending you back to 2.0 content to get leveled-up from 15-50, and at that point, it would all be brand-new content for new players.

[MilesSaintboroguh]

Ehhh...I don't know if adding low level zones in Ishgard is a good idea, mainly because 2.0 through 2.5 don't take place in the new zones, so there's really zero incentive to have a low level zone if every quest is going to be elsewhere. Not to mention it's a long road from 2.0 to 3.0, so teasing people on areas they could be going to wouldn't help matters.

[Terin]

Well, 1-15 could probably be fit in a single zone, in all honesty. Not saying that makes it trivial to create, but it's a fairly normal part of most MMO Expansions. And to me, getting that "tease" of Ishgard is why I love the idea so much. Dark Knights clearly just don't exist in Eorzea right now, so I like the idea of starting one and getting a feel for Ishgard's snowy environments, versus just introducing them in an existing city might seem strange (it worked for Rogues and Ninjas, because of who they are, but even that felt a tad forced).

They could even make it a cool story-hook. Have your character start off in a small Au Ra settlement, learning the ways of the new Jobs. Through your quests, you eventually uncover a corrupt member of the Ishgard religious order, and it leads to you fighting him. In order to protect both yourself and the settlement, you're instructed to leave, and told that the Scions of the Seventh Dawn could protect and make use of an adventurer like yourself.

[Ecks007]

Yoshi did not say new players could start the new jobs right away. He said 'players' and said that if you owned the expansion you could reach the areas where the new jobs were and unlock them at the start.

Though, it could be possible to walk/run/sprint a level 1 character all the way from one of the main 3 cities.. maybe.. (not sure about Limsa since I think that requires a ferry ride aka. gil to get somewhere on the mainland) to Coerthas and through to the new 3.0 areas.

I mean, you can take a character level 10 and under right now and get them to Revenant's Toll going through level 49 mobs so it could be possible to make it to the new areas, assuming you take the time and precautions when running past/through mobs that might 1-2 hit kill you.

As for the Au Ra, you are thinking too much about it. While there will undoubtedly be some kind of explanation as to why they have been mostly hidden away from Eorzea until now (3.0), there might not be. The lore for Au Ra could very well be offered in some snippet from a side quest, or random npcs. The point is, Au Ra will just be available. You will see them everywhere because people are going to phantasia like crazy. New players will be able to choose it as a starting race, assuming they've bought the expansion. There very well could be an Au Ra settlement somewhere as well, or perhaps a few different settlements, depending on what kind of people they are presented as in the lore. Though I don't see it being much other than a quest hub for a bit, like Little Ala Mhigo but we shall see.

Also how do you know Dark Knights don't exist. Clearly they do, there is at the very least one already in existence. That's like saying Machinists and Astrologians don't exist, when they do. We as adventurers just don't know about them yet because they're in areas we have yet to explore and otherwise know next to nothing about.

The only other possible way they might... maybe introduce Dark Knight to adventurers without requiring an npc Dark Knight who imparts his/her techniques (that I can think of) would be if we perhaps find a sentient Blade of Darkness once used by a powerful Dark Knight and through it we gain new abilities by agreeing to make a pact with it (or something to that extent). Hmm, that actually sounds like a good idea the more I think of it. But I dunno, part of me just doesn't see that happening.