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

[Niwashi]

3.0 is an expansion of 2.0. It's not an issue of scrapping the entire game and starting from scratch with an entirely new game like was done when 1.0 was shutdown to be re-launched as its sequel, and that's essentially what people are suggesting when they talk about new characters starting at or near the (current) end so they go straight into the expansion content.

What we could see (and in fact, I'm really hoping we'll see) is for it to include some lower level side content added that could be done in parallel with the main storyline, hopefully with some long enough quest chains to develop meaningful side-stories.

That could let current players starting over from scratch with new characters feel they're getting to some of the new expansion content early on (though of course that's irrelevant to actual new players, since it's all new content to them regardless of whether it was introduced in 2.0, in any of the 2.xx patches, or in 3.0).

It would also allow players going back to advance additional classes some more story-based leveling content, which is an area currently lacking in the game. (ARR has a good story in the main scenario, but that's done with your first class, whereas all other classes get stuck mainly with just grinding to level up. Having more meaningful, story-telling sidequest chains could really help make leveling additional classes feel like it's a real part of the game.)

But even if the expansion includes a number of side-story quest chains at various levels, the main bulk of it is going to be in the 50-60 range and come after the existing main scenario. If starting from scratch, then you go through the whole 2.0/2.xx storyline which then leads into what happens next in 3.0.

[Zfz]

Keep in mind that each of our characters, regardless of starting city, is considered an adventurer that has just traveled to Eorzea from Parts Unknown.

This. Our "starting city" is more like an "entry city" than our birth place. It just means where we started our adventure, so it is not odd at all for new races to start in one of the three cities. The "story" of our adventures started there. That's all it really means.

[Terrini]

I'd still be interested to see what little changes they have for a new Au Ra... Like perhaps seeing the hero would make Yugiri share her face sooner? There may be other quips about your race too. They wouldn't be big things but they'd be there. Of course that big question is post fifty anyway so you could level from one to fifty first and then do the post fifty story and reveal Yugiri that way... me i just want to know naming conventions to name my Au Ra appropriately...

[Squa11_Leonhart]

I would not want this.

[Terin]

You guys realize that introducing a new Start City-State doesn't really need to have *THAT* much of an impact on the game, unless the Devs specifically want it to, right?

If they wanted to keep it alongside the 2.0 story -- and I'm going to assume they do -- then you just make their Starter-area more of a "Prologue" for things to come later. You're an adventurer, you come to Ishgard in a time of relative peace, but the Holy See is only just now beginning to show signs of paranoia. By the time you reach the level 15-ish quest that sends you to join a Grand Company, they would have two options they could go with:

- The Holy See puts into action an "Inquisition" of sorts, and one of your quest-NPC's reveals themselves as a Scion, and instructs you towards the mainland (presumably Thancred, as he's present in all of the other areas).

or...

- You formally join the new Ishgard Grand Company, and they task you with looking into what these "Scions of the Seventh Dawn" are up to. On top of the normal 2.0 quests that everyone gets, you would get additional quests in each area based on this new GC, to make up for not currently being able to access the normal Story-Quests associated with your GC (plus, giving additional insight to the stuff going on in Ishgard, aluding to the state of Ishgard when you return at lvl 50).

[Terin]

I would not want this.

I'm curious, why would you *not* want something new added? I understand if you just don't care, but as someone planning to start a whole new character (and I suspect we'll see a HUGE influx of brand-new players, too), having a fresh, new experience can be a huge selling-point.

Just look at World of Warcraft; the Races are almost entirely cosmetic-only options, yet each one has its own starter-area, which kind of "immerses" you in its expansion. They eventually lead back into the original leveling-up content -- likely about lvl 15 in FFXIV's case -- but having that fresh start, to really instill that feeling of "Welcome to the Expansion!" could be a whole lot of fun. I love the current cities, but I feel like it would be strange for a Dark Knight to start their adventure at any of them.

[Felis]

Just look at World of Warcraft; the Races are almost entirely cosmetic-only options, yet each one has its own starter-area, which kind of "immerses" you in its expansion. They eventually lead back into the original leveling-up content -- likely about lvl 15 in FFXIV's case -- but having that fresh start, to really instill that feeling of "Welcome to the Expansion!" could be a whole lot of fun. I love the current cities, but I feel like it would be strange for a Dark Knight to start their adventure at any of them.

In XIV, races don't have any starter areas. Classes have. And in 3.0 is no new class. I doubt that someone can start as a Dark Knight without leveling something else until lv 10 (to unlock the armory-system) or 15 (to unlock the travel route between La Noscea and Aldenard).

[Terin]

True, but didn't Yoshi-P go on record saying that you'll have access to the new Jobs right away, regardless of level? He might have simply meant "you don't need to be max-level", but the implication definitely strikes me as "Even if you're a new player, you can start with these Jobs", and if that's the case, then the options are either A) the new Jobs are placed in existing cities, or B) they'll get a brand-new starter area.

Either case is totally plausible, I think. I *prefer* the idea of getting a new starter-area, but it's certainly no more or less likely than the alternative. The only thing I could see myself wondering about, is how the new Jobs would fit into the existing cities. In that way, a new starter-area makes more sense to me, plus the fact that many players have already exhausted the other areas of quests, and a new area would ease the process of leveling something new, even for existing characters.

[Felis]

True, but didn't Yoshi-P go on record saying that you'll have access to the new Jobs right away, regardless of level? He might have simply meant "you don't need to be max-level", but the implication definitely strikes me as "Even if you're a new player, you can start with these Jobs", and if that's the case, then the options are either A) the new Jobs are placed in existing cities, or B) they'll get a brand-new starter area.

Could be like with Rogue. You can join the Rogue guild while on a level 1 class, so long you unlocked the armory-system and have access to Limsa Lominsa.

[MageBlack]

I think it will be like Jueno in FFXI. but it will start off small and slowly build up as the patches progress. at least to the best of my understanding from the recent FanFests. It for sure wont have housing, at least not right away.