The Integrity of Old Content in Heavensward

[Alberel]

I can't really see any way to keep such content populated. The extreme primals and coil will never be truly PUGable unless they nerf all the 1-shot and instant wipe mechanics so there is really nothing they can do to keep such things popular once the player base moves on. A roulette won't work for coil or the ex primals because a random group will rarely stand a chance even if they hugely outgear the fights.

The other problem is that adding new rewards to this content will frustrate the players that already spent months farming it as they likely won't be too keen on being forced to farm it even more. It's a no-win situation and ultimately a flaw of the vertical progression design.

[Zumi]

I can't really see any way to keep such content populated. The extreme primals and coil will never be truly PUGable unless they nerf all the 1-shot and instant wipe mechanics so there is really nothing they can do to keep such things popular once the player base moves on. A roulette won't work for coil or the ex primals because a random group will rarely stand a chance even if they hugely outgear the fights.

The other problem is that adding new rewards to this content will frustrate the players that already spent months farming it as they likely won't be too keen on being forced to farm it even more. It's a no-win situation and ultimately a flaw of the vertical progression design.

I join pick up groups in PF all the time and beat EX primals or coil

[Alberel]

I join pick up groups in PF all the time and beat EX primals or coil

In party finder, yes, but good luck getting a reliable group in the duty finder. When we move on into 3.0 it will be harder and harder to find players to do older content and using the party finder for such things will eventually become futile... the duty finder will be the only recourse for most players wishing to run older content for whatever reason and such groups will be incapable of handling content like this due to the vastly differing levels of experience and ability.

The ONLY way they could keep these raids populated would be by adding some exceptionally valuable new loot to them to encourage players to go back. Quite frankly though once I get into 3.0 the last thing I want to be doing is grinding 2.0 content when I've spent the last year doing that already... I wouldn't be the only one frustrated by that either. Doing this would serve little purpose anyway as you'd merely get eight-man speed farm groups running it and entirely excluding the players that may genuinely still need clears.

The only other option would be to nerf the raids and remove all wipe mechanics so DF groups can clear with ease simply to get it done.

There's a reason no MMO has managed to keep old content relevant in a vertical progression model; it's simply a flaw of the design. It's a shame more MMOs don't follow the route of FFXI and GW1 with horizontal progression...

[Windklinge]

as much as i hope to see something different it will likely be a total CUT to endgame things and start basicly everything anew including the relicquest with a completly new weapon. we will keep our old finished ones but they wont be NEEDED for the new one to keep the new endgame level open to new players. expansions with lvl cap raises serve sadly one purpose on the mmo market. draw in new customers and make em like the new endgame. anyone who still thinks old relic lvl 50 quests are REQUIRED to access new lvl 60 relic or content are blinding themselfs. heavensward will be like a fresh start for everyone and a completly new endgame at lvl 60. i doubt new content will ne made super hard because new players wont have the gear most veterans have then. and its unlikely that the tombstone gear will stay at 50 it will move to 60 with a new kind of tombestone which can only be farmed at 60.

[Vaer]

They might just throw ilvl sync on everything and call it a day. Maybe reuse some of the stuff for something else down the line.

[StrejdaTom]

This is what bothers me too. I think that it will never be so populated as it used to be but there is a way to motivate players to do it. As someone already said - new crafting materials in coil + mounts from extreme primals (plus they could implement some weekly quest for vanity stuff - killing all EMs like with titan, garuda and ifrit). I think they should synth all old em primals and coil to be like... i130 and lower and make it viable even in heavensward.

[Fleur]

I hope they streamline old content.

IMHO, if they want people to run old stuff in 3.0, nerfing it to easily PUG-able and adding cosmetic rewards along with excellent xp/leveling goodies would help.

Easing up on the locks and/or adding stuff to the DF automatically might help too. For example, I recently returned to the game after playing briefly at launch, and looking at what I need to do just to set foot into the new 2.5 raid, due to moving I probably won't get to it before 3.0 hits (unless it is launched in like June). And I don't think I'm gonna want to jump through all those hoops in 3.0 -- I'd rather be leveling an Au Ra Astrologian or something.

[VoltaAsura]

Roulette? The new "zodiac braves"?

They'll find some way to force us to do old content.

[Dragoniks]

Yoshida san said something about old content and compagy. Maybe they make old content solo and npc from your compagny will help you inside the dungeon.

They cannot update every time old content. At some point they must leave it and move and create another content.

[StrejdaTom]

Yoshida san said something about old content and compagy. Maybe they make old content solo and npc from your compagny will help you inside the dungeon.

They cannot update every time old content. At some point they must leave it and move and create another content.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot that they said we will be able to run it with our own npc party.