Can't Access 3.0 until you complete 2.0-2.55

[Chukkaque]

Was anyone else extremely happy when they announced this? I was very very happy when I read that!

[EdwinLi]

I'm not surprised this happened so I can't feel much over this when I was partly expecting this as a possible way they will handle Main Scenarios.

People can use FFXI as a example but that is a different game and each of its expansion storyline were separate stories except for 1 expansion if I remember right.

Though the bigger question is if this will be how they handle future expansions since as the game moves forward there becomes a larger gap between Main Scenario for each Expansion between a new character that has to start in 2.0 and burn through the story to reach 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, and etc.

[ScarletDawn]

I'm not surprised this happened so I can't feel much over this when I was partly expecting this as a possible way they will handle Main Scenarios.

People can use FFXI as a example but that is a different game and each of its expansion storyline were separate stories except for 1 expansion if I remember right.

Though the bigger question is if this will be how they handle future expansions since as the game moves forward there becomes a larger gap between Main Scenario for each Expansion between a new character that has to start in 2.0 and burn through the story to reach 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, and etc.

I would thought they will start adding shortcuts they give a summary of the story so far, but allow players to go on to the new content.

[Velox]

FFXIV is a story-heavy game. That's how the developers designed it. Expect content to revolve around stories.

If you are not a fan of this type of MMO,*you may want to try another that is less story-centric.

[Exodus-E]

I'm not surprised this happened so I can't feel much over this when I was partly expecting this as a possible way they will handle Main Scenarios.

People can use FFXI as a example but that is a different game and each of its expansion storyline were separate stories except for 1 expansion if I remember right.

Though the bigger question is if this will be how they handle future expansions since as the game moves forward there becomes a larger gap between Main Scenario for each Expansion between a new character that has to start in 2.0 and burn through the story to reach 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, and etc.

The only way I'd see them releasing expansions that wouldn't need ARR/Heavensward to be completed beforehand, would be for them to finally allowing us to defeat both, the Garlean Empire and the Ascians (given they're pretty much the major threats the world is facing right now). Permanently.

Until then, I'm not counting on future expansions being "stand-alone" any time soon...

[Bluevann]

I've already expressed my thoughts on the matter, and I feel that the areas should at least be explorable (it's something I have always appreciated from the beginning of ARR, to be able to explore any area at any level) without requiring mission progression, excluding of course endgame areas. I also hope that jobs won't be gated behind 2.55 as well, which would be also odd of an expansion (games I've played with expansions never had jobs requiring main storyline progression to unlock, if we exclude Summoner's particular case with Egis. You can unlock the job at any time, but must have fought Ifrit before accessing Ifrit egi, and so on).

Regarding Ishgard's story, I understand WHY it is so heavily connected to the 2.0 MSQ, but then I do not understand Yoshida's statement when he says that he projected Heavensward with in mind the idea to make the players feel like "a whole new game has come out". Feels more like an extension of ARR now. *shrug*

[Omegakiyohime]

I have mixed feelings about it, to be perfectly honest. I follow the story like a hawk so every patch day, I tend to clear out the MSQ first. I enjoy the direction it's going in, but it does get rather clunky from time to time with some rather unnecessary "click this item and go here" quests before it actually gets to the point. So while I'm happy that the lore actually matters and it's continuing on, I don't really see the benefit of not having a condensed version of some of the more clunky/unneeded parts. Seems like more of an unnecessary gate imo. Then again, if Yoshi says so the lore team will make up some reason for this or that, and will just look the other way for the sake of gameplay.

FFXIV is a story-heavy game. That's how the developers designed it. Expect content to revolve around stories.

If you are not a fan of this type of MMO,*you may want to try another that is less story-centric.

It's actually the other way around. The developers design the content and then the lore team fills in the lore. They've said as much during the Dev lore panels. So while the lore team has done a good job fitting in what the developers want, the lore tends to come after the developers state their intended goal with a piece of content.

[EdwinLi]

I would thought they will start adding shortcuts they give a summary of the story so far, but allow players to go on to the new content.

Well another way is to add new prologue quest for players that choose to start in 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, or etc era of Main Scenario. Altering a few dialogues to reflect that your character became a adventurer during the 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, or etc era of Main Scenario while making the rest follow mostly the same dialogues.

They can also make 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, or etc era of Main Scenario separate stories like they did with FFXI but have some slight relations to past Main Scenario to show a type of connection between main scenarios and why things are in certain main scenarios.

Though that my best guess if they choose to provide a short cut for later X.X era Main Scenario once they make the game's MSQ very long.

[DefendPopPunk]

Personally, I didn't have any problem with it. However, if I took the perspective of someone that hasn't yet touched ffxiv but saw some heavensward trailers and thought I might pick it up, I'd be kinda bummed I can't jump right in. Especially when you consider that a big draw from the trailers is riding on flying mounts in these huge areas; finding out you can't even touch any of that until you finish the entirety of the 2.xx storyline could possibly put me off.

It does make sense though, since you would be kinda lost in the MSQ of the expansion and would be missing out on a lot of the lore if you didn't complete the 2.xx story first.

[Nutz]

I expected this and think it would be really quite weird if it were otherwise. Maybe they could shuffle some things around so people could get more of a taste, sure. I'd have no problem with new players accessing flying mounts and being able to go into level 51+ areas and what not, but Ishgard itself becomes a bit of a problem since the main scenario tells you repeatedly that they're staying out of all conflicts that don't have to do with dragons and have gone so far as to ban any non-Ishgardian from entering their city. It seems like that would get messy if you could just enter Ishgard at will while all the NPCs are telling you that their gates are sealed.

In the future I'd expect that they'll likely use Praetorium as the jumping off point for expansions that don't deal with the Garlean/ Ascian threat. There's just too much stuff tied to the main scenario, though I suppose they could untangle it if they wanted. It doesn't seem worth it though. Allow people to no do the main scenario and then what? They level off of FATES and the few dungeons that don't unlock from MSQs until they get up to the new content? And then they have to backtrack and do the MSQ anyway if they want to, for instance, get into Heavensward or fight Bahamut?