EXP Parties as an option please!

[File2ish]

I wouldn't mind if traditional EXP parties returned, so long as it wouldn't become the only way to level up. (Obviously it would never be the only way in this game).

As others said, even getting an EXP party was hard in FFXI. Could take at least an hour to get enough people, let alone actually get a good camp to kill everything. On top of that, if the party wasn't relatively balanced you were gonna have a bad time. Couldn't just have 6 DDs (DPS) in a group, a single mob could destroy that sort of party (because if the mob didn't check at least an Even Match, it would give like no EXP because of the amount of party members). But in XIVARR there are fate groups that can just zerg everything without the absolute need for a tank or healer (some fates excluded of course, particularly level 40 and higher level ones, plus like Svara and Cancer and whatnot).

And story time! My first EXP party in FFXI outside of Qufim worm/crab parties was in Y'tuhnga Jungle fighting Mandragoras outside of Kazham (so like level 30?). Worst experience I ever had in the game. I was a Red Mage, and I wanted to melee to help kill faster because A) it's what I was told to do in Qufim, and B) we had a WHM in party and a lvl 75 RDM healing us. But guess what? "RDM ONLY HEALS/HASTE/REFRESH!!! [derogatory remarks]!!!" That was always the response I got while on RDM (even before I was a high enough level for Haste/Refresh...).

So I switched to Dancer, which I mostly soloed up to like 60 in using Fields of Valor pages because "Sorry, already have a dancer", "Dancer damage sucks, already have a sub healer/support", or even just "No DNCs". From like 30 to 50/60 I was mostly in Altepa Desert... I hate that place so much even now.

Now I wanna resub to XI for some reason... lol. Upgrade my level 99 RDM and DNC Empyrean gear past +1 finally haha. Will give me something more to do until Heavensward XP

[Luvbunny]

If they want to create something that is far far far superior alternative, perhaps they should go back and look at what Blizzard did...with Diablo 3... yup. Just make it so that ANY combination of ANY jobs can clear ANY exp dungeons. You want 4 healers? you got it, 4 tanks? sure, 4 dps? you betcha! Diablo 3 + Phantasy Star Online + Monster Hunter + Borderlands 2 style, grab anyone, any friends, any jobs, any roles, go smash for xp and contents. Randomized loot with randomized bonus stats, you don't get the ones you really want? go farm again, and again. At least you are not restricted to jobs XYZ only!

[KisaiTenshi]

If they want to create something that is far far far superior alternative, perhaps they should go back and look at what Blizzard did...with Diablo 3... yup. Just make it so that ANY combination of ANY jobs can clear ANY exp dungeons. You want 4 healers? you got it, 4 tanks? sure, 4 dps? you betcha! Diablo 3 + Phantasy Star Online + Monster Hunter + Borderlands 2 style, grab anyone, any friends, any jobs, any roles, go smash for xp and contents. Randomized loot with randomized bonus stats, you don't get the ones you really want? go farm again, and again. At least you are not restricted to jobs XYZ only!

Sorry No, that's a horrible generic design that is just "re-skinned with different monsters." The "new thing" that Diablo brought to the table was procedurally generated dungeons (not straight up "random" like you think.) This ensured that you could keep going into the same dungeon and pick up where you left off. If you switched to multiplayer, you were given a completely new version of the dungeon so that you and your friends would get a clean dungeon that neither of you have completed or explored, and had it's own loot table.

The point of classes and jobs in Final Fantasy is that they do different things, not just "here's the 100 point damage skill, here's the 300 point healing skill, here's the 500 point AOE, have fun you need nothing else." Playing the BLM and playing the SMN are completely different things, and playing SCH and WHM don't play alike at all. For all the crappy things I've seen in MMORPG's FFXIV's are the most fun and balanced way of doing dungeons, where every MMORPG I've played before you were either left begging to join parties or you could solo everything (thus not needing a party) at a high enough level because there was nothing equivalent to a level sync. Only Blizzard and SquareEnix even bother with nice animations and visuals. All the WoW clones are just "click on NPC glued to the spot, receive wall of text, go to place on map, kill everything until the quest goes 'ding', go to next NPC", where you can basically get to the maximum level on field monsters alone.

[kyuven]

Just make it so that ANY combination of ANY jobs can clear ANY exp dungeons.

Diablo 3 and FFXIV, nor FFXI, are even close to the same type of game.
Having to balance content for completion by any combination of classes/jobs is a development nightmare that is PROBABLY partially the reason Diablo 3 took over a decade to complete.
If you try, people will either come up with their own golden trinities and have exclusionist mentalities, or the content is so easy it can be done in your sleep. Unless you REALLY emphasize mechanics over boss stats, this is what you get.
And then people would complain that they can't do X dungeon as Y class, while at the same time complaining that Z dungeon is too easy or N dungeon is too hard.

[AreeyaJaidee]

For obvious reasons I'm not posting a link, but a google search easily finds proof that bots exist that can even play the mini games in the golden saucer.

For the sake of this argument, does that mean that golden saucer should be removed from the game?

Bots can grind fates, should fates be removed from ffxiv? Bots can grind dungeons, should dungeons be removed from ffxiv? Bots can grind low exp mobs in nearly any zone, should SE remove mobs from every zone.

The bot argument is weak.

[AreeyaJaidee]

I didn't assume to know you. That's not required to read or comprehend your post and see you're biased.

You stated several reasons for your bias, as if they defend your stance in refusing a feature based on its relation to FFXI. Once again ppl are using it as a reference amongst other games, XI is the only one you key in on though

Either way, my interest isn't you, its the topic.

I'll step out by saying that i support this option being added to the game either in pve or as pve added to a persistent PvP zone as stated in some other threads.

Good luck in your journeys!

[MageBlack]

I don't think people that are "against" this are actually trying to come up with reasons it should not be implemented but are instead simply understanding some of the reasons the Dev team has outright said no to this. I know that's all I was doing. I can understand some of the reasonings people want this in but it seems the people wanting this choose not to understand why its not in there. As you guys keep saying if "its simple to add in" then it would have been done by now.

[Maikal]

-snip snip-

Speaking for myself only(which I really hope I've been able to make clear from the start), I don't expect exp parties to ever make a comeback. I completely understand that gamers are different now than they once were. I do reject the idea that the devs are so worried about Bots and RMT that they couldn't include exp parties in the game, however. Otherwise, yeah, while it'd be a dream come true for me to be able to jump into the game and level the way I enjoy levelling. But that's me, not everyone has to agree for my opinion to stand.

5 different people, 10 different opinions- it's just the nature of the internets these days.

[Calevr]

I am still waiting for something like this to come to FFXIV. +1

If I could have something else though that made it easier to find players for exp grinding, I would ask the devs to either tweak or expand the Battlecraft Leves and give the players better party options. This is my idea, keep each task to a time limit, but let the mobs be able to respawn, this allows the party to track and kill as many mobs as they please. Give every mob strong attacks and high defence so it provides a challenge. After the time limit or when the party decides to complete the task, speak to the Battlewarden to collect your reward. Bonus exp should be awarded for every additional mob you can kill.

If you have an idea how exp parties can work, share it!

[AlexionSkylark]

what IS an EXP party after all?