Gating the whole expansion

[Edellis]

The point here is that this is a big problem. How can someone be OK with paying for an expansion and being the required level only to find out that they have to run through tons of stupid Pre-expansion bullcrap quests in order to access the main content that they paid for? The answer to me is it is NOT ok and a total stupid move on SE's part. I paid for the expansion and am the required level. Yet I am STUCK doing pre-expansion bullcrap.

Why on earth are you even playing this game if you just want to skip everything?

Do you not know how to read? Did you do NO research on this before spending your money? They have stated multiple times that everything in the expansion is story gated, just like everything in 2.0 was story gated, just like I assume everything in 1.0 was story gated.

Why do people keep doing this?

* Players must progress through the main scenario quests introduced in patch 3.0 to access new areas.
* Players who log out in these new areas cannot log back in using a platform that has not registered Heavensward.

This is one of the first things they mention in the patch notes for heavensward. I don't get the whining from people who refuse to read or do any research on stuff, nor do i understand the logic behind buying a game like this one just to literally skip all the content.

This is what the trial period was for, the first thing you should have noticed is that the scenario quests are paramount for progression.

[Imoye]

The point here is that this is a big problem. How can someone be OK with paying for an expansion and being the required level only to find out that they have to run through tons of stupid Pre-expansion bullcrap quests in order to access the main content that they paid for? The answer to me is it is NOT ok and a total stupid move on SE's part. I paid for the expansion and am the required level. Yet I am STUCK doing pre-expansion bullcrap.

WoW sounds like the kind of game you'd like to play. Everything on a silverplatter.

[FoxyAreku]

The point here is that this is a big problem. How can someone be OK with paying for an expansion and being the required level only to find out that they have to run through tons of stupid Pre-expansion bullcrap quests in order to access the main content that they paid for? The answer to me is it is NOT ok and a total stupid move on SE's part. I paid for the expansion and am the required level. Yet I am STUCK doing pre-expansion bullcrap.

You're playing a story driven game. If you can't deal with that this may not be the MMO for you.

[Able]

The point here is that this is a big problem. How can someone be OK with paying for an expansion and being the required level only to find out that they have to run through tons of stupid Pre-expansion bullcrap quests in order to access the main content that they paid for? The answer to me is it is NOT ok and a total stupid move on SE's part. I paid for the expansion and am the required level. Yet I am STUCK doing pre-expansion bullcrap.

That's the thing though. It was repeatedly stated for the last few months that you needed completion of the MSQ through 2.55 to access the new content. You have no one to blame but yourself for pre-ordering. And please stop comparing this to other MMOs. The story is obviously a central part of the experience, especially for leveling.

[smilingtolerantly]

As a returning player who only played a month during patch 2.4, I'm ok with content gating. Wish more games would take a similar philosophy, though FF XIV's class/job system does give it flexibility on main scenario quests (and gating) that most other MMOs don't.

However, as a "fresh" level 50 prior to taking a break, I am woefully undergeared (ilvl 54). After spending six hours since EA started, unless I'm missing something really obvious, I'm seeing a really long slog on the gearing side....not necessarily the main scenario side. My ilvl started at ilvl 53, and now is at ivl 54.

Am I missing something incredibly obvious here? The guides on reddit, etc, don't seem very relevant.

[Seig345]

As a returning player who only played a month during patch 2.4, I'm ok with content gating. Wish more games would take a similar philosophy, though FF XIV's class/job system does give it flexibility on main scenario quests (and gating) that most other MMOs don't.

However, as a "fresh" level 50 prior to taking a break, I am woefully undergeared (ilvl 54). After spending six hours since EA started, unless I'm missing something really obvious, I'm seeing a really long slog on the gearing side....not necessarily the main scenario side. My ilvl started at ilvl 53, and now is at ivl 54.

Am I missing something incredibly obvious here? The guides on reddit, etc, don't seem very relevant.

It's been a while for me, although I'm getting close to the same point on my secondary character, but gearing up is a combination of running the highest dungeon you meet the requirements on, and using tomes you earn from them. At some point you get a Tome reward just for completing, while also having a chance of higher ilvl gear for your job to drop. Gearing up is a combination of luck on the drops, while supplementing that luck with the tomes by trading them in for the gear that hasn't dropped for you yet.

If you try to approach it purely with drops or purely grinding for tomes, it may feel a little worse than it is. At the same time, the luck half of it is that RNG business people tend to complain about on the forums, but that really only gets bad for people wanting to complete a whole set, since the set you buy with the tomes isn't technically the same set that drops in the dungeons, but they serve your ilvl the same way. Throw in the glamour system so your gear doesn't look like patchwork and it smooths out in the end.

[WordsAreEnough]

As a returning player who only played a month during patch 2.4, I'm ok with content gating. Wish more games would take a similar philosophy, though FF XIV's class/job system does give it flexibility on main scenario quests (and gating) that most other MMOs don't.

However, as a "fresh" level 50 prior to taking a break, I am woefully undergeared (ilvl 54). After spending six hours since EA started, unless I'm missing something really obvious, I'm seeing a really long slog on the gearing side....not necessarily the main scenario side. My ilvl started at ilvl 53, and now is at ivl 54.

Am I missing something incredibly obvious here? The guides on reddit, etc, don't seem very relevant.

The story quests that take you into the ilevel requiring content now reward i110 gear as you're coming up on those requirements, which should help in getting through all of it without having to do much gear farming at all.

[REPROBEAN_CHILD]

From where you're at... it'll take you only about 3h to finish the MSQ.

In just three hours? Was your ilvl high or did I something wrong? It took me at least a week and a half to finish the MSQ past 2.55, after I beating the Ultima Weapon. I had to grind through lvl 50 dungeons and daily roulette to get soldery to buy ilvl 100 gear in Mor Dhona, after getting blocked by ilvl requirements and dealing with sudden enemy difficulty spikes. Plus, I went on to do a Relic quest to get a better weapon above 1lvl 55. My ilvl was 45 when I beat after the Ultima Weapon. If you were able to do it in just 3 hours, would you mind telling me how you did it? I'll have to do it again for two other characters. I'm not trying to be an ass, but I'm obviously made it harder than it needed to be

It's great that the MSQ now offer EXP, but it does nothing to raise ilvl.

[MirielleLavandre]

In just three hours? Was your ilvl high or did I something wrong? .

Not sure of for others, but if you are leveling an alt, many people save up i110 and i120 gear for their alt jobs, and as soon as they hit 50 can go from i45 to i110+ instantly. This makes the farming for ilvl that first 50s have to do not needed. In addition, you can then take that i110+ geared job and do all the trials/dungeons which are open from your main. With a FC to help some with queues, I can see it taking 3 hours or so from where the OP is. At least, that is how I've geared my jobs [I don't do the alt thing]. ^^

[REPROBEAN_CHILD]

Not sure of for others, but if you are leveling an alt, many people save up i110 and i120 gear for their alt jobs, and as soon as they hit 50 can go from i45 to i110+ instantly. This makes the farming for ilvl that first 50s have to do not needed. In addition, you can then take that i110+ geared job and do all the trials/dungeons which are open from your main. With a FC to help some with queues, I can see it taking 3 hours or so from where the OP is. At least, that is how I've geared my jobs [I don't do the alt thing]. ^^

But where and how do they get that gear? I can't by any of that on the market-board for the prices they ask