Forcing us to the entire story quest to unlock the new classes is just bad business

[Vicus]

So I quit the game awhile back because I wasn't enjoying my class. I also lost motivation at the time to re-level something else and I had a big life change when I retired from the military. Now with the expansion I became excited again to get back into it because I felt that with all new expansion it gives ample time to catch up. But finding out that you have to do around 100 separate quest on the story just to allow us to try one of the new classes takes the wind out of my sail. "Cont"

[Vicus]

I don't understand the point in this? I am sure you would increase your subscription rate by 15-25% more people at least for the first month or two just because people want to play the new classes. Also there is no real difference in these classes over the ones that are currently in, and what I mean is they aren't overpowered or "elite" classes that should only benefit the high level people. Heck the DK and Mec are getting a lot of negative feedback that they are actually under powered.

I just don't get why you had to go this route. Im forced to either play a class that I got to 50 and don't really enjoy or relevel a different class I like better...just to unlock the CLASS I actually want to play..and O level that all over again. By then I will be burnt out from leveling the same crap over again. "Cont"

[Vicus]

With the changes you made to bard (WM) and locking out new players to all the classes without a few weeks worth of work to do, I really wonder if you actually research anything prior to releasing it. "Cont" Its so mind boggling that you guys can do so many things right that players love and then throw in some really out of character dumb and dumber type game mechanics.

/rant off

Sorry just not looking forward to grind my way thru this story quest on a character I don't intend on playing as my main.

[Raist]

Just a side note about the character limit...just edit your post. You don't have to keep continuing with new posts. As this post may well demonstrate.

On the topic:

You aren't finishing the story in order to access new jobs. The story continues into Ishgard, and Ishgard is where you unlock the jobs. This is nothing new to the FF online way. Try making your way through unlocking PUP in XI without being sufficient level (or with appropriate leveled assistance) to deal with the True Sight/True Sound aggro along the way. Just saying...sometimes there is a valid reason--as in your protection.

The game is story driven. The story restricts you from access to a region because of the lore. In order to access that region and explore/plunder/etc. and take full advantage of that region's resources, you must gain access to said region. That requires advancing through the story line until you reach the point that you are welcomed into that region. That process has quests that require you to be a certain level on a job in order to complete them. That is common practice in the franchise.

Oh... and you also aren't starting those jobs at level 1, you start at level 30. In previous installments you had to start at level 1.

[Vicus]

Yeah but lets fast forward to 3-4 years from now. What if they introduce a new class in the next expansion, are they going to make someone who loves the way the new class sounds have to level 1-70 and get through the storyline? When does it stop? Why is it at that point to begin with? Just because you did it in a game that released 10+ years ago doesn't mean you do it because its tradition? Getting a character to 50 and finishing the main Ultima storyline would of been plenty enough, not force people to go through hardmode trials/dungeons and 100 fetch quest.

P.S. thanks for the edit tip, was unaware.

[Raist]

Leveling is not that big an issue. They practically throw experience points at you now. Especially if you properly use the Duty Finder. Couple that with the Challenge Log, Hunt Logs, and sprinkle in things like rested bonus and Armory Bonus (if you have a job already leveled higher) and getting most of your levels is a breeze. Starting a job at level 1, you can hit level 5 or 6 without ever upgrading gear just running from one zoneline to another killing stuff along the way. Even with my first job I'm taking past 50 I maintain a 63% bonus to all my kills if I'm using food.

And no...defeating Ultima would not have been enough. That was closing a plot line that from 1.0. Heavensward is dealing with a plot line that continued beyond the defeat of Ultima.

As for future jobs...if they are bound to areas that only become accessible through story line, then yes it may be required that you progress through the story to the point that you can access it. The catch there is whether it is an expansion of the existing story arch (like Heavensward is, and XI's ZM/CoP, the little Shantotto and such add-ons, Abyssea, etc.--the new content had close ties to the story of older content that you had to have done to gain access), or if it is something that runs parallel like XI's TAU, Abyssea, WotG, and SoA expansions. Technically you could gain access at lower levels and a lower point in the story, but there was progression gating in place for continuity (had to be certain rank and/or level, had to complete a quest that required you to farm items from certain level mobs--one path might be level 20-30 mobs, another might be 50+ like Testimonies, and to get to the targets you may have needed to unlock access to the zones by progressing to certain points in story archs). But.. when you got there and went to unlock the jobs, you found yourself running through areas ranging from 60 all the way to 100. So yeah... you could unlock the region at 30...but it may not have been wise to try to unlock the jobs without having a job leveled to 60+.

It all depends on how the new story arc ties into the existing story arc. In the case of Heavensward, the main story was not finished (haven't completed it yet, it may in fact still remain unfinished when I hit 60). As you progress through the current Heavensward chapters you bounce back and forth between the realms dealing with events that were not finalized in ARR. You have to run back to each of the three starting nations for missions. And that is just dealing with one particular vein of the stories. If you were running the Allaghan side story as well, THAT has been left hanging as well--we may find ourselves revisting that one day, and the requirement for that will mean you have to make your way through LotA, Syrcus, and World of Darkness. You would also need to be level 50 for that progression as well.

[Madjames]

This is a problem I have said in other posts.

Friends of old who wanted to come back for the new classes will not because everything is gated, like, the WHOLE expansion. That is bad business. Wow, SWTOR, Ultima Online, Eve online, NEVER did this. Wow had a level 55 hard cap on unlocking the deathknight, but that is because they STARTED the game at level 55, the classes here do not do that so I do not see why they should be gated behind 40+ HOURS of MSQ crap just to unlock them. It is mind bogling.

The friends who refuse to buy the expac quit as soon as they hit 50 way back in the day. I told them I spent 20+ HOURS doing the MSQ just to get into the new expansion and get the jobs. They rolled their eyes and will not purchase this expansion on principal. Not one MMORPG that I have played in my 18 years straight playing them has gated out a whole expansion and had a level cap AND 40+ hours of stupid story quests in order access it, not even Star Wars the old republic which is a much better and indept story then this one. It is sad really but oh well.

[LunaHoshino]

How do you know you're going to like the new class? You might end up disliking it just as much as the one you're currently playing. It's foolish to bank on the fact that you're going to love a particular class simply based on how it looks or sounds. I normally main the Archer-type class in MMOS; I tried Lancer here and ended up falling in love with it.

Play the game for the game as a whole, not because you think you MIGHT love this future thing that you haven't even tried.

[Madjames]

How do you know you're going to like the new class? You might end up disliking it just as much as the one you're currently playing. It's foolish to bank on the fact that you're going to love a particular class simply based on how it looks or sounds. I normally main the Archer-type class in MMOS; I tried Lancer here and ended up falling in love with it.

Play the game for the game as a whole, not because you think you MIGHT love this future thing that you haven't even tried.

I knew I would like ninja when I found out they were added. I found out in march and rejoined immediately, started on a new server and here I am, loving the job I quit the game for years back. When its something you know you will like, you just know and just happens. My first job in World of warcraft was hunter, I knew I would like it and I did. I mean I quit wow and resubbed for this game immediately when I heard ninja was added before I learned anything about the job at all. I had no idea if it was a tank or a healer or DPS but I knew I would do whatever asked of me to do to be able to become my long lost ninja. I know that I HATE Whm and healing. Not interested. I also never tank so thats out lol. I am glad Ninja is a dps although I would have done any job just to keep my ninja

[SpiritMuse]

Ikr? It's like when a game gates the final boss so that you're forced to play all the previous levels first. So annoying.