Back in the saddle again, don't you (forget about me)

[Azper]

lol theres other things to do in the game beside two dungeons.

The real question is: are there other things people actually want to do? The answer for a lot of people is, "no," as is evidenced by the OPs observation of a drop in population and lull in the markets.

[Ulathskullsplitter]

You weren't content to get just one song stuck in my head you had to go and make it 2.

[MilesSaintboroguh]

I noticed this too on Midgard. Are hunts not a thing anymore? I remember like 3 weeks ago you'd still see a flood of "lfg" when someone found an A or S rank, but last night I found an A rank, did a shout, opened a PF for it, sat for about 45 mins and not a single person showed up, closed PF, went off to do my own thing, came back maybe 2 hours later and it's still up in the same spot.

Hunts got outdated rather quickly once ilvl190 and 200 gear were thrown into the mix. No one is going to do hunts for gear that's not going to do anything for their main class.

[Rhaja]

For me I find if there are things I feel I need to get done (daily eso tomes), and if those things feel boring, grindy or frustrating, as soon as I finish them, I just want to turn the game off and get away from it. Even if there are other things I could do for fun, like level an alt or work on finishing the vista's list, once I have a distaste for the game in my mouth, I don't want to be on it.

This is honestly why I stopped doing EX roulette completely. I just can't run it anymore. The same thing happened with Syrcus Tower and WoD. it get's to the point that after one run I hate everything associated with the game and log off. an RP buddy was what got me interested in the game again after 2.55. Now it's PVP because I've decided glamor is more important to me than stats. Also, it's nice having a mode of play that's not scripted. Great moments happen in Seal Rock even if it is a mess most of the time.

Right now I'm looking at this exploration mode and crossing my fingers. I'm more of an immersive player; I'd rather find cool spots to explore, or even hunt monster's with friends for exp/seals than worry about getting a drop from Alexander.

[Stupiduglytaru]

Hunts got outdated rather quickly once ilvl190 and 200 gear were thrown into the mix. No one is going to do hunts for gear that's not going to do anything for their main class.

Not to mention how fast tomes fill up, you can just buy upgrade with them for your alts.

All I do is pvp, switched gc so I get insta q's 100 games a week np

[Twilite]

2ish months after the the last real content pack launched paired up with the lack of long term goals I guess. People are getting bored of doing 2 dungeons day in and day out for tomes, so they unsubscribe/stop playing until the next content patch.

I think there is a problem if that is all people have been doing.

[Kerwin]

Population in Cactuar has dropped harder than a guy figuring out his online GF was a guy.
Markets slower than a lalafel against Roes in a bikini contest.
Need explanation.

What did I just read...? And that thread title got that song stuck in my head.

Y u do this?

[zosia]

The problem is every thing in this game is saturated with one painful retention mechanic, grinding. Almost every single piece of heavensward content and a large portion of 2.XX content require multiple months of grinding.

Red and blue Scripts? Its a grind
Pvp, leveling your chocobo, and hunts? Another grind
TT, chocobo racing, and the MGS? SO much grinding! The new heavensward NPCs for TT came with absolutely horrible drops rates.
Gear, eso, alex N? It's all long time investments for gear where certain pieces can take up to a month in time to obtain.

I could keep going and explain how most of the new content is exceptionally grindy, but most of you already know that. Also, don't get me wrong, I think grinds are absolutely necessary in MMO's, but the level at which FFXIV is using it is troublesome.

Doing PVP, leveling my chocobo, leveling my retainers, grinding out MGP, and many other activities feel like sisyphus styled grinds where the end goals seem several months off with no relief in sight. I think SE needs to sort of spice up the recipe. SE just needs more short term goal oriented content that is not a huge grind to access or complete.

[Eye_Gore]

What did I just read...? And that thread title got that song stuck in my head.

Y u do this?

Aerosmith or Simple Minds?

[Colorful]

snip.

What else is there to keep someone paying $15 a month other than chatting with your FC/Static mates that isn't locked behind some tedious grind? Leveling? It may be fun for some, but I know quite a few people dislike it, myself included. You're running the same content you ran over a dozen times on your first time, while having but a handful of abilities making everything boringly slow. EX primals? No point in doing them once you have your gear. Crafting/Gathering? Another long and boring grind. Triple Triad? Grind. Chocobo racing? Grind.

If I wanted to waste time on a game that I enjoyed 100% of the time I was playing it, I'd go continue my Witcher 3 NG+ playthrough, go mod Skyrim some more, play Killing Floor 2, continue my KOTOR2 playthrough, etc. Not continue grinding my time away on content I've done more times than I count. That's why you see people leaving shortly after they've experienced the content.