A mid-core content for mid-core players.

[Vieilocean]

I'm playing FFXIV since the closed betas of the 2.0. I really enjoy almost all the features we have, but this game has always had a lack of contents for people that are between the savage raids (only accessible with an organized static) and the daily roulettes that are far from a challenge. Someone will say that we have Primal Ex as a mid-core content, and yes they're surely a mid-core content, but they do not have any longevity, cause after one month from the release they become old. In few words, I am speaking about a fun mid-core content with a high replayability. Something the mid-core player are willing to do over and over again, because it challenges them, and it rewards them (and I don't mean in a tangible way. A simple sense of satisfaction is more than enough).

This content is not meant for a SURE clear. It’s a mid-core content, so it must be a challenge, and with an high replayability. It will not be frustrating like a “Savage”, cause the difficulty is based on the basic mechanics of the game (dodge, pulls, knowledge of the jobs) and on the single player’s skill and not on group mechanics (A3S digititis, A1S hydrothermal missile). It’s a long duty with a lot of things to do that requires a good amount of concentration. The reward system however will not penalize the casual players that can enjoy the content also without clearing it. At the same time the mid-core or hardcore players will be satisfied both in rewards and most of all in challenge.

Mechanics/Features :

1. Full Party content (8 players).

2. A completely instanced area. Not like the usual dungeons or raids (corridor, room, corridor, room) but an area like Dravanian Forelands completely instanced. The players will start in a safe outpost in this instance (like Tailfeather).


3. Mounts. Flying mounts are not allowed, only terrestrial mounts will be available.


4. Time limit. None or a very long one.


5. No ress/respawn point. The members of the party can be resurrected only where they died, if the entire party wipes the duty fails and all players get kicked from the instance.
A new life for the Phoenix' Downs. To not oblige people to group too many healers or summoners, a rework for the Phoenix Down item can be useful.


6. No respawn of the mobs.


7. Mobs :
- NO mobs like the hunts' rank S/A or Diadem’s ones that have only a large amount of HP and one mechanic.
- NO trash-mobs like the ones we have in dungeons or raids, with mechanics restricted to only meres aoe.
- YES to mobs that have synergy between them, a group of four mobs (linked) like this one : a mob that deals high damage, a mob healer, one that cast debuffs (vulnerability, paralysis) and the last one that does not have aggro. Groups of mobs that oblige the players to play they're job at their best. More fun, more challenge with basic mechanics.
- YES to a more complex system of patrols, and with an instanced area and not a dungeon-like map (see number 2) the tanks' pulls and positioning will become the key to survive in this content.

8. Elite Quests. In the map there will be 10 quests, but not the standard ones like "kill x mobs". First of all if the party fails any of these quests or wipes during them, the duty fails and all party gets kicked from the instance.
A few examples of these quests :
- escort a caravan from point A to point B and defending it from waves of mobs;
- a quest where you have to kill a boss in a mini-dungeon inside the map. A tower like the one in Anyx Trine (for remain in the Forelands) with 4-5 floors full of mobs, and at the top of it an extreme mode of Giruveganus (Stone Vigil HM's last boss), so a fight without aggro, without a pattern with emphasis on dodging, knowledge of the fight and concentration.

9. Fee. To join the instance it’s required a fee of tokens. Example : to join the instance it’s required a fee of 300-500 tomestones of esoterics (not the end tier tokens, but the ones with the cap at 2000 not the weekly one). The party will be rewarded with 50-100 tokens of esoterics for every Elite quest completed. This feature is for discourage trolls to ruins the game experience.

10. Last Boss. Once all the party manages to complete all the 10 quests the arena where the last boss dwells can be accessed. The difficulty of this boss it must be like the fights of the Minstrel's Ballad, Ultima’s Bane and Thordan at the time of their respective releases. As I said at the beginning of this post, it’s a challenging content, so this boss must be killed with a single try. If the party wipes, all got kicked from the instance.


11. Rewards. First of all we needs weapons and armors sets unique to this content (only glamour). For being crafted these sets require a good amount of an unique material, only obtainable inside this content. The ways to obtain this material will be :
- 5-10% drop rate from every mob inside the instance.
- 50% drop rate of a single item from the chests of the mid-bosses.
- 100% drop rate of 2-5 items from the last boss’ chest.
To craft an entire set of armor the player will need an amount of 120-150 of this unique material.
There will be also chests all over the instance can drop a mount and a minipet with a 10% of drop rate, to promote the exploration of the entire instance.

12. Balancing over time. Every mid-content must be playable and balanced for the entire life of the game. So the options are few :
- an item level sync like the one in pvp, so an item level 200 sync from now till the end of the game.
- a system like the levequests one. A system that scale the content depending on the average level and item level of the entire party.

13. Achievements and ranked system. There will be different achievements for this content :
- Elite Quests accomplished.
- Full clears.
Like as happened with T9 or T13 farm parties (at least in EU/NA servers), the players asked in Party Finder to link the 10 clears achievement from the lodestone as a requirement to join the party. A system like that can be used for people that wanna runs the content in a more midcore-hardcore way without annoying the casual players and vice-versa.


Setting/Lore : I noticed that we never went in the "inner zones" of the 2.x beast tribes' territories. Like Zahar'ak, we can see in Southern Thanalan an "high tower"(maybe the heart of the Amalj'aa city) but we cannot reach it; same for the buildings in the upper part of the mines (on the skyline) in Outer la Noscea, that may can be the city of the Kobolds; same for the native Isle of the Sahagins or the Sylphland's inner forest. Why do not use them for a content?
A Zahar’ak City as an instanced map, with Amalj’aa as mobs and mid-bosses, with themed Elite Quests and armor/weapon sets, and as Final Boss an Ifrit (savage).
This is a suggestion of mine, I think that it will be very cool, but if the devs have already in development something for these "inner zones", they can use another setting.


This is my idea (and of my FC mates) for a mid-core content. If your thoughts are the same of ours, or if you have suggestions to improve our content, or if you have a totally different and more interesting idea for a mid-core content; let’s keep this thread up until we’ll catch the attention of the devs.

[mirta000]

At the same time the mid-core or hardcore players will be satisfied both in rewards and most of all in challenge

First of all we needs weapons and armors sets unique to this content (only glamour)

This is meant for raid groups right? In that case, what raid group will dis progression for glamour? So not sure about satisfied in rewards there.

To join the instance it’s required a fee of tokens. Example : to join the instance it’s required a fee of 300-500 tomestones of esoterics (not the end tier tokens, but the ones with the cap at 2000 not the weekly one). The party will be rewarded with 50-100 tokens of esoterics for every Elite quest completed. This feature is for discourage trolls to ruins the game experience

Once all the party manages to complete all the 10 quests the arena where the last boss dwells can be accessed.

What's the point of a double quest requirement? If you're made to do them, doesn't that mean that trolls can't ruin it anyway?

As I said at the beginning of this post, it’s a challenging content, so this boss must be killed with a single try.

that is pointlessly punishing. What if someone disconnects? What if someone Leroys? This kind of content would just lead to frustration.

[Vieilocean]

This is meant for raid groups right? In that case, what raid group will dis progression for glamour? So not sure about satisfied in rewards there.

It's mainly for the challenge, and for a unique glamour as a reward. And if someones wants also for money, as the unique material that drops in this content can be sold.

What's the point of a double quest requirement? If you're made to do them, doesn't that mean that trolls can't ruin it anyway?

What do you mean ? What double quest requirement ? Please explain better

that is pointlessly punishing. What if someone disconnects? What if someone Leroys? This kind of content would just lead to frustration.

It's an eventuality. However as I said at the beginning, this content it must not be a sure clear, like a 10% of clear rate. However the rewards system will not penalize the casual player, they keep taking the unique material from every mob or from the quests.

[Andrea]

It's an eventuality. However as I said at the beginning, this content it must not be a sure clear, like a 10% of clear rate. However the rewards system will not penalize the casual player, they keep taking the unique material from every mob or from the quests.

You want something with a 10% clear rate as content in ffxiv?

Let me as you a question, you've mentioned about current midcore content the extreme trials. How many PF groups stay together after 9 wipes?

This, at the current win rate you've given, would be dead within a week to most.

[Vieilocean]

You want something with a 10% clear rate as content in ffxiv?

Let me as you a question, you've mentioned about current midcore content the extreme trials. How many PF groups stay together after 9 wipes?

This, at the current win rate you've given, would be dead within a week to most.

You're right, but an EX primal's Farm-parties disband after few tries cause you take the loot only if you clear it. In this content the loots are all over the instance, the last boss basically it's only for challenge's satisfaction.

[Niwashi]

You're right, but an EX primal's Farm-parties disband after few tries cause you take the loot only if you clear it. In this content the loots are all over the instance, the last boss basically it's only for challenge's satisfaction.

You'd have people who really want that challenge satisfaction and are aiming to unlock and defeat the final boss, but they're paired up with other players who just want to explore a bit and do a couple of the easier quests and then leave. (That might be solvable by letting the later group leave when they want and those remaining recruit new members in-progress. But it's something to be considered when setting the system up.)

Cool idea overall

[Kosmos992k]

It's an eventuality. However as I said at the beginning, this content it must not be a sure clear, like a 10% of clear rate. However the rewards system will not penalize the casual player, they keep taking the unique material from every mob or from the quests.

I'm sorry, but saywhatnow? You want people to pay tomes to run this, but they have a scant 10% or less chance to clear it? This challenging content with no time limit and more complex mechanics? Sorry, but you're not describing mid-core content, you're describing an hard core raid complete with punishing wipe mechanics. That 10% or less completion rate will relegate this content to the design room floor unless the rewards are worth wiping multiple times before winning. And if you want replayability (you seem to with the respawning and wandering mobs), then the reward is going to need to be good enough to entice people back again.

But again, you really seem to be describing something closer to hard core raid content, than mid-core anything.

[Vieilocean]

I'm sorry, but saywhatnow? You want people to pay tomes to run this, but they have a scant 10% or...

The tomes (the esoterics in this case) are a fee to let the trolls away, if someone wanna trolls and wipe a party he must farms tomestones. And if a good party clear not all the content, but 3 of 10 elite quest they're refounded their tomestones, if you clear more quest you gain also more.
Who said complex mechanics? I specifically said a content based on basic mechanics as dodges and so on, not hydrothermal missiles or digititis from savage. 10% completition rate is for the full clear (mainly the last boss) but you can get the items for craft the gear also clearing the area and doing the quests. No hardcore, rewards for all, challenge for mid-core players.

[Gokuhan]

The biggest problem with this is you are wanting to have this kind of content for non-hardcore players, but non-hardcore players typicaly do not have the time or a static to do this kind of thing with. Mid-core people use the DF and something this long and involved would be a disaster in the DF.