Expanding Open World Content

[Sticky_Icecream]

I come from WoW. I quit WoW a long, long time ago when I realized instanced content was the only thing to do at max level, thus taking the "Massively Multiplayer" out of "MMORPG" and removing the primary reason why I played WoW - Massive player interaction. Browsing these forums and talking to friends gives me the impression FFXIV sort of has the same problem. Instances aren't the only thing to do, but they will be your main focus by far.

What could fix this problem?
My thoughts:

- Open World Dungeons -
Every level bracket past 15 has non-instanced, non-linear dungeons to explore. Open Dungeons need a level sync to enter. There are randomized daily/weekly challenges associated with them for adventurers and gatherers. Adventurer challenges need one group to complete, and higher level dungeons also have "deep" zones needing at least two groups to complete. Gatherer challenges can be taken solo, but are made more difficult with enemy patrols that can see through Stealth.

(cont)

[Sticky_Icecream]

- S-Rank Hunts Update -
I've been told Hunts feel like just another way to gear for raids instead of being a complete end game alternative. Watching them also tells me most of them are too vulnerable to zerg rushes to be threatening or interesting encounters.

Greatly expand the S Rank roster, then split S Ranks into sub difficulty tiers comparable to raids based on recommended item level. These sub tiers would also determine the amount and type of currency rewarded. Then, add dynamically scaling difficulty to retain the encounter's challenge even with zerg rushing. Finally, add a new rank above S that rewards BiS for a few equipment slots - maybe accessories? - that you can't obtain from raids. So if you wanted BiS for everything, then you would run raids for left side equipment and S+ Ranks for right side equipment.

(end)

[RyuSaarva]

I would like to have a lot more item drops from overworld enemies and rare drops as well also it makes no sense to me why enemies give so little EXP.

[tENAxc]

Adventurer challenges need one group to complete, and higher level dungeons also have "deep" zones needing at least two groups to complete. Gatherer challenges can be taken solo, but are made more difficult with enemy patrols that can see through Stealth.

I would really enjoy something like this! But like many others have said, this expansion on the open-world part of the game probably won't come until PS3 support is cut.

[bass9020]

I've said from the beginning and always bring it up with friends but every dungeon should have an open world version with different items than what you get in dungeons.

This also makes the open world feel a bit bigger and makes the instance dungeon location feel more than just a backdrop. Even places that aren't dungeons could be expanded on as open world dungeons to add more variety.

[Belhi]

I think your ideas aren't too bad. The open world dungeon would be pretty cool though I think they need to refine their creation method. At the moment, after the Diadem, I wan't to see them experiment with revamps to that till they start to figure out what works.

I see Hunts as a much harder problem to solve. Hunts naturally are susceptible to zergs. Unless they actually restrict the number of people who can access the hunt, which would be very unpopular, any open world hunt using the current model is susceptible to zerging.

That said, I think the FATE chain system could be expanded to be much more engaging and rewarding as open world content. For an example I would point to the Darkscale FATE chain. In that chain, by completing successfully the FATEs linked to Darkscale's lieutenants the Darkscale FATEs themselves are slightly different and as a result there is a bonus follow up FATE which rewards a huge amount of EXP (the most I've ever gotten from a FATE) and a barding specific to the special FATE. Having FATEs that lead into each other could make the FATE system much more dynamic and have an escalating chain that if successful triggers special FATEs that have special rewards.

[Zojha]

Hunts naturally are susceptible to zergs.

Every open world content is, technically. The few times FATEs actually became popular due to things like the Anima weapon, they are/were massively zerged as well.

This is why instances were made a thing in the first place. Also, why many games use a simple:"Only person/Group to pull gets credit" system, as it serves as a natural limiter - and incites trolling from everyone excluded, if possible. For maximum salt, add PvP servers and no open world content will be done that day, only constant disruption back and forth. Been there, done that.

[hobostew]

the best words

Not to take this thread off-topic but wouldn't world PvP in itself be considered open world content? I think it would be a lot of fun buuut I know it's not for everyone and certainly not a popular thing here in the FFXIV community.

Also, doesn't that first thing the OP suggested sound a lot like what the Diadem was meant to be?

[AnduinLynn]

Is this even something they could do? I believe we can't even get new faces because of restrictions with playstations, and adding in open world dungeons would take a ton of technical work and even moreso since the game was not made with this mechanic in mind. I'd love to see it, I just don't think it's something they can pull off.

[tENAxc]

Is this even something they could do? I believe we can't even get new faces because of restrictions with playstations, and adding in open world dungeons would take a ton of technical work and even moreso since the game was not made with this mechanic in mind. I'd love to see it, I just don't think it's something they can pull off.

I think it's just the PS3 that's holding the game back at the moment.