Possible level/story jumps....really?

[HyoMinPark]

Okay. I haven't been playing FFXIV for that long (since the release of 3.1--that's when I started playing), I have never played XI (though I want to!), and my WoW experience lasted 1 week because I just didn't like the game. So I don't have as much MMORPG experience to go on as some of the other posters here, but I am completely, 100% against any sort of magical level-jumping potion.

I know that new players brought into this game by their friends will be annoyed by the post-2.0 MSQ--I was kind of in the same boat because my friend that got me into FFXIV already had three level 60 jobs and was working on endgame content when I joined (though she made an alt and helped me through the MSQ all the way up to the end of 3.0, and I went on from there with her main, and she is just an amazing person for doing all that for me). I know that they will want to jump right in an join their more-than-likely lvl 60 friends. I understand that. My fiance just recently started playing, and he wishes he could do stuff with me and my friends, because we're all sitting at endgame while he is only at Copperbell Mines. But, I think that not only is the story important (hello, Final Fantasy game here), but also learning your classes/jobs is as well. I know that if they implement a Pay to Get to Level 60 Magical Potion, people will eat that up, especially if they want to join their already-at-in-game friends. But that just promotes laziness, like others have said. Even all the buffs and nerfs they've done to older content promotes laziness (example: farming T13 for aetherstones/Answers scroll, and people just kept ignoring mechanics and causing us to wipe because hey! We're doing this unsynced--all lvl 60 in full Lore/Midan gear! Let's just ignore everything! Stand in everything! Ignore the towers! Tethers and tornadoes, psh! Who cares?! It's actually extremely annoying because my Coil clear was unsynced and rushed and I am kind of miffed I didn't get the "full" experience--but I guess I'm just a weirdo who actually wants to see how things used to be.)

I agree a lot of people want into the expansion right now just for the new jobs (particularly DRK based just on what I've seen). I was different because I really wanted to just focus on my starting class/job and not switch to any new ones until I had Bard up to 60, but I know now on my alts, I'm dying to play DRK again because 1. I love that job, and 2. favorite job storyline that I've played so far, and I've done quite a few. I wouldn't mind if for 4.0, they unlocked DRK/MCH/AST (with some prerequisites like a base class to 30 since DRK/MCH/AST are jobs, not classes), and made Ishgard assessable to those just starting out, or for people that main crafting/gathering and want to progress past 50 without having to do the MSQ first. I don't have a problem with that. But I don't think people should be allowed to just skip ARR, patches 2.1-2.5, and 3.0 and its patches just because they want to be at endgame, be it for raids or to be with endgame friends.

I don't see an issue with making 2.1-2.5 optional or shortening the patch storylines (though, the transition from 2.5 to 3.0 should probably be mandatory because all the events in Ul'dah leading up to entry into Ishgard is pretty important storywise, I think, especially since it continues to tie into Heavensward now, and even some of the new jobs reference those events--lvl 50 DRK quest does, and the lvl 45 quest references Leviathan...I mean, at least do a cutscene compilation of it or something). I'm excited to do the patches again myself because I'm a sucker for story/lore, and I really want to take my time enjoying it again since my first run through was a bit rushed in some areas (because my friend was balance an alt and a main and I didn't want to keep her waiting), but my fiance groaned when I told him he had 100+ quests to do before he could get into Heavensward expansion.

But a magical potion? No. Just, no. Like others have said, it will just create more laziness, and more people whining for nerfs on current content because they can't just ignore mechanics and get a clear. I haven't even done Nidhogg or Weeping City yet because I promised a friend we would do them together when she gets back from her trip she's on, and I don't want a nerf. I want to experience them as they are. I want a challenge.

[Toguro]

Oh pleeeeeease no

Why would they do this?

You want to skip the game to play the game?

You skipped to level 60 with story complete and everything. What now? Do the end-game trials and raids. 1 month later: "I'm bored"

With something like this there is no point in having story, leveling, or anything lol.

It's like having hunters in a woods. They are expected to hunt everyday for food and water. But there's also a choice to go to restaurant to get a lifetime supply of food and water for free.

How many will hunt?

[HakaseNyan]

This is another one of those situations where the ideas are about 50/50. Doing ARR will almost guarantee the new player will learn their roles and how the game works. It would also make the story flow better, no? If jumping ahead ever does get an implementation, I hope it's made very clear to new players what they're getting themselves into. On the flip side, I do kind of like the idea of being able to jump a character through ARR. I'd like to have multiple characters each having their own job/style. I feel like some races look better playing certain jobs than others, but trekking through ARR multiple times, to fulfill that desire, makes me groan. I've already done it twice.

[LineageRazor]

Level/story-skip potions are not needed. Not yet, at least. There's no question that SE boned it bigtime by locking absolutely everything in Heavensward (in particular, the new jobs) behind ARR completion, but as long as they don't make the same mistakes with future expansions it should not be an issue.

The story for the 4.0 expansion looks like it's going to involve seeing what became of Yda and Papalymo, just as 3.0 included the fates of Yshtola, Thancred, and Minfillia. This implies to me that, while ARR completion will likely still be necessary to continue the storyline there, they COULD tailor it so that you could do it before Heavensward. Think of it as branching paths - you can either go to Ishgard, or you can go to Ala Mihgo after the events of 2.5, but you'll eventually be expected to do both.

Whether they take this route or not, I'd definitely encourage SE NOT to gate any new jobs behind ARR completion, and to include at least some other new content. Allow players to visit the new 4.0 areas. Let them explore the safe town areas, and even venture into the more dangerous zones, even if enemy levels are too high to make going there worthwhile. If players haven't completed ARR, Yda and Papalymo won't be there. If they have, that's where you go to find them.

FFXI's method for doing expansions was much more appropriate for a MMO. Rather than sticking to a single narrative, each expansion (excepting Zilart) was a side story. Taken all together, they developed the world beautifully. The vision for FFXIV, on the other hand, seems to be a much more linear central storyline: Finish ARR, then finish Heavensward, then finish 4.0, then finish 5.0, etc. That simply is not sustainable; as the game ages, there will be more and more backstory for new players to slog through simply to get caught up, eventually to the point where I'd guess even Japanese players would start to get frustrated. But simply SKIPPING that backstory would be horrible. It should be an optional thing that players can get to once they feel like they have the leisure to do so.

And, to be honest, the primary reason for a linear storyline would be so that the Warrior of Light could continue adventuring with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn - who are really kind of a bland bunch to begin with. I pretty much relish the notion of eventually parting ways with them and finding new friends and colleagues in far-flung realms, maybe with the occasional guest appearance of characters from ARR and other expansions.

[Underdog2204]

They just need to make the new area's more accessible to allow for easier access to new jobs.

[Vaer]

Boost was inevitable. I was just wondering when they were going to add it. IMO if they do it, it should just come once with the expansion and not buyable in unlimited quantities like in WoW or other games. They should also keep everything locked except the new expansion content so you still have to go back and unlock it later if you want to do roulettes. It just lets you do the new expansion stuff right away but previous content you still have to go unlock it the old way.

[Voltyblast]

As much as I never followed the story, I can see people having issues with this...but at the same time I can see also new people having issues with this. I speak from the words of some of my friends who just couldn't stand the story paddings and just preferred to play another game. Is it their fault if the story didn't get them? Absolutely not: taste is subjective, but I'm pretty sure we can -objectively- agree on the fact that a lot of story parts are just fillers for the sake of being filler. Infact if the story was less padded I would've probably followed it more often. Not enjoy it, but definitely had more than zero interest!

But I will say this: I don't care if the expansion is locked behind a story (I always enjoy campaigns, even if I don't follow it), but PLEASE do not lock jobs behind it. While this isn't a case for my friends, I always heard of people complaining of how their "next to be job" was locked for "lore" reasons (yet they could re-roll Au Ra and follow the ARR story, causing plot holes? I-I don't...get it....whatever), so if they have to lock an expantion behind a story lock, at least don't lock jobs.

Or at least lock the jobs behind a reasonable level (if the next expansion's level cap is 70, then make the new jobs start at 60: the way how DRK MCH and AST were implemented was so annoying, that I didn't care to start out until I finished everything)

[Chadness]

Really dislike this idea. This is a FINAL FANTASY game, it’s going to have story, and if you don’t like that, an MMO with “FINAL FANTASY” in the title is probably not right for you. I think the idea of this is a huge overreaction in response to a huge overreaction. I think certain players (apparently more so players outside of Japan) greatly overreacted to having to complete the ARR story to get into Ishgard in the first place.

I don’t see the issue being having to play through the story, but I do think SE messed up in the implementation of some highly-advertised features of the expansion. Most notably that is the addition of the three new jobs, and that is probably the single most annoying thing for either new or returning players. Another, of course, is those who predominately craft or gather, and couldn’t get to Heavensward zones without doing battle content and pushing through the ARR story, as well.

Both these issues could have been alleviated very obviously by not locking the zones themselves, or the new jobs, behind the story content wall. I think SE could have easily done this while still having the story unlock other content, such as dungeons, trials, and mostly battle-related content.

If they are smart about 4.0, then any new jobs, the new zones, and possibly other as-yet-unannounced major additions to the game will be available right out of the gate simply by registering the expansion to your account – no need for story progression. However, I really don’t think they should in any way simply allow players to skip the story or the leveling process of any part of the game.

[Aurum]

Having played since 2.1, I have to say that I wholly support the idea of an "express lane" for the story, but am against level-boosting beyond 25 or so. The story is nice, I'll admit, but many of the quests in the MSQ chain were frustrating. Remember the quest chain just before titan that involved getting various tea ingredients?

What I'd like is an alternate starting point for anyone that has the expansions. Heck, all you have to do is have the new hero wake up with amnesia so that the game can assume your character has been part of the story all along and just doesn't remember. Then you have an "express" questline for leveling that gives you all of your abilities in a reasonable amount of time(maybe it makes you play each dungeon once or something) and an optional seperate questline that lets you remember (aka replay) the 2.x story.

[Sayori]

I sincerely hope they don't add this to mog station..