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.