Main Scenario Restriction Bloodstorm - Very Very Bad idea.

[Naunet]

I don't want to skip the leveling. I just don't want to be level 50 and have the game tell me I can't access HW content yet. xD

[Moonlite]

Another comment/idea,not directly related to gating. Do they not have any original story making ideas? They have been beating the same horse for years now. Is it not possible to create a new story arc? Can we not have a semi completed story.

A new cast of characters would revitalize the story some. No reason that some people can't make cameos. But It sure feels like they have engaged in some soap opera (skewing old) type story telling to keep the same cast of characters.

[Morningstar1337]

Another comment/idea,not directly related to gating. Do they not have any original story making ideas? They have been beating the same horse for years now. Is it not possible to create a new story arc? Can we not have a semi completed story.

A new cast of characters would revitalize the story some. No reason that some people can't make cameos. But It sure feels like they have engaged in some soap opera (skewing old) type story telling to keep the same cast of characters.

Its possible, but unlikely until after 5.0, by the we'd had reach the climax of the Garlean conflict, hopefully reach the climax of the Ascian conflict and then we can move on to Standalone expansions. But the fact that heavensward is gated to begin with speaks volumes of the Devs willingness to play the long game for now.

As long as the Ascians and Garlemald remain a threat to Hydaelyn, then they will take center stage until the end of 5.X at least. Then once their conflict is over will the devs have an opportunity to introduce standalone expansions. I think they did something similar for XI as well with a metaplot that ended with Wings of the Goddess

[Velhart]

Another comment/idea,not directly related to gating. Do they not have any original story making ideas? They have been beating the same horse for years now. Is it not possible to create a new story arc? Can we not have a semi completed story.

A new cast of characters would revitalize the story some. No reason that some people can't make cameos. But It sure feels like they have engaged in some soap opera (skewing old) type story telling to keep the same cast of characters.

They have already said before that the story against the Ascians and events in Eorzea will eventually come to a conclusion and we will venture outside the realm to new continents and story lines. Even kind of 4th wall hinting that the story is going to move on and go in a new direction. So we will just have to wait a few years and see. Most important thing is we explore new lands even if we still haven't left Eorzea yet, which they are doing. As a 1.0 player, I am excited that we finally get to venture into areas we only heard about. I always wanted to see what Ishgard and Ala Mhigo look like. Been teased to me for over five years now.

[Kotemon]

I'm not surprised since it looks like the current story is setting up 4.0. Now had the expansion its own isolated story then I can see it only needing 2.x finished. However if it didn't need you to finish any main story or just 2.0, then at what ilevel would the gear start and end at? 3.0 picked it up right after 2.x with a i115 overlap. If 4.0 didn't need 3.0 main story then would the starting equipment and content be back to lv 50 with i150 and be the same level progression as 3.0? Otherwise imagine it not needing 3.0 or 2.0 main story finished but a average of i275 gear on a lv 60 job to access it. If anything that is another way of saying do main story to unlock content that'll get you gear needed to access the content.

[Morningstar1337]

I'm not surprised since it looks like the current story is setting up 4.0. Now had the expansion its own isolated story then I can see it only needing 2.x finished. However if it didn't need you to finish any main story or just 2.0, then at what ilevel would the gear start and end at? 3.0 picked it up right after 2.x with a i115 overlap. If 4.0 didn't need 3.0 main story then would the starting equipment and content be back to lv 50 with i150 and be the same level progression as 3.0? Otherwise imagine it not needing 3.0 or 2.0 main story finished but a average of i275 gear on a lv 60 job to access it. If anything that is another way of saying do main story to unlock content that'll get you gear needed to access the content.

My Speculation states an i230 overlap. But this is based on a precedent that like others can be broken easily and already had evidence against it

The dungeons form 50-60 started at i55, then i60, and increasing by 10 from there until i100 by S.X's end (Keeper of the Lake and the Amdapoor Keep/Wanderer's Palace HM) at that time you could get i130 gear best. When HW started there were normal i115 gear while the Dusk Vigil drops i110 gear continuing the pattern of a i10 upgrade per dungeon until the Vault, which has I think i138 gear and is thus an upgrade to everyone at that point.

However the pace of the ilevel upgrade in 2.X dungeons meant that their gear didn't supass the ilevel of the Augmented Ironworks gear and are equal tot Soldiery gear, for comparison's sake that was 2.5. In 3.5 the latest Dungeons now drop gear exceeding the 3rd Tomestone tier. While 3.5's dungeons still won't be able to surpass the equivalent to the Ironworks gear (Shire weapons) by the time this pattern continues then its likely that i270-275 is as you suggested the entry level into Stormblood. Which also menas that any adavntage (In this case not needing gear for the first 6 levels of the expansion) will not happen this time around.

The other precedents I mentioned were how the outdated tome gear was redistributed. The Darklight Gear were direcvt drops in certain dungeons, while tokens for the AF 1.5 gear were given in dungeosn drops in the 3 dungoens afters. Likewise the Soldiery gear were not gotten from Hunt selas. In HW's so far botht he Yasha gear and the AF2 gear are gotten from hunt selas as the dungeons int he respective patches outpaced the gear, making dungeon drops non viable, and I suspect the Eikonic gear will go the same route once Stomeblood released.

The only precedent that might still stand is the 50 Job quest handing out the i90 gear for those that have them, as theya re artifact gear, and to give them a head start in the endgame now that the expansion is out (Plus having the higher tome gear be MSQ rewards), but they might turn around and break that as well by wither giving out the Eikonic gear (to give access to most of the dungeons) or no gear at all (something that seems likely)

[bswpayton]

the thread continues ha

[Allistar]

Why do some people think that you have to be lvl 60 to play or enjoy the expansion...I honestly think that s a bad precedent that they started with HW...any expansion should be fully accessible to anyone willing to purchase it. The expansion should have content for all levels not just level cap.

[Morningstar1337]

Why do some people think that you have to be lvl 60 to play or enjoy the expansion...I honestly think that s a bad precedent that they started with HW...any expansion should be fully accessible to anyone willing to purchase it. The expansion should have content for all levels not just level cap.

MSQ obviously. :P

[Welsper59]

Why do some people think that you have to be lvl 60 to play or enjoy the expansion...I honestly think that s a bad precedent that they started with HW...any expansion should be fully accessible to anyone willing to purchase it. The expansion should have content for all levels not just level cap.

Because the general mentality is that endgame is the only enjoyable part of the game, or at least the only part of the game that "anyone" should focus on getting to. It's like bolstering an army to help you do your thing. XIV is a fairly good example of an MMORPG that isn't only focused on that, but because it's a rarity to find a game doing it, people don't understand the potential enjoyment behind the difference.

Games like WoW, with how they do their story, heavily pad the max level content (including expansion continued leveling) with story. You don't get to the "good stuff" until you hit max level, thus giving the impression that leveling is only that and serves little to no possible purpose. They could have given us Coil as a leveling dungeon, with all the neat rewards and story, and people would still look at it as though it were a chore and pointless to do because it's not endgame. That's just how we generally look at MMORPGs. Nothing matters until you hit max level content.