noob perspective: main scenario dungeons. they are bad.

[Mysticdraggon]

They've since acknowledged the issue and have placed all important cut scenes at the end of the dungeons to accommodate newer players.

it may have been a great solution to start in order to help noobs follow up with the main story, yet as a noob, here i am.

[Ilan]

To be fair, the cutscenes in the 2 MSQ dungeons take together around 40 minutes (castrum 10 and praetorium 30). Most people don't wait for someone who watches the cutscenes and i fully understand that because if the roulette puts you into praetorium you waste 30 minutes while waiting, but to kick people because of that is just stupid because these "friendly" people kick the person with bonus.

SE designed these MSQ dungeons badly and they changed it in future dungeons.

Here the cutscenes if you want to see them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KSHp4V5fVA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EllMC0Y7CRY

[DynamoAce]

snip

That's great and all for later content in the game, where new players are probably gonna have found themselves a FC/Linkshell/Group of friends to settle in with(Maybe).
But for early dungeons in the game, mostly post 40-50 ones who knows, maybe those new players are still mainly on their own in the game and haven't really made any connections with others. Not everyone starts this game with friends waiting for them already.
Personally I always skipped cutscenes because I wanted to get right to the dungeon, but for early level dungeons like that I think it's a bit much to be wanting the newbies to skip it all.

[Mysticdraggon]

To be fair, the cutscenes in the 2 MSQ dungeons take together around 40 minutes (castrum 10 and praetorium 30). Most people don't wait for someone who watches the cutscenes and i fully understand that because if the roulette puts you into praetorium you waste 30 minutes while waiting, but to kick people because of that is just stupid because these "friendly" people kick the person with bonus.

SE designed these MSQ dungeons badly and they changed it in future dungeons.

Here the cutscenes if you want to see them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KSHp4V5fVA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EllMC0Y7CRY

i'm already able to see the cut-scenes via Inn journal, but thanks anyway.

[Llus]

That's great and all for later content in the game, where new players are probably gonna have found themselves a FC/Linkshell/Group of friends to settle in with(Maybe).
But for early dungeons in the game, mostly post 40-50 ones who knows, maybe those new players are still mainly on their own in the game and haven't really made any connections with others. Not everyone starts this game with friends waiting for them already.
Personally I always skipped cutscenes because I wanted to get right to the dungeon, but for early level dungeons like that I think it's a bit much to be wanting the newbies to skip it all.

I wouldn't consider castrum and praetorum "early" dungeons when you can't access them until you've hit level 50 (the cap in ARR) and that these are the first poetics grinding dungeons you get. If you don't have an FC by the time you hit level 50, you'll likely be running solo for the rest of your time here or jumping FCs. most sprouts will have received at least one FC invite within their first day of playing the game (if they're not on the trial), even on JP servers as an english speaker you should have an FC invite by the time you're level 30. Joining an FC isn't a commitment either, so when you get an invite - ask the person about the FC and if they're into the same things as you; then join them. If it's not a fit, leave. Really, these two MSQ dungeons are the only ones that have this problem: 1.) Cut-scenes after every pack of mobs, 2.) Easily skippable/burnable mobs, 3.) poetics grinding made easy (get's you gear that lasts until around level 55)

If you still aren't in an FC by the time you hit level 50 and still want to watch cutscenes while running content, put up a PF - there is an option for "Story-focused, no cutscene skipping" and a comment area to add details. Better yet, put up a PF asking for a story-focused FC.

[SeriousxSarcasm]

I see so many complaints about these 2 dungeons but like... My first run was really fun. We had this super nice tank that told everyone to stfu or get out if they were gonna rush because there was 4 newbies in the party (one was the other tank). Then we just puttered along and she taught us how to do it properly (before we knew farming it for poetics was a thing lol).

Also last time I ran one (think it was castrum...). PLD was like "hi, sorry I'm new I dunno what's happening." And suddenly WAR stops dead on the first mob, says "PLD MTs." and everyone just went at the newbie's pace after that. Waited for cutscenes and everything. <3

So yeah, there are a lot of impatient/cruel people in this game, but I like to remember runs like these to remind me why I still love the community. :3

[Venjenz]

As a tank, I skip cutscenes even if I have never seen them, but I will wait if someone else in my DF group wants to watch them.

But to anyone bummed about missing cutscenes - in game, go to Inn, get a room and in the room, go to the Unending Journey book. Every cutscene you could have seen up to that point can be watched there. Out of game, search it on YT.

[seekified]

Castrum Meridianum and Praetorium are bad, yeah. I've seen people on Reddit actually consider dropping the game because of the terrible experience newbies get in there. I think they should be turned into single-player instances - herding newbies onto PF, or forcing everyone to watch the cutscenes, or encouraging rouletting players to let newbies take there time won't work. It might mitigate the problem somewhat, but I think people deserve a grand ending to the ARR story that isn't ruined by speedrunning farmers. This ain't that.

[DynamoAce]

snip

Oh my gosh I said "post" 40-50....I meant 'pre' X_X My bad for the confusion, that's what I get for trying to do things half asleep.