Expansion Ideas: Systems, Features, and Content Types - What would you add?

[Ekimmak]

A proper (ARR/HW style) relic quest with diverse activities that can be done slowly over time (and solo / duty finder if needed).

See, while the original versions were a grind, they were also a lot of things you could do on your own over time.

There's an excessive lack of things to do while waiting for a cross-world party to fill. The relic/anima weapons were a good "spare time" thing to do, but since Eureka is also instanced, going for the Anemos equipment means forgoing any queues or grouping.

[Grimoire-M]

With how much stuff SE adds to improve the levelling experience it would be nice to see some better one-and-done overworld level-cap side content at release. Stuff like Hildibrand and the Post Moogle quests were great, but we barely get time for anything like it. Beast Tribes barely count in this regard as they're daily locked, and scale to the player's level, but don't offer much at 70 other than aesthetics and a pitiable amount of tomes. I'd like to see less levelling sidequests and more level 80 only side quests at the release of the next expansion. Or level 80 rewards for these levelling quests. I think that would be a good idea to add them in as a one-time way to quickly generate uncapped tomestones, which players would appreciate immensely at release and as part of catching up beyond that.

[OriginsOfSkye]

Well it's really a pretty minor thing but there's a specific type of defensive ability in this game that has been annoying me for the whole 2 years that I've been playing this game.
I'm talking about defensive abilities like addle and feint that only apply to either magical or physical incoming damage. The problem with abilites like these is that as far as I can tell there's absolutely no in-game way to tell wether any attack is magical or physical in nature (and some are just really unintuitive). So just give us some indication at all on wether an attack is one or the other. Could be as simple as a little icon next to the castbar.

[MPNZ]

Hunts:

• An ability to help players locate b rank hunts.
  
• Increasing the number of A-rank enemies to two.
  
• a significant decrease in spawn times for A and S ranks.
  
• An introduction of SS-class hunts for encounters like Odin, Behemoth, Ixion et cetera
  
• A significant increase in spawn rates for encounters like Odin
  
• Unique music for encounters like Odin
  
• Ifrit to be introduced as an SS-class hunt with new music
  
• Allied seals to be reward from FATES
  
• An increase to GC elite hunt marks to three
  
• Two SS-class hunts per area (Black Shroud, Limsa, sea of clouds, Coerthas et cetera) with expanded areas to explore (no flying, please)
  
• SSS-class hunt marks (instanced) as purchasable (one to unlock and one to enter the instance)
  
• An increase to Hunt seal capacity to 20000 each
  
• Alternate Artifact weapons and armors and upgrade quests
  
• Glamour sets
  
• an option to exchange unique items like the Behemoth horn for GC seals or squadron equipment

Exploratory missions:

• No longer instanced
  
• Introduced clan centurio and mark lists (for EXP and crystals )
  
• increase NM spawn rates

General:

• More areas to explore in existing zones (lv 51-99 monsters)
  
• New towns and NPCs
  
• more no-fly zones
  
• Beautification of older zones or at least an introduction of Vistas for players to discover
  
• an introduction of dungeon mechanics to ares (water slides, elevators, et cetera)
  
• Aethercytes in asyss La...

[Seraphor]

I had a thought about a limited implementation of a "parser".
It could take the form of a "Battle Report", and be displayed at the end of an instance along with the commendation and loot windows.

It would display only:
DPS rankings, no figures, just 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc.
Your personal DPS, damage taken, healing received, etc for the entire instance.
Your highest damage single hit.
Recap all the loot you received.
Then give a star ranking for your party's overall performance similar FFXIII.

As this would be pretty much just your personal figures, and nothing shared besides a general dps rank, there wouldn't be much to use to harass other players, plus being solely at the end of an instance means it cant lead to kicking, once you discover any results you've already completed you obligations to that party.
However it would serve the intended purpose of a parser to help individuals know where they might be going wrong and encourage them to improve.
Plus there would then be a tangible reference to base commendations on if you wanted to, and something to screenshot for high end bragging rights.

[Dualgunner]

I have a few ideas.

1) Instanced Dojo.
During prog for the latter phases of Ultima Weapon, my team started using Binding Coil Turn 4 as a practice area. This was possible because the whole arena is accessible without triggering combat, and its size was roughly analogous to Ultima's arena.

Instanced Dojo is a suggestion that sort of expands on that. In an instance let us place dummies that can act out mechanics, dps checks, set markers, set timers, etc so players can put together practice stages for fights.

2) Class Halls
Like in WoW; have class halls with associated class campaigns and other reasons for it to be a possible player hub. Past that the real reason for its existence is to be a hub for players of the same job to congregate. The hope and intent is to stimulate conversation between players ingame and provide practice dummies for players to help each other improve.

[DRKoftheAzure]

This is going to sound insane but, trick weapons like Monster Hunter's Charge Blade, Switch Axe, and Gunlance. Some jobs can equip specific trick weapons related to their role, i.e. WAR can equip both Charge Blade and Switch Axe while also being able to equip all 3 role weapons, PLD can only equip charge blade along with their standard Sword and Shield and can equip axes, and DRK can only equip the Switch Axe, greatswords, and axes. MCH can use use gunblades/lances and maybe turn their turrent into a second gun. BRD and NIN could probably use Bows that also double as twin swords, DRGs obviously get gunlances. Also RDM already have their rapier that doubles as a staff.

[Shurrikhan]

I have a few ideas.

1) Instanced Dojo.
During prog for the latter phases of Ultima Weapon, my team started using Binding Coil Turn 4 as a practice area. This was possible because the whole arena is accessible without triggering combat, and its size was roughly analogous to Ultima's arena.

Instanced Dojo is a suggestion that sort of expands on that. In an instance let us place dummies that can act out mechanics, dps checks, set markers, set timers, etc so players can put together practice stages for fights.

2) Class Halls
Like in WoW; have class halls with associated class campaigns and other reasons for it to be a possible player hub. Past that the real reason for its existence is to be a hub for players of the same job to congregate. The hope and intent is to stimulate conversation between players ingame and provide practice dummies for players to help each other improve.

Back when I was assuming, late-Heavensward, that 4.x would be Ala Mhigo and 5.x would be Doma (and taking on more of a large-scale conquest aesthetic at that point), I had hoped that 5.x would bring the ability to create in-world instanced environments, sort of a mixture between GW2 housing, Pokemon's secret bases, and instanced PvP world seeds. I called the concept encampments. The idea was that an FC--or community of any sort, really--could craft, basically, their own training yards. Dummies set to particular health, placed on tracks with timed triggers to push them about. Automatons for tanking or kiting. Obstacles. Explosives. Whatever you want. Prep for raids. Prep for PvP. Teach people the coolest tricks about their jobs through, essentially, DM'ed environments (+ crafting).

Maybe even go a step further later and allow the community to create "prism worlds", where you can step from the FC house or wherever the community had decided to place a/the shared entrance into a little slice of anywhere's environments, even adjusting from the original open world area you took a chunk out of, and adding new environmental mechanics.

[Sylvain]

A rework of the cross role system to have more situational yet impactful passives. But nothing mandatory (like, no lucid dream/esuna /protect).

These could include traits altering skill.
For instance, a trait would refresh esuna upon death / grant u 50% total mp when being rezzed.
Or one could be a healer self rez once a battle.

Basically, things that would be situational, so that you could adapt them to your current progression or party. But there shouldn't be any clear winner.

I would also like some job related way to specialize. Again, the choice should reflect player playstyle and shouldnt be obvious.

[Kaiserdrache]

I'd completely rework all classes and their Jobs like given a glimpse of that under my thread for redesigning the Monk under the expectation, that Level Cap gets also raised to 80, so that they get also some new skills as well as part of character progression getting continued.

The Class System of this game is since Heavensward a complete broken mess with new classes just thrown into the game with either level 30 or 50, without them having even Beginner Classes except of the Ninja, which came into the game with an introduced new beginner class.
I'd rework the Class System, that all Classes have 5 Job Roles, due to adding two new Job Roles - like mentioned in my Thread - Supporter and Preventer, basicalling using Jobs as Sub Classes, or similar to Guild Wars 2, where they have Elite Specializations called practically working as "Jobs"
Each individual Job should have then also for the Class a secondary Weapon between the player can switch, which would eventually add some new weapon based skisl that replace certain weapon skills, when switching between Class Weapon and Job Weapon.

Under my rework would we have following Classes with following Jobs.
For this to work must get this silly Weapon to Class Bind-Mechanic get removed and the Change Job System get reworked to simply change jobs, without needing to change Weapons for that extra. Other Games can do this, so why the hell can't FF14??? Is FF14 really so outdated and backwards thinking???

DPS Classes
Archer Weapon Longbow
Jobs :
> Bard (Weapon: Shortbow/Harp) - Support
> Machinist (Weapon: Pistols) - DPS
> Arcanist (Weapon: Rapier) / Renamed Red Mage - Healer
> Hunter (Weapon: Rifles) - Preventer
> Ranger (Weapon: Whip) - Tank

Pugilist Weapon: Fist Rings
Jobs:
> Monk (Weapon: Poles) - Healer
> Daredevil (Weapon: Tonfas) - Tank
> Roughneck(Weapon: Maces) - Preventer
> Champion (Weapon: Claws) - DPS
> Martialist (Weapon: Gauntlets) Support

Thaumaturge Weapon: Grimoire (Book)
Jobs:
> Summoner (Weapon: Magic Staff) - Tank
> Astrologian ( Weapon: Cards/Globe) - Healer
> Witcher (Weapon: Magic Gauntlets) - DPS / Renamed Black Mage
> Scholar (Weapon: Magic Scepter) - Support
> Necromancer (Weapon: Scythe) - Preventer

Lancer Weapon: Lance
Jobs:
> Dragoon (Weapon: Spear) - Preventer
> Knight (Weapon: Longsword) Support/ Renamed Dark Knight
> Guardian (Weapon: Longshield) Tank
> Enforcer - (Weapon: Halberd) DPS
> Marauder - (Weapon: 2H Axes) Healer

Rogue Weapon: Daggers
Jobs:
> Ninja (Weapon: Shurikens/Kunais) - DPS
> Dancer (Weapon: War Fans) - Support
> Gambler (Weapon: Dices) - Healer
> Alchemist (Weapon: Sickles) - Preventer /Crafting Job Hybrid, only Crafting Job that is at the same time Combat Class now
> Pirate (Weapon: Saber& Pistol) - Tank

Tank Class

Gladiator Weapon: Swords and Shields
Jobs:
> Paladin (Weapon: Dual Swords) - Support
> Warrior (Weapon: Greatshield) - Tank
> Berserker (Weapon: Greatsword) - Preventer
> Mercenary ( Weapon: Warhorn) - Healer
> Samurai - (Weapon: Katana) - DPS

Healer Class
Conjurer Weapon Canes/Wands
Jobs:
> Druid (Weapon: Magic Staff) - Healer
> Songstar (Weapon: Tuning Fork) - Support
> Priest (Weapon: Mace) - DPS
> Exorcist (Weapon: Sword) - Preventer
> Shaman (Weapon: Puppets) - Tank

That way would be the class system no mess anymore, 3 Main Roles each with 5 Sub Roles and all of them would have clear Beginner Main Classes, due to Red Mage, Samurai, Astrologian, Scholar and Machinist being under this concept now put to specific Main Classes that do fit to them as Beginner Classes, even if this means changing for example the Samurai from a Main DPS class into a Class that comes then from a Tank Role, but they would be the kind of offensive orientated DPS Tanks.
As you can see, I tried to include also all kind of classical FF Jobs from the past into the game, like the Gambler from FFX-2 and the Songstar/stress, or the Dancer.
If you kind of ask yourself now.. but where did he put the Blue Mage??? That kind of concept do I think fists best reconcepted under the Alchemist, kind of similar gameplay style like Rikku from FFX, which puts like an Ahclemist all kinds of stuff together und as resutl you get some kind of "Monster Skill out of it" based on what stuff you put together in your Alchemy in combat.