Request: More challanging / difficult content. PLEASE

[Velhart]

On the topic of marginalizing crafters:

Go back to killing NMs (Like buffalo, dodore) then crafting the endgame items that are better or equal to raid gear from the drops

Regular farmed mats (ores, leathers n junk) should not make superior armor/weapons.

This was actually a pretty decent system. Why not let raids consist of materials for some items and rare/ex. also?

Like to take Kirin for example from FFXI. He dropped not only a Kirin's Osode, but also dropped a Damascus Ingot, which made a few things such as a Haubergeon. FFXI actually had a pretty good balance on crafted gear and rare/ex. gear. One shouldn't be favored over another, it should be working together. I still stand however that rare/ex. ultimately needs to be better.

Like Mog said, making the best gear is way too easy. If better armor is to go through crafting, then the materials better be hard to get. FFXIV in the beginning actually did well with this and while it would need tweaking, the system could work if balanced right with other rare/ex. gear.

[Velhart]

That wasn't hard, that was a timesink.

I think the direction they took Moogle was wrong. It wasn't that getting 5 items was a bad idea, actually it was a great idea. However the conditions to fight these five NM's were ridiculous. Fighting around trees and mobs that linked, this felt unnecessary. All you had to do was make the five NM's challenging and not throw something ridiculous as trees in there.

As for timesink = difficulty. It shouldn't be a show of difficulty necessarily, we need content that will last until the next thing comes. While people disagree with this, I really believe they need to use FFXI as a complete template on how to make content last. Sky/Sea lasted years and past several expansions without getting outdated until they raised the level cap. I want to take on Crystal Tower, and then 5 years later, still go back to it. Thing I hate about other MMO's is eventually things get outdated and thrown to the side. I don't want FFXIV to fall victim to this. I want content to stay for the long run.

[Xianghua]

Lets not forget though that Gear switching in XI played a big part in content lasting that long. Can't expect people to keep doing content for outdated gear. And not only did Kirin drop D-ingot. the entire abj. system was pure win.

[DoctorMog]

Love the kirin example.

Crafted endgame mats and a few good items as drops from bosses keeps everyone happy.

Also, had the trees not been there and having to FREEKIN WALK through them, killing the 5NMs before each Moggle attempt would have been fine.

/agree

[Ruri]

I really hope the next 2 dungeons have better gear than crafted gear.. Otherwise there would once again be no point. No point in getting the chest gear from SH either as they pretty much all suck.

[DoctorMog]

Lets not forget though that Gear switching in XI played a big part in content lasting that long. Can't expect people to keep doing content for outdated gear. And not only did Kirin drop D-ingot. the entire abj. system was pure win.

Then make the gear unique.

HP drain and Fire damage from Moggle and Ifrit are a good start.

How about a double attack weapon?
Movement speed boots?
"Full resist" shield for each debuff type? (a shield that resists all sleep for example)
Cast speed weapon
Attack speed belt

The above items scale, and even when they become oudated, they are still useful for their uniqueness situationally and thus the content is useful for the future because all players want a set of those items eventually. People will go BACK and do that content, never becoming outdated.


Now, in order for a few of those to be useful, like a bind resist shield, there needs to be a use for it. a NM that spams Bind, a fight that requires the speed boots for kiting, a boss that takes triple fire damage (ifrit weapons) etc...

[Xianghua]

Honestly I think gear switch needs to make it's return. That's a very effective way to make crafted gear + Dropped gear equal and adds more depth to the stat/strat/skill. If people would stop being such pack rats and keeping a lot of old gear, U/U gear and other things they don't use or probably never will. I doubt inventory would be much of a problem once 2.0 is here.

[Pandastirfry]

Sadly the newer generation wants everything handed to them. Take a look at moogle's when it 1st came out. You had to kill 5 NMs everytime you won. most people threw a fit and cried because of it. Now you can solo to get the drops.

We say we want hard content Se makes hard content the other side cries SE gimps it.

no one complained about having to kill the NMs, people complained about the trees and spriggans linking and the crazy amount of both.

[AndySolace]

I want to take on Crystal Tower, and then 5 years later, still go back to it. Thing I hate about other MMO's is eventually things get outdated and thrown to the side. I don't want FFXIV to fall victim to this. I want content to stay for the long run.

Couldn't agree more with your post really, but the quoted section above really stands out to me. Its absolutely true. Dzaemel Darkhold has already suffered this fate because there is no challenge or real reward for entering it now, its's a thing of the past.

[Xianghua]

no one complained about having to kill the NMs, people complained about the trees and spriggans linking and the crazy amount of both.

Yet SE went ahead and made it so you don't have to kill the NMs. Gimping it more then they should. People complained and SE changed. don't really matter what the people were complaining about what matters is how SE chose to fix it. and they did by taking out killing the NMs all together making it very easy to get the items.

All SE had to do was make it where tree's don't link and it would of been fine.