Dangerous Areas

[IttyBitty]

Something something combat system, something something class design, something something not designed for overworld content.

[Draken]

You can’t have a dangerous “zone” if the rest of the world is face roll easy. People will always gravitate to the path of least resistance. Every time they implement something difficult it’s DOA due to the risk/time/reward structure.

The only reason ultimate raids are even done by the tiny amount of min/maxers that must have that minuscule increase in ilevel or stats. For the rest of us the time commitment isn’t worth it.

The only way for this to work is to make the entire world more dangerous(with a curve) from the start and implement real rewards behind the difficulty.

[ElHeggunte]

I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me how a dangerous overworld is supposed to be fun, especially when coupled with the idea of some arbitrary punishment for death/failure (because reasons, I guess). Nothing I've ever experienced and nothing I've seen mentioned in this thread (or any thread of the same subject) has ever amounted to being anything more than a tedious speedbump or it can be easily trivialized in some way.

The only time a world is legitimately dangerous is when you're an ignorant newbie to the game's world (and probably to gaming in general). Once you've learned the basics of gaming and the basic rules of the game's world ("Haphazardly wandering too close to some mobs might make them attack me") and you stop shambling around like blind man in beer goggles, the idea of a dangerous world evaporates. Now instead of having a "dangerous" world, you just have something built to pad playtime and to arbitrarily punish carelessness or bad luck.

[Mozerlam]

I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me how a dangerous overworld is supposed to be fun,

Not everyone has to think like you. Danger and risk are fun to lots of people, it's not that difficult to get your head around.

[Skivvy]

I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me how a dangerous overworld is supposed to be fun, especially when coupled with the idea of some arbitrary punishment for death/failure (because reasons, I guess). Nothing I've ever experienced and nothing I've seen mentioned in this thread (or any thread of the same subject) has ever amounted to being anything more than a tedious speedbump or it can be easily trivialized in some way.

The only time a world is legitimately dangerous is when you're an ignorant newbie to the game's world (and probably to gaming in general). Once you've learned the basics of gaming and the basic rules of the game's world ("Haphazardly wandering too close to some mobs might make them attack me") and you stop shambling around like blind man in beer goggles, the idea of a dangerous world evaporates. Now instead of having a "dangerous" world, you just have something built to pad playtime and to arbitrarily punish carelessness or bad luck.

To take this to the extreme, why bother having anything aggro then in the open world in that case? As it is now, the most that generally happens is that you will have heavy cast on you as you run through a pack of mobs. Gatherers just need to cast stealth, and they're all good to go. Why bother with such a weak threat in the first place?

A tame overworld is just dull. However, with XIV, it's just part of a larger problem. There is very little reason to go out into the open world. If they actually added non-instanced dungeons, or some other content that kept it relevant, I could see it being worthwhile to make the open world tricky. I don't see XIV moving away from instanced dungeons, and everything being done through DF / PF, or quick easy ports. So for now, the overworld will just remain a fancy waiting room.

[Draken]

It’s more the sense of accomplishment when you complete difficult content. When you finally clear that last hurdle and look back you realize that you had fun figuring it out. These days in the “I need it now” world people have list that. Count led with YouTube showing people how to do something the thrill of discovery is lost and people just can’t be allowed to learn it themselves because it slows someone else down.

[Iscah]

Also I'm not sure how "a dangerous overworld zone that's optional but there for the challenge" is functionally any different to Eureka. Yes, Eureka is instanced, but it's set up like it's an overworld area, so what would make a true overworld zone better? Just being able to queue for other duties while in there? Gathering? (Or maybe they can add gathering to an instance anyway. Is Diadem instanced or a world zone?)

[Schwarzwind]

I would be happy if they did a "dangerous" open world similar to Guild Wars 2 newer maps with group based big meta events and boss fights that reward you with map currency, glamour, crafting materials, collectibles and so on. The world there just feels much more alive than in FFXIV.

[duvvvv]

personally, a "dangerous area" in an MMO doesn't have to mean a single or even multiple zones with nearly impossible to defeat mobs, rather just the design of it that could give the players the creeps, or that sense of danger that would make the zone memorable to a point you would avoid it just because it makes you uncomfortable (or getting out of it feels such a relief) even if you're high level enough to one-shot all the mobs. I've experienced this in LotRO, how you get this debuff when encountering wraiths in Angmar, the ominous cawing of those pesky evil birds in Weathertop, the climate change when entering the Old Forest to visit Tom Bombadil, just being in Moria even after the revamp (it's much brighter in there now). If only all the Castrum gives that feeling every time you need to pass one just to remind the players how evil the Empire is (we get a debuff saying we're weakened like our vision goes blurry or red, as if we're getting flashbacks or a warning of incoming danger) or triggering the alarm would force you out or make every single mob attack you, esp in the ARR zones.

TLDR; mob level isn't the only factor to make a "dangerous area", zone design that affects immersion can be worked on to give a sense of danger.

[Badicalde]

...Maybe they'd consider mini dungeons in the overworld...

I’d love this! You could organize a party or attempt it solo for challenge, but make it optional so those who dislike this idea aren’t required to do it.