Thread: Patch 4.5 is Unacceptable

Originally Posted by purgatori

The last thing I want is more dungeons/instanced content, as I really don't enjoy that content for the most part and only do the bare minimum to keep up with the tomestone grind. I'm glad they're adding in more side-content, but BLU is not good content---at least not from this solo casual player's POV. Mahjong, et. al. all have the potential to be fun, but I don't ever feel like I have the time to invest in them because I'm pursuing said tomestone grind in the limited number of play hours I have available. It's my dearest wish that this game was more like ESO and the like where you're never in danger of falling behind and missing out on content just because you're doing the content you enjoy instead of the content that grants gear-related rewards.

EDIT: And before "this is an MMO" comments are flung my way: yes, I'm aware that this is an MMO. No, I don't think there are good arguments for an MMO discouraging, much less excluding, solo play if that's how people want to enjoy the game. Even less do I think the multiplayer aspects of a given game should be confined to instances where players aren't free to come and go as they please.

It is not the solo content that is bothering me, it's the fact how it is implemented. I love solo challenges. In other MMOs I try to solo dungeons on my tanks because of how crazy scaling is on those. Also WoW added really fun and interesting solo challenges in Legion that actually made me resub for 7 months until I cleared it on all the specializations available to the classes I enjoyed.

In FFXIV ARR, each element used to build into the other in order to contribute to eventually enhancing your character. Making you feel like you're working towards a purpose.

Working on relics? Relics came early enough that they were relevant and were upgraded to be even better that it actually helps in the current tier. In SB relics are so far behind even the crafted gear for current content.

Dungeons, primals, 24 mans and hunts all helped gear for current content and even if you're in the "catch-up" (2.odd number) patches you could work for stuff because you know it's going to be good "starting gear" for the next tier. Currently your current BiS is irrelevant next patch (at this point it's understandable we have an expansion coming, but thing about the transition from 4.1 to 4.2, and from 4.3 to 4.4) where even the normal raid gives better than last "best gear".

Now in Stormblood the games feels too dissected. Even though the game still keeps the same formula for the most part (with some additions on top). You do Eureka to do Eureka (for glamours?), not because it will actually help you in the current most difficult content. Heaven-on-High gives nothing of relevance other than a hairstyle and a mount? It got shelved so hard I can barely find a group for it. I can give many other examples.

Adding BLU as a limited job, where not only it doesn't "add" to your character development, but actually takes time into very forgettable content that is capped to at least 4-year-old things we have already grown VERY bored of at this point doesn't help how disconnected everything in this game feels. It doesn't even add horizontal progression by adding another job to use.

So the problem is not that it is solo or not. It is the whole design of it being "solo" yet demands having parties of 8 to help acquire spells only to use it for a solo "challenge" (calling it a challenge is a joke) that rewards an ancient relic currency that we can cap on daily basis anyways.