EXP Rewards After Hitting Level Cap

[Efrye]

I love the world and story of FFXIV. Seeing new places, meeting new characters, uncovering mysteries - it’s all good stuff. I even started reading the Encyclopedia Eorzea and getting into all the lore makes me want to dive into FFXIV even more. But I’m in a bit of a pickle. As much as I love the story 'n stuff, the gameplay kinda stinks. I think it's a big pile of doo-doo.

Now, before you start disagreeing with me, try to look at it from the perspective of a filthy casual who has no interest in endgame raids and can barely keep up with the main scenario. For hundreds of hours, I’ve been fighting basically the same enemies that require no skill, no strategy, nothing. They may look different in each new area, but they certainly don’t make me play differently. I can easily get through the vast majority of combat encounters by spamming one or two of my abilities. With my eyes closed. Quest objectives don’t fare much better in terms of design, as they’re mostly just a bland, repetitive mix of various fetch tasks.

Here’s the thing though: I think that’s actually fine. Or at least, it’s exactly what I expect from an MMO. However, what I also expect from an MMO, is some kind of reward to keep me going. Some juicy skinner box treadmill that keeps the degenerate part of my brain entertained so the other parts can enjoy the pretty graphics and intricate story. Some dopamine to make me feel like I actually achieve something by gathering flowers for some random kid. Story as a reward is nice, but I’m talking level-ups, abilities, weapons, armor - all that shiny stuff!

So… what’s the idea here, SE? Am I supposed to grind away dozens of hours to get another job up to level 65+ that I’m never going to play, just so I can dump the quest EXP there? Or should I stop treating FFXIV like an actual game and look at it as a semi-interactive novel?

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Tl;dr: Wouldn’t it be nice to get something for the EXP we gain after hitting the level cap? Maybe even just vanity stuff like mounts, minions, glamour, et cetera?

[SendohJin]

you're in too small a niche.

hunts are designed for you, more specifically hunt bills.

and other casual level cap stuff already give you tomes to buy things, don't see why it needs to do anything with XP on top of that.

[Efrye]

you're in too small a niche.

hunts are designed for you, more specifically hunt bills.

and other casual level cap stuff already give you tomes to buy things, don't see why it needs to do anything with XP on top of that.

I’m having a hard time believing that I’m a niche. I’m the poster child for pretty much every new player that gets into FFXIV. We go through the game exactly as we're told by the trail of quests, but then hit the level cap long before we reached the end of the line. I don’t know how many new players this game gets, but even if it’s not a lot… Well, all the more reason to look into making the game appealing to them, right? Otherwise FFXIV would die faster than you can say “Uhhh, look, a pretty new F2P MMO!”

As for hunts and side activities, that’s pretty much the opposite of what I’m asking for. All I want is to enjoy the main scenario as well as the associated side quests and get some kind of reward from them. I don’t need even more stuff to do on top of that.

[SendohJin]

I’m having a hard time believing that I’m a niche. I’m the poster child for pretty much every new player that gets into FFXIV. We go through the game exactly as we're told by the trail of quests, but then hit the level cap long before we reached the end of the line.

you are that niche because you're refusing for some reason to spread that extra XP out to other jobs. XIV is designed for multiple jobs and the MSQ + all sidequests is more than enough for 2 jobs.

[Efrye]

you are that niche because you're refusing for some reason to spread that extra XP out to other jobs. XIV is designed for multiple jobs and the MSQ + all sidequests is more than enough for 2 jobs.

So, what you're telling me, is that the game is designed for me to go through the story until I hit the level cap, drop everything I was doing right there and then, go back to level 1 with another job, tediously grind that up to the level of my current main scenario quest, and then rinse and repeat once that new job also hits the cap?

Come on now, that's just bad game design. You know it, I know it, SE knows it. Why do you think they dropped the requirement to level up multiple classes to unlock jobs in the first place?

[JohnSpawnVFX]

So, what you're telling me, is that the game is designed for me to go through the story until I hit the level cap, drop everything I was doing right there and then, go back to level 1 with another job, tediously grind that up to the level of my current main scenario quest, and then rinse and repeat once that new job also hits the cap?

Come on now, that's just bad game design. You know it, I know it, SE knows it. Why do you think they dropped the requirement to level up multiple classes to unlock jobs in the first place?

No, you go through the MSQ and leave the sidequests behind for when you want to level more jobs.

[wereotter]

you are that niche because you're refusing for some reason to spread that extra XP out to other jobs. XIV is designed for multiple jobs and the MSQ + all sidequests is more than enough for 2 jobs.

Add to that I don't think most players mind terribly that they're missing out on XP on jobs they're never going to play, as was stated, if your main drive is uncovering the lore and the story. If you care that you're wasting potential experience, and you're doing side quests to see more story, then just swap to another job when you turn in the quest.

[Shougun]

I've always felt there could be something from a cosmetic merit system, can even give it a cute sphere/crystal/XII grid - where you unlock these visual customization that allow you to look different than someone else without giving an edge that makes it painful to arrive late to the game.

Just in case someone is unfamiliar with what merit systems are. A merit system takes EXP you no longer earn at cap and adds them to a pool that you can spend on specific things like +5 strength, +10 seconds to burn, and so forth. Here I'm suggesting a cosmetic merit system where you take your exp and purchase unique things that don't affect gameplay but do affect how you present yourself (like changing an ability look or giving you very special equipment). Doesn't have to be limited to your character though, there could be a tab for general for emotes, mounts, etc. As for sphere grid, crystarium, and the license board (FFXII) they're just different ways to represent level progression - and since this is just for cosmetics the devs could have fun on presentation if they wanted.

• Did you want that smokey dark knight effect for tank stance? Well you can now.
• That female/male weapon stance, you want it? Go for it.
• Were you a huge fan of Golbez, that black mage with plate armor? We made a special exception on no heavy metal, just for you .
• Holy breastplate? Yes, whm you can have.
• Not enough praising the sun Paladin? Have some sunlight lance instead of shield lob (bolts of holy light being tossed at the enemy).

Etc

Could be other things as well like permanently unlocking a dye color, that'd keep some people going for literal days+ worth of time just so they could unlock all the colors lol.

The description of FFXIV gameplay made me a bit sad though, as an aside

Edit: Just to clarify - personally I have fun; although, I do think exp having a use past cap would be neat

[Efrye]

I've always felt there could be something from a cosmetic merit system, can even give it a cute sphere/crystal/XII grid - where you unlock these visual customization that allow you to look different than someone else without giving an edge that makes it painful to arrive late to the game.
[...]

Yeah, stat increases or other gameplay benefits would certainly be divisive, although I think it there could be a way to make it work. But even keeping it purely visual would be fine by me. The problem there, of course, is that every item that's obtainable in-game is one less item they can sell on the mog station. But, from my perspective, the game desperately needs something to keep players engaged until they reach the endgame.

The description of FFXIV gameplay made me a bit sad though, as an aside

Well, yeah, me too. But I don't think it's an unfair description. It's always fun to get into a new dungeon or one of the special story battles, but that's not what I'm doing for the majority of my playtime. What I'm doing 90+% of the time is as brainless as going through Diablo III on the lowest difficulty. Just without the loot and EXP.

[Sandpark]

I've always felt there could be something from a cosmetic merit system, can even give it a cute sphere/crystal/XII grid - where you unlock these visual customization that allow you to look different than someone else without giving an edge that makes it painful to arrive late to the game.

Just encase someone is unfamiliar with what merit systems are. A merit system takes EXP you no longer earn at cap and adds them to a pool that you can spend on specific things like +5 strength, +10 seconds to burn, and so forth. Here I'm suggesting a cosmetic merit system where you take your exp and purchase unique things that don't affect gameplay but do affect how you present yourself (like changing an ability look or giving you very special equipment). Doesn't have to be limited to your character though, there could be a tab for general for emotes, mounts, etc. As for sphere grid, crystarium, and the license board (FFXII) they're just different ways to represent level progression - and since this is just for cosmetics the devs could have fun on presentation if they wanted.

• Did you want that smokey dark knight effect for tank stance? Well you can now.
• That female/male weapon stance, you want it? Go for it.
• Were you a huge fan of Golbez, that black mage with plate armor? We made a special exception on no heavy metal, just for you .
• Holy breastplate? Yes, whm you can have.
• Not enough praising the sun Paladin? Have some sunlight lance instead of shield lob (bolts of holy light being tossed at the enemy).

Etc

Could be other things as well like permanently unlocking a dye color, that'd keep some people going for literal days+ worth of time just so they could unlock all the colors lol.

The description of FFXIV gameplay made me a bit sad though, as an aside

No disrespect because some of those things you listed sound cool. But one of my issues with this game is everything is cosmetic for the most part.

1. Got a cool armor from a raid or dungeon? Well in a patch or two the stats will suck and it is cosmetic from then on.
2. Got a cool egi glamour? Well hope you like it because you are probably never getting new egis. Cosmetic
3. Capped all your tombstone gear? Well enjoy it because in a patch or two your gear stats will be obsolete and it will be cosmetic.
4. Finished progression on one character and bored? Well go do something else or wait till the next patch so you can start a new cosmetic cycle.
5. Tired of your character's Dragoon looking and playing like 100 other Dragoons? Well it might seem that way because your character is, glamour it. Cosmetic.

Progress, erased, repeat, progress, erased, repeat, progress, erase, repeat, forever and ever and ever.

Sure the point of having a moving goal post is to keep you playing longer. People call it a hamster on a wheel. I don't mind being a hamster on a wheel, all games are meant to waste time.
But I don't like the wheel sending me back in time 3 months before and telling me to do it over. And making my hamster look like a pig or fairy is not gonna change that.
As long as that wheel moves forward at all times, I will spin that wheel happily chasing that piece of cheese 10 miles ahead of me.

Balance and the need for parity has served the game well for the most part in previous years. But this game is no longer a new game, been out since 2010-2011.
It is time for an elder perpetual progression experience system to come to fruition. And funny enough, this game already has systems in place to facilitate that with the numerous logs.
The rewards just need to change from only just being unlocks on achievements and cosmetics, to actually adding character progression via stats and skills.