EXP Rewards After Hitting Level Cap

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

As someone who has played pretty much constantly since launch and all jobs leveled before they added potd or HoH, I don't see a need to add an exp bonus system like that. It's not hard to level in this game, the most time consuming part is gearing, which is just a means to an end anyway.

Anyone who sees gear as "the end" will be unhappy playing this game with the 6 month gear cycles, but that's never bothered me any.


I still find things to do with everything at 70, and I have over 12000 hours logged on the 1 character I play.

Just try to find something in the game you enjoy. If you can't, find another game. Suggestions are great, but if they never happen, I just see people get bitter over it. There's quite a few of those on the forums that can't let go, even with how bitter they are over the game.

[linay]

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.

You're giving conflicting information. Someone who can "easily get through the vast majority of combat encounters by spamming one or two abilities with eyes closed" does not seem like someone who can barely keep up with the story.

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?

There are already quests that give gears, items, currency, mounts, minions, abilities, unlock new features, and of course exp to level up. Obviously not every quest will give all of that as the primary reason for a quest is simply to tell a story.

[Derio]

I still think the leveling roulette needs to be reworked for better rewards.

[Efrye]

[...]

Just try to find something in the game you enjoy. If you can't, find another game. Suggestions are great, but if they never happen, I just see people get bitter over it. There's quite a few of those on the forums that can't let go, even with how bitter they are over the game.

That's such a strange way of looking at things. This whole forum mostly revolves around feedback, yet it would seem the only feedback that's safe to give is about removing stuff that was recently announced or added. This is not targeted specifically at you, but it appears that whenever someone dares to suggest something new, half the user base breaks out in a cold sweat and desperately tries to come with reasons why the fault is clearly with the player, not with the game. The game is fine! Always has been! And you better don't mention FFXI, or you're immediately exposed as someone who can't let go of the past. (I wonder if I'm the only one who can see the irony in that...)

Anyway. I'm not trying to revolutionize the game here. What I'm suggesting is super basic stuff - most players want some kind of reward for what they're doing. Look at the design of pretty much every single modern AAA game. I'm not talking about more level cap activities or making it easier to level up. It's simply strange that the one feature that many would say defines an RPG - loot and level-ups - suddenly become irrelevant half-way through the game. Yes, you could switch to other jobs, but as mentioned before, that's an unappealing crutch that even SE clearly doesn't want to force on people. You can't expect average players, who are not extremely committed to the game, to grind a new job to level X just so they can continue the story as intended. That's work, not play. And even if these filthy casuals are not part of your exclusive boys' club, you still want them to keep paying their subs so this game can stay alive.

[Raldo]

As someone who's done nearly everything in the game (barring savage/ultimate), I'd love to see something like this. I get all the jobs to cap, and then never touch most of them until the next level cap raise. Something like this could spice up my gameplay a bit, and maybe give me reasons to play on other jobs once and a while.

Recently, I've resorted to making various relics I have no intention of ever using. More content plz. I am so close to unsubbing.

[Reinha]

Since gearing up serves a similar purpose to leveling, how would you feel about getting a small amount of uncapped tomestones for every MSQ you do after hitting level cap? Like 5-20 tomestones per quest. I feel like that would not affect overall game balance and it would be a small bonus towards the gear grind that awaits. You could also choose to use those tomes on the materials and music rolls which are already available at the same vendor.

[SendohJin]

but it appears that whenever someone dares to suggest something new, half the user base breaks out in a cold sweat and desperately tries to come with reasons why the fault is clearly with the player, not with the game. The game is fine! Always has been! And you better don't mention FFXI, or you're immediately exposed as someone who can't let go of the past. (I wonder if I'm the only one who can see the irony in that...)

that's not what it is. some of us are just more realistic in what they would do given their track record.

the game might not be fine but that doesn't mean they will make large changes that affect small amounts of people.

and it also is a zero-sum game, resources they put into something like this means resources they won't put into something else. what's not going to happen is SE opening the wallets.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

I just don't see the point in a bonus exp system, not because it doesn't do anything, but because, in terms of being able to store xp for other jobs, that would ruin queues even more than now.

People wouldnt have to play tank or healer at all to level them this way.

As for the "merit system", I'd rather those abilities just be given while leveling, instead of requiring obscene amounts of after max level xp to earn (anyone who thinks it wouldn't be a eureka level grind is delusional).

I'm all for adding flavor to the game, but you have to look at it objectively. People hate blue mage as it is. That is what a merit system would be like in this game.

I'd rather see relics and raid weapons start having abilities or effects on them (not armor or set bonuses, as that would just be a mess, but the final weapons in each tier would be balancable and fair imo)

[Efrye]

You're giving conflicting information. Someone who can "easily get through the vast majority of combat encounters by spamming one or two abilities with eyes closed" does not seem like someone who can barely keep up with the story.

Completing the MSQ is a huge time commitment, compared to other games. Not being able to keep up has nothing to do with difficulty.

Since gearing up serves a similar purpose to leveling, how would you feel about getting a small amount of uncapped tomestones for every MSQ you do after hitting level cap? Like 5-20 tomestones per quest. I feel like that would not affect overall game balance and it would be a small bonus towards the gear grind that awaits. You could also choose to use those tomes on the materials and music rolls which are already available at the same vendor.

I think that would be a decent solution, although I'd rather tie it to EXP directly, rather than quest completion. That way you'd also get rewarded for doing fates, roulettes, side quests, et cetera. Like it's supposed to be.

that's not what it is. some of us are just more realistic in what they would do given their track record.

the game might not be fine but that doesn't mean they will make large changes that affect small amounts of people.

and it also is a zero-sum game, resources they put into something like this means resources they won't put into something else. what's not going to happen is SE opening the wallets.

Right, I get that. But I do think that's missing the bigger picture. Obviously, I don't have any inside knowledge of the FFXIV player base. But if it's even remotely similar to almost every other big game, what I'm requesting would not "affect small amounts of people", it would affect the majority. Well, ok, maybe not the majority. The majority probably never even reaches the level cap. But that's my point: You may not notice them, because they're not part of your FC and don't post in the forums, but it's usually the casual players who make up the silent majority of players/subscribers. Ignoring them won't serve anyone.

[Aramina]

Completing the MSQ is a huge time commitment, compared to other games. Not being able to keep up has nothing to do with difficulty.



I think that would be a decent solution, although I'd rather tie it to EXP directly, rather than quest completion. That way you'd also get rewarded for doing fates, roulettes, side quests, et cetera. Like it's supposed to be.


Right, I get that. But I do think that's missing the bigger picture. Obviously, I don't have any inside knowledge of the FFXIV player base. But if it's even remotely similar to almost every other big game, what I'm requesting would not "affect small amounts of people", it would affect the majority. Well, ok, maybe not the majority. The majority probably never even reaches the level cap. But that's my point: You may not notice them, because they're not part of your FC and don't post in the forums, but it's usually the casual players who make up the silent majority of players/subscribers. Ignoring them won't serve anyone.

I think the biggest flaw in your reasoning is attributing how you feel to how "casuals" feel. Since you are a casual and you feel x way, that must mean that it is a casual way to feel. It's not. I also consider myself to be a very casual player and do not feel, at all, the way you do. I mean I wouldn't object to getting more rewards (who would?) but the feeling that it is in any way necessary to do so to retain casuals is pretty off-base.