My take on the FF14 Battlegrounds

[BioDio]

First I want to say that I'm not a game designer, this is just a long time FF14 fan opinion.
I also want to point out that, if you enjoy battlegrounds in FF14 or if you know the majority does like them, please, just ignore/downvote this post, because from what I see, most people don't like the current state of the PVP.

FF14 is a PVE focused MMO, and that's fine, I love it! However, I remember from the ARR days that the PVP looked a bit different from what it was today, and I actually think the changes are good! They feel a bit more streamlined so everyone can enjoy, the problem, however, in my opinion, is how the Battlegrounds are handled... it's just a chaotic mess.

I think there should be a mix of PVE and PVP on battlegrounds. People need to know what their main goal is, and how to achieve it. There is a Battleground with some PVE, but it's not enough (however, it was my favorite). FF14 battlegrounds should be based on a MOBA style game. Some people need to kill mobs, others need to go to bosses, and others need to go to PVP. Similar to alliance raids - Groups of 4 - A B C. If you are A, you know you need to fight for the mobs with and against other players. If you are B, you know you need to fight for bosses with and against other players and if you are C, you know you need to fight other players for points, maybe similar to an arena with some traps/events/items to use.

That way you give a much-needed objective to everyone, and fights will be much less chaotic since everyone knows what they need to do regardless of someone giving them direction.

However, this is not enough. With these changes, the PVP gear could serve more purpose than glamour. You can have specific stats for PVP, like before, but this time, you can have stats that make you take/do more damage to mobs, charge your limit break faster, get less damage from traps/events... etc. That with a progression system that lets you unlock a vanity item per season, like a pet or similar stuff. (not only for Feast players)

Currently, I see the PVP getting resources and people don't enjoy playing it. They do so just for daily roullette and ignore. I would not change the streamlined battle system, I think its good, but, I don't think it's being well used.
For me, it makes no sense to continue supporting something that the fans don't actively enjoy playing, and do so for basic daily rewards. FF14 solved so many issues I had with other MMOs, making this game the most fun I've ever had in an MMO... why not solve PVP issues too? Why not add a story-based tutorial for Battlegrounds.

Anyway, these are the thoughts of a fan and not a professional. Thanks for reading.

[DrWho2010]

pvp gear used to have levels to them, but then they decided they wanted everything to be equal. that's why gear doesn't matter anymore in PVP. also they have a hard enough time balancing everything they want for the players to perform at, esp in ranked feast matches. any kind of advantage would be detrimental to the people that don't have it.

[BioDio]

pvp gear used to have levels to them, but then they decided they wanted everything to be equal. that's why gear doesn't matter anymore in PVP. also they have a hard enough time balancing everything they want for the players to perform at, esp in ranked feast matches. any kind of advantage would be detrimental to the people that don't have it.

Feast can be a different thing. They have their own players, the problem is that Frontline is for everyone to play... and it's chaotic.
I might be wrong, and some of the info above could be wrong or have been tried before by the team, I remember there was a similar thing (but was deserted). The main issue I see is that people don't know what they need to do, so, adding a story tutorial before allowing people to roulette, would help.

[Yuella]

Rival Wings is basically MOBA

[Compy]

I agree with your sentiments, Bio. I think the issue here has two areas that would need to be addressed:

1. Interesting maps and objectives
2. Rewards for success

Across video game genres, the most successful PvP models have been death match, capture the flag, and domination. So far in XIV, I would say Frontlines has focused exclusively on the latter with a few additional objectives thrown in. I would say that the latest map, Onsal Hakair, has certainly been the cleanest implementation and a definite step in the right direction.

I would suggest that the development of capture the flag style maps and a shift to focus on smaller scale engagements on the 8v8 or 8v8v8 wavelengths would continue to make Frontlines more accessible and enjoyable for the player base. So many modern MMOs go for the large scale engagements, and it almost always disintegrates into zerg tactics that don’t hold a lot of competitive value for the individual player.

The Feast has been XIV’s approach to competitive death match, again with additional objectives added in. I would also be willing to wager that distilling it down into the fundamental “kill the enemy before they kill you” approach would increase interest and participation among the player base. Certainly it would help draw PvP-oriented players from the MMO scene in general.

That brings me to my second area to be addressed: rewards. I have really enjoyed the changes to PvP brought on by Stormblood and carried forward into Shadowbringers, but it did remove the incentive component in this area of the game. It’s a natural and straightforward enough concept that being rewarded for accomplishment is almost always the best incentive for participation. In this case, that would mean being rewarded gear and equipment competitive on the current patch and tier of content.

I think restoring a non-cosmetic gear reward system for PvP would help bring back interest and foster improvement in this area of the game, as well. Tying it to rating within the Feast would seem like a good first step. Additionally, I believe tying it into Frontline PvP ranking would be good, as well. We already have Wolf Marks as a currency, so it would really just add progressive rewards to a system already in place.

From there you could have a discussion on if this PvP gear should offer any kind of competitive bonus to PvP content or not. I know other MMOs have experimented with those kind of systems with mixed results. I do think all of these would be more steps in the right direction, as far as making PvP engaging and interesting for more people.

Thoughts?