The "Wow Refugee's" impact on the FFXIV Community?

[ReportMe]

So over the past couple months with the continuing decline and disappointment of BFA the FFXIV community has seen more and more Wow Refugee's coming to the game (Myself Included). The Wow players are being met by a community that greatly differs from the toxic cesspool that is the current wow community. As a 10+ year Wow player its unfortunate to see the community end up like this, however its understandable when alot of Wow's old fans have resentment, and feel hurt as they watch a game they love start to deteriorate.

The FFXIV community is the embodiment of the love and devotion to better the game that the developers have. I understand all communities will have toxic players I'm not stupid enough to think FFXIV is free of any keyboard trolls and I understand FFXIV has stricter rules regarding chat but that's not what I'm talking about. From personal experience I have never since the days of Burning Crusade met a community like this...Players going out of there way to message you and ask if you need help because they see you're a sprout, random players stopping in and helping in the open world when they see you're about to die or you may have bitten off more than you can chew attacking a lvl 50 world boss as a lvl 35.....RIP

I personally have added more "Random People" to my friends list in this game than I have in the entirety of my time playing Wow. Players interact with each other in the game and on the forums as if they where a family... warm, embracing and truly there to help if you need anything.


So now that I'm done with that I want to get into my questions.


Do you think the mass influx of "Wow Refugee" players will positively or negatively effect the community as a whole? And how so?

As a FFXIV player what are things that you would like to see change (or not change) within the game?

What is one thing you would want to say to "Wow Refugee's" before they enter the community?




Looking forward to seeing your responses! Thanks

[CorbinDallas]

More active players can only ever be a good thing.

[Sandoria]

I suspect I'm not a "Wow Refugee" as much as a "final refugee" as ffxi was my first mmo and I've been playing this game since it came out. Both games have so much fun and adventure to them and I definitely recommend both in different ways. To "WoW refugees", you aren't really going to find much refuge here as it's pretty much the exact same community that plays wow. Not everyone that plays wow is a dick nor is everyone that plays this game an angel. I've met some of the greatest people you will ever meet in both games as well as some of the worst. It's really whom you end up engaging with that shapes your perception. I hope all the people that come here enjoy it and bring the best of both worlds together. I wish you continued success in avoiding the things that plagued you in the previous game. My advise to wow "refugees" would be Welcome, enjoy and be kind to others.

[Ogulbuk]

Truth is, i think, the toxic player base is always more visible on the highest end game content. It’s where everyone feels it’s all a race for BIS and will hate on anyone making the slightest mistake.

The coolest thing this game has, is that content patches don’t just focus on the high end game. You get lots of side content to pursue, just for fun, and wirh a lot more lasting appeal (since BIS becomes obsolete anyways.)

[Jaywalker]

Hi, really glad to hear this community has been such a positive experience and relief for you! I'm not a WoW refugee but I guess might be considered a sort of alternate-fandom refugee. The fandom stuff I'd been following was actively making me feel depressed, hopeless, and miserable so I came here instead. Absolute breath of fresh air. People really are way kinder and the game itself is insanely fun, beautifully rendered, and engaging.

I actually think the WoW Refugees are more likely to bring good to the community because like what you described, people coming from a bad/miserable place in hopes of something better are less likely to take the game and community for granted. There's a level of gratitude and relief that comes with being a fandom refugee. I think it helps ground out some of the more established FFXIV players and remind them that while sure, it's good to strive for improvement... we are unspeakably lucky with this game/community.

In terms of changes, I think it's really important for the community to make fairness and forgiving ordinary jerk behavior a priority. The most messed up fandoms I've seen tend to forget things like "degrees of offense", "nobody is perfect", and "innocent until proven guilty". This leads to hypersensitivity, entitlement, and policing by both fans and staff. The biggest concern on that front, for me, is unclear rules on player conduct while placing the burden of action not on the offended party (to block someone they dislike for example) but the accused. There's room for that to spiral and it would be better to avoid any issues early imo.

Otherwise, FFXIV I've noticed most issues come from fans not understanding that other players might prioritize different aspects of FFXIV from them then being intolerant/judgmental. Another source of problems comes from fans being terrified that bad stuff from other fandoms might spread here. I think SE being extremely conscious that this community is a rare gem in the current fandom hellscape is crucial. I'd like them to take precautionary measures at least behind the scenes to avoid insanity going on elsewhere by thoroughly understanding how those disasters happened. I suspect some of this also involves East/West cultural divide stuff, personally I really do not want to see SE blindsided by any Western-specific drama.

I would like players to chill out (mainly in forums haha) and get better about embracing the fact that other players might like different parts of the game and that's fine. Life is too short to make so many personal accusations and judgments over minor stuff. If you don't understand where someone is coming from, don't assume! Be an adult and just ask them why they feel that way!

Also, if a fan suggests or voices interest in something another player isn't not partial to? That's okay. It's not a game-ending threat, they're just a fan too. We can voice our own opinions respectfully instead of jumping to insults.

I'd love people to be kinder/more patient with SE staff (devs or GMs) as well, to understand again that we are unspeakably lucky here. I really hope the people working at SE know that when fans are freaking out and claiming "ruined forever", that's still within bounds for healthy fandom overreactions. It's worth considering concerns as opportunities to improve, but I wouldn't want SE to take the most vocal outcry to heart as a sign of failure or discouraging. Some outcry is just the nature of the beast. Looking to what's happening in unhealthy fandoms can really help keep things in perspective on that front I think.

To WoW refugees, I just want to say welcome and I seriously hope this is a better and more fun experience for you!

[VillainQueen]

While I welcome new players I have to admit I'm kind of worried that a lot of toxic WoW player come over. We have our own fair share of a*sholes and just because some things was tolerated in WoW it doesn't mean it is in FFXIV, so as long as you are nice and friendly to others you are welcome I guess. But again I had a terrible experience with WoW while trying out a free trial (I was promptly harassed in the starting area) so I might am a little biased towards WoW players.

[Caitlyn]

I would actually love to meet veteran players from other games, even from WoW. Everyone who needs help will get help. But please keep two things in mind:

1. This is not World of Warcraft. Some things may be the same, but some things are different. So dont try to make it as WoW 2.0. This is still FFXIV.

2. Playing World of Warcraft for 10 years means nothing in FFXIV. You have to learn things completely new. No tank is kiting the boss around the area. There is no 1s GCD.

Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy your time here in FFXIV and like previously said: having more players cannot be a bad thing ^^.
And yes, FFXIV is not free from toxic players. Just ignore them, the rest of the player base is ok.

[DreamAngel-Ren]

What I would say to a WoW refugee: The FFXIV community is like a family; yeah, we get on each other's nerves...a lot, but regardless we still help out one another plus we act silly together. So basically, just enjoy the adventure!

[Gula]

Do you think the mass influx of "Wow Refugee" players will positively or negatively effect the community as a whole? And how so?

I honestly think this is data center dependent. Aether soon to be Crystal has the influx of RP-ers, which has been a mixed bag. Whereas on more content driven Worlds,you really get the vitriol seeping in because how dare you give advice to the person who played another mmo for 10 years.

As a FFXIV player what are things that you would like to see change (or not change) within the game?
As it pertains to WoW players? Nothin' really.

What is one thing you would want to say to "Wow Refugee's" before they enter the community?
The story and lore are deeper than you think. Please don't skip cutscenes and really let the story lead you by the hand.

[drashrock]

You're delusional if you think the WoW and XIV communities are different. If you notice anything, its specifically because there are just more people now. Both games have a good share of dicks and saints. Neither WoW nor XIV make a breed of people, they are all just people, and people will be people.