Dev team, please do not remove the importance of the MSQ

[linay]

I don't mind if they want to restructure MSQ so that the basic story is still being told, but people can go through it faster.

What I don't want is to make it optional/nonexistent so that dungeons and trials and raids can be entered just by reaching the right level and item level without them being tied to the story

I also don't want it broken up so you can skip parts of it and then come back and redo them later. Unless your story is about time travel, it should flow linearly and be experienced in that same order. If you use a boost, then your character should have done all of the quests leading up to the point where your boost takes you. Something like the inn or new game+ is a fine way of experiencing what you missed without affecting the actual progression of your character in the story.

Essentially, I want story and gameplay to support each other as much as possible instead of ignoring each other for the sake of convenience.

[Souljacker]

I don't mind if they want to restructure MSQ so that the basic story is still being told, but people can go through it faster.

What I don't want is to make it optional/nonexistent so that dungeons and trials and raids can be entered just by reaching the right level and item level without them being tied to the story

I also don't want it broken up so you can skip parts of it and then come back and redo them later. Unless your story is about time travel, it should flow linearly and be experienced in that same order. If you use a boost, then your character should have done all of the quests leading up to the point where your boost takes you. Something like the inn or new game+ is a fine way of experiencing what you missed without affecting the actual progression of your character in the story.

Essentially, I want story and gameplay to support each other as much as possible instead of ignoring each other for the sake of convenience.

Why? What benefit does this offer? Does this make the player somehow better at the game?

The story isn't great. There, I said it. Most of it is derivative (wait til you see shadowbringers! We've totally never seen this concept before!) and some of it is downright offensive. I remember one of our buddy npcs saying something like "I want to stay here and learn more about these people" and I was literally screaming at my monitor "I don't!" But I had to, because SE deemed it important for me to play through the storyline of a sexist faction in this xpac. I gained absolutely nothing of value from that story and it only served to deepen my disdain for the dev team's stance on a lot of things in general.

Really, historical story should be optional. There is nothing so crucial to playing the game in there that there is any reason to gate future content behind it.

[LyraKuroneko]

Really, historical story should be optional. There is nothing so crucial to playing the game in there that there is any reason to gate future content behind it.

This is a FF and not your random sandbox F2P game. Remember that.

Story isn't optional in this series wether you like it or not. Story shouldn't be optional because you don't like it.

If people don't like the way FF games are around story, maybe those persons should consider other games really.

Don't try to change a series because it isn't to your liking ty.

[AxlStream]

Not like new game + is coming for those that would like to relive the story... or that used a jump potion...

[Skivvy]

This is a FF and not your random sandbox F2P game. Remember that.

Story isn't optional in this series wether you like it or not. Story shouldn't be optional because you don't like it.

If people don't like the way FF games are around story, maybe those persons should consider other games really.

Don't try to change a series because it isn't to your liking ty.

How do you explain XI in that case? Last I checked that is also in the Final Fantasy series, and they didn't force the entire story on you.

[LyraKuroneko]

How do you explain XI in that case? Last I checked that is also in the Final Fantasy series, and they didn't force the entire story on you.

I tried it the other day with only 2 explansion on it. And several cs was "forced" onto me when I stepped in a zone.

It was weird for some part because I could do all at the same time, not knowing who was who ans behing introduce to some of the NPC later while I know them in another xpac.

But if I just take the base game, you still have cs and things "forced'' to you. And I tried this game to see what the story was like in the 1st place.

Also from what I read from the guides, there is tons of things loked if you don't prog the story. So it's not that different.

[Skivvy]

I tried it the other day with only 2 explansion on it. And several cs was "forced" onto me when I stepped in a zone.

It was weird for some part because I could do all at the same time, not knowing who was who ans behing introduce to some of the NPC later while I know them in another xpac.

Forced CSs you say? XIV wouldn't know anything about that....right? *coughMSQROULETTEcough*

XI does handle their CSs in an odd way as they will automatically start if you are at that step of the quest. This is also a very old game, and it's outdated in many ways - but that's a moot point as I've not asked XIV to emulate XI in every way.

Anyhoo, with XI, they did not lock the new content from each expansion behind the full MSQ being completed, and every last story from previous expansions. You could choose to continue after a certain point, but it wasn't a necessity for most things. This would be what I am referring to when bringing up XI. I know this forums tends to hate on most things XI, so another game as an example would be GW2. It also has a rather massive story - but it's also not forced on you.

I feel like SE could find a way to keep the story congruent while also not making it 100% required if that's not your thing. This game also does love it's gate-keeping though, and keeping it mandatory is just another way to stretch content out.

[LyraKuroneko]

Forced CSs you say? XIV wouldn't know anything about that....right? *coughMSQROULETTEcough*

How to say... irony you know..., the " " thingy... all that.

Back to rest, yeah you could do the other xpac, which doesn't make any sence because the character seems to know you out of nowhere. I don't think that's a good point.

What I like though would be the fact you can travel everywhere, I don't see the point to not being able to visit other places of other xpac. You might get killed doing so but it's oneself problem.

We know the rest of the world exist, while some place could still be not open, like Ishgard, because we're still kinda unautorised out there at the begining.

To add one last thing because I think I made my point by now. Let the MSQ be, people got skip potion if they want. And don't tell me it's too expensive when people buy a 200€ collector pack like nothing. Especially with how many people seems to buy the said potion. The price doesn't seem to be a problem there.

(I edit because it's useless to make another post because of thing I more or less forgot to add, it's the point of the edit option, sorry)

[linay]

Why? What benefit does this offer? Does this make the player somehow better at the game?

The story isn't great. There, I said it. Most of it is derivative (wait til you see shadowbringers! We've totally never seen this concept before!) and some of it is downright offensive. I remember one of our buddy npcs saying something like "I want to stay here and learn more about these people" and I was literally screaming at my monitor "I don't!" But I had to, because SE deemed it important for me to play through the storyline of a sexist faction in this xpac. I gained absolutely nothing of value from that story and it only served to deepen my disdain for the dev team's stance on a lot of things in general.

Really, historical story should be optional. There is nothing so crucial to playing the game in there that there is any reason to gate future content behind it.

The entire game is optional. You don't have to play it if you don't want to.

Meanwhile, I like having a story, and if the dev starts making stories optional, I fear it's a slippery slope that will end up like WoW where there can be a raid that's just there without any story behind why you're there (Uldir for Alliance in BfA expansion). So, no thanks, I'd rather they keep trying to write stories for every content in the game, and if you don't want to experience it, wait until there is a boost to skip past it or don't play it at all if you have a disdain for things that are in the game. Again, it's just a video game, so it's all optional.

[Miles064]

The entire game is optional. You don't have to play it if you don't want to.

Meanwhile, I like having a story, and if the dev starts making stories optional, I fear it's a slippery slope that will end up like WoW where there can be a raid that's just there without any story behind why you're there (Uldir for Alliance in BfA expansion). So, no thanks, I'd rather they keep trying to write stories for every content in the game, and if you don't want to experience it, wait until there is a boost to skip past it or don't play it at all if you have a disdain for things that are in the game. Again, it's just a video game, so it's all optional.

The Alliance didnt have a story for Uldir because Uldir was a Horde story. Uldir's story was pretty much the end of most of the Hordes leveling story. I stopped playing some time ago but I would assume the raid with the queen will be Alliance centered from the fact allys were the ones that dealt the most with it(stormsong vally comes to mind). Pretty much every dungeon I can think of in wow had a story that started outside of the dungeon and lead you to completing that dungeon too. Those stories just were not mandatory to go into them. All that story is there for those that care, but can be skipped for those that dont.

Keep the lvling story mandatory for ff14 but let players skip the max lvl stuff for past expac to go into the next ones lvling story imo. If you really want to know what happened in between, then it is still there to be completed and the rewards can still be gotten. For the current expac, leave it how it is with dungeons,raids,trials, etc being unlocked with the quests.