why i quit before reaching endgame (feedback from a new player)

[Lunalepsy]

The game is very repetitive. They should let players explore the lore instead of holding our hands all the time.

[Kalise]

This might be good if its your first video game, but if youve played ANY other MMO, or any other RPG, really, the first 30 levels are awful. (Honestly, at this point you can ignore 1-60 and you'll be perfectly fine with knowing how things work by the time you're doing content thats relevant).

I've played MANY MMO's and RPG's and while XIV's early levels aren't great, they aren't the worst.

If anything, the MSQ helps detract from the fact that actual combat at those levels is utter garbage due to the ridiculously long GCD, the complete lack of skills and terribly spaced skills (DRG gets the start of their 2nd combo at level 6. The second part of it comes at level 38 and the 3rd part of it comes at level 50!)

Much of XIV's early gameplay, i.e. levels 1-50, would be much improved from an overhaul of skill distribution, if they could frontload more of a jobs overall skills into this level range to not only make the leveling experience better, but also mitigate the awfulness that is syncing down to having no skills available...

With some minor tweaks to the patch MSQ from after ARR and before HW to cut down on some of the waffle that goes on there...

The biggest lie current day MMO's want to sell you is that the journey matters, not the destination.

Actually, these days it's entirely the other way around. Current day MMO's are almost all unanimously focused on the "Get end game NOW!" style of play, with gratuitous experience gains, heavily streamlined quests and leveling progression, XP boosts upon XP boosts upon XP boosts etc.

It's one of the things that helps XIV stand out, the fact that it ISN'T just about getting to max level and that the Journey itself can actually be interesting and fun - Mostly if you care about the story.

Of course, much of this falls apart after you've leveled up your first job via MSQ and then you're left with 14 (Soon 16) other Jobs to level up and nothing but Duty/Deep Dungeon grinds to utilize... Since once you've done the MSQ, all that's left to do with other jobs is whatever end-game grinds are available (Such as Relics or farming out gear so that you can... Replace better gear when the next patch/expansion comes out)

Still, that initial leveling experience that comes with the MSQ can be a fantastic journey, one that many modern MMO's miss out on because they're overly reliant on ensuring that even newbies can get to "Relevant Content" by way of leveling up to max level as fast as possible and skipping much of the Gear Treadmill to get right into the newest content.

Which can be a fine way to make a game. There are many people whom might be burnt out on a particular game and want to quickly get back into their normal routine of end-game farming in a new game and thus, an MMO that focuses on enabling people to rush through is ideal for them.

However, there's something to be said about having MMO's where the Journey still retains that feeling everyone once had when they played their first MMO, where the goal was just to experience the game and have fun, before everything became about end-game farming, maximizing DPS, Raiding, Spamming mindless dungeons for currencies to purchase loot upgrades...

Since, end-game farm fests are a dime a dozen. There's a plethora of MMO's on the market with bunches of end-game Dungeons/Raids to farm out. Many of them flat out better than the meagre offering that XIV provides (Given it's so-so combat and clunky spaghetti codes)

[Physic]

You have a lvl 63 RDM and a level 57 SCH and you haven't done Akh Afah Amphitheatre which is a lvl 50 MSQ quest?

you outlevel msq easily, especially if you play in smaller bursts, and do leveling dungeon roulettes. MSQ is a very poorly designed content gate. I say this in terms of how well it tracks normal player progress and playstyle. There gets to be a growing backlog of content locks. Msq is pretty good at having a plot, and providing context, but its execution is not that good.

[Reap00]

All I see is BLAH BLAH BLAH. Do we need this type of MSQ/GCD bashing thread every week? The STORY WILL ALWAYS BE HERE. The GCD is 100% NECESSARY because of how the game works at cap. If you don't like it go play another game.

[Canadane]

"Endgame" consists of 4.5 fights and maybe an extra.
Slow the heck down and enjoy the story, those fights aren't exactly going anywhere, and there's not much too them.

Too many new players come from games where the story isn't anything special and there's emphasis on just getting to the end.
While that does exist in FFXIV to some extent, it's not nearly the same driving force as a new player may realize.

That being said, I don't reasonably expect a new player to actually be reading this post so I'm talking the aether, perhaps.

[Reap00]

"Endgame" consists of 4.5 fights and maybe an extra.
Slow the heck down and enjoy the story, those fights aren't exactly going anywhere, and there's not much too them.

Too many new players come from games where the story isn't anything special and there's emphasis on just getting to the end.
While that does exist in FFXIV to some extent, it's not nearly the same driving force as a new player may realize.

That being said, I don't reasonably expect a new player to actually be reading this post so I'm talking the aether, perhaps.

Precisely. People are so used to the way other garbage mmos are structured. They don't understand there is actually a great experience to be had on the journey. This game IS NOT all about the end game.

[Kalise]

The GCD is 100% NECESSARY because of how the game works at cap.

You mean... Mostly Melded/buffed by Abilities to reach about 2.0 GCD breakpoint?

Or ignored completely for jobs like BRD whom utilize many oGCD skills?

Or turned into flat 1.5 GCD's by jobs like MCH and RDM during certain burst windows?

You mean that kind of necessitation?

[Reap00]

You mean... Mostly Melded/buffed by Abilities to reach about 2.0 GCD breakpoint?

Or ignored completely for jobs like BRD whom utilize many oGCD skills?

Or turned into flat 1.5 GCD's by jobs like MCH and RDM during certain burst windows?

You mean that kind of necessitation?

Whatever makes you happy kid. If you don't like it get out.

[SerLuke]

this is not a jrpg formula.

Yes it is, its meant to be approached like a traditional JRPG/Final Fantasy title and enjoyed as such, an MMOJRPG if you will, but no not a traditional MMO.

[Physic]

ARR length is because there is 50 lvl to go before what was the endgame back then.
Expansion have only 10 lvl, no wonder it's shorter.

MSQ was not designed to be used how it is now. Each msq part had a different goal, which doesnt make as much sense when you are a new player coming into the game now.

arr msq- designed to be tutorial, story, lore meant to be done periodically as you level through other means, and figure out the game
post arr msq designed to introduce new content at a level 50 cap for years
heavensward msq- designed to focus primarily on one story while you level 10 levels.
post hw msq designed to introduce hw content for years and finish the story

etc


point is its very poorly designed for some of today's new players, who can learn faster from friends and guides than arr's forced tutorial bits, and level faster than players used to, then, every post expansion story line is designed not to progress you, and be only 2-4 hours of story for 40-hundreds of hours of gameplay until the next story is released.

essentially only the expansion story parts were designed to be done in a progression environment.

also, they have way too many story steps, where too many steps seem of miniscule value. Compare this to other rpgs, where the story seems to occur naturally, and it feels pretty jumpy.