Shadowbringers - How can we fix this?

[Varushkin]

I would like to start this thread by addressing Yoshi-P.

Yoshida-san,

I have played Final Fantasy XIV for a very long time and I've personally praised you on more than one occasions for bringing this glorious game back from the place it came from. To that end, I will always cherish the time I've spent playing, building friendships and bragging about how I feel this MMO has solved the itch that no other MMO has.

Thank You!

With that being said however, I feel like this recent turn of events has left me feeling a little put off by the changes that Shadowbringers has brought. I myself, have played every class up to level 60 at least and some even up to level 70 with Stormblood. I am very much aware of the so called player skill gap between newer and older players such as myself. I have even taken it upon myself to teach those players who have a lesser understanding just to bring them closer to my skill level. Apparently this is not enough to get away from the over casualization of the game.

I don't believe that it is right to essentially bring those players who have taken the time to learn the intricacies of their preferred roles and bring them down to only doing one thing. I'm referring to the healers specifically with this point. I for one was very much so looking forward to the days of seeing myself dole out 4k plus DPS as a Scholar. While this may not be as high as some other players it was a milestone in my own mind. However, with these changes I feel like we'd would be lucky to achieve 1k DPS while maintaining the parties health.

So let's look at this from the newer players perspective for a moment. It is entirely up to that player to determine how much or how little effort they want to put into a game like this. If they want to become better at the job that they play they will put forth that effort. Likewise if they only want to loaf around and just see the sites that's on them.

Taking away the complexity of any job isn't the answer to this conundrum. I am only bringing this up because through your work and the work of your entire team at Square Enix's headquarters in Japan. You have made an HUGE impact on the community at large. That same community that is driven to being the most welcoming of newer players and even returning players. I've never come across another MMO community that has been this "well behaved", most of the time. I can and will acknowledge the faults of the so called "toxic" players out there. Surely though they can't make up the majority of this community?

I'll leave this thread to that same community that I've been talking about. Let them be heard and with a lot of love and a little effort. We can make this expansion the expansion it needs to be.

[Arrhin]

I think it's wholly possible to have those complexities and still only do one role. When I first started in ARR 2.0 you had to use your entire toolkit as a mitigative healer to keep your Tank, and Party alive...never mind kick to Cleric Stance and drop some deeps. I mean it happened...but no one was bloody parsin ya. But it was still fun, balancing resources, watchin and learnin mechanics, mindin whether ya needed Eos or Selene fer that part. A SCH that did not Faerie swap was a bad, bad thing. But, alas, things was different then and we gotta lie in the beds that are made. Do I like the recent changes? No. Why? It's too simple, when they simplified and lowered the healing load we at least could really weave in some dps, have summat to do (ABC's!). Now...now it feels like spam Physick, spam Faerie buffs, spam Broil III...and that's it. Truly now healing feels broken, not because of the loss of dps skills, but because it's BORING. I mean I really should reserve judgement till 80, but hell's, it's a forumn <.< And I don buy this whole "casuals like it this way and we reserve the uber hard stuffs for the elite among you" BS. I was elite, I hadn't the time to play as much anymore so I went all casual. I'm an average player as far as gear etc now....content...it is far to easy...faaaar toooo eeeaaasy. We ain't askin fer Savage here, but lets take it up a couple notches please?

[Krotoan]

We ain't askin fer Savage here, but lets take it up a couple notches please?

Every time they "kick it up" a little on MSQ required content, people complain until the content is nerfed.

[Varushkin]

Some times you need to get your teeth kicked in... How else would we know that we need to improve on anything in life?

[Enla]

Every time they "kick it up" a little on MSQ required content, people complain until the content is nerfed.

RIP original Steps of Faith, you were fun... ):

[supergiz]

Some times you need to get your teeth kicked in... How else would we know that we need to improve on anything in life?

Thing is this is a videogame. I'm happy they dumbed it down and I'm sure these changes are going to bring in more players. For most people this isn't the only game they play and they have a life outside the game.

I'm also very pleased with the simplifying of bard. I'm enjoying content much more now that I'm actually looking at the battle and not staring at my UI the entire time waiting for straight shot proc to be up again.

[ScarboroughFairy]

Every time they "kick it up" a little on MSQ required content, people complain until the content is nerfed.

Ah...I remember when people lost their minds reaching Shinryu, complaining that the fight was overtuned. Glad they stuck with their guns and kept it the way it was.

[splinter1545]

Ah...I remember when people lost their minds reaching Shinryu, complaining that the fight was overtuned. Glad they stuck with their guns and kept it the way it was.

Same with Nidhogg. I'm still curious how people struggled with that fight, as there was nothing remotely difficult about it that I can recall.

[Krotoan]

Same with Nidhogg. I'm still curious how people struggled with that fight, as there was nothing remotely difficult about it that I can recall.

The constant thread I see with instances people have difficulty with is having to pay attention and remember more than 2 mechanics. Once you pass that threshhold you get people just standing in stuff because they cannot remember what it does.

[SamSmoot]

My compxexity has gone UP. Instead of a 3-step combo with 3 different endings, I how have three more 2-step combos, and two extra mudras to pick from (at 80)
I'm still trying to sort out how to fit in what I have now at 73, and I'm not sure how I'll manage it all at 80.