This game is awesome... wish I’d tried it years ago

[Dmoloth]

I started playing just after Black Friday (after buying a new computer) and I just made it through the primary story arc of the base game yesterday. The overall story was great.

The use of cutscenes got a bit brutal in spots... particularly that last raid (seriously, that last raid and the follow up was borderline-crazy with clips). It still made for a great gaming experience though.

All dungeon experiences were completely drama free, which is amazing in itself. The crafting system is the best I have ever seen in a game... so much so that I leveled all 11 crafting and gathering classes into the low 50’s before I had even hit level 33 on my combat class.

There were a few things that I could criticize, but so far, those things have been fairly minor.

Great game.

[Mirassou]

So glad you like it! Yes there are some long cutscenes, but if you know they are coming and allot the time they are actually awesome. I am going to tell you, it will only get better, the story is totally freaking awesome, and I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I have.

Welcome!!!

[Dmoloth]

So glad you like it! Yes there are some long cutscenes, but if you know they are coming and allot the time they are actually awesome. I am going to tell you, it will only get better, the story is totally freaking awesome, and I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I have.

Welcome!!!

Thanks. Since starting the game, I have done some general reading about it. From what I can tell, most people seem to agree that the story gets better after the base game. Since I was pretty impressed with the base game, I am really looking forward to it.

[SDaemon]

I started playing just after Black Friday (after buying a new computer) and I just made it through the primary story arc of the base game yesterday. The overall story was great.

The use of cutscenes got a bit brutal in spots... particularly that last raid (seriously, that last raid and the follow up was borderline-crazy with clips). It still made for a great gaming experience though.

All dungeon experiences were completely drama free, which is amazing in itself. The crafting system is the best I have ever seen in a game... so much so that I leveled all 11 crafting and gathering classes into the low 50’s before I had even hit level 33 on my combat class.

There were a few things that I could criticize, but so far, those things have been fairly minor.

Great game.

After ARR they've toned down the use of cut-scenes like they did in the last parts of ARR. They still use them frequently but no where near as bad and typically with a warning ahead of time to tell you to set aside the time for it before it starts playing them.

[Dmoloth]

After ARR they've toned down the use of cut-scenes like they did in the last parts of ARR. They still use them frequently but no where near as bad and typically with a warning ahead of time to tell you to set aside the time for it before it starts playing them.

I’m pretty sure that I was out of combat (in a scene) longer that I was in combat during that last raid... then there was at least 15-20 more minutes of video after the raid ended. It was very cool, but after a while it was starting to wear thin. Ultimately worth it though.

[Iscah]

I’m pretty sure that I was out of combat (in a scene) longer that I was in combat during that last raid... then there was at least 15-20 more minutes of video after the raid ended. It was very cool, but after a while it was starting to wear thin. Ultimately worth it though.

Keep in mind that this is a JRPG as much as it's an MMO. I haven't played other MMOs to know how they normally handle things, but 15-20 minutes of cutscenes (or equivalent conversation) at the end of a game - after defeating the final boss and before the credits roll - is perfectly normal to me.

This is, essentially, an entire series of games. Now that you've cleared ARR, you'll be working through a series of patches that build up to another finale - with a warning that there are long cutscenes incoming - before you reach Heavensward. At the end of that game, again you'll get credits and another series of patch stories, building up to a second climax partway through (it's essentially the real ending to HW, after some things are left unfinished at the point when the credits roll) and then lead in to Stormblood. And again between Stormblood and Shadowbringers.

At each of these layers of patch cycles, you'll notice that a lot of new sidequests become available once you clear a main game's finale and credits. Some of them unlock single dungeons, others are entire story arcs which - while not required to progress the main story - sometimes feed back into it or at least get referenced later on. (Side note if you haven't already noticed: any quests with a blue 'plus' marker on the icon will unlock some kind of game content or feature.)

At this point you'll be able to pick up the quest "Legacy of Allag" in Mor Dhona, which leads to the Crystal Tower alliance raids - make sure you do that, because it becomes important for understanding some things later in the story.

[Penthea]

At this point you'll be able to pick up the quest "Legacy of Allag" in Mor Dhona, which leads to the Crystal Tower alliance raids - make sure you do that, because it becomes important for understanding some things later in the story.

For anyone who enjoys the story I cannot stress how important it is to do these quests. Later on in the story the events from there are essential for understanding some extremely important plot points.

I'm glad you're enjoying the game OP

[Dmoloth]

For anyone who enjoys the story I cannot stress how important it is to do these quests. Later on in the story the events from there are essential for understanding some extremely important plot points.

I'm glad you're enjoying the game OP

I made it to this point tonight. Ran the quest chain and opened up access to the alliance raid.

I doubt I will do the raid but I have access should I get the chance.

Thanks for the info!

[Frizze]

I’m pretty sure that I was out of combat (in a scene) longer that I was in combat during that last raid... then there was at least 15-20 more minutes of video after the raid ended. It was very cool, but after a while it was starting to wear thin. Ultimately worth it though.

The Praetorium instance(and to a lesser extent, Castrum Meridinum before it) are infamous for the number and length of the mid-instance cutscenes. Rest assured, this was a lesson that the devs learned from and you really dont run into it much going forward. Most instances from that point on will have an opening scene(usually just a quick flythrough), and a boss appearance scene, plus a super short victory dance scene. The longer story bits are usually taken care of before you join the instance, and after you leave.

As the others have mentioned the CT raids already, ill mention another. If you care, the Coils raid series offers a lot of interesting lore and really helps explain the calamity from a couple of angles. Now unlike the Tower raids that you can just que up for using the duty finder, the Coil raids were the hardest fights in the game at the time and took dedicated groups to clear back when they were relevant. These days they are mostly completed in unsynced groups made via the party finder tool. They do have a lot of cutscenes, but if you make a party specifically for it you shouldnt have trouble finding people willing to sit back and let you watch the scenes(helping new players through runs gets veterans a bonus, and 13 coil instances means 13 bonuses if they help you through the whole thing).

[Averax]

I’m pretty sure that I was out of combat (in a scene) longer that I was in combat during that last raid... then there was at least 15-20 more minutes of video after the raid ended. It was very cool, but after a while it was starting to wear thin. Ultimately worth it though.

Ah yes, the praetorium. For more experienced players it's an opportunity to open up whichever your preferred streaming service is tab back in every 10 minutes to do the next thing.