What this game should do to increase longevity

[linay]

That's exactly what I meant, something similar to WoW. Problem at the moments is that it isn't practical to use a level boost because you need to have experienced character development and story of ARR and older expansions to either enjoy or understand the latest expansion, which is why I suggest this storyline with scions and garleans etc should end so we can start with something new story wise in future expansion which doesn't require previous story in order to be understood or enjoyed, so that a level boost would make sense.

Well, that's what they're doing, at least with the Ascian part, in Shadowbringers. But they can't start completely fresh unless you have another calamity or something like that or it would be jarring for existing players. They have to end each of the major plot points as they go. So, Ascian now, and maybe Garlean next expansion (unless it also ends this expansion).

I don't know about the free level boosts, though, as I don't like the idea of encouraging story skips. I think new characters can just start at a later date than older characters if they properly setup the story to be able to converge the two together (like those who started in 1.0 vs those who started in 2.0).

[AnimaAnimus]

But they can't start completely fresh unless you have another calamity or something like that or it would be jarring for existing players.

They actually could. You don't need the world to be nearly destroyed to start a new storyline. The new one could run parallel to this one or even open when you hit level 30 or something. Have a new area open and travel there where we get caught up in some new msq shenanigans. There are so many ways to open up a new storyline that has nothing to do with the current one. The garleans are not world encompassing after all, just in our little corner of it. I am sure other nations know whats going on, but it would be akin to the American civil war when you live in India.

This would also give people who are not maxed out across the board new ways to level and open the door to something different than our standard dungeons, primals and 24 man raids. There is literally no limit to what they could do.

[linay]

They actually could. You don't need the world to be nearly destroyed to start a new storyline. The new one could run parallel to this one or even open when you hit level 30 or something. Have a new area open and travel there where we get caught up in some new msq shenanigans. There are so many ways to open up a new storyline that has nothing to do with the current one. The garleans are not world encompassing after all, just in our little corner of it. I am sure other nations know whats going on, but it would be akin to the American civil war when you live in India.

This would also give people who are not maxed out across the board new ways to level and open the door to something different than our standard dungeons, primals and 24 man raids. There is literally no limit to what they could do.

And that would be jarring because you're potentially leaving plot points unresolved or you'll mess with the timeline of the story too much.

[AnimaAnimus]

And that would be jarring because you're potentially leaving plot points unresolved or you'll mess with the timeline of the story too much.

Not if each story was its own thing. Going back to my previous example. If you wrote a book about a political coop or existential threat set in India that was happened in the same time line as the US Civil War, how could there possibly be any unresolved plot points? Even if the main protagonist was American, there would be no cross over because the story you are reading occurs completely in India.

Many games handle story telling like this and it actually works incredibly well.

What I'm hearing is basically. Stop the main story and just make a different story. That in no way adds longevity.

Conclude. No one is asking them to just stop it bluntly. Just bring it to a conclusion so we can have something a bit more refreshing than "ascians did it" "garlemald did it" or "allagans did it". Every story needs to have a conclusion, otherwise you get the author adding ridiculous things to keep the story flowing. This is why many TV shows are stopping after 3 or 4 seasons even if they are highly popular. Because they have a natural stopping point and if they just keep adding and adding it becomes convoluted and actually destroys the story they wanted to tell.

[linay]

Not if each story was its own thing. Going back to my previous example. If you wrote a book about a political coop or existential threat set in India that was happened in the same time line as the US Civil War, how could there possibly be any unresolved plot points? Even if the main protagonist was American, there would be no cross over because the story you are reading occurs completely in India.

Many games handle story telling like this and it actually works incredibly well.

I'm thinking from the present state where there is an overarching story. If they manage to resolve everything, then we can start fresh.

That said, I also wouldn't like it if every expansion is self-contained with nothing to link from one expansion to the next. They can do it after every few expansions, but there should be continuation and even recurring characters and such between several of the expansions.

[SamRF]

I'm thinking from the present state where there is an overarching story. If they manage to resolve everything, then we can start fresh.

That said, I also wouldn't like it if every expansion is self-contained with nothing to link from one expansion to the next. They can do it after every few expansions, but there should be continuation and even recurring characters and such between several of the expansions.

I'd say have 2 or maybe 3 expansions for 1 saga. Give free level boost to the start of each saga. E.g. current saga ends at 6.0 --> 2nd saga starts 6.0 and will end 8.0 --> only give free boost to start of 6.0, even when current expac is 7.0.

Boost to the start of latest saga, not the latest expansion.