Thread: 6.0 feature Wish list

• Airship content and ownership, personally Ideally not using their current housing system's infrastructure/backbone (ward system that comes with all the limitations and all that). Would be fine if it was beneficial to all by being a sort of mobile base (Garrison like, just be sure to avoid the issues WoW had and as well not abandon the content lol). Has wonderful potential in the concept of mobility and interacting with the game, like say choosing a background-scape or if you might potentially pilot/land it in new areas, fish off the bow, etc. [Thread]
• Chocobo content, revamp of the companion, new hot and cold with short and long term benefits (like it could have relationship to archelogy). Chocobo Paradise, etc. [Thread]
• Glamour log that if possible is more like an item log (in the sense that it is very comprehensive and also a bit collect-able in it's display, like WoW in some sense), something they originally began work on and then decided was too much and couldn't work.. would be nice to see that brought back lol. Made a compromise thread [here] (compromise in so much that it's comprehensive and powerful, but saves progress differently so it's more memory friendly- a system FFXI used in essence). Perhaps consider using accessories for far more options, and dynamic options, for characters (like having sunglasses and a hat on, or adding a badge to your outfit, or a satchel, potion bottle belt, etc), thread [here].
• Continue to update and add UI, especially unique UI elements- I quite like when they add unique UI for special quests, over the more standard interface, and also of course greatly appreciate their QoL efforts (like as they work on crafter UI). So I'd just like to see that concept not 'stop'. Like using their hunting log which is abandoned to now represent actual hunts ([thread]) and perhaps add new content around that hunt log concept. Or adding hotlinking to the quest tracker [thread]. I personally hope the map UI gets a pass over, I don't really love the way it exists- like an image viewer with transparency on the edges.. seems a bit 'beta' in presentation. Maybe sheathe / dismount also working as a draw / mount key (currently it draws, but if I held it then it would be cool if it mounted) [thread]. Smart hotkeys, like in MOBAs (HotS, LoL, DotA), where you can cast a target ground spell in one key press rather than two (press and hold key, may place where you wan, when you release the key it casts at said location), allowing you to efficiently and yet also with high control cast spells, this also could work for directional skills such that you could aim your dancer dash if you wanted with a line shot (but if you just tapped it could dash you simply in your facing direction)- hence "smart" hotkeys. A simple option in the smart hotkey section could ask if you want it to lock the spell at maximum casting distance (meaning if you had your mouse in a direction too far away it would cast in that direction at the maximum distance instead, of course if you held your spell down you would see that information as it would be locked to you in a range radius).
• Chocobo, Airship, whatever, I'd like to see long term projects on a more personal scale, this is already honestly a content in the game and just more of me saying "that, but more if possible". Say for example the Pixie beast tribe, that was quite cool, or Doma Reconstruction (except the doma reconstruction while fun to see the stages was pretty straight forward / generic in the actual progression, so in the doma example I mean "that, but quite a bit more" lol). I feel if they did personal airships that this would be a fair content concept for that. Or if they had like a player ran hamlet. There should be either shared or some content like this for FCs / community as well of course (but to note I want to have my 'own' airship, it's okay if FC get battlecruiser size but I'd hope I could get my own lol), if it's server / location based like Ishgard though I do wish they make it shared (but if it's FC based then whatever, if you wanted to start progress over then just join a new FC lol). Shared for server as in the server would determine the max possible state of the area but your own personal progression would determine the actual step active (so the active community has to work together, and gets to see it grow together, but a new player can get to see that progress too). Other ideas might be like your squadron getting a revamp, with new campaign maps and expedition content- like you could go into a dungeon with your squadron to create an outpost, which then you need to fortify by sending them on missions back there (after you and them went together to clear out and set camp), turning in donations could accelerate that, as you unlock camps, outposts, caravans, and other infrastructure you gain new features both to the squadron but as well to your character (beyond obvious stuff like perhaps airship gear or cosmetic stuff like mounts) you could do something cool like unlock a special mining area that restocks every week, or construct a forge in the depths of some lava cave that affords you special crafting benefits on your metal related jobs (and or new recipes). Having a lord sort of content may also be a fun segue into some Dynasty Warrior like combat moments, if SE wanted to go that wild with it all.
• Emphasis on exploration, expanding their system and values of things to find and do in the world (like finding a bottle on the coast that begins a quest as one random example). Maybe a more complex examples might be mega-leve which acts as a sort of huge madlib quest that takes you on a huge multi-zone journey but the reward will clearly be worth it (perhaps select-able to help with that concept), due to the once every X "time frame" nature the reward can be pretty substantial and yet not require an asinine amount of grind. New ways to approach the game, some just being novel shallow experiences but just introducing ways to interact with the game space. Might consider secret quests as well, like players may notice one of the pilgrimage stones glowing on a certain day, then find when they pray with their ring on the stone pulses for a period, all of this building into just generating a sense of existence, having fun with the environment (and the players) by creating interactions some of which may puzzle players others which may actually be puzzles (/hidden quests). Perhaps there is a skeleton in a cave with narration akin to some classic crpgs (like planescape), describing how the skeleton seems to be attempting to say something if they just weren't so dead lol- and some player may figure to drop (discard item) a phoenix down at the spot which revives them and begins some short or long adventure. The chocobo hot and cold / archeology could be a good content example for this. I've thought a museum in that final zone of ShB, ran by one of the npcs who might have ran sort of concept in the past, could be a neat system as well - perhaps as a kind of beast tribe like system (with the content idea of being remember us, and everything, and to perhaps maintain some stability of the area as the magic owner who first cast the illusion is. . . . missing lol).
• While I see it very difficult for end game balance, and may need to be offed into progression only (rather than end game), I'd love to see gear have something to it more than bland numbers. Like boots that have you run faster after casting a spell, or whatever weird cool thing. One idea was that perhaps the B ranks are made to be scale-able to the player and could drop some progression gear at a challenge (progression meaning end game tomestone gear would be much better, but given the moment you pick it up it would be quite good till that end game treadmill begins).
• New Jobs naturally, personally would love to see a dark theme'd transformation based job inspired by stuff like Vincent (FF7) or Dante (Devil May Cry). In general I hope for something creative and or a bit obscure over more obvious picks, at least as one of the options. So evidence that they were challenging themselves to make something wild and new vs following a strict checklist of the more standard jobs they must add (that isn't to say they should never do that- would be a weird game without a BLM or WHM lol, just hope to see one of the jobs act against that). [Thread]
• Limited jobs become advanced jobs, and continue to be produced. Consider adding advanced features to other jobs, make the concept a thing in general. For example Bard's musical instruments can be considered part of the advanced features. Dancer could gain a composition of dance system. Or the obvious comment on blue mage where these Advanced jobs (more than a job that has some 'advanced features') would be designed from the onset to be both 'normal' and 'limited'. The normal and limited portion do not need to arrive at the same time (perhaps a way to get back to three jobs an expansion, introduce a job limited, then at the expansion introduce two fully fledged normal jobs, near the end of the expansion introduce a new limited job, then finally at the very end make the previous limited job 'advanced' / complete). As their designs interweave between normal and limited so they can create a fluid picture, where things pick and drop off. For example you might have blue mage who runs about learning spells, exactly as we have now, yet also there would be a subset of those spells being required for DF (a kit that is designed both to be mechanically pleasing and yet balanced), due to their faster leveling and clever placement of skills blue mage would be able to in a bit of an unorthodox way be on equal if not quite different footing to other normal jobs (have to build yourself, MUST have x skills to be in DF, but the task is very achieve-able due to thoughtful design, yet also the limited side is allowed to both exist and continue to expand as well as take large benefit from the existence of the normal side, all this can function logically through "flipping" the job stone as if it was double sided). So you might see puppetmaster or beastmaster follow suit, with beastmaster they may have a whole sheparding like doh/dol system and very unique monsters and mechanics to play with but when they approach into DF they would be a bit like WoW's hunter. In that archetypes are selected from your own pets (can still have your own pet you raised, but they would follow a balanced archetype for obvious reasons). You may see this similar to how PvP functions already, something they've done for every job that is allowed into PvP. Advanced features being encouraged for all jobs, where they make sense and can add cool flare (like Dragoon should get special jump skills imo, no fall damage, jump higher or a jump mount for example), meanwhile advanced jobs don't follow any sense of normal progression but their end game DF side is still very well balanced (like beastmaster may level through most of it's doh/dol actions).
• Concept mentioned here and there above but in general a sense of things fitting more with functional (and perhaps superficial) role play contents. Like Dragoon not having fall damage because it makes sense, even if they get one extra ability because they do because "that's what makes sense and makes you feel like you are a dragoon". I think it would be neat to see this represented via a sphere grid like merit system that is strictly role play and cosmetic based, for example dark knight could unlock the shadowy HW effect for their darkside effect rather than the red aura, or Dragoon spending exp to get half fall damage at 30 and no fall damage at 50. Bard could buy new instruments. Ninja would see new doors and chests placed throughout the world that needed you to be able to lockpick it, naturally some chests might not be locked for everyone's benefit. You may even have it such that you unlock the merit skills at a fair price that grows of course depending on what, but then for an astronomical price you could then unlock the feature cross job for those who need super massive long term benefits. This merit experience would never get you kicked out of your ultimate or whatever content, because it wouldn't affect that stuff, but could provide both long and semi-medium term progression on top of the job itself and as discussed add some nice elements of roleplay.. Really feeling like you inhabit the job you are currently. If the exp is sphere grid wide (get exp on one job use it on another) then it's all fine but if it's job specific then there should be some sort of 'general' grid and conversion rate so jobs that have less spheres can take advantage of that and make it still worth getting (general tab being naturally the general one, might add camp fire for example as one of them, an epic very expensive option example might be gaining the flying animation that you use during your time with the mother crystal in cutscenes- where you fly about like superman kind of).
• Outside of the above roleplay concepts built into jobs also into the world space, like you might come across camp fires (lit or unlit), sit down by them to gain a buff, etc. You could find an unlit campfire, start it up, and as part of the living world content design shows some recipes that can be made with ingredients within the zone and give you benefits while you're there (perhaps 2 or 3 recipes, each with their own value, like offense, defense, and exploration, exploration might do something nice like increase your exp / merit exp - to not take away too much from cooking but still be something you could cook easily on the fly, important for the fluid feeling, they could add optional 'pair with' at the end which extends the duration of your standard cooking items). I've long wished NPCs might contact us through linkshell or mail, just to give a sense that communication isn't always "me going to them" and to add to that living vibe. One of the most unimportant standout moments to me in WoW was when an NPC sent me a thank you note in the mail a day after I completed the quest with a little reward. I was like "wot.... wow... that was awesome!". This may seed into the whole FATE level system where it says you make an area safer, but you don't really see that- would be cool to see a new npc caravan, or a shop open up, etc. FATE system may interweave with MSQ / Beast tribe in so much a change in the zone may hold off for a particular major event in the story or beast tribe, but then when you reach that tier of the zone (fate system) you might see related changes like the kobold perhaps expanding their settlement and adding platforms that wrap around to the Limsa camp so they can safely meet. Thread on the FATE system / expansion [here].
• As much as possible, perhaps more so as going forward, if a new mmo isn't being made, sharpen the movement controls and collision boxes, some of the jumping puzzles are uniquely frustrating because of nonsense collision boxes lol. I've not spent loads of time with GW2 but what I've tested / saw was something I think the team should look at and try to improve to / past. (Of course WoW, for the most part, is famous for some pretty sharp controls as well). Not saying this to say things are awful and are generally not an issue, but occasionally you're like "that shouldn't have happened, that just didn't feel good".
• Avoid so straight forward enemies like Zenos, hopefully they become less like evil incarnate OR at least get a reason for it. Like Ex-Death lol. (if one came about recently just want to add a disclaimer I'm a bit behind, as I now play in waves- used to be on top of it all but my job is pretty busy and getting time to sit down for longer than 15 minutes isn't that common these days, time to write a post but not to finish a dungeon and watch the cutscenes that follow lol).
• Summoner continue to get cool primal things, very hopefully new primal content themselves, and perhaps either a soft remix or a super sayian sort of stepping stone moment where the job in general 'evolves'. Such that say bio become a primal like burning, either related to the egi out or just spells become primal infused, even perhaps the egi upgrading their imagery to be a bit demi like (doesn't need to be all the way, just more substantial than currently - like Aion has 'tiers' for their summoner). I know people talk about the glamour system on it but I'd prefer each primal had an actual voice in their use rather than "different colors of the same actions". So like SMN raise may become phoenix infused, their cure carbuncle related, etc. You may see a new system for egi that encourages some rotation but also adds new egi, and each egi as some extra personality to them. Like to return Titan's tanky vibe he gains his hp back and 'covers' the summoner, new mechanics relating to that. Say Shiva might be added and yet rather than being an ifrit replacement she has some CC features. Of course with a general system in place that encourages rotation so you're not always "ifrit for X, Garuda for y, never use Z egi unless you're dumb" lol.
• Some violin, horn, percussion - difficulty pointing at a specific song but say avoiding piano in a piece, thinking of Lord of the Rings, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, certain tracks from Ghibli movies (Joe Hisaishi), certain race music in WoW. This is not a negative comment against the current music in any way, as it's very enjoyable, if it was more of exactly the same that would be fine lol, I am however just listing a desire to hear more of "x".
• Use raid to tell the story of something pertinent to the MSQ in some epic fashion. Like whether in a dream or actuality if we assault the Garlean empire, that being told across multiple raids could be awesome (and allow using a lot of resources to make crazy set pieces). If there are concerns for story can always add trust story mode where the rewards are either removed or capped at like once per week ('current tier' excluded), then players could not worry about being stuck in MSQ because no one wants to do X (also can help new players with certain modified mechanics / npcs knowing what to do, as I've seen a few raids fail because ONE party, you know who you are C! lol, failed mechanics that caused everyone to fail no matter everyone else was doing well... which is less an issue for current raids but when they get old enough people seem determined to ignore all mechanics even if they shouldn't be). Also not a negative comment on Nier, they've done some interesting things with it, just feel like it would be nice if the progress in concept made in the raid applied to the MSQ more, like if we were clearing out Sil'Dih in a sort of Dante's Inferno theme'd raid which had direct implications to features you unlock and the game's MSQ. Or whatever lol.

Most pipe dream would be I'd love to see FF in general have a wildstar like housing system, if not FFXIV perhaps the next one. Given the general fantasy vibe FF produces, I feel an unlocked toolkit like that would be insane in the players hands. Producing their own chocobo farms, magical caverns, home lost to time, dreamscapes, floating island, beautiful shore base, wide stretching grassland plains hut, cities both future and past style, etc. Of course it has a nice fitting feeling given the lore of FFXIV too (creation magic).

Originally Posted by Aniya_Estlihn

We'll never get this, but we are getting a stat squish in the next expansion; as Yoshida said pre-Shadowbringers that it would happen in 6.0, so they'll simplify things that way. You can't really "take" the levels away, but you can squish stats so we're not getting into the ridiculous numbers we currently have, and seemingly would have in 6.0.

WoW has done multiple stat squishes and even a level squish and they still can't get things balanced correctly. I hope that this dev team handles the stat squish better.