Maybe we need a Cataclysm

[MicahZerrshia]

One idea? Just consign the old MSQ to NG+, and allow new characters to access it after they finish the new one up to X point. I'm intentionally not going to pick a breakpoint because all of them have good reasons for and against being used.

There is no real need to push it to New Game+, there are already very few rewards to the msq and NG+ would take even these away. If nothing else, keeping it intact would be a great way to level alt jobs for new players with the added bonus of the mounts, orchestrations, furnishing, etc. already included in them. And not add the extra work for the devs of trying to find alternate ways to open dungeons and anything else locked behind the msq, like primals and raids.

[linayar]

I think the most likely thing to happen is if we do see another calamity it will be somewhere that we haven't been to yet. As you have said SE have just revamped ARR. There is no way they will render all that work irrelevant by having a calamity remove that content. Also by having it somewhere we haven't been to yet means the places that players love stay intact. I recall in WoW's Cataclysm expansion many players were upset by how some of the zones changed.

And no I don't mean a calamity by ascian design, I just mean a large scale disaster in general. SE have more or less closed the book on ascian calamities, and I get the impression that a certain someone who was revealed at the end of 5.3 msq is more interested in seeing people suffer rather than just erase them entirely. You can't play with your toys if they're turned to dust.

Yeah, the only problem with tying systems change to that type of event is that it will only be applicable to the new zones.

If the OP wants a change that affects the entire game at all levels, then it would have to be its own change with no tie to any world event.

One idea? Just consign the old MSQ to NG+, and allow new characters to access it after they finish the new one up to X point. I'm intentionally not going to pick a breakpoint because all of them have good reasons for and against being used.

That could've been a plausible idea before 5.3.

With 5.3, there is the ARR revamp and HW is now part of the free trial. They're not going to move that much content to NG+ anytime soon.

[DragonFlyy]

First it's a calamity here. This isn't WoW.

And the only thing we need is to bring the Ascians/Garlemald story to a close. We don't need another world shattering event, just a closure to this already way to drug out storyline and the start of something new. With it they could introduce new systems and retire old ones. Could still keep the old storyline intact and have a new set of "starter" zones and just link them somehow early on so ppl have access to the original areas and stories as well as giving ppl the option to choose if they want to start in the new or old story.

Could even make coming back to the original areas a side quest that incorporate the original opening cutscene of coming to one of the 3 city states on the choco carriage.

So many possibilities.

[SavishSalacious]

Hi Toll, We already had one, as other have stated, we dont need another one. The original one was done to "end 1.0" and introduce 2.0. Bye troll.

[Cyreil]

No thanks.

[Arngrim_Greyashe]

Hi Toll, We already had one, as other have stated, we dont need another one. The original one was done to "end 1.0" and introduce 2.0. Bye troll.

I don't think you understand what a troll is with how freely you use it.

[kaynide]

Nothing wrong with OPs idea, not trolling etc. Just not sure how it would fit in believably.

We have a character with extensive (maybe) knowledge of future events, or if not access to machines/data about a possible future many generations later. Aka unless something drastically is different, we shouldn’t expect any significant losses, at least in our lifetimes. Or that our heroes will be victorious when faced with such odds.

On top of that, the first suffered its own cataclysm (warriors of darkness/flood of light), nearly ending all life as we know it (rejoining), so we literally just got done with averting the calamity to end all calamities.

From here, I do think the route is going to be whatever villains pop up want to end the world all together/destroy for the sake of destruction... but as said above we will just be victorious in stopping them.

[TheMightyMollusk]

We have a character with extensive (maybe) knowledge of future events, or if not access to machines/data about a possible future many generations later.

This should probably be in spoiler tags, seeing as it ties into the current latest story quests....

He has knowledge of a bad future that we've already averted. It's entirely irrelevant to where the story goes from here. And the technology to actually travel through time was left behind on the First, where it no longer functions anyway, since the Tycoon machine that controls it went berserk and had to be destroyed in the Twinning.

[Evrardoux]

Wow, the level of aggression and dismissal being flung into OP's face is astounding.

The games formula has been pretty stale since the start. He isn't wrong that it's tedious, pointless, and oftentimes even feels punishing to play the game beyond smacking your weekly currency goal because literally everything in the game is gated behind extraneous time-gated currency.

Does that mean the entire game is awful? No, the game is genuinely quite fun, but the system doesn't really improve the inherent joy felt by playing -- it harms it. This is exhibited across every single aspect of the game.

Combat Classes: Tomestone / Savage Grind, irrelevant gear after current cycle.
Gathering Classes: Scrip Grind, irrelevant gear after current cycle.
Crafting Classes: Scrip Grind, irrelevant gear after current cycle.

Now, this aggressive cycle is fine when there is a certain level of complementary content, but we've lost virtually all of that for what I feel is the most bald-faced basic, insect-like grind I've ever seen - The Firmament. I could make an entire thread on that alone.

It'd go a long way towards the games longevity if the team began designing content that remained relevant throughout the rest of the games lifespan - it's not like we have long. I theorize the game will go massively downhill after 5.4 unless Yoshi and co. suddenly decide content shouldn't fall off weeks after release.

A Calamity would be a great step in that direction. Perhaps we end up triggering the big rejoining and FFXIV's sequel is about life in the rejoined world.

[JohnSpawnVFX]

Wow, the level of aggression and dismissal being flung into OP's face is astounding.

The games formula has been pretty stale since the start. He isn't wrong that it's tedious, pointless, and oftentimes even feels punishing to play the game beyond smacking your weekly currency goal because literally everything in the game is gated behind extraneous time-gated currency.

Does that mean the entire game is awful? No, the game is genuinely quite fun, but the system doesn't really improve the inherent joy felt by playing -- it harms it. This is exhibited across every single aspect of the game.

Combat Classes: Tomestone / Savage Grind, irrelevant gear after current cycle.
Gathering Classes: Scrip Grind, irrelevant gear after current cycle.
Crafting Classes: Scrip Grind, irrelevant gear after current cycle.

Now, this aggressive cycle is fine when there is a certain level of complementary content, but we've lost virtually all of that for what I feel is the most bald-faced basic, insect-like grind I've ever seen - The Firmament. I could make an entire thread on that alone.

It'd go a long way towards the games longevity if the team began designing content that remained relevant throughout the rest of the games lifespan - it's not like we have long. I theorize the game will go massively downhill after 5.4 unless Yoshi and co. suddenly decide content shouldn't fall off weeks after release.

A Calamity would be a great step in that direction. Perhaps we end up triggering the big rejoining and FFXIV's sequel is about life in the rejoined world.

Ah yes, the answer for lack of content is depriving everyone of any and all content for 6 months or more.