FFXIV is too simplistic and bland

[Daniolaut]

Don't let his half-baked suggestions on gear traits give you the wrong idea, FFXI is highly dependent on player skill as well. You can't just throw on a full set of +1 armor and solo fights or anything, the stat boosts and trait boosts augment inherent traits of the job(s) that can equip them to make them more potent but definitely not overpowered or to serve as an Easy Button.

That being said this game could use some manner of customization but at this point I feel it's all but impossible due to the trinity system and the knife's edge balance the devs have set down.

Hello, welcome to Final Fantasy XIV!


I just want to start off saying, I hope you have many adventures in Eorzea, but I'm sorry to inform you, I am not baking any thing.

As for gear and other things I mentioned, there was a patch, or expansion, or revamp, you can choose to call it what you like, in August of 2013, it was called "A Realm Reborn."

During this time, that I will be calling version 2.0 or just 2.0, they had a quest line for weapons called Zodiac weapons. With the zodiac weapons, players were capable of customizing their weapons. This is what I was referring to, so if you were experienced with FFXIV you would be very familiar with this system.

The weapons did not have, what we experienced players call "sub stats." This is the 3rd and 4th stats you find on a weapon, typically stats such as Critical hit, and Determination. Over time they have changed these, for example, instead of "Direct hit" Damage dealer jobs used to have accuracy. For tanks it was Parry, and parry was changed to what we have now, tenacity. A bit of a fun history lesson! Instead the players had to obtain materia, and alexandrite to customize their weapon! With the exclusion of alexandrite, and how over time materia has become absolutely worthless, they could return this system, without the alexandrite of course, just the materia, and players could customize their gear and equipment! This would also slightly bring up the value of materia! All only positives!

With that aside, I did not mention gear traits, I mentioned job traits.

Also back in 2.0, players have what was called cross class actions. This was encouragement for players to level multiple jobs and classes. When they made changes over time, this system failed to work properly so they changed it to what we have now, the role actions system.

So basically players no longer are encouraged or benefited in any real way outside of the default armory experience boost system. Which if you're also unfamiliar with that, its a system when you level your first class to say level 50, you get a bonus of 50% experience points to all jobs until they reach level 50.

What I propose here, is what I mentioned very specifically was like with Ninja, a job currently in the game that you unlock after leveling rouge to level 30 and completing the subsequent job quest, it has an action called mug. Mug is currently is a level 15 rouge action that when used on an open world enemy, it will increase the chance that the specific item that enemy drops, can have a higher rate chance of dropping the item.

So to explain what I proposed, is NIN, or Ninja, would have a trait, that when you reach say level 30 the % increases. Then when you reach level 50, the % increases again, then when you reach say level 75, it increases again, then by the time we have 2 more expansions released, and players are capable of leveling to say level 99, the % will be maxed out at possibly an awesome 100% drop rate. This would make NIN more interesting and would give reason and encouragement for a person who plays the game more regularly would find benefit to leveling NIN specifically!

Then I added suggestions for other jobs. Such as lets say PLD would give a character trait to an overall % in gear damage reduction. Then I mentioned DRK, similarly to NIN, having a trait that can 1 shot open world mobs.

As for your confusion over FFXIV requiring skill, I mentioned already, that boss' are all scripted. This means when you fight a boss, you know exactly when a boss is going to use a very specific action. In fact, if you become a "master" at such a fight, you can literally know which exact button in your jobs action/damage rotation that the boss will execute an action. It is a memory game. There is literally no skill required, its simply a memory system.

Outside of boss fights, such as while in the open world, or while doing quests, the battles across most all systems, the engagement, or difficulty is absolutely trivial. It is very possible to stand in all AoE attacks and just use auto attack for many open world monsters. If you so much as just press 1 button or 2, the enemies will die even faster and you might not even fall below 90% HP.


Lastly, also if you were not aware, the original relics, those zodiac weapons I referred to, those used to be called "Zenith +1." They also have, if you visit your grand company, I believe you might know what that is already, if not you can google it, but its a place where you can buy gear. There if you examine the level 50 gear, you will notice they have 2 systems available that FFXIV has not expanded on or used since 2.0. Those two systems are what is called "gear set bonus'" as well as "Sanction." These two systems can create interesting and fun character gear development. Unfortunately for ease of gear creation, FFXIV has discontinued these. But here in this thread, I am pointing out the negative effects of such choices.

Lastly if you're not aware. FFXIV announced they have around 1 million subscribers:
https://luckybancho.ldblog.jp/archives/53486418.html

This was last year.

FFXIV also announced they reached over 20 million accounts/players.
https://www.pcgamesn.com/final-fanta...v-player-count

If you view the lodestone, and are familiar with how it works. When you view a character profile it has a number. The number starts at 1 then goes to however many characters have been created since the launch of FFXIV 2.0 which was in August of 2013. Currently there are over 30 million characters.

What this means, is over 20 million players have tried FFXIV and only 1 million or so actively play it. This means, FFXIV has lost over 18 million possible players. I am here saying if FFXIV put more time into doing things that keep the game from being trivial, and more options (optional, not required, player choice) to be engaging, that subscription number would be closer to the accounts created! At least thats what I would like to see. I know many others love to tell players to quit once they "burn out." I am not part of this mindset, so I get a bit of ... "disagreement" from the masses.

[SilverObi]

sheer audacity

I appreciate your commitment to putting so much sass into such a long winded response that doesn't say much to someone playing since 1.0.

I have agreed with you in the past on certain points regarding the depth of various systems in this game but XI and XIV are too different at this point and like DrWho2010 says above while player choice was a thing to a degree, you were only hamstringing yourself if you didn't do the optimal build. I'd argue a better example for you to throw out would be 2.0 MNK being able to spot tank with Fists of Earth, Featherfoot, and its class-based HP restoration abilities to represent a way that options could enhance gameplay or depth.

Even XI had optimal gearsets for each job and I'd argue that it does so even more in its current form, the key difference being the ability to swap gear in combat. If we couldn't do that there then we would've very likely seen the same style of gear progression.

And let's not be facetious regarding XIV's difficulty. Yes there is a dance to learn or a script to memorize but if you can't do that or have a difficult time doing so...surprise that IS difficulty. Don't forget how several bosses in XI had semi-scripted battles that you had to learn to optimize your actions between and failing to do so would get your tank OHKO'd or some other manner of run-ending result.

I do support your stance that this game could be better than it is now, but it comes down to what you personally feel this game needs to be improved. And it is perfectly fine to walk away from the game to get perspective or appreciation for what it does right more than focusing on what it does wrong (realtime ferry rides PLEASE YOSHI-P I BEG YOU). Just don't be so combative even if folks come at you in such a manner.

[DrWho2010]

i doubt the servers could handle 20 million ppl being on all at the same time everywhere around the world.

as for the 2.x relic, the substats there was only ever one proper "correct" build. anything else was just gimping yourself. it was an illusion of choice.

cross class skill actions were a hindrance if you didn't have the time or will/desire to level other jobs. hence the change to the way it is today. granted now that the game vomits exp at you we could probably go back to it, but eh it is what it is now. systems evolve over time. they should not stay stagnant.

100% mug ability? pfft. that is too op. it would never happen.

This game's fights require no skill? go home you're drunk.

Open world mobs are dangerous on expac launches. once you're geared up then you're safe again. system works as intended.

[OdysseusGR]

to long to read. i enjoy the game as is and i don’t need any changes. if you think this product is not for you move on, because if it changes it might not be for me.

[Absurdity]

if you think this product is not for you move on, because if it changes it might not be for me.

Regardless of whether or not he's right, that's a nonsensical argument that I've seen brought up so many times and it should just go away already.

[Conando]

Wait, how is GNB limited? It’s the most fleshed out tank after the simplifying of the role.

[Daniolaut]

Wait, how is GNB limited? It’s the most fleshed out tank after the simplifying of the role.

Good question!

Imagine if Gunbreaker had unique traits or actions!

Meaning, what if there was a reason to play GNB instead of DRK outside of FFLogs/aesthetics!

What if all 4 tanks were perfectly balanced, but they each had unique features outside of aesthetics?

One example of this could be:

PLD Job trait: Level 30 1% reduction to gear durability loss. Level 50 Reduction of 3% gear durability loss., level 57 Reduction of 4% gear durability loss. etc.
WAR: Job trait: Level 30 increase of 1% food duration. Level 48 increase of 3% food duration. etc.
DRK: Job trait: level 50 Edge of Darkness enhancement 20% chance death effect to open world mobs only. ++ as you level
GNB: Job trait: Level 45 Triple Triad card acquisition rate +10%, Level 55 Triple Triad card acquisition rate + 20% ++ as you level!

This makes jobs more unique without changing anything balance wise.

Then taking that even further, what if there were super difficult and engaging side quests to unlock these traits so they became tied to your character (after leveling the job for the said trait of course) so you didnt have to be on that job specifically to use the acquired trait!

What this type of system would do, is it would 1: encourage the player to level said job to obtain said stat/trait, then to do the optional quests, to allow full access to said traits!

FFXIV could do many many things, instead its in super safe easy mode.

[Sauteed]

I understand about a game no longer being for someone and playing something else. I think what the OP is getting at is they came to the FF series early on and enjoyed the games by and large on the whole.
I am not as loyal to the FF series, I think some really SUCKED, can't stand them, can't believe they were even made and released as is, and people can even remotely look at them and find them entertaining or whatever else or view them as good games. To list a few I hated beyond imagining, Final Fantasy 5, Final Fantasy 12, Final Fantasy 13, Final Fantasy X-2, some of the FFT spin off stuff.. I also did not like IX, like that is one I will not replay or even look back on fondly, I thought it sucked, big time.. but I didn't hate it. I played it through but never like made it a point to beat Ozma or any of that. I thought well, it was a weak point in the series, it'll redeem itself.. So I came across X some time later, and liked it well enough. I did not like the voice acting. But I enjoyed it. I did not beat everything in the 'extras' category of the game, but I did do quite a bit of the monster hunting and sphere grid stuff. I got to XII and was like oh boy, this sucks. It was like an offline MMO, with all the bad elements of MMO's and the pacing of a dead not good while it was a live race horse.. This was the game that caused me to make a forum account on a gaming forum to voice my concern, and people chased me with their little digitial pitch forks and torches to try and beat my viewpoints into their little shapes and mindsets but I was unphazed. I completely even to this day hold that XII in the FF series was a massive down turn in terms of game design and game play. Story and character writing also completely sucked in my view. Like I will hold no punches when talking of that game. It's garbage in my honest opinion and I was like if they release another game like this, I'm pretty well done with the series... On to, XIII.. which was in every single way MUCH more inferior even to XII save for some of the graphical elements.. And I say SOME because in a lot of ways I feel everything was lesser than XII. Less visually appealing to me that is. Character customization also much less involved, even the control you have over your "active" character seemed lesser. Less resource management, less interesting character design, just everything was pretty much horrible, again in my honest opinion. I hated it. At that point I told myself, never again with the offline ff series.. I've not played XV and never will. I doubt I'd play it if it was freely given to me.

XIV on the other hand, has fun content, and I completely feel the story while it started semi - ok and not good by any stretch of the imagination, fell completely apart for me by the time we're into ShB, and I've completely lost interest in that. It's kind of a useless waste of time and effort trying to make sense of it in my opinion, and any "cool" hopes or thoughts into seems to blast off into the most eefus idiotic dumbness I could ever imagine it spinning into. All things pertaining to Zenos are just absolutely fantastical blunders of story telling, I'm convinced the character was written up by some dev's child and out of a sense of love possibly trying to encourage the child they took what was written up and tried to cram it into the story so they didn't make their kid feel bad? That's about the best way I can explain my view of how the character is. Ran'jit, Vaulthry, Emet Selch, and the current Ascian stuff along with Elidibus has been for me the most like unengaging and ridiculous stuff I've seen in Fantasy in my nearly 40 years of life. Vaulthry (not evne sure I'm spelling that right) sits atop the stack as the best of the worst tho, in that he seemed the most in place of them all. I feel like the whole crystal exarch thing was like a huge how far from left field can we take the plot and roll with it. The entire ShB storyline to me is just shambles, and an excuse to take us to some other completely different world build. Some of the zones I like more than others, but on the whole just don't care for the First and all it's "stuff". But this is just my personal views, I don't expect everyone to feel this way, but I honestly fail to see how people can say "the best story evar!!!" or best ff story etc. As basic and not fleshed out as Final Fantasy 6 was, at the time it really left an impression on me and yes I saw the allusions to Star Wars in some of it, and hammy writing in some places, and I was in my teens at the time and I was the epitome teen fanboism that is typically associated with the age group in a lot of ways. So I get that some people may feel passionately about this game. Like the actual term esper to me was some cool new term! It wasn't until some time later the term was drawn from Extra Sensory Perception 'er Or ESP'er.. I played Phantasy Star II on the Sega Genesis, many years ago, and the term ESPER is in that too, a guy named Lux on the 2nd planet there is an ESPER, so the term is not a FF only term.

Back to the point I was sorta kinda getting at tho, I can understand wanting to let the OP know that hey it's ok not to like a game, and it might even a bit misguided to come on the forums and expect to set some Bunsen burners under the devs um.. buns and get some "positive" encouragement going amongst them. But I can also understand where the OP is coming from as well. For a lot of newer gamers XI just flat sucks. Big time. For me personally XI is great, I loved it. I loved it before Abyssea, and just can't get invested in the modern incarnation. But for what few things I still enjoy about XIV, I play for. And when it gets to that same point that I just kind of view XI in, I'll find something else. There are only a few things I still like about XIV, and for what I do like about it, I'll just continue enjoying til they eventually "mess" that up too. But my enthusiasm is fading over it. The housing situation needs help. The closer we get to "ishgard" being rebuilt, the more I realize they probably really are going to ham that up and release it in the same way Goblet, Shirogane, Lavender Beds, and The Mist is with limited amounts of plots and people viciously gobbling them up and leaving a large portion of hopefuls out in the dust.

Additional stuff I'm not slightly stoked for in XIV = pvp, side content cutting up and tossing in the fire like hard mode dungeons, "Dwarves" being called a beast tribe (racist to lala confirmation! > _ >) music direction in general, there's still a few gems showing up at times, and Zenos/Fandaniel plotline probably gonna equate to me slamming escape when cut scenes show up. Which isn't good for a 'story driven' mmorpg. Lack of world based objectives is starting to set in.

I like the how fates in the first work, I like a few things about how gathering works, but outside of that, HUNTS and the way those are handled suck in implementation. More and more people seem to complain about needing mega beef computers just to load in before a hunt is felled, and people complain of toxic behavior and exploits revolving around the system. I don't care because the drip feed method of gearing up to me is completely irrelevant and boring in the first place, which is well, bad. Boring is probably the main sin of games that needs to be seriously addressed. And a lot of the game to me is kind of boring, but what I like, makes up for it. It isn't that this is some Final Fantasy game that I like. I'd say the things I like about Final Fantasy games in general are absent and have been absent from the series for going on a decade or more. This whole new wave of stuff they seem to toss in these games is like the complete opposite of what I want in a video game at all. And to kind of go a step further, I saw the trailer for XVI and thought it was kind of just not good at all or remotely interesting to me. So, I guess I'm not even a FF fan now. I like MMO's tho, for their social aspects. And XIV has a way of kind of removing that more and more in all the content it has been releasing lately. Maybe not completely, but seems that it is finding ways to get around the multi-player aspects more and more. Anyhow enough of my rambling.

[Ravenblade1979]

*claps* interesting high quality bait. You can deny and say it's not but it is.

Let's face it. The game became geared to casuals because they make up the huge bulk of the subscribers. That iant saying they dont give content for those wanting more but you gotta work for it.

Like seriously. End of the day this game is a bit to old for the complete overhaul you think it should have simple because you wanna relive the glory of the ffxi days.

Which by the way is still active and you can sub too

[Xatsh]

The FFXI is still there argument does not work. They overhauled ffxi, so sorta a different game then it use to be. Can't really go back to it if you want to play what most say when they want "FFXI". Would be like saying classic WoW and Current WoW are the exact same game just one has less content. FFXI current and Pre-abysea are the same situation, same theme but drastically different play style, feel, and focus.

But yes FFXIV is probably the most causal focused mmo on the market, and it is ungodly simplistic, overly casual, and dumbed down to the point of a major fault. The game is almost 100% revolving around glamour, mount farming, and vanity at this point. but it is way too old to do any major overhauls though as it would take a rework of almost everything to unsimplify it and add some unique things, depth, and any kind of player choice. It honestly has the same problem WoW had in BfA and legion and such had. Only different is the story in FFXIV is drastically better, and it is even more casual focused.

The main reason it will not change though is Yoshida. He does not want a full deep and complex mmo. The player choice, risk vs reward, large guilds, huge open world, rare loot farming, strong economy, complex classes and so on. He wants a casual, highly polished co-op themepark style ff game that is designed for people who have very little game time to play.

And for those people with families, 10-20hrs of max game time a week, or those wanting something they can just log into and log out of without any commitment FFXIV is the best choice of a mmo style game atm. An overhaul at this point would cause alot of the playerbase to quit, because most the players of this game after all these years are extremely casual players who want this style of game. There was alot more hardcore player back in ARR's day but they either moved on and quit entirely, or they log in for major raid patches play for a few months then unsub for a half a year.

Tldr; FFXIV is not a game that has Depth and Complexity and it is that way by design. If you like it keep playing if not go elsewhere because the devs made it clear this style game was their intent.