MSQ Needs Further Condensing

[SturmChurro]

How shall I put this?

Perhaps the number of players who stay for the story greatly outweighs the number of players who might stop because the story is too long? Perhaps the company has metrics that you cannot see beyond a wild guess based on gut feelings? Perhaps the core audience for the game enjoys going through each MSQ?

And maybe, just maybe, it doesn't really take 'centuries' to go through the MSQ to max level on a single job and more players enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

You can say "I don't like it, and I'm quitting because it's too long". Anecdotally, you can say "I invited 10 friends to play the free trial, and they all lost interest around level 40".

I wouldn't recommend this game to a friend solely based on current content. Many of my friends prefer table-top RPGs when we want to play together.

I agree. SE may really just prefer to cater to a base rather than a potential larger audience, and continue to go down the safe formulaic heaven that is their patch cycle. Considering everything they do outside that formula the community seems to largely DISLIKE, it makes sense. Why not just cater to this base? When they will staunchly defend whatever is handed to them. no criticism, little feedback. Requiring players to spend... what was it.. two weeks, or 24 hours just to get through ARR alone (which is supposedly a short amount of time, lol), or be given the gracious opportunity of spending $25 for a story skip, if they want to get to endgame - Rather where more of the game actually opens up, not JUST endgame content.

Specifically catering to that base certainly makes sense with all the trash fan service they seem to be packing into their plotlines as of late. "G'raha Tia at your service", and the awful gaia/ryne story arc. I'm tired of this teenage trash, I wish they would get back to actual plotlines. I'd rather see more of cartoon villian Zenos than suffer through G'raha Tia - I hope Zenos cuts him in half.

As they say, "this game just isn't for them", amirite?

[Jojoya]

That is too long to expect a new player to sit through before they get to the "good part."

Except end game isn't the "good part". The good part is the journey, which is why so many players who rush through as they tunnel vision end game will go back to start over. They realize they had actually been skipping the good part.

End game is just filler waiting for the next segment of the good part to be released.

[Reyketi]

Except end game isn't the "good part".

Says who? You?

The good part is the journey

Please define this nebulous "journey" we're always patronized with.

will go back to start over. They realize they had actually been skipping the good part.

Nothing says "good" like having to shorten your leveling experience because it's that much of a barrier for new customers, and or people dislike it so much.

You do understand that you are in the minority, here? SE, and Blizzard have both reduced the time it takes to reach level cap, that means their customers aren't enjoying it, as much as you think they are.

End game is just filler waiting for the next segment of the good part to be released.

Says who? You?

What keeps players coming back? If this assertion were reflective of material reality, you'd expect the sub numbers to completely tank during the post leveling/MSQ "end game" content. They don't. The sub numbers drop if there isn't more "end game" content.

This isn't new information.

Best Wishes

-Reyketi

[van_arn]

Except end game isn't the "good part". The good part is the journey, which is why so many players who rush through as they tunnel vision end game will go back to start over. They realize they had actually been skipping the good part.

End game is just filler waiting for the next segment of the good part to be released.

The current expansion is "the good part." That's not endgame. Content balance in earlier eras is a pale shadow of what they were when they were current, and there's no way to experience that content as intended outside of perhaps faux hollows.

Min ilvl helps, but it doesn't fix the class changes or new jobs added the content wasn't designed for.

Perhaps if the earlier game weren't nerfed into oblivion you'd have a point, but that's not the case. While a player might enjoy Praetorium's cutscenes, the fights are trash in comparison to what they were originally. A scholar can now carry damage in Castrum with one button mashed now thanks to stat and job changes, for example.

Say what you'd like about cutscenes, but the fights are retired content until you reach Shadowbringers. That's fading fast, and it's a long road of dead content to even get there.

[Reyketi]

See, to these ppl - that's the problem. too much meat. They want to bypass dinner and go straight to desert.

The MSQ can be likened to an undercooked porkchop.

There are varying qualities of meat.

I prefer filet mignon, as opposed to the undercooked porkchop.

Best Wishes

-Reyketi