Since we got an expansion announcement coming. The preasure to repeat Shadowbringers.

[Puremallace]

I think SHB has the been the worst expansion by far, with HW being the best by far.

I really hope 6.0 isn't a repeat of the mess of job / encounter design that 5.0 and SE is willing to invest more resources into this game.

This seems to be an area where I might not have been clear enough. Obviously there are class design choices that have homogenized and made some classes boring. My primary focus is MMO developers who sacrifice story development to throw out nostalgia or something shiny.

It is the MMO developers equivalent of click bait. System design issues can be addressed obviously but what I care about along with a lot of people is a narrative driven MMO that remembers their core mission.

What I do not want to see is in 3 expansions going back to the first but 100 years ago before the Crystal Exarch arrived to fight the Ascians in an alternate timeline. I hope you get my drift.

[Tranquilmelody7]

This seems to be an area where I might not have been clear enough. Obviously there are class design choices that have homogenized and made some classes boring. My primary focus is MMO developers who sacrifice story development to throw out nostalgia or something shiny.

It is the MMO developers equivalent of click bait. System design issues can be addressed obviously but what I care about along with a lot of people is a narrative driven MMO that remembers their core mission.

What I do not want to see is in 3 expansions going back to the first but 100 years ago before the Crystal Exarch arrived to fight the Ascians in an alternate timeline. I hope you get my drift.

I understand.
Executing a narrative is critical for a game with storytelling as one of it's core tenants, as it cannot be redone or undone.

Also your last paragraph sounds like a plotline from Kingdom Hearts, so I can definitely sympathize with not wanting that.

[Kaurhz]

As far as the story goes, they've definitely set themselves an extraordinarily high standard, both in terms of maintaining and surpassing the storytelling which we've seen.

I'm not afraid of them falling shortly below the standard, but I am afraid of them absolutely botching it to Stormblood levels.

[Ranhansha]

This seems to be an area where I might not have been clear enough. Obviously there are class design choices that have homogenized and made some classes boring. My primary focus is MMO developers who sacrifice story development to throw out nostalgia or something shiny.

It is the MMO developers equivalent of click bait. System design issues can be addressed obviously but what I care about along with a lot of people is a narrative driven MMO that remembers their core mission.

What I do not want to see is in 3 expansions going back to the first but 100 years ago before the Crystal Exarch arrived to fight the Ascians in an alternate timeline. I hope you get my drift.

FFXIV: Warlords of Draenor?

[Grimr]

FFXIV: Warlords of Draenor?

Just no !!!!!! ( is that enough se ten characters??)

[Grimr]

The writers for WoW admitted they've been making up the story as they go along, unlike XIV that already had its story planned out past the conclusion of 6.x even before ShB dropped.

Regardless, I'm still a touch concerned the finale of the current story arc isn't going live up to the expectations.

Before chris metzen left blizzard, the story was accurate. Sure Cata and pandaria had issues but it was ok. Then WOD hit and it went to shit. Not playing a game that shits it's lore.

[Grimr]

Honestly i d take another HW or STB or ShB. ShB started out great but content kept getting cut. Sure hw had diadem but it was optional and it had plenty to do. Those dungeons were some of the best ff14 has to offer. I may have enjoyed STB less but it had dungeons deep dungeon, erueka, hunt trains etc. Now we come to ShB and while initially things are great. Then it takes it toll one dungeon per patch instead of 2. Bozja southern front only introduced at the tail end of 2020. It ends up being a gutted eureka, no tomestone capping here. (They prob knew it was going to turn out this way and had to make the relic work outside bozja) The list goes on to the point that i wish ShB would end alrdy. SE better be working on the expansion or something at this point to justify all the cut content.