MSQ

[Tommara]

Having done MSQ at least three times, twice pre and once post patch changes, i found the ARR setup well paced and enjoyable. What you dismiss as "filler" has important elements that cant and should not be skipped as unimportant sidequests

The leadup to Heavensward, the missions prior to Stormblood are essential for the integrity of the entire experience, the msq prior to Shadowbringers should not be missed under any circumstances as it is essential for the storyline

Curious: What do you see as "filler'?

80 quests before you can play Heavensward. Some are interesting story, most could be moved to side quests.

[MistakeNot]

80 quests before you can play Heavensward. Some are interesting story, most could be moved to side quests.

No. No, most of it couldn't be moved to side quests. Some of it could of course be made a bit shorter and more streamlined, but very little of it could be outright removed from the MSQ.

[Shibi]

No. No, most of it couldn't be moved to side quests. Some of it could of course be made a bit shorter and more streamlined, but very little of it could be outright removed from the MSQ.

I don't really see the purpose of things like ... "Forsooth, I need cheese, and wine for my party. Runeth to wineport and collect me a bottle, then runneth to the goblin and get some cheesy scrapings from his underwear".

I mean, i understand they open up things like Brayflox, but surely the warrior of light could get a more engaging story to enter the Longstop, than "get me some gobbiecheese so we can have a party".

Same with minfilia's deliveroo orders over linkshell. Running back and forth to do the most menial boring tasks. I was glad to see the end of her.

[wereotter]

80 quests before you can play Heavensward. Some are interesting story, most could be moved to side quests.

Having played through all the story to this point, and having replayed ARR since the culling of the quests, sure there's a lot of quests in there, but very little is just filler at this point. In fact, I'd counter that there's more filler in the quests within and immediately following Heavesnward have more fluff than ARR at this point. Like there's a whole series of quests in Heavensward about how Emmanellain can't seem to take no as an answer from Laniaitte feels more like side quest filler than anything that has any relevance to the main quest... and that's just one example.

[Shougun]

Having played through all the story to this point, and having replayed ARR since the culling of the quests, sure there's a lot of quests in there, but very little is just filler at this point. In fact, I'd counter that there's more filler in the quests within and immediately following Heavesnward have more fluff than ARR at this point. Like there's a whole series of quests in Heavensward about how Emmanellain can't seem to take no as an answer from Laniaitte feels more like side quest filler than anything that has any relevance to the main quest... and that's just one example.

Haven't done it since the trimming, are those, imo, annoying food and 'go fetch Minfila' quests still there? I'm aware they were trying to say you start out as a nobody, but personally at the time they were current content I still found those quests very "I don't care, I reeaaallly don't care". I try to read everything, unless massively sleepy or too immersive accent lol (I do not like Limsa pirate talk .. XD, if it was spoken I bet I would love it though), but some of those quests had me a bit eye rolling "this is clearly side quest material, kill 10 basement rats". In a more polished single player setting they would often have nice comedy and "pizzazz" (or not exist at all), but I'd not give those quests that award of great moments of levity (I know someone was making the example of contrast, which is a good thing to be considerate of, might see that in like a Ghibli film where they spend some time looking at the environment for zen, but I don't think the moment was good enough to call it a good use of zen). Maybe semi goofy but purely memorable (for myself) by how annoying they were- they really felt like "go pick up the book on the shelf opposite to me". Some of that may have lended to why I felt Minifila was just whatever, taskmaster sure.. and perhaps realistically so, but I'm trying to play a game not experience the hyper-realistic internal growth of the coffee boy rising up through the ranks lol. You can tell that story more excitingly, and still not miss the notes of starting out as a small town boy (thankfully this phase fades, for the most part, they happen less and are more memorable in good ways later- I think it was last expansion had a really cute dinner moment).

If most of that was trimmed, then that's amazing lol.

Though I still stand by the collective amount, regardless of any trimming, in the long run, is going to be an issue. Say, as at least Yoshida has said so much, they keep FFXIV the flagship- meaning maybe another 5 years at least. Give each expansion 50 hours, if you're not beelining, ignoring everything else, and skipping all the cutscenes / dialog, and ARR which is a bit longer like 75 hours (or more). 75 + 50 + 50 + 50 = 225 hours to get to Endwalker. Hey Endwalker does cap off all those previous hours though, so that's good. So + 50 more though to the next expansion where it should be starting a new story. 275 hours. You can watch Friends, the entire collection, twice, before you could catch up to current content. I wouldn't be too shocked if they don't do something about this in Endwalker, especially given they're giving away ARR and HW for free, but I would really be baffled if they did it for 7.0. Some of 'the best' single player games to have ever existed, where every moment is a treasurable moment, take less time to 100%.

[wereotter]

If most of that was trimmed, then that's amazing lol. .

Oh for sure. There are far fewer quests and many quests that are there also had the number of steps within them cut down. I can think of an example around level 25? There's a bartender in South Shroud that wants you to throw a bucket of cold water on one of the drunken patrons. Originally this quest involved going behind the bar, interacting with the bucket to pick it up, interacting with a point in the stream to put the bucket down, interacting with the bucket to fill it with water, interacting with it again to pick it up, then interacting with the patron to throw the water on him. Now, the bartender just gives you the bucket full of water to go throw on him.

The quest is still a bit filler-y in the "before I help you, I want you to help me" kind of way, but they cut down the time it took to do it dramatically.

Another one that really upset me was a 2.1 quest where you spent several quests helping F'lhaminn make a bottle of perfume before she'll agree to follow you to go see her daughter. Now when you find her, she mentions that she wants that perfume before going to see her, but then says that she doesn't need your help and will just pick it up on the way, cutting out all those quests where you were out gathering water and picking flowers, which was absolutely filler fluff. They maybe could do more... but I think they did a fine job so far and potentially they could look to other expansions now to see what can be cut back.

[Shougun]

Oh for sure. There are far fewer quests and many quests that are there also had the number of steps within them cut down. I can think of an example around level 25? There's a bartender in South Shroud that wants you to throw a bucket of cold water on one of the drunken patrons. Originally this quest involved going behind the bar, interacting with the bucket to pick it up, interacting with a point in the stream to put the bucket down, interacting with the bucket to fill it with water, interacting with it again to pick it up, then interacting with the patron to throw the water on him. Now, the bartender just gives you the bucket full of water to go throw on him.

The quest is still a bit filler-y in the "before I help you, I want you to help me" kind of way, but they cut down the time it took to do it dramatically.

Another one that really upset me was a 2.1 quest where you spent several quests helping F'lhaminn make a bottle of perfume before she'll agree to follow you to go see her daughter. Now when you find her, she mentions that she wants that perfume before going to see her, but then says that she doesn't need your help and will just pick it up on the way, cutting out all those quests where you were out gathering water and picking flowers, which was absolutely filler fluff. They maybe could do more... but I think they did a fine job so far and potentially they could look to other expansions now to see what can be cut back.

Then indeed, amazing. I've always held for those who know they're into story that it's well worth then to do the story, and basically gain ~230 movies worth of content for a small price- and this makes that better (concern still for the grand scope as we move into 7.0, that's a HUGE wall, but at least the story pacing is going to feel nice until we get there). Where logical continuing to do that could help too. There were a lot of great moments, but stuff like that .. was not as much so lol. It made a lot of sense at the time, they were really trying hard to remake the game and had to get in a lot of content and all this criteria. They've even said themselves one thing they've learned is that the length is not as important as if it's fun. Filler to be filled is not great. So there is a dinner in later expansions but the tone and use of that meeting is so different (good contrast vs 'filler contrast').

Also you're giving me delivery ptsd mentioning these quests lol. Everybody wants my hot body for it's inexhaustible teleporting anima stores @_@, deliver the cupcakes yourself!!!