MSQ

[Arkevorkhat]

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'?

I'm curious what you define as essential.
I ran through ARR for the first time the day patch 5.3 dropped, and there were dozens of main story quests in A Realm Reborn alone that felt entirely gratuitous. Like watching a half-naked Roegadyn grovel at my feet for something he did some 40 quests prior. Or the many quests where I am a glorified courier, taking items to people who I never speak to again in MSQ nor Side Quests.

Or how about Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak, Cutters' Cry, Aurum Vale, and Dzemael Darkhold? Four dungeons that are required for character progression in some way or another during A Realm Reborn, and are among the most reviled duties in this entire game. Oh, and those four duties were also pulled forward from the abject failure that was 1.0.

[Tommara]

Or how about Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak, Cutters' Cry, Aurum Vale, and Dzemael Darkhold? Four dungeons that are required for character progression in some way or another during A Realm Reborn, and are among the most reviled duties in this entire game. Oh, and those four duties were also pulled forward from the abject failure that was 1.0.

Now here's a troll

Edited Note: or someone who paid for the level 80 upgrade. (No offense Arkevorkhat, just admiring the artistry ).

[Arkevorkhat]

Now here's a troll

Edited Note: or someone who bought the level 80 upgrade.

Nope, just someone who has played through all 4 dozens of times each, and has never once heard anyone say a single positive thing about any of them.
Thousand Maws is a MSQ dungeon. Aurum Vale and Dzemael Darkhold were both required for Grand Company progression. I will admit to being slightly mistaken about Cutter's Cry, since it's a side quest dungeon, however. They all just fade together because ARR sucked so hard for me as a new player.

Or are you referring to me calling 1.0 a failure? Because it was. Even the developers thought it was bad enough that it wasn't worth saving. There's a reason you cannot play 1.0 anymore.

[Tommara]

Nope, just someone who has played through all 4, and has never once heard anyone say a single positive thing about any of them.
Thousand Maws is a MSQ dungeon. Aurum Vale and Dzemael Darkhold were both required for Grand Company progression. I will admit to being slightly mistaken about Cutter's Cry, since it's a side quest dungeon, however. They all just fade together because ARR sucked so hard for me as a new player.

Or are you referring to me calling 1.0 a failure? Because it was. Even the developers thought it was bad enough that it wasn't worth saving. There's a reason you cannot play 1.0 anymore.

My apologies. All of them are really easy now, as are a all of the original dungeons. For me, it was Brayflox Longstop in the original days, trying to heal people standing in the poison.

[Arkevorkhat]

I mean, they're the same difficulty now that they were when I went through them the first time; remember, as I said in my first comment, I went through the game for the first time after 5.3, the patch that changed ARR and adjusted AV, among other things.

They're really not hard, you're right, but they felt really shoe-horned into modern FF14, compared to the dungeons that were created from whole cloth for ARR.

[TheMightyMollusk]

Or how about Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak, Cutters' Cry, Aurum Vale, and Dzemael Darkhold? Four dungeons that are required for character progression in some way or another during A Realm Reborn, and are among the most reviled duties in this entire game. Oh, and those four duties were also pulled forward from the abject failure that was 1.0.

Out of those, only Toto-Rak is actually required for the MSQ. The other three (and Halatali, Sunken Temple of Qarn, and Wanderer's Palace, for that matter) have hunt marks in them for Grand Company logs, but the Grand Company membership is never required beyond the first couple of quests to meet Biggs and Wedge and to get your mount license. They're side content.

[Arkevorkhat]

Out of those, only Toto-Rak is actually required for the MSQ. The other three (and Halatali, Sunken Temple of Qarn, and Wanderer's Palace, for that matter) have hunt marks in them for Grand Company logs, but the Grand Company membership is never required beyond the first couple of quests to meet Biggs and Wedge and to get your mount license. They're side content.

MSQ =/= Character Progression.
Besides, there's content locked behind GC ranks, housing being a big example, you have to be a Second Lieutenant in order to own property, including apartments and FC rooms, and that requires both AV and DD.

[Tommara]

MSQ =/= Character Progression.
Besides, there's content locked behind GC ranks, housing being a big example, you have to be a Second Lieutenant in order to own property, including apartments and FC rooms, and that requires both AV and DD.

You're right.

But those things aren't hard to do.

Housing in FF14 is not only savage, but just about bragging rights, decorating, and gardening.

Your time would be better spent crafting or harvesting, so you can afford to buy things from folks who spent hours/days, clicking on a sign.

[Shibi]

Your time would be better spent crafting or harvesting, so you can afford to buy things from folks who spent hours/days, clicking on a sign.

Crafting and gathering are also gated.

[Tommara]

Crafting and gathering are also gated.

Yep.

But I've got all of them around level 75, regardless that I don't have access to level 70+ zones, because of MSQ restrictions.

Because, as I said, "your time would be better spent crafting or harvesting..." And so now it's trivial for me to buy mats from the market, for my crafters to make something profitable from them. I have enough money and GC rank to buy a house, if only houses were more useful, and I was interested in decorating.

Except fishing. I've only leveled that to mid-60's, but almost solely by buying fish from other players, and giving them to my Grand Company for both levels and GC seals.