MSQ

[kiagenwa]

I don't know about that, really. I see a lot of people state that HW is so much better, but it's still more of the same. Especially so, if a player is not too interested in the story. In regards to this thread, the mandatory dungeons are (mostly) a joke, and have been nerfed. Neither do players have their full kit. If a player didn't like ARR, I seriously doubt HW is the place that will hook them.

That depends on what you look for in the game.
As you said, if the player skip all, then all content are more or less repetitive.

SE already offers us to skip MSQ to current expansion with a price.
I don't see any reason not to pay it if MSQ is pointless. You'd be wasting your game time otherwise.
It's not pay to win. It's just small convenience.

If SE offer unparalleled weapon to use in PvP, then that's another story.

[Tommara]

That depends on what you look for in the game.
As you said, if the player skip all, then all content are more or less repetitive.

SE already offers us to skip MSQ to current expansion with a price.
I don't see any reason not to pay it if MSQ is pointless. You'd be wasting your game time otherwise.
It's not pay to win. It's just small convenience.

If SE offer unparalleled weapon to use in PvP, then that's another story.

That logic only works for new MMO players who don't know any better.

Edited Note: There is a lot of free MMO content that is more fun than paying to avoid content that is not fun in an MMO. The Secret World/Legends comes to mind, for its story, although the end game is boring, after the story ends.

[linayar]

There is a lot of free MMO content that is more fun than paying to avoid content that is not fun in an MMO.

Then there is no problem. People are free to play those other contents if they think it's more fun than FFXIV's MSQ.

[Arkevorkhat]

SE already offers us to skip MSQ to current expansion with a price.
I don't see any reason not to pay it if MSQ is pointless. You'd be wasting your game time otherwise.

This is the real answer here, and the reason that most of the suggestions in this thread will never be implemented.

Square-enix has a financial incentive to make story skip books as appealing as possible, and so every change to the MSQ that makes it faster or easier is a potential skip book that they've potentially shot themselves in the foot on.

I'd bet money that the reason behind the ARR changes in 5.3 was that SE's management decided that the potential lost revenue from not having as many people skip ARR would be balanced out by an increase in people moving from free trial to paid accounts. There's little reason to devote development time to trimming ARR while simultaneously expanding the trial, outside of calculated financial incentive.

[Bright-Flower]

This is the real answer here, and the reason that most of the suggestions in this thread will never be implemented.

Square-enix has a financial incentive to make story skip books as appealing as possible, and so every change to the MSQ that makes it faster or easier is a potential skip book that they've potentially shot themselves in the foot on.

I'd bet money that the reason behind the ARR changes in 5.3 was that SE's management decided that the potential lost revenue from not having as many people skip ARR would be balanced out by an increase in people moving from free trial to paid accounts. There's little reason to devote development time to trimming ARR while simultaneously expanding the trial, outside of calculated financial incentive.

The reason to trim ARR, and the reason they DID trim ARR, was to increase new player retention of people going through that. New players are probably less likely to buy skips anyway compared to people with alts who don't want to bother with it anymore.

Whether ARR 'needs' any further trimming after what they did, I don't know. I haven't gone back to replay it.

But if you get a player to buy a boost, okay that's a one time purchase. If ARR makes someone quit however, and making changes would have gotten them to stick around, you keep getting money from them longer term.

[Arkevorkhat]

The reason to trim ARR, and the reason they DID trim ARR, was to increase new player retention of people going through that. New players are probably less likely to buy skips anyway compared to people with alts who don't want to bother with it anymore.

Whether ARR 'needs' any further trimming after what they did, I don't know. I haven't gone back to replay it.

But if you get a player to buy a boost, okay that's a one time purchase. If ARR makes someone quit however, and making changes would have gotten them to stick around, you keep getting money from them longer term.

Exactly.

In the end, as far as SE is concerned (though the dev team may well feel differently), whether people are having fun is basically irrelevant as long as they're paying sub and/or buying items off of the mog station.

[SturmChurro]

The reason to trim ARR, and the reason they DID trim ARR, was to increase new player retention of people going through that. New players are probably less likely to buy skips anyway compared to people with alts who don't want to bother with it anymore.

Whether ARR 'needs' any further trimming after what they did, I don't know. I haven't gone back to replay it.

But if you get a player to buy a boost, okay that's a one time purchase. If ARR makes someone quit however, and making changes would have gotten them to stick around, you keep getting money from them longer term.

Yep, a player's first impression is the most important. Many new players probably don't like the idea of paying for the game then having to spend even more money on boosts to skip said game. A good new player experience would retain more players, and players are payers in the long run.