MSQ

[Tommara]

...how long did you play? Because tedium here has nothing on tedium there. EQ didn't have instanced dungeons (until LDoN) or roulettes (which maybe they've added at some point since it's still getting new content). Plus we don't have to stand in front of an NPC /saying 20 combinations of a phrase until we find the right one to start a quest. A little filler here and there is nothing, and they have gotten better at reducing fetch quests and making what we do engaging.

Also, there are things that seem to be side items that become incredibly relevant to the story later on. I want to avoid spoilers, but there is something in the current MSQ related to Alisaie that is like that. CT was like that, before it was made required. Shadowbringers has all kinds of this sort of thing. We may not understand the significance when we first see it, but they often wind back around to those subtle little threads they put out early on in the game. So this "filler" cannot be a sidequest.

How long did I play EQ, is that what you meant? I first started playing EQ when it was in beta. I made my first character the day it was officially released. For about 3-4 years after that, I played it so much, that I was one of the players that made Evercrack a meme, but tapered off to take breaks by playing Anarchy Online, Star Wars Galaxy, Asheron's Call, Earth and Beyond, Horizons, Dark Age of Camelot, City of Heroes, Final Fantasy XI, etc.

All of which had a tedium of their own.

What makes FFXIV unique in the tedium department, is that it's gated tedium, which is mostly done solo. Which is all I really meant by bringing up EQ. Yes, EQ is the most tedious MMO to play ever, which is why I brought it up to begin with.

Because EQ wasn't gated by quests. Despite it's name, Everquest didn't have a lot of quests and what quests you managed to find were optional. We instead, spent most of our time leveling together. Grinding our levels, for sure, but always with other people whenever we had a chance.

Unlike FFXIV, which gates access to each expansion by the MSQ.

I am not saying those quests are unimportant for the story. I believe they are, else I would have paid to skip them.

But for those who'd rather skip or postpone the 80-ish (78?) level 50 ARR MSQs just to play Heavensward, there should be another option rather than paying to skip them.

Edited Note: My only reason for mentioning EQ and other old school MMOs was to make clear that my tolerance for tedium is very high. But it also created an intolerance for tedium. I'm not alone in that opinion. One of my EQ friends has abandoned FF14 because of the ARR MSQ, and I think another EQ friend is about to leave FFXIV, while with only 4 MSQs before they can play Heavensward.

By EQ standards, we were not a raiding guild. But in hindsight, the fact that we frequently played together in 2 or 3 groups would qualify as a raiding guild in any other game.