FFXIV is becoming a grind fest with little enjoyment.

[Felmyst]

So I feel kind of bad about what the game is staying. Do not take me wrong, I love this MMO RPG. My server has an awesome community! I enjoy it the roleplaying and getting on high level content and leveling different job to vary my game play.

But the big thing FFXIV lack of is side campaign... Like XI had. I mean sure the side story quest like Hildebrand are cool, but truly it is months of wait for for just 15-20 minutes of comedy. Besides logging on go do roulettes and daily beast tribes (with the ARR tribe still not buffed for rep like Vanu) Well there is not much to do. Relic is cool but it is just grinding. It could have been an adventure instead established on a long journey for example.

It just feel really dull... It is a MMO RPG and it feels like playing a single player iPhone app game where you come do your few click and pugs dungeon. I'd rather do stuff with my friends.. Not only dungeons with strangers who can't even be courteous because they try to rush their relic grind. Hell...people don't even bother explaining first timers anymore in Alexander or Expert / 60 roulette. Come on!

[Magis]

Grinds aren't the problem (MMOs are literally built on "the grind"), it's just the reward to them doesn't make it worth it and the activity that you are doing is so brainless that it feels like assembly line work... monotonous and repetitive.

[Evangela]

Grinds aren't the problem (MMOs are literally built on "the grind"), it's just the reward to them doesn't make it worth it and the activity that you are doing is so brainless that it feels like assembly line work... monotonous and repetitive.

Doesn't mean it's a good thing in MMO. It's the reason why MMO is not as popular as it used to be in early 2000's anymore. Games like DotA, LoL, HoN, Counter-Strike keep the players playing the games because it's very fun to play, while MMOs in the other hand are still trying to keep the players with time-sinking content. I want to see FFXIV to be the MMO that make people subscribe because of its entertaining content, not just repeat the same mistakes that other MMOs done.

[FeliAiko]

Becoming? It's been this way even before HW launch. Difference is more people were tolerant then because they figured SE would switch things up after (understandably) playing it safe with 2.x. Yoshi's comments alluding to such helped to reinforce that belief, but now since HW its just been more of the same - exemplified in particular with the Anima quest.

[Yukiko]

Becoming? It's been this way even before HW launch. Difference is more people were tolerant then because they figured SE would switch things up after (understandably) playing it safe with 2.x. Yoshi's comments alluding to such helped to reinforce that belief, but now since HW its just been more of the same - exemplified in particular with the Anima quest.

^this

Hope dies last, but SE has stapped it with many daggers...
grind is not grind, why do you think asian players are turning their backs to FFXIV and play other JRPGs?
You like grinding, then come to FFXIV, we have it -> Sorry but if it comes to grinding there are games out there with better mechanics!

[FudoMyoo]

Sorry but if it comes to grinding there are games out there with better mechanics!

List a few for me please. Thank you.

[Duuude007]

Take up gathering and crafting. Its a whole different experience.

Also, the fact you get 12 allowances a day allows you to very quickly earn rep in beast tribes. As opposed to strictly 6 a day we once had.

[Nalien]

XIV very much wastes its content... In my head;

• Hunts are replaced by Temple Levequests. Mark Bills/open world zergfest earn you some Seals, you use those Seals to access Mark Levequests, Mark Levequests spawn your own Hunt mob, for you to take on with whatever recommended party size. The encounter can be balanced, rather than a bullet sponge (who in their right mind is promoting this as a solution to Hunts?). The build up can actually be something like a Hunt, rather than the server calling in an orbital strike. They can even work on a proper hierarchy, something similar to XIs Zeni NMs, because who in their right mind is arguing against the addition of a Pandemonium Warden? Hunts then retain their 3.0 use of being the source of tomestone upgrade items, except now they're fun to do.
  
• Beast Tribe zones are open world dungeons. High level enemies and FATEs that you'd want to group up with to tackle (remember when Yoshida said Heavensward beast tribe areas would be dangerous and we'd probably want to party for them?). Rewards with various tiers of Coffer Keys. Coffers reward various things. Bonus: Beast Tribe Dailies get you Coffer Keys instead, so naturally Coffers could contain Unidentified items.
  
• Guildhest got an "endgame" equivalent, that required certain items to enter. Somewhat similar in nature to XIs BCNM series of content. This would provide a lasting use for old content, as the entry items can be added to old content. You'd have a special "Guildhest" you can enter with a drop from Ifrit, or a different encounter from Crystal Tower, and so on. Somewhat similar also to maps, except not open world, since that provides a better playground for more interesting mechanics and encounters. Both this and Beast Tribe zones are highly Relic progression related, as well as misc rewards like minions, perhaps some aetherial level gear similar to Diadem (but by no means as high as Diadem).
  
• Diadem would have an absolute claim system. Regular enemies would not be ridiculous bullet sponges. NMs would have more interesting spawn requirements, primarily pop items. This would also make Gathering more of an activity in Diadem, Gathering could yield pop items, it could be a pop requirement, it could also yield temporary items to help you in combat. Similar to Zeni NMs there would also be a hierarchy, except your progress is wiped upon exit. This gives your run a solid goal throughout, ideally there would be two separate paths you could go with this, so runs could have some variety (somewhat similar to Limbus; do you work on popping Proto-Ultima or Proto-Omega?).
  
• Grand Companies are given a weekly server standing, which nets members access to various rewards. On top of this, Hamlet Defense is reintroduced, with new open world Hamlets. A Grand Companies weekly standing would be based upon various pieces of content completed by members; Grand Company Levequests (now including 2.0 Hunts), Hamlet Defense success, daily turn ins, Frontlines success, etc. Items currently purchased with Company Seals would be moved to either Gil (crafting materials/etc.) or Hunt Seals (gear), with the price and availability being dependent on weekly standing position. Company Seals instead determine Grand Company Rank, when you cap, you're ready to rank up. Rising through the ranks is also story driven, rather than the pathetic "quests" we got for the current ranks.

Instead, what do we have;

• Levequests and Guildhests are dead concepts. Instanced content in open world environments that can potentially have interesting mechanics? Sod that. Who'd enjoy that at endgame when they can wail on Bune for all of the 5 seconds he is up and be rewarded like a king?
  
• Hunts and Diadem are mindless zergfests against bullet sponge enemies, something creatures feeding off the bottom of the barrel look down upon...
  
• Grand Companies have zero relevance and at this point are just a limitless wellspring of Retainer Ventures...

[Galibier]

The "grind" could be intentional though. I read a lot about people complaining about the "grind" here, but then in other games that don't do as well now I remember seeing all of the complaints, when they still had a lot of players, of it being a "WoW Clone." MMORPGs have always been kinda niche. Even WoW when it first came out did things to set itself apart from the other MMOs out there. Now the market is just about saturated and, with rare exceptions, most actively try/tried to chase WoW in one way or another. We see how that went.

So maybe, due to those failures, this is just a way of saying "hey we don't want to try and take players who like WoW, we want players who are turned off by WoW." I know I find what many call a grind here downright refreshing after the changes to EQ2, then RIFT and SWTOR. Not to say SE is doing as good a job as they could, but there could be a method to it all.

[Callback]

The "grind" could be intentional though. I read a lot about people complaining about the "grind" here, but then in other games that don't do as well now I remember seeing all of the complaints, when they still had a lot of players, of it being a "WoW Clone." MMORPGs have always been kinda niche. Even WoW when it first came out did things to set itself apart from the other MMOs out there. Now the market is just about saturated and, with rare exceptions, most actively try/tried to chase WoW in one way or another. We see how that went.

So maybe, due to those failures, this is just a way of saying "hey we don't want to try and take players who like WoW, we want players who are turned off by WoW." I know I find what many call a grind here downright refreshing after the changes to EQ2, then RIFT and SWTOR. Not to say SE is doing as good a job as they could, but there could be a method to it all.

But XIV is a WoW clone. The combat system is a carbon-copy. It's super boring, and I think the only reason this game wasn't DoA was because of the console versions duping those people who haven't had the experience to learn better into thinking it had something interesting to offer.