Former WoW player: Suggested changes to FFXIV Raiding end-game

[VirusOnline]

Disclaimer - I actually quit WoW back in Cataclysm, and have been playing FFXIV since day 1 of ARR 2.0. Sorry for the clickbait title! I absolutely love this game for its story, its world, and much prefer the gameplay over WoW's combat system.

But I wanted to give my thoughts as someone who was part of a semi-hardcore raiding guild in WoW, and where I feel FFXIV's end-game raiding falls short. My static cleared all of Coils pre-nerf, but with each successive expansion, we usually get bored after clearing the first raid tier, drop off from the game, only to come back prior to the next expansion's release. I know Yoshi-P has stated he doesn't mind if people take breaks like this, but it's a detriment when end-game content droughts can create such quick burnouts like this. I think the reasons for this are as follows:


1) Dungeon design has become more boring with each successive expansion. I am not talking about the aesthetic or music, which has improved tenfold. I am strictly talking about the design. Whereas in ARR we had unique dungeons like Haukke Manor and Qarn, with multiple side/secret paths and mobs that had to be interrupted or prioritized quickly (ie. bees), SB and ShB dungeons have become incredibly linear with wall-to-wall pulls to each boss. While I understand that over time people would speed run dungeons in the most efficient way, the current formulaic dungeon design leads to a stale experience.

The mechanics of old. The early dungeons were what I like to call an infodump. You learned your utility, your class, how to dodge, basic spells and combos.
After 6 years and all classes maxed out, I want to demolish. I am the godsdamned warrior of darkness.
But fine, imagine we did make a max level Haukke or Qarn. Better players would have to carry lesser/inexperienced players. Dungeon roulettes, which are supposed to be a quick daily, are turned into an 1hr+ pepemode.
Even in ESO, people have the ability to explore but most do not.
Roulette are baseline activities and should stay that way.

2) Raid design too has simply turned into boss arenas, with no dungeon to actually explore. The boss encounters themselves are great, but I have not felt the same sense of wonder exploring a raid, as I did in Coils. It's sad that after 8 years playing this game, nothing has topped the experience of first venturing into Icecrown Citadel in WoW.

Yeah, that wonder wanes.
As someone who did raid ICC, Cata, MoP, the RP experience of killing mobs became an annoyance each weekly clear.
Especially ICC. What a nightmare. It wasn't fun after the third month. I just wanted to kill the boss so I could weep at another week of no gear and no mount.

3) 4-man dungeons and Savage raids need scaling difficulty. Savage is challenging, but since they are now designed to be cleared in initial crafting gear, they are completed rather quickly in a patch cycle, leaving very little to do for months on end. SE can take a page from Blizzard's book and introduce a scaling + system; ie. if you clear a dungeon/raid, you can then attempt a +1 version that scales enemy health/damage (eg. reverse echo), and then +2, and so on. Rewards for these challenges could include additional tomestones, titles, minions, and mounts.

Yes, they do. But SE tends the wounds of those who are easily traumatized. Also, how dare you try to exclude people an induce more trauma.
On a serious note, SE typically does not like the idea of rewarding highly sought after items for higher levels of play (read as skill). It's why the only thing Ultimate gives is a shiny weapon.
While I do like a moderate amount of exclusivity, that is a WoW thing and should stay and die with WoW.

4) Gear stats are very boring. Besides glamour, there is no excitement to end-game gear when it's only a slight stat improvement, and every materia meld is prioritized for Crit. I would love for more interesting materia options (new competitive sub-stats or enchant procs), set bonuses, or even a trinket slot. I understand balance is an issue. But I also don't think that should excuse SE from not even attempting to make more interesting gear options. They definitely have the creativity in them, as Bozjan has shown. We lack that carrot on a stick to keep playing end-game.

Bozjan gear is born purely out of Eureka's idea of "well if they're gonna be here for the long haul, guess we'll make a sonic belt". I'd hardly call it interesting and more of a hard pass.
Were it me, I'd remove materia. It has no standing anymore. Ever since Stormblood, materia has just taken this downward dive of uselessness both in the market and the gear. All for the sake of - join me now - inclusiveness.
This inclusiveness includes no advantage over the other at end game. This is a balance game, not a pvp game.

People who often burn out at end game, imo, find there's nothing else to do because
1) they rush it because of fomo (fear of missing out)
2) they play with only the same good players. If you want a challenge, PF is right there
3) end game means ONLY savage/ultimate. PotD ? HoH ? Bozja notes ? Cards ? Mahjong ? there are many challenging carrots, but many savage raiders think it beneath them
5) literally spend every single day in raid tier until all bosses are dead and then complain there's nothing now to do.

Every raid has an end. Every raid will come to bore you. No game can continue to entertain you with an endless supply of savage content. If they did, god how boring and dreadful would that be.
The 14 boss raids of WoW Siege of Orgrimmar will never be missed.