Suggestion [remove Aether Currents as a catch up mechanic]

[AusarViled]

As title suggests, the aether currents where added with heavensward as a way to slow down the player to force them to quest at slower pace to allow SE to make more content. This is fine while the content is new, but the moment the expansion ends it is simply a barrier to entry.

As a new payer to FF14, with nearly 45K hours in video games [50% of that is in MMOs], I have rarely seen a game that implements such a mechanic as to purposefully CRIPPLE the player. ARR is already a long and boring slog. Few players already survive the horrible ARR, Even I, a player of WoW who is used to rep grinding found ARR and currents tedious to where I almost quit.

- You are at a moment where many WoW players are moving to your game, you should Capitalize on this momentum by increasing accessibility not decreasing it.

- currents are fine for the time that the content is in the heart of the expansion, but the moment it’s not, they should be added by default to all players similarly as the ones done in the post ARR after ‘the ultimate weapon’.

This is my 5 cents, take it how one will, if you agree let me know, if you disagree let me know why…. I will appreciate the discussion

[van_arn]

I wouldn't mind MSQ completion of x.5 unlocking all currents in a given expansion, but I don't think unlocking all zones for flying is a good idea after completing the ultimate weapon. Just because you can fly in ARR doesn't mean you should be able to fly in Stormblood, for example, but if you complete 4.5 I'd be fine with them just giving you the currents you missed in Stormblood to catch you up.

The game does have a lot of momentum blockers, and flight is one of them when playing multiple expansions in a row.

[Rowde]

I wouldn't mind MSQ completion of x.5 unlocking all currents in a given expansion, but I don't think unlocking all zones for flying is a good idea after completing the ultimate weapon. Just because you can fly in ARR doesn't mean you should be able to fly in Stormblood, for example, but if you complete 4.5 I'd be fine with them just giving you the currents you missed in Stormblood to catch you up.

The game does have a lot of momentum blockers, and flight is one of them when playing multiple expansions in a row.

I feel similar, but earlier than that... I think completion of the base expansion MSQ should unlock flight in all areas of that expansion. so once your done with 3.0 MSQ, 4.0 MSQ, etc.

[van_arn]

I feel similar, but earlier than that... I think completion of the base expansion MSQ should unlock flight in all areas of that expansion. so once your done with 3.0 MSQ, 4.0 MSQ, etc.

Yeah, that would work to assist with questing through x.1-x.5

[bass9020]

The current design really isnt that bad, compared to how they were originally in 3.0 before the change. Could reduce the exploration ones to maybe 5 instead of 10 but other than that I dont really think a change is necessary. Flying was never meant for the 2.0 zones so the bandaid fix was to just give us flying after completing the base game.

Also to say that because more WoW players are playing the game as a reason to change it is kinda silly. Most likely a troll post to egg people on but still silly.

[AusarViled]

Hey, so ye, poorly explained by my part. They would unlock after you completed the story of X zone. Let’s say you finished the ‘red sea’ msq. You would gain all the ether currents, aka you would be able to quest without having to waste time or be frustrated in finding the paths.

Because yes, I do agree that you should not unlock areas where you have not been yet, would not make sense.

Regarding the idea to reduce them to 5 instead of 10, would be fine if you moved them all to locations where the msg takes you naturally anyway. That idea is somewhat similar to my proposal above

[LaylaTsarra]

The mechanic is just fine the way it is. I don't support their removal or making them any easier than they are already.

[Alxyzntlct]

The mechanic is just fine the way it is. I don't support their removal or making them any easier than they are already.

I agree with LaylaTsarra 100%; as a relatively new player myself, I found my experience with collecting Aether Currents to be a pleasant addition to the entire questing/exploration process and haven't had literally any issues with it at all during the entire time I've spent leveling and making my way to current content.

If anything, I actually really like how it's been implemented:
- The environments are absolutely gorgeous, so have an additional excuse to explore is all kinds of awesome
- Collecting them is SUPER easy via using the Compass while playing through the story
- It's incredibly satisfying hitting that point where you know you're wrapping up an area and get that unlock notification, which subsequently leads to Flying which is all kinds of awesome

So yeah, not only do I hope that it stays the way it is, I hope it continues the way it is.

I too came from WoW and found that system incredibly dis-satisfying in contrast, considering how initially it was just a purchase, then given, THEN required jumping through all kinds of hoops, then more hoops, then wound up just being given whenever the Devs got tired of yanking the players around.

Aether Currents are awesome and I hope they stay as they are.

[Iscah]

Just gonna throw my two cents in here but I do agree that aether currents should probably be removed. They weren't/aren't fun, and not every player has the foresight to do them in tandem with MSQ progression. More importantly, unlike other major barriers like MSQ and leveling, they will always be a barrier to new players because they aren't covered by story skips on the mogstation.

They actually are included in story skips.

And I don't think they're much of a chore anyway. I'd sooner see them removed from sidequests than the overworld.

[AusarViled]

- regarding path finding in WoW, it’s not intrusive. Mounts in WoW are much faster then the mounts in FF14. Here the mounts in new areas are almost same speed as sprinting, which makes them virtually useless. This psychological harms the player every time, because the moment you gain a mount speed increase, your gone from zone in ff14 and back to snails pace.

Likewise, paths are always in useful spots, in FF14, they never are. What is the point of a porter when it’s 20 feet from the crystal that I can teleport too? In FF14 they are always a hinderance as they are not where I need them.

By the time you unlock flight through in the region, it’s over, if the side quests where unlocked the moment one entered the maps, and the msq one was very early into the map, then it would be useful. This system punishes you for trying, and punishes you if you don’t. The result is burn out.

- mounts / flight cost a lot in WoW… not true. Even in cata you could go to goldshire inn, and role play for like a day and get enough gold to fly, it really was a not issue. Once you unlocked, it would last you for the entire expansion, not 1 hour while your getting burdened psychologically by moving at -300%. [feels]

Flight in WoW, was also rewarding. I greatly prefer the divide of land/ flight mounts, and find it weird and awkward how it is in FF14. The larger mounts make you feel like your moving at -1000% speed. [eg: Behumut].


TLDR

No WoW did not burden you the player more, it felt a lot less annoying to deal with.