Suggestion [remove Aether Currents as a catch up mechanic]

[ZedxKayn]

yeah, I dont get where the "massive grind" mindset comes from in FFXIV. Like, have you actually played anything else?
WoW is a job, plain and simple, you miss a day, you are behind. you are expected to grind for everything...period.

in FFXIV all they want you to do.. is play lol

have YOU ever played anything else? how is 200hrs+ of cutscenes to reach endgame NOT a massive grind?

[Illmaeran]

have YOU ever played anything else? how is 200hrs+ of cutscenes to reach endgame NOT a massive grind?

I have: WoW, LOTRO, and ESO, all for years. Compared to those when each expansion was current content, ie TBC's original release, very little in FFXIV is an actual grind. I remember doing the dailies in TBC to get the drake mount and unlock flying; it was a nightmare. Getting Aether Currents in this game is MUUUUUCH easier. A similar thing can be said about the soul crystals/shards/whatever they are that require exploration in ESO; there are more of them per zone, many of which aren't anywhere near a quest path. You've got to go way out of your way to get them all and there's no device like an Aether Compass to help you find them.

Yes, the cutscenes in FFXIV are daunting when returning after years of being gone or just starting out now. I've been there, experienced that. If someone is primarily interested in getting to end game ASAP, there's the option to skip most, if not all, of them. Sitting through all 200 hours is personal choice, just like grinding anything else with significant requirements in an MMO.

All in all, while Aether Currents are an inconvenience, they're minor compared to many other things in different MMOs out there these days. The above posters are right, if you snag AC while doing the MSQ chain, you should get most of them by the time you're out of the zone. If not, a quick internet search and a few short side quests should net the rest.

[Kes13a]

have YOU ever played anything else? how is 200hrs+ of cutscenes to reach endgame NOT a massive grind?

I have actually, quite a few other things to be honest. This is a, and this may be a shock to you, a heavily story based mmo. so, they tell a story, while its recommended you watch, you are not forced to in anything except MSQ castrum and Praetorium. thats it, no where else are you forced to watch them.

so, if you find those grindy, thats kind of your own personal choice there friend....

[Chawan]

have YOU ever played anything else? how is 200hrs+ of cutscenes to reach endgame NOT a massive grind?

I don’t mean this in any negative tone in my post i am simply saying is all..

Grinding in mmos is where you kill monsters simply for the sake of obtaining exp from them. Back in the old days of mmos (did it a couple times) sometimes you would run in to a situation where you can not at all progress and get more quests or any more content until you reached a certain level. The only way you could obtain thoes levels were to just kill mobs, and keep killing till you leveled up enough to get your next quest... it was called grinding cause you had to “put your nose to the grindstone” and “work” killing sometimes hours and hours on end. I think i recall talking to someone who claimed to have done nothing but kill random packs of mobs for a couple days.. THAT is grinding lol.

I hardly watch all cut scenes some are unnecessary and relatively predictable so skimming text quickly and jumping out is something i do often.. should look in to how to skim read effective.. it helps kick up the pace..

That said i am not for or against the idea of removing the currents , if it happens it happens if not.. well it doesn’t. I already explore all over the place (sometimes getting myself in trouble lol) so it does not bother me too much.

[Elladie]

have YOU ever played anything else? how is 200hrs+ of cutscenes to reach endgame NOT a massive grind?

Ummm... 200 hours + of cutscenes is what most of us play this game for. And most of us reach this 'endgame' you mention when we hit level 15, or thereabouts, and unlock the glamour system.

If you don't care for cutscenes, this game is always going to be a disappointment. The story is the point of FFXIV