Woah, slow down SE!

[AmiableApkallu]

Am I really? Normal raids were released about 2 weeks ago - it takes 2 weeks to get 4 pieces of gear from that which is BiS and you don't even get enough tokens for a weapon. Suddenly new patch is out and crafted HQ gear is better than the normal raid and the token weapon, which you probably still haven't gotten since you won't even have half the tokens for it. What is the point then in normal raids if you don't even get to use or even buy the gear?

What is the point of all that raid gear pre-Endwalker for those of us who started playing only a few months ago and haven't gotten to Endwalker yet, let alone the "current" raids?

Acquire the best gear for where you, personally, happen to be in the game, and for how you want and are able to play it. It's irrelevant what anyone else might or might not have, or might or might not be able to acquire. The only person judging you is you yourself.

[MilkieTea]

There is no such thing as falling behind. Get your gear at your own pace. If you're doing savage content you were already going to get the crafted HQ gear anyways so there's no point in SE messing with their patch cycle to appease a minority of a minority of a minority of a ...

[Stepjam]

There really isn't any "falling behind" gear eise in XIV unless you are looking to hit BiS by some arbitrary date. Unlike WoW from what I understand, there isn't any gear that can continually be upgraded. There is a very definite point where you becomr the best you can be gear wise and that's it. And you'll have like half a year to reach that spot.

[Syelia]

Pretty much. I do feel you that savage hit somehow faster, but it felt faster because i was gone for about a week.

I never grind the normal-gear pieces and just roll with HQ items. Craft it myself or buy it. If thats an issue for you, thats unfortunate. Though if you want to do a whole clear in week one, you need to prepare yourself before the expansion hits. Get some money etc.

This time it kinda came in handy, as I just wanted to have super high speed on my healer, so i just had to grind 2 pants-pieces in normal mode and could get the ilv580 healer pants, rest i crafted myself in a few mins and could go into raids with my healer, eventho i was main-tanking.

There is really no rush. Since Stormblood i accepted the fate that you cant realistically clear week 1 in party-finder. Heck, I even took till like end of december for o4s back then because my static went for winter holidays till new year and i grinded PF for the o4s kill. Then I got PF-PTSD and never went to PF until now.

Its really not about you being shut down, we just trying to tell you its not a big deal.

[Vatom]

This is a serious thread?

[LailleArda]

For players who finally get to play, it may feel like they are behind. But this game makes it very easy to catch up when it comes to gear. It might seem overwhelming to have all these new options, but the same is true for anyone who has been playing since EW launch as well. When a patch drops, they may also feel overwhelmed with all the new things that has to be acquired. So it is important to consider that this feeling is mutual amongst players, but also understand that some players, bluntly, do not feel like that are "behind" regardless of their login activity. Most people who are unable to play in this current situation will likely just be happy to be able to play at all once the new DC launches.

Right now, there are millions of people that are playing the game. They are caught up in whatever goal they set out to do or are still trying to do so. If from your point of view, this new content punishes players who can't play, then not releasing new content punishes the people who do play. Unfortunately, you can't have both and with the sheer number of players in ffxiv, it just makes sense to launch that content.

It isn't to say they won't delay the patch. If they do delay it, I think 90% of the base will understand. But if it were only for the sake of allowing players to "catch up", I think most people would be dissatisfied with that decision.

[ClaraKitty]

As someone that hasn't even been playing for a year (Started in May of 2021), I never once felt 'behind'. Unlike WoW (which I played for 15+ years), this game doesn't make you feel like you're gonna miss out. I was just vibin and enjoying the experience despite ShB had been out. I didn't demand Square stop everything for me so I could catch up. I barely finished ShB before EWs launch.

I didn't get EW done right away either and that was okay. I went my pace. I enjoyed every minute of it. You should too. There's no rush in this game and that's what I love about FFXIV.