I've been here before. I think this game is living on borrowed time and although it is unlikely to 'die' in the typical sense, it is making the exact same mistakes that WoW did in terms of throwing veteran players and the core target audience under the bus in favour of courting streamer reactions and players with a surface level enjoyment who do not want nuance or depth in any meaningful capacity. They don't want to think. They just want to consume. Readily opening their wallets and purses for the next 'cool thing' to be added to the Mog Station.

I like what I've seen when it comes to Ashes of Creation and Pantheon. I'm hoping one or both does very well not only to provide FFXIV with some much needed healthy competition but because both are very much to my personal tastes and are games first and foremost. Not visual novels. Until then, ESO will have to do. I don't like the combat system but it's proving to be a lot more immersive than FFXIV is these days. Plus the playable races are more distinct, have deeper and more meaningful lore and portions of the player base don't screech and drool over themselves as they try and shame people for liking monarchies or Roman inspired aesthetics.