Please consider scaling back the "time-gating" on some older content

[Eorzean_username]

For context:

This is not a personal request, because I've already completed most of the older time-gated content myself.

This post is made, instead, because I've personally had friends join the game over the last year, and watching their story momentum slam into a brick wall when they meet certain older content gates has made me feel sympathetic about it.

In many cases, time-gated content fit the era of an expansion and had a certain coordination with the MSQ. Now that the MSQ has expanded far past that era, players are forced to choose between accelerating way past the story context of a piece of time-gated content, or hitting a hard-pause on their MSQ in order to grind through weeks of gated content.

I think that progressing through older expansions would be a better experience for newer players if some of the old time-gates are scaled back significantly.

I think that these gates primarily serve to pad out pacing and content during an expansion, and that they serve that purpose fine at the time. However, I also think that once the content is "deprecated" enough, it should no longer remain so heavily-gated.

I will list some examples of content that I think remains excessively-gated.


Doman Enclave

The Doman Enclave is primarily relevant to the story of Stormblood, and feels increasingly-outdated the longer that a player progresses past the Far East storylines.

It's also just... weird... to do MSQ scenes that take place long after the liberation of Doma, and still see Hien's home looking like a dilapidated ruin.

However, it currently takes a new player approximately 14 weeks to finish the Doman Enclave reconstruction storyline.

I think that the weekly cap on contributions to the Doman Restoration should either be removed entirely, or dramatically increased.

Older Beast Tribes

As the benefits for completing this content become weaker and weaker relative to the current end-game, I think that it would be reasonable to significantly cut down the number of weeks required to finish the older Beast Tribe storylines.

Speaking anecdotally, I've had a friend forget that the ARR/HW/SB Beast Tribe stories even existed, because they began the stories... realized how tedious and annoying a daily chore the process was... estimated how long it would take to finish... and then, just quit, and forgot about it, because it was just way too much, especially combined with the daily limit on Tribes.

I think that it would be better to encourage more players to see and complete these storylines, by making the process less onerous for newer players that are otherwise being ushered through the MSQ and Raid/Dungeon questlines at breakneck pace.

Older Custom Delivery NPCs

FFXIV still has a hard-limit on weekly Custom Deliveries, but it continually expands the number of Custom Delivery NPCs.

This isn't a problem for veteran players that have been grinding up Love Points with each new hobby-person as they are released, but consider the perspective of a new player that has an ever-expanding number of 4-to-6 week (I think?) grinds in order to finish Custom Delivery storylines, and potentially to also unlock putting a stranger in lingerie.

I think that it might be prudent to begin somehow adjusting the limit on weekly deliveries for NPCs from older expansions. Either increasing the reputation gained per turn-in, increasing the cap on total weekly deliveries, or... something.

Otherwise, once again, players will begin to feel discouraged from even bothering, and these storylines will go unseen and neglected, because it's just too much time-sink, that proceeds way too slow relative to the rest of FFXIV's storyline pacing.

Does anyone have other suggestions?

These are the pieces of content that I could think of from the top of my head, based on experiences that my own friends have had.

But if anyone else can think of other out-dated content that currently feels too burdensome or over-gated, please add those suggestions too.

[NegativeS]

My heart wants to say old Relic Weapons, but my mind knows better.

[IckeDerTyp]

I agree, some of these things take an unnecessary long time but then again...

It's all optional, so if you don't think it's worth it or takes too long, or if ya flat out forget they're a thing... Why bother?

You may miss out on story but if you're not willing to put in time, do you really wanna experience the story anyway? ^^

Tho I agree, especially with the Enclave.

[Azuri]

None of the things you describe have much relevance to the MSQ or in any way "gate" it. It's fine as it is.

[Padudu]

I was trying to think about which MSQ quests are time gated, but none of those are MSQ-essential. Definitely weird though once you finish the expansions, but tbf at least for the Doman Enclave - seems rather difficult to liberate your whole home, deal with Garlemand and Yotsuyu, and then restore your home all in one go so at the very least the Doman Enclave taking time to restore makes sense.. although I wish it was a bit shorter too.

I think my pet peeve is the Nier weekly. Makes no sense to time-gate it, and sometimes the ques for those raids can be a bit long. I wish they would reduce it to dailies at the very least, maybe it'd inspire more people to do the raids.

I think the ARR Beast tribes could benefit from culling the most. They're the most unfun parts of a beast tribe quest.

[Poporito_Popoto]

Otherwise, once again, players will begin to feel discouraged from even bothering, and these storylines will go unseen and neglected, because it's just too much time-sink, that proceeds way too slow relative to the rest of FFXIV's storyline pacing.

Welcome to MMOs.

Having done them well after their release, they are fine.

[Pandastirfry]

Some of the gating is...okay.

The main thing I'd like to see done away with is so many things having "allowances"

Why can we only do 12 beast tribe quests a day?
Why can we only do 6 custom deliveries?
Why are leves capped at 99 and refill so slowly?

It didn't make sense in 1.0 and I'll never understand why they kept some of these things in ARR.

[Avatre]

My heart wants to say old Relic Weapons, but my mind knows better.

I would say the Eureka ones honestly. The grind for those crystals is quite long...I still have almost all of them to get through Pyros(thankfully all are through Pagos) then Hydatos. I'm only done one of the weapons through Hydatos(not including the BA pieces that are needed to "complete" it with the Eureka bonuses...not sure if I will do that or not).

[Raoabolic]

Didn't the devs already cut a ton of the grind out of the older beastmen questlines by upping the rep you get per turn in? At this point you might as well ask them to remove the time gate altogether, lol.

[MistakeNot]

Didn't the devs already cut a ton of the grind out of the older beastmen questlines by upping the rep you get per turn in? At this point you might as well ask them to remove the time gate altogether, lol.

Don't think they did. They improved the rewards for each quest a bit (some Poetics added), and most of the ARR beasttribe quests become much easier once you have flying enabled.
But the amount of reputation you get is the same as before.