the normal content is too easy

[TizaneNZ]

Personally (and I can only speak for myself), I don't play games for 'mental stimulation'. I work at a hospital so get all the mental stimulation I need in RL. I play games to relax, to chill out and to not have to think too much about something. I will never do Extreme, Savage or any of that sort of instance, and only do raids when required to by the MSQ. As soon as it's done, I'm out of there, never to return. If I could skip them (including the 8-man duties) and still progress the MSQ, I absolutely would. For me, they are at the upper level of my difficulty range, and I find them exhausting. They are not fun, and I dread them.

As the base game, the MSQ should never be difficult to play through, as it should always be balanced for the absolutely average player. It should give some challenge, to make you pay attention to what you have to do, and even have consequences for mistakes, but it should not be so difficult that the average player gets frustrated enough to leave the game entirely. I have solo duties set to Very Easy so I can get through them quickly to get on with the story - that's what I play for. Having said that, my main is currently stuck (even at VE) at a solo duty that I just can't get through and I will need to wait for a weekend when I have time and energy enough to try it again, several times if necessary. Why am I stuck on VE mode? The duty calls for a lot of running around and simultaneous duty action clicking - I don't have good enough reflexes now and also have arthritis in my hands, which makes things interesting...

I also have no issue with the trust system, and am really enjoying it now that it's been extended to ARR as I can practice my upcoming characters' classes in a 'real' scenario without impinging on other players. Some days I really don't want to have to deal with people, so running a dungeon with NPCs is just relaxing fun.

'Difficult' is very subjective - what's difficult for me is likely to be incredibly easy for you.

[Fhaerron]

Oh yeah? Play O11 and don't get a single vuln stack.

Done it plenty times without getting vuln stacks. Plenty of other people have too.


Also, getting a vuln stack or even dying doesn't mean it's 'hard'.

[Lustre]

Considering I was with a tank who did nothing but turn stance on and off repeatedly, spam Prominence over and over and did nothing else the entire run (would use mitigation before a pull, wait for it to expire then pill) and we still cleared, I dont think theres any debate that normal content, especially non-current normal content is waaaay too easy. Either bring the skill floor up, or put something inbetween normal and extreme.

[ADarklore]

I think there is a reason why FFXIV is so successful, and it's because it appeals to a wide audience, especially casual players who just want to be able to do most everything solo. There is also a reason, which is clear to the devs and apparently not so clear to some players, why they toned down past dungeons and added the Duty Support system... it's because they have seen that the vast majority of players want simple MSQ dungeons and soloable content. If you look over on ESO (from which I've just returned from), the forum players have been complaining for years that overland content is too easy, but the devs have done nothing but continue to make the game even easier. Currently, and the reason I left, is they've made massive changes to the combat system in order to make it even easier- which isn't the problem I had- the problem I had was them nerf-hammering everything (especially Templar) in order to make it even more 'casual friendly'.

Now, according to the recent interview, YoshiP has stated the next MSQ trial will be 'harder' even on normal... so we'll see how long that lasts before they nerf it again because casual players cannot complete it. Normal MSQ-related content should be easy because the majority of players just want to follow the story, but a 'middle ground' difficulty should be available for those who want added difficulty. Although, having played MMOs for years, it wouldn't take long before you'd have players screaming that even the middle difficulty was too easy.

[Payadopa]

I think the game has it backwards if the vast majority of content (read: everything but current expansion) doesn't even require you to hold a controller. There is accessibility and then there is being patronising.

Why is there only normal, easy and very easy for solo instances for example? Why not trusts but you can min ilvl? It's either pathetically easy or find a 8 people. As someone who works shifts and loves an actual challenge XIV doesn't really appeal atm.

[redheadturk]

That’s your opinion. Not everyone else’s. You’re free to share your opinion but don’t act like it’s how everyone feels, because it really isn’t, and it doesn’t paint you in a good light if you’re going to attack someone’s opinion and feedback and call it crap.

I disagree with you on this one point. Due to particular physical disabilities [vision mostly] I disagree that the game is too easy, I like story mode difficulty right where it is. I agree with those saying if you want harder content do the harder content that is right there at endgame for you to do. I do agree that some of the simplification of jobs can be rolled back though [except don't touch my Blood of the Dragon the way it is now, the timer wasn't added difficulty, just a pain in the ass.]

[Bookie]

yes i hate tank buster marker. i hate aoe stack markers.
why do we need these?
its already heavily scripted.

[HyoMinPark]

I disagree with you on this one point. Due to particular physical disabilities [vision mostly] I disagree that the game is too easy, I like story mode difficulty right where it is. I agree with those saying if you want harder content do the harder content that is right there at endgame for you to do. I do agree that some of the simplification of jobs can be rolled back though [except don't touch my Blood of the Dragon the way it is now, the timer wasn't added difficulty, just a pain in the ass.]

I would agree if the endgame content actually posed a challenge the way it used to. Instead, it is getting progressively easier.

The 24-mans aren’t nearly as difficult as the likes of Weeping City, Dun Scaith, and Orbonne on release. Extremes are so easy they can be done with one or no healers at release, which the latter was a completely new phenomenon. They’re definitely not the same difficulty as the HW ones. Or even some of the SB Extremes. And Savage itself is not as difficult as it used to be. And I don’t mean the overtuned mess that was Gordias, but Midas. Or even some of the Creator fights (Cruise Chaser). There are a handful of redeeming fights after HW (O3S, O4S door boss, O11S, E8S, E12S door boss), and some still that are fun enough to excuse their easier difficulty. But doing this tier Week 1 and feeling utterly not challenged by anything that wasn’t the terrible P3S arena (I have bad vision and photosensitivity) was a disappointment. Yoshida claims the second tier is harder, but he’s also said that about many other things (like the disappointment that was Endsinger EX). So I take it with a grain of salt. I’ve retired from raiding due to rapidly changing life circumstances, so I guess my friends will have to give me their opinions on it.

People who want a real challenge basically have to wait for Ultimate. And we’re lucky to get two of those an expansion. I don’t expect the Criterion dungeons to be nearly as difficult as some keep saying they will be. Not when everything else has become so watered down. I hope I’ll be proven wrong, but we shall see. The only thing I’m looking forward to in 6.2 (aside from seeing where they go with the MSQ) is Sephirot Unreal. Because so loved his EX in HW, and I can only hope the Unreal is as challenging as the original.

[ThaCa]

I don't expect much from normal content but any old content should be balanced to be as similar as possible to when they launched to at least retain the normal level of difficulty. People skip and ignore so much mechanics in old fights that the supposed normal difficulty is very easy instead.

[redheadturk]

snip.

Some of the ease is likely them undertuning just a bit to compensate for the stat squish. From what I understand from some WoW players, it took a full expansion for them to get the tuning just right after their stat squish.