Would the game miss the 2.X 8-person trials (and beyond) if they were nerfed?

[Omedon]

I recently completed the current iteration of the 2.0 MSQ with 100% duty support, (review here: https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...2.0-edition%29) including all the 8-man level 50 "MSQ roulette" portions now made into 4-man content for the purposes of duty support, and I'm very very invested now in what happens to... every mandatory 8-person undertaking that happens before endwalker (and perhaps eventually those too) as duty support makes its way from patch to patch. I did not realize that the 8-person "imperial finale" stuff from 2.0 was getting turned into 4-man content and made full duty support, but man was that ever a pleasant surprise!

The thing is, if 2.X is getting its turn for the same treatment, I am really wondering what will potentially be lost from the game if the NINE 8-person trials in that stretch of content will be nerfed into 4-person duty support or some potentially removed from the MSQ (meaning the "original three" primals' hard modes). To be clear... I want this outcome, and I think almost any "loss" is worth it. I just want to know what that loss might be.

I've only been truly playing since shadowbringers so I guess my question is: would anything important be lost if they took the 8-person trials and boiled them down to 4-person duty support trials? Or would they have to remain as is due to some reward paradigm I'm not aware of? I don't see the 7-NPC group format that we got at the end of endwalker being spread throughout the MSQ, but then again I also didn't expect the "Imperial finale" series from 2.0 to be turned into 4-person content.

Is there a functional, reward-systemic reason why more MSQ-mandatory trials can't be nerfed from 8-person to 4-person? I guess we'll find out in a few months, but I thought I'd ask for discussion and speculation's sake!

[hagare]

You talk like people don't already unsync those

[Omedon]

You talk like people don't already unsync those

I mean of course they do, I just know people tend to take the "but anything can be relevant if we want it to" element kinda seriously. Like I see nothing lost if they spare nothing to duty support the entire MSQ, but I'm still relatively new!

[sharknado]

At some point they will add a new entrypoint for new players that will be after somewhere after 6.0 so ARR and other old content won't be that much of a blocker or anything.

[Loonies]

The 50 MSQ roulette 8 player change to 4 player has been done nice, still playable for sprouts. As well the option to do the dungeon just with npc. For me so far good to go this way.

[Omedon]

At some point they will add a new entrypoint for new players that will be after somewhere after 6.0 so ARR and other old content won't be that much of a blocker or anything.

I mean, I wouldn't complain about that, but this effort going into duty support kinda flies in the face of that, not to mention the interviews where Yoshida has been asked point blank about just such a feature and has said something to the tune of "you don't start watching a TV show at the 6th season."

[Jeeqbit]

The trials will not get Duty Support until after 7.0, which is almost two years away.

They have proven they can make 8-person trials have Duty Support in one of the new EW trials, but it was challenging, so it's not going to happen for the rest until then.

None of the existing trials have been transformed into 4-person trials. Praetorium was considered an 8-person dungeon, not an 8-person trial, so it was a unique case and is unlikely to happen for the rest unless something has changed. If something is changed we should be informed in a live letter eventually.

[RitsukoSonoda]

Are you talking about the MSQ ones done while leveling that aren't at the expansion's level cap and maybe the cap trial that basically closes that expansions initial MSQ? I would be fine with those getting the 4 player rework treatment as long as they also keep the ilvl sync down on the MSQ cap trial on a scale like they did with Ultima weapon on the new duty they split it off to so people actually have to do mechanics if they want to clear it.