SAM players are quitting

[DreadfullyAwful]

Since the 6.1 changes, I know a few SAM players who used to play with me leave the game due to the feel of the job diminish over time, with Kaiten being the final straw. It dawned on me today that I haven't logged in since the 6.11 update, which caused me to think about why this was.

I used to enjoy doing PvE but since the changes, I was only really logging in CC, and that couldn't hold my interest to keep me logging in consistently. Other SAM mains that I know of are in the same position. To be honest, I only really noticed this today since I was receiving emails for SE asking me to refresh my sub, that I hadn't logged in for a while now. Considering I've been down the slow hemorrhaging of classes before in WoW, I don't really want to experience it again, so I most likely won't resub until the next expansion and then only stay subbed for the story from now on - playing on an expansion to expansion basis for however long it remains good.

Edit - I didn't expect this thread to blow up as it did. I posted a reply detailing why many of us are disgruntled with SE's recent job management philosophy that I shall quote below.

OP here! I'm really surprised how much thread blew up. I thought I would respond to a couple current themes I have seen crop up after reading through everything.

1) You're probably not even unsubbed

I have no plans of resubbing in the near future

2) You're just going to resub and are just stirring things up
I understand the cynicism. However, let me share some of my experience. I have been playing MMOs for 16 years, prominently WoW. They are my favourite game genre and something I play regularly. However, in particular from my experiences from WoW - you do learn to tell the intentions of developers for making changes. And the current job changes that have been happening in the recent years have not been in the best interest of the consistent players, but rather aimed at trying to retain the recent large spike new players that have played through the game since ShadowBringers.

This isn't about damage, numbers, yada-yada. It is about the feel of the game being changed to the detriment of long term players' experience, in the hope of increasing player retention after the expansion/patch cycle. And it is bad for the game in the long term. The worst part of it for me however, is the insincerity from the game director for the need of the now implemented changes. Additionally, there seems to be an internal bias for jobs within SE for which get simplified and which keep the core aspects that help them retain their integral class fantasy/feel.

Coupled with this, and the lack of job experience of 'job testers' that was revealed in recent interview with YoshiP when they were discussing how they were testing healer jobs, has allowed me and many others to conclude that these job changes aren't in the best interest of the core playerbase. Thus, this has led to many of us taking a step back away from FFXIV.

Edit 2 - For those who think the issue is going to ebb-away with some SAM players quitting, I want to share some statistics.

私も絶で侍使用しています。
うちの固定には近接が私だけなので火力で遅れをとるようなことはあまりなかったのですが、
昨日の野良募集で一緒にプレイした忍者さんにはだいぶ劣るという結果でした。
詩人さんのバトルボイス、忍者さんの騙しのタイミングに閃影や震天をずらした開幕バーストですら敵わない。
悲しい…ピュアDPSとは…いったい…

他DPSのスレも盛り上がってるのかなーと見てみたら6.1リリース後からのコメント数
侍 792
モ 9
竜 201
リ 17
忍 125
機 61
踊 11
詩 101
赤 48
召 62
黒 3


こんだけフィードバックがあるんですから、なんとかしてください。
ずっと侍使い続けてきたのに今モンク用の装備を揃えようとしてるところです、悲しい…

This JP player showed that on their forums, feedback has rapidly exploded following the 6.1 proposed changes, with players leaving the same amount of feedback as the total feedback between 4.0 as 6.1. That is 2~ years worth of feedback over one patch. Despite how much other players (after scanning accounts, that do not even have SAM 90 if a 90 at all) in this thread wish to dismiss this issue, it is definitely a change that has troubled players across all data centers.

[Hawuhawuu]

They will bounce back eventually, yes sam doesnt feel great they will be stronger 6.2 and still have strong adps. You'll prob see more nin quit then sam before 6.2 out of fear of incoming rework (highest rdps with best stat scaling).

[cjbeagle]

I'm still subbed, but my enthusiasm has been destroyed as thoroughly as samurai's gameplay.

Samurai was the only dps that I really enjoyed, and dps is my favorite role, so it's hard to get excited about content when I no longer have a way to interact with that content that I really like.

The issue of gear is a problem too - I did all my dailies, all my weeklies, put in all the effort to get my samurai the best gear I could, and suddenly that was all for nothing - even if I did really like some of the other dps jobs, their gear is months behind now. It's all worse than the sum of its parts.

[Tracewood]

I may be indifferent since I've been on SAM since Stormblood, but I've taken up the foil these days. RDM is pretty nice.

[Engaru]

Considering I've been down the slow hemorrhaging of classes before in WoW, I don't really want to experience it again

Amen to that. Tanks and Healers got the shaft in Shadowbringers, now it seems it's the DPS's turn. Can't wait for the next expansion where every job only has one button to press and plays on auto pilot.

[AsiTsurugi]

Amen to that. Tanks and Healers got the shaft in Shadowbringers, now it seems it's the DPS's turn. Can't wait for the next expansion where every job only has one button to press and plays on auto pilot.

And the only job with any sort of uniqueness to it will be black mage because Naoki Yoshida plays it and can't bear it being changed at all

[DPZ2]

Can't wait for the next expansion where every job only has one button to press and plays on auto pilot.

Every time I see someone complaining with such expansive hyperbole, I think "They can't be playing the game. At all." And then I remember that gross exaggeration and dismissal of actual fact is trending. Again.

[YukiB]

They will bounce back eventually, yes sam doesnt feel great they will be stronger 6.2 and still have strong adps. You'll prob see more nin quit then sam before 6.2 out of fear of incoming rework (highest rdps with best stat scaling).

I'll bounce back when Kaiten does. Or an adequate replacement for it.

It's not the performance I care about. It's the gameplay.

Every time I see someone complaining with such expansive hyperbole, I think "They can't be playing the game. At all." And then I remember that gross exaggeration and dismissal of actual fact is trending. Again.

You're right, I can't be playing the game. Because I unsubscribed due of the atrocious job design in Endwalker.

[DPZ2]

You're right, I can't be playing the game. Because I unsubscribed due of the atrocious job design in Endwalker.

And yet, here you are, typing on the forums of a game you're telling me you don't play anymore.

[YukiB]

And yet, here you are, typing on the forums of a game you're telling me you don't play anymore.

Yes, because I'm advocating for positive changes so I can come back.

I like the game. I want it to be better.