Quote Originally Posted by MoofiaBossVal View Post
If GW2 can add in a zone in every patch while doing system overhauls on top of that (the expansion patch content usually has more content than the base expansion), I don't see why FFXIV can't either. And FFXIV requires a monthly subscription fee.
GW2 is also coded and played very differently, with most of the dev time being put into maps (they constantly reuse assets) and skins, with there being pretty much no gear treadmill so they don't have to really adjust balance much (remember how long the condi meta lasted for, or how long zerker ruled over PvE content?). Not to mention they dropped support of dungeons and raids (seriously, they're pushing everybody to Strikes). Dev time is freed up more to do other things due to all of this, since they're only focused on a single new map and the story content within, then there's pretty much nothing but new skins until the next story content releases 4 months later. In the meantime you're running the same maps, the same metas, the same everything, often times just to sell things for money unless you have some long term goal, because your stat spread gear is going to last you for months if not years due to how rarely they actually adjust the meta. Compared to FFXIV where there's a heavier emphasis on story cutscenes, they have unique textures for multiple areas that they seem to rarely reuse, battle effects are a hell of a lot crazier here (as are the fights), there's a constant a gear treadmill, and actual class balance to worry about. Kind of comparing apples to oranges here.

Keep in mind I love GW2 to death, having played since year 1 and still playing it weekly to raid and do strikes with friends. But you can't really compare how the two are developed, the coding alone is completely different, not to mention differences in how the two teams are looking at things. Though if there's one thing that CAN be compared, it's how long it took them to re-release Living Story Season 1 Flame and Frost in the current format, since that had to take a lot longer than releasing normal Living Story chapters. And keep in mind that almost all of LS1 were in the base game maps.