What was they thinking when they did variant dungeons and criterion

[Alleo]

We should get another deep dungeon in this expansion so there would be another content which can be run for a long time depending on what you want from it.
The question is though: Why does every single piece of content have to be long lived? Wouldnt that just mean that you bascially have to live in this game to even get near the finishing line for one?

I am nearly done with the variant. I may run it once or twice again because I still dont have enough for the glam reward but other than that I probably wont get there again. And thats fine. I had much more fun in this than a lot of other content they produced in the last expansions. The feeling of happiness when I was able to solve a puzzle on my own (only looked up the notes 4 and 5), the lore we got there, the cute interaction with Nanamo. All that was worth more for me than another endless grind like Bozja. I hated it there in the end because the notes for the mount were purely RNG. In Variant you can them 100% if you do the thing right.

Would you really have fun with this content if you run the exact same paths again and again and again just to grind some rewards that will bascially be ignored a few weeks after obtaining them? I would not. I liked this one because it was something new, something interesting with only a minor grind. And if I want to do it again, maybe help out a friend, I can do it without the feeling of being annoyed by it.

Also interesting how you want more rewards but you bascially dont like those that are in it right now. For you mounts are not cool, for others they might be the sole reason to run it. (Also you can sell the mount which means that grinding for more than one can give you a nice sum of gil) What if they introduce more rewards but none of those matter to you?

- A plot that satisfied half the fanbase and confounded the other half
- Underwhelming and exploitative PvP
- Barebones and underwhelming content, from Island Sanctuary to the new Variant and Criterion dungeons

Whether you agree with the intensity of these or not, whether you feel their goodfaith has been lost to you over them or not, that's up to you. But to many people, yes, their goodwill was shot in the knees. And now fans are demanding a bit of effort and responsability from their dev team, and not allow them to be so laissez-faire about a decade-old game that doesn't seek to innovate where it matters.

And its fine to feel unhappy about the game. I was in that state in Stormblood and even more in Shadowbringers. Endwalker was the point where I knew that if I dont like it, it will be the last expansion that I would play. (And it would fit perfectly with them ending that huge big story line so I would at least get a ending) Before that though I took some consequences. I stopped buying anything from the cash shop or their merch store (and I asked friends to stop gifting me stuff there too) and I took month long breaks between each playtime. (Would have been longer without the house timer)

I understood that giving feedback (and I gave harsh feedback here over the years) was not enough and that I needed to do something too. So I bascially gave them less money. Of course one person is not enough to make a change but what would it really mean to them if I constantly complained on this forum but still gave them all the sub money regardless? Nothing really.

This is why I find it a bit I guess funny to see certain people still posting here all the time even though the game is seemingly dieing and horrible and childish and so much more. Some even have the newest cash shop items too. I guess thats showing SE how bad it truly is.

In the end though Endwalker was really enjoyable for me thus I constantly stay subbed, have bought something from the cash shop again (doggo love) and post a lot of more positive stuff. Its not because I think that Yoshida can do no wrong, its just that I have started to really like the game again.

I enjoyed the story, I love island sancturary, I liked running variant dungeons and doing the beast tribes dailies. I look forward to the new deep dungeon and I do hope that the relic, without a new zone behind it, will be enjoyable for me again. I also liked the new pvp mode. I have done more pvp since its release than I ever did before and I know that with each new malmstone release I will be there grinding for the rewards again, because the content behind it is fun.

So yeah there are people that will agree with your points but there are also a great deal of people that see it different. That liked Variant or the island. That did not feel disappointed by the story.

[TarynH]

The question is though: Why does every single piece of content have to be long lived?

One thing you really want in an MMO is varying content that is long-lived. Not a lot of the content in FFXIV is long-lived, and arbitrary time gates do not make something long-lived. It just makes it to where you have to wait a week to play the game for an hour or two.

Long-lived doesn't necessarily mean it has to be hard either. Not all content needs to have a static group and a month of practice. It just needs to have a reason to keep doing it beyond the first week of a patch. A reason that goes beyond it being "fun." Fun is only one aspect of it, and a grind does help at times. There's a fine line between a grueling grind and a fun grind though.

Based off of recent content:

8-man Raid Normal. Takes about 1-2 hour(s) per week. Only long-lived because you have to wait a week to get gear again. Fun, but not worth doing beyond getting the gear each week. By the time they allow you to lot more, the 24-man will be out and the gear is replaced.

8-man Raid Savage. Pretty much the same as above. I don't touch them during the cycle, but me doing them won't make them long-lived content.

Island Sanctuary is effectively done after 1-2 week(s) after the patch. Yes, they will add more to it, but is it long-lived? Not really, no. You can check on it every day, but it's pretty forgettable.

Variant Dungeons are probably the best thing I've seen added in awhile. I loved that I could duo it with a friend. Just finished this one though, a week after patch. Gear isn't really desirable enough to grind out. (Can't even wear the hat.) They said they'd add more later, but again, maybe 2-3 more weeks worth of content in an entire year.

Criterion Dungeons I don't really care about. Not gonna complain about them. I'm just not into savage type content. So for me, personally, it's untouched content that might as well not exist. However, it is content that will not live long for the majority of players.

The reason this becomes more and more of a problem, is because the time between patches keeps increasing. Four months now between major patches, and we get week long content sprinkled in here and there. Gear is replaced every two to four months. Hardly anything lasts beyond a week in a game where you could potentially log in every day. And their stance on it is "go play other games."

They either need to add new systems, or more reasons to do the newer content. As well as adding more reasons to possibly grind out old dead content, other than tomes or a roulette.