New player(s) thoughts

[hagare]

This scene is going to be so sad later on in 7.0 when Tataru decides to summon a primal and we have to put her down.

donchu mean when tataru turns out to be a primal of mercantile summon by Rowena and her legion of merchants and minions

[Espon]

A very large amount of MMO/WoW content creators were toting a much better endgame and MMO experience with gearing and raids, which is exactly what WoW players crave. They typically hype up the story but avoid talking about how it progresses and the extremely dated solo questing systems.

I'm not saying this is this new player's experience with the adverts and content creators - But you don't have to dig too deep to find the exodus hype for better pasture. I think Preach is part to blame to be honest.

Preach seems to understand this game isn't WoW, at least. I've seen so many people come to this game expecting a replacement for WoW and then complain that the game is not more like WoW. This isn't World of Warcraft, it's Final Fantasy XIV. It's a game in a series known for its epic storylines.

[Renalt]

Not all games are for everyone. If looking for some free MMOs to try you should look into City of Heroes Homecoming. It's quite the blast and having a duo with you will make things very enjoyable for you. I also think Dragon's Dogma Online got an online revival so it's a private server in works. I'm not sure if it 100% done or not but you can look it up online. Also WoW private servers are fun. You can get some that stop at certain Expansions...my personal favorite was WotLK so might look into that one.

Good luck to you and your friend.

[UnrealTai]

So, me and some friends decided to start playing this game together after reading good reviews online. But quit after a day of quests, quests, quests, quests. There has got to be a way to streamline these quests to where you can get a good story, but at the same time not grinding endless quests that 99% of people skip the dialog anyway.

Also, the free trial is a joke. it's almost as if SE wants to punish people for playing the free trail and not paying. You can't even invite people to parties. I had to pay a sub just so we could group together. The entire new player experience in this aspect has to be relooked at. (heck if i didn't pay the sub i couldn't even communicate my new player thoughts to SE about this topic on the forums)

Maybe this game just isn't our style of gaming and I'm willing to accept that, just wanted to put in my 2 cents.

I notice a lot of people are saying maybe it's just not for you, and thats.... horrible to suggest. The story for me is the weakest reason to play..... And I've been playing 11 years. I skip all of it.
It's totally "not" 90% of the game. Not even close.

If it was me personally just starting?

I'd buy the story skip on mog station all the way through. Along with at least 1 80 char. (Just so you can go unlock whatever you want when you want, for your lower level classes, or jump straight into being a Ninja, instead of waiting to hit 30, etc etc)
"Then" start playing. Back at level 1 on something. As if it never happened, and the story never existed. This will make it 100% sandbox mode however, so note that the story grants tons of XP. However, you can fate & dungeon grind almost as fast so its not a big deal, and ideally, you get to pick what you wanna do instead of being forced to do a or b in story mode.

There "is" a newgame + mode "just" to replay the story, so you're not 100% SOL if you decide it was a bad idea later on. You can pick which chapters to do in them as well. And quit/resume anytime


I am also one of those story skippers. I really dislike it's presentation in XIV overall. (But loved FFX XV stories etc)
I'm all for story but the A to B method for stories isn't for me. The story is "supposed" to be awesome but I will not entertain a story with so much filler and A to B stuff in it, no matter how good it is.
There "IS" tons for you to do for years though, even if you buy the story skip, TRUST ME (See join date)


You can do things as you level from 1 after buying the skip.... Like going to Shiva Extreme and "not" making the duty uncapped. Do things legit with level caps etc. Most people are on the fence if they dislike the story presentation until the Extreme trial fights. From there on it's like 1000 things to discover. If you do that then I also highly suggest at 70, you go to Bozja. It's the currently seen as the most fun thing to do from a new player stand point. Dont get me started on Palace of the dead coop or Housing, heck, housing activities alone can run you with things to do for months. Super in depth. The new private island sanctuary, another few weeks, but it just came out, so sure to have more to do later.

If you dislike story that much in XIV like me, or its presentation rather, that's what I would be doing, its hella fun.

[IDontPetLalas]

I notice a lot of people are saying maybe it's just not for you, and thats.... horrible to suggest. The story for me is the weakest reason to play..... And I've been playing 11 years. I skip all of it.
It's totally "not" 90% of the game. Not even close.

snip

I am also one of those story skippers. I really dislike it's presentation in XIV overall. (But loved FFX XV stories etc)
I'm all for story but the A to B method for stories isn't for me. The story is "supposed" to be awesome but I will not entertain a story with so much filler and A to B stuff in it, no matter how good it is.
There "IS" tons for you to do for years though, even if you buy the story skip, TRUST ME (See join date)


You can do things as you level from 1 after buying the skip.... Like going to Shiva Extreme and "not" making the duty uncapped. Do things legit with level caps etc. Most people are on the fence if they dislike the story presentation until the Extreme trial fights. From there on it's like 1000 things to discover. If you do that then I also highly suggest at 70, you go to Bozja. It's the currently seen as the most fun thing to do from a new player stand point. Dont get me started on Palace of the dead coop or Housing, heck, housing activities alone can run you with things to do for months. Super in depth. The new private island sanctuary, another few weeks, but it just came out, so sure to have more to do later.

If you dislike story that much in XIV like me, or its presentation rather, that's what I would be doing, its hella fun.

As you say there's a lot to do in this game, the first reflex (ideally) shouldn't be to say "this game may not be for you". Interestingly, I detest many of the things that you state "the most fun thing new players like", i have never levelled any alt in Bozja and never understood anyone who preferred to level there- but as you say some people do, similarly I'm not a fan of POTD however there are people who are justifiably proud of their achievements , as well as people who enjoy levelling and the rewards from there.

Not to mention the people who really invest into crafting or fishing or many other activities.

[GTK0HLK]

I'm sure it's said before..,
but in the streamlining of the ARR quests.., So Much was lost..,
and I absolutely hate it..,
Absolutely..,<would not care if that makes me an enemy of any order if it does>
When quests or whole sections of story are lost for streamlining to rush people to endgame is literally assassination of the world. course it varies..,<with BnS, there really is no story at all in the beginning zones anymore>

Like with the Primal Quests, where you no long have to figure out what Character model is the Real Character Model. I hate that it acts like you didn't partake in that.
<and while yes I understand some people like that they seem to have a life of your own.., it's BS when you already partook in that before the changes. -Make that for later Content, and Expansions in the future. Not alter the past.->

But yes, there are ways to Whittle down the length without losing any of the storys substance. And I miss my interactions with Mil- I mean F'lhaminn.., (though I agreed that zones dragging of content history.., does grate.., but that's just me against the CoH's Growth in Complacency.)

as for how free trial is limited..,
What else could be expected..,?
it's a Trial that costs no money except your time.

[Cach]

I notice a lot of people are saying maybe it's just not for you, and that's horrible to suggest.

I agree with most of your post, as I've always said that fans do ff14 a disservice just focusing on the story... because the underlying game can be pretty cool, just sayin'
I however think that suggesting new players to PAY for skips is pretty brutal, tbh. Those things are not cheap.

I'm a proponent of things being locked by level, not by MSQ progress. Open those activities up earlier. visit that town, get those tomestones, buy that gear.

[Renalt]

I notice a lot of people are saying maybe it's just not for you, and thats.... horrible to suggest.

I said it because it's true. I hate Madden games but loved Blitz. I'm not a fan of sports games.

Same thing here. Might not like FFXIV but might like Wow. Or Vice Versa. Or maybe an MMO is just the wrong way and just want more cooperative gaming like Division, Diablo, Left 4 Dead, Halo, Divinity: Original Sin, etc...

[Newt456]

I started playing the game a few months ago and have gotten almost to the end of Stormblood. The thought of playing an MMO never sounded appealing to me, but I gave it a try because I've always enjoyed JRPGs and I heard a lot of good things that made it worth a try. Although I'm completely addicted to the game at this point, the new player experience could continue to use work.

1) I had to learn some really basic combat knowledge by finding resources OUTSIDE of the game. I get that this is a collaborative/online game, which lends itself to building communities and resources, but it's really no surprise that you see some folks play like they have no idea what to do. It's absolutely absurd that you need to head online to understand the fundamentals. Especially for what's supposed to be a casual friendly MMO game. Hall of the Novice is literally right there, it just needs to be revamped and be far more comprehensive.

2) The slog is real in ARR. I only stuck through it because I read that it would get better. I disagree with people in this thread saying that Square has already done plenty to compress ARR, so any frustrations new players have mean the game is not for them. I would have really missed out if I didn't stick through it. So would the 2 non-MMO gamers I pulled in since then. We're having a blast. I'm glad Square recognized the issue but they could do more. The MSQ pre-Mor Dhona felt like an absurdly long prologue. You can destroy half of it and it would be a net positive. It's aged poorly. Or convert what's salvageable into yellow side quests, so the people obsessed with lore building/world building still have a huge amount of content to work through at their leisure. I can't even pretend to remember the generic NPC #405 from Gyr Abania's story that seems to recognize me from when I helped him get medicine for something in Gridinia. It doesn't add richness to the experience

[R041]

I notice a lot of people are saying maybe it's just not for you, and thats.... horrible to suggest. The story for me is the weakest reason to play..... And I've been playing 11 years. I skip all of it.
It's totally "not" 90% of the game. Not even close.

I've also been subbed non-stop for roughly 11 years, (Don't believe these join dates) and if you want to tell me that we've stay subbed because ARR, Heavensward, and Stormblood had a good MSQ then you'd be out of your mind insane. It's good set piece, and mostly because it pulls from old titles.

A LOT of vets skip story, or only watch voiced scenes. We've never been particularly proud of the MSQ process, the pieces and lore definitely. Most people won't even mention that there's a MASSIVE amount of other FF content in here, not just FFXIV - This game is BORN out of old FF content. We have a ton of bosses and content pulled from all over the numbered series, and even NIER! It's a frankenstein monster and that's why I love it. It lets you appreciate the older games in a new light.

These people may fool new players, but they don't fool us - This wasn't always about MSQ, and we NEVER called it an 'RPGMMO', that's a new term you all made up and new players ran with after Shadowbringers, and I'm pretty sure it was Jesse Cox that flipped it. I don't condone it's use.

I refuse to believe the "But ARR is good because it shows humble beginnings" - It's fetch heaven and only the city state intros are half interesting. Most FF titles don't even back this theme up, because almost all of them shoot you straight into the mix 10 minutes in with 50 hours of intensity. MSQ enthusiasts also often forget about 1.0, are you gonna tell new players to go back and play that too because it has critical story? No, because it can be summed up in 5 minutes. (You CAN go play it)

ARR - Not good
Heavensward - Only Post MSQ was good.
Stormblood - Only Post MSQ was good.
Shadowbringers - Generally good
Endwalker MSQ - Half good

Just because everyone loves Shadowbringers, doesn't automatically make the whole series of ARR-Endwalker fetch quests good storytelling, and it definitely isn't good gameplay.

We play this MMO because it's an MMO of FF, as we ALWAYS have. Not because it's a visual novel. I have a house, I craft, trade, gather, achievement hunt, and I LOVE all Trials and Raids. I do NOT sit and rewatch MSQ over and over like some people claim to do, and I don't sit in Limsa.

This is a new wave of stupid since the release of Shadowbringers, saying the MMO is bad and Visual Novel good. It's so strange to me, and I just want the MMO expanded on. I'm tired of everyone advocating for something we haven't really cared about for so long, and then just accepting that our MMO portion is dying, and for some reason celebrate it.

Yoshi wants to keep our sub, I doubt he'd be cool with everyone only subbing once every 2 years for our MSQ catchup.