Perspective of a returning player

[Sasse]

The game just isn't that great at the moment, (still - especially for new / returning players like myself) and I mostly share the same opinion with the OP.

Thank god for future legacy benefits and 2.0.

[Figgleleaf]

I hope 2.0 is fun, but I wouldn't be playing right now if I wasn't having fun right now. If you don't enjoy it now, then don't play it. Come back and try it out after 2.0 comes out. Or don't. But I don't see any point in playing the game for the next 6 months if you're only kind of, sort of having fun waiting for 2.0 to come out and fix everything you hate.

[cloverkitty]

While I am sure I am not alone is hoping the best for 2.0. I am sure it will be pretty good as there is so much riding on it. However it is clear they have not put all their eggs in 1 basket (FFXI expansion pack). The game has changed drastically and for the better. As far as UI and other things while it has improved this is still the old system. Comparing this to what is to come is nearly impossible.

I still laugh every time I see someone come on here to talk about how great Tera is and how FFXIV should be more like Tera. Why should they. Tera has failed in Korea, failed in Japan and is starting to fail in the US (based on various articles I am reading about the decline of the game). It is just a matter of time that the US release will hit the same fate as the others.

While the combat system is unique I will give you that it is a horrible system. You are running around to keep the center point on the part of the target you want so you can mash buttons is not fast paced. It is annoying and I felt like WTF. Combine with that a horrid game lackluster crafting system as well as numerous other issues and you have a game that SE should stay as far away from as possible.

I can see so much potential with this game and really hope it come to play. the crafting system on this game is pretty good as well as other things. I will not make a final choice of course until I see 2.0 in front of me. However I suspect I will be here a while, or maybe go back to FFXI until I find something else.

The direction the game is going is the right direction I hope they continue this progress and not try to emulate a dying game.

[Lacavi]

I'm a returning player, I might as well throw my hat in the bin.

Compared to release, the battle system has changed a lot for the better, it's more fluid and requires interaction. That said.. the PC UI is horrid, it was defiantly made for a controller, no doubt. This is on the list of changes for 2.0 so I shrug it off.

Leveling, it's.. paced well. The only problem I have with it is the complete lack of party interaction until 50, unless you get powerleveled. (Personally, I refuse, but I don't bemoan people that do, it's their game to skip.) This is especially troublesome for tanks and WHM, my friend couldn't heal at all because she'd been spamming stone the entire game and then was thrust into a 8 person party.

DoL is another matter, the leves aren't paced well, and there's some big spots that lag off, and I really feel like we're missing a grade somewhere. DoH isn't that bad to grind, but there seems to be little incentive to use leves at all until the end.

My big complaint, the job system. I realize it can be made into something wonderful, but for now.. it seems over complicated for no reason whatsoever. (That, and personally I don't want to wake up one day and find out I'm level 50 in four new classes.)

The AH system is sorely needed, I haven't gotten a retainer into Ul'dah more than twice in two months, but I can at least get by in Gridania. Speaking of selling, the UI, again, kills me when it comes to selling things to NPC.

Most of my complaints are minor, the biggest being the lack of middle party content and the job system, but if it were to come out today I'd give it a solid 7.5, and there's no telling what I would give it come 2.0.

[Ruisu]

(That, and personally I don't want to wake up one day and find out I'm level 50 in four new classes.)

This is my one concern for this game. This right here. The armory system needs serious reworking before we can even consider branching jobs.

[Sagagemini]

Server problems are the worse for me, but that's getting fixed in 2.0, so it's all good.
And i would like to see leves improved. Leveling by doing quests/leves solo would be great. That's what i love the most about other MMOs.
For a casual players that's really good, and motivates you to keep on playing.

[Skies]

My big complaint, the job system. I realize it can be made into something wonderful, but for now.. it seems over complicated for no reason whatsoever. (That, and personally I don't want to wake up one day and find out I'm level 50 in four new classes.)

You can rest assured, when they finally add Musketeer and Arcanist (okay, i'm being silly here, read that as 'add a new class') you will start in Level 0, and attain Level 1 as soon as you equip your weapon. And then it'll come with it's own, possibly two, jobs as well.

And when they finally give Lancer the Dark Knight job (once again being silly, read it as 'a second job to the classes') you will have to go do another series of five quests with a AF piece hunting and a pretty big battle in the end to earn you 15-min ability.

Jobs might a bit complicated, but if you can make a good separation of job and class in your mind, it's easy not to get too antsy about it.