Most Important Dawntrail Change to Keep me in FFXIV

[ty_taurus]

It's been said before that sharing feedback in the general discussion forums is the way to communicate feedback effectively to the design team, so that's what I am here to do right now. I have been playing FFXIV since day 1 of A Realm Reborn, but my loyalty to this game has gradually weakened over the last couple of expansions, and I want to share the single most important change that I am hoping for in Dawntrail.

Since Shadowbringers, the healer role has received a lot of criticism. This is in regards to the homogenization of the role, the lack of actual healing that healers engage with, and the miserably shallow DPS variety that comprises of most of each healer's gameplay, ultimately resulting in the bulk of healer gameplay being "1 button DPS spam."

It is the single most important thing to me in FFXIV that this feedback be addressed. It has become clear to me that there is no job in FFXIV currently that truly makes me happy and makes me enjoy the game the way Scholar used to. The only exception to this is PVP Healers, and more specifically, PVP Sage. But unfortunately, this does not apply to PVE, where my motivation to play FFXIV has depreciated. Outside of PVP, Sage has failed to address any of the above criticisms of the healing role.

If this criticism is not addressed by Dawntrail, I am considering leaving FFXIV for good. This is not an overnight decision, but the result of years of fatigue of playing the game and constantly yearning for something that isn't there anymore. This has soured my experience in PVE content, and if Dawntrail does nothing to address those long-standing concerns, I am debating either playing only for the story and then immediately unsubbing, coming back for PVP seasons, or just leaving the game completely.

If you want to keep me as a player in FFXIV, I need to see healer adjustments. A rework to the healer role entirely to address the long-standing criticisms would be fantastic, but I'd also entirely appreciate just leaning Sage into the DPS healer identity that it was described as having. Make Sage the "Gunbreaker of healers..." Take inspiration from its PVP gameplay and give it a more hyper offensive playstyle. Add multiple DPS spells to it. Any of these changes could, if successful, keep me as a long-time subscriber to FFXIV.

There are many of you who may think my reaction is extreme, but it's important to recognize that what matters the most to each player is different and based on their own experiences with the game. For you, there may be many other changes that are more important than having specific job adjustments, and that's entirely okay, and if you have a different perspective on what's important for you, then share that below. But if there is community management staff lurking through the general discussion forums prospecting for useful feedback, this thread is for you. Please communicate this feedback to the combat design team.

[DiaDeem]

There will be changes



It'll be simplified

[ty_taurus]

In general, it's important that job design not be too hard, but it also shouldn't be too easy either. This is something that I think has been alluded to by different people when referencing Stormblood as a great midpoint between the complexity of Heavensward and the simplicity of Shadowbringers. Not to say that Stromblood was perfect, because it wasn't (just look at White Mage). But the general feel of job design was in a much better spot where most jobs weren't that difficult, but still offered more dynamics for experienced players to enjoy.

I believe there's a goldilocks zone where the general complexity of the game is neither too much nor too little, but Endwalker is an expansion where the bed was too soft and the porridge was too cold. That also doesn't mean the bed needs to be a rock and the porridge needs to be hotter than the surface of the sun.

[OdinelStarrei]

...

So sad. We can never go home.

They are not adverse to keeping you as a player, but your will is drowned by the amount of players who are either new or entirely uninterested in your plight and complaints. Lose one, gain ten. Please don't make the mistake of thinking that you individually matter to them, the feeling is certainly not mutual.

You deserve better than this, so please try and rid yourself of the attachment to the game, or the good memories we do have will just be tainted by the persistent pessimism. I know it is hard, but people who don't feel like they had their gameplay experiences stolen from them literally will not understand why you are so insistent.

We just have to care a lot less, and things get easier to swallow. Accept the wasted potential of your niche and the futility of this type of feedback. If things haven't gotten better for US in soon-to-be five years, why would they get better now? This isn't defeatism, this is just the most likely possibility. Find a better thing to burn passion into, I'm sure it'll be more worth your time, you've earned it in my eyes. This ain't it anymore, and we are not going back. We gotta disengage.

head empty no thoughts means head sane no heartache

(prove me wrong Square Enix, you won't, I know)

[Mayhemmer]

This isn't defeatism-

This isn't meant to be a jab, but your whole post feels like defeatism. And a touch high-horsey... like a more eloquent way of repeating Yoshida's dismissive "Just play something different" thing.

[Stormpeaks]

So sad. We can never go home.

They are not adverse to keeping you as a player, but your will is drowned by the amount of players who are either new or entirely uninterested in your plight and complaints. Lose one, gain ten. Please don't make the mistake of thinking that you individually matter to them, the feeling is certainly not mutual.

You deserve better than this, so please try and rid yourself of the attachment to the game, or the good memories we do have will just be tainted by the persistent pessimism. I know it is hard, but people who don't feel like they had their gameplay experiences stolen from them literally will not understand why you are so insistent.

We just have to care a lot less, and things get easier to swallow. Accept the wasted potential of your niche and the futility of this type of feedback. If things haven't gotten better for US in soon-to-be five years, why would they get better now? This isn't defeatism, this is just the most likely possibility. Find a better thing to burn passion into, I'm sure it'll be more worth your time, you've earned it in my eyes. This ain't it anymore, and we are not going back. We gotta disengage.

head empty no thoughts means head sane no heartache

(prove me wrong Square Enix, you won't, I know)

yikes

/10char

[ty_taurus]

This isn't meant to be a jab, but your whole post feels like defeatism. And a touch high-horsey... like a more eloquent way of repeating Yoshida's dismissive "Just play something different" thing.

To be honest, "defeat" is a term that I think very accurately describes how I feel about healers. But I didn't always feel that way. Before Shadowbringers, I would praise healer design, and took pride in being a healer player in this game.

[OdinelStarrei]

This isn't meant to be a jab, but your whole post feels like defeatism. And a touch high-horsey... like a more eloquent way of repeating Yoshida's dismissive "Just play something different" thing.

That's fair. But it's only because I've seen how much effort this OP has put into trying to get healers changed for actual years in feedback, see a few parallels to my own thoughts, and I feel really bad for them.

I'm not dismissive. I'm legitimately begging people to do things that make them happy over them subjecting themselves to endless disappointments because they keep hoping the trends will shift. It's coming from a place of genuine concern.

[Raikai]

I think the OP resonates with a lot of other people (myself included) regarding job play in general. Healers are the most egregious, but homogenization is there all across the board if you take the <insert obligatory job gimmick> out.

Although I don't have hopes anymore that the 2min meta is going away, jobs need something extra added during the rest of the ~140s outside of the 2min burst. Most jobs are really boring during that timeframe, sometimes with a thing or two to do at the odd minute marks, but that's about it.

I'm willing to give DT the benefit of the doubt, since it's considered a 'new beginning', but whether or not I'll continue with XIV will depend on what is delivered at launch and maybe at the .1 patch.

[Mayhemmer]

I can relate in a way. I'm not as qualified to target specific issues with healers, but I do see them. My favorite job was dismantled in ShB and still have yet to find one that clicks with me the same way. I still enjoy combat content, but haven't settled on one job. If things get any more simplified in DT, I have no clue what job I'm going to want to play.

If Viper's "technically challenging gameplay" ends up just being "You double weave a lot " I'm going to be really, really bummed out... so I'm certain I'm going to be really, really bummed out.