After the big graphic update is done, the next big side project shoud be...

[NekoMataMata]

They've already done so much to ARR.

They've cut out a lot of the bloat when it comes to questing. They've updated a lot of duties. Also pretty sure they've said they're going to be messing with early combat and changing it to make more sense for DT(Yoshi gave an example of making sure classes get their aoe skills by the first dungeon).

Really, all I want is for them to add ilvl requirements to sub-50 ARR dungeons, and add a job stone requirement to post 30 ones.

[DiaDeem]

They should properly VA the entirety of ARR with the new cast.

[ForteNightshade]

It's insane to me that people want more dev time dedicated to removing content. If players aren't into the story, they aren't into it. They cannot just keep remaking and reiterating on ARR stuff forever. It's exhausting. The devs just spent a considerable amount of time remaking every ARR dungeon [and beyond] specifically for new or solo players. Forcing new players into a game they don't wanna be in, or changing the game completely for a nebulous group of people that might not *ever* be interested seems like a huge waste.

That said, some kind of alternative starting point for new players to begin in DT would be cool, I guess. Let them get hooked on a more digestible story with the option to then go through ARR trajectory "properly" But otherwise it just feels like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

I echo this sentiment. In fact, a big contributor to the lackluster content cadence of Endwalker can be directly attributed to them spending so much time revamping older content which almost none of us get to experience. It's far from the only thing but it's certainly a factor. At this point, the only major addition they need to make as far as MSQ progression goes is a new starting point because expecting new players to tackle five expansions before reaching the advertised content is, frankly, too tall a demand. Which, to be fair, is precisely why they brought up 6.1 potentially being that new start point. Even if that is a little odd.

[Avoidy]

I used to be really active in a CWLS for helping newbies stick with the game. Was like novice network but much smaller and more community oriented. Anyway, of the 40something sprouts we met, only like 5 of them made it through the plodding, poorly paced, unanimated, unvoiced slog that is the MSQ. And of those who quit? Yeah, most of them left during post-ARR. Because even with a ton of support and friends, people would just get sick of it and leave. Compounding this is the ARR gameplay, which -- like someone else already mentioned accurately -- is slow, repetitive, and boring. There are some people who love a slow burn, and they're going to pull up to this thread like they're in the majority, but for most people this game sucks until you sink like 200 hours into it. The combat doesn't start to feel okay until Stormblood imo, and the story varies in quality so much that it's honestly not consistently good until ShB. Was heavensward good storytelling? Yeah. But it came after post-ARR and was followed by stormblood being goofy garbage. Do you know how many people I knew who made it past post-ARR only to be so burned out by the filler fetch quests that they went into HW skipping cutscenes? So many. And a bunch quit too, because they were just fed up. Post-ARR actually damaged their trust in the writers so badly that they began skipping about 30 quests in and simply never stopped.

It's frustrating, because the devs will streamline the game in sooooooooo many other actually fun areas with the goal of helping new players out. That job you love is probably gonna get gutted in dawntrail so new people can have an easier time playing it. But here's a streamlining change they could make to the game that wouldn't take away from anyone's enjoyment, and do they do it? Barely. People will say "they've already cut down on ARR's story," but when you look at the scale of what they did and the amount still left, it's basically nothing. Instead of doing 100 quests in post-arr, now you only do 80! Everybody clap! Like, let's just be real for a minute. Post-ARR is this game's biggest "quit moment" and there should honestly just be an option to watch a cinematic version of it so you can move on to the fun part of the game that much quicker. ARR dungeons are a blight, everyone who gets them in leveling roulette wants it over as quickly as possible because the kit's trash. The story is giga-slow and I'm saying this as someone who read classic lit in uni, like I have the patience for a slow burn but this is absurd. People who love "playing" an mmo story, ie running in circles and clicking sparkly crap on a map for several hours straight, can still have the option to torture themselves if they want. Just give an option for everyone else to skip it because most just quit rather than put up with it and it sucks. Like, it really sucks trying to get friends into this game. You can't even really play the MSQ with them because 90% of it is just solo fetch quests. Great introduction to a game. Shocked nobody else ever brings this up. I'll watch Josh Strife Hayes on his "worst mmo" series crucify other games for doing this exact same stuff but then when it comes to XIV he just praises it relentlessly.

Ugh, I'm just tired. They keep simplifying the game in all these other areas for people who won't even make it past post-ARR. So stupid. And you know why they do it, right? To sell story skips. If the MSQ were actually streamlined, they wouldn't be able to sell you a solution. The fact that these things are in the shop is an admittance even from the devs that the story is something worth skipping. All you people saying "it's a story focused game," lmao, like if the devs actually cared about that principle they wouldn't let you skip their precious story for 20 dollars. Come off it. See what's right in front of you.

[Hyperia]

They should properly VA the entirety of ARR with the new cast.

Of all the potential changes to ARR, this is the best one.

[Shougun]

If we're talking 'systems', data so things are account wide, instanced housing is a snap, and glamour log is complete akin to WoW or other MMOs (better is an option). I'd also like to put responsiveness (button press resulting in an action in such a way that your brain goes 'makes sense') and movement in there, better flow, and including world navigation (dragonflight, GW2 mount system, etc). Perhaps improved open world mechanics, making better dynamic FATEs / content in general (GW2 does this well, the game focuses a decent amount on this to be fair but I feel FFXIV has room to improve without falling over on existing pillars).

Personal long wished 'project' would be gameplay roleplay in general: https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/...-Other-MMOs%29, with the easy but absolutely not exhaustive example being dragoons and jump (game doesn't roleplay that ability outside of combat, and they took away the thematic element recently in combat too so now it's just animation based*). *Imo, rather than remove it, could have been neat to take a -con- and make it a potential -pro-, for example wind bristled scales passive would apply x% of your max hp as a shield after jumping (but jumps would still literally be jumps).

An aside, having played some full VA'd games recently.. and VA mentioned in thread. VA on job quests at least would be cool. All 'major' quests even better.

[keichirou]

Revamping the combat system tbh. Its so stale and stagnant

this! they really need to move towards something even close to gw2 style

[CidHeiral]

These clickbait thread titles are really obnoxious.

[Larirawiel]

These clickbait thread titles are really obnoxious.

Then do not click on them.



Cheers

[Derio]

Honestly the biggest thing if they dont do it in 7.0 is establishing a new starting point for new players. At this point in the game a 400+ hour block to newest content is very jaring to new players.