The Leveling Problem explained.

[Arohk]

I found this video from Rinon, it explains the leveling problem quite well.

https://youtu.be/X79CeOQ2Lqs?si=EN__VneuCzl-WvbF

In my opinion, the game is ripe for a level squish, especialy when there are now two more jobs coming and the MSQ is getting even longer.

and here is part 2

https://youtu.be/0njdBTmGom4?si=UJg6d_EtgTMuNFuE

[Rongway]

I don't want to leave the forums and sit through videos. Please summarize.

[DPZ2]

The first video lost me when they stated that every job should get their first AoE at level 15. Let's develop bad habits as melee DPS (the ones who absolutely don't get an AoE at level 15). Players who get AoE at 15 tend to use it forever after, much like Ice Mages who realize they don't lose MP when they throw Blizzard.

No learning combos, no thinking about when AoE is appropriate and when is it not, during leveling. Just AoE everything, it works fine, right?!

Sure, there's information about non-AoE in the video, but the basic gist of the first video, repeated a number of times, is "AoE at 15".

[DPZ2]

Second video: Final Fantasy XIV doesn't teach you how to do your job "correctly".

Oddly enough, none of the MMORPGs out there do this, but, somehow, this is a requirement for creating good players in this game.

As though the players who've been battle hardened via Bloodbourne or Dark Souls games need to be told, in great detail apparently, how to play a game.

[Actually, the title is Here's why FFXIV Players are Bad. A wonderful start to a thoughtful essay on ... bah.

[DPZ2]

Do the videos make sense? Mostly.

Who are the video made for? The people who don't have any problems playing the game.

It certainly wasn't designed explicitly as a tutorial to enhance the playstyle of new players. Rather, it becomes a way to complain about those new players.

[CNitsah]

The only problem with leveling is that it goes too fast. It's done so you have enough xp with just the msq. Thus right now, if you do a few fates, roulettes, out of msq things, you're greatly overleveled.

Also, this

I don't want to leave the forums and sit through videos. Please summarize.

[Rongway]

Thanks DPZ2.

[Arohk]

[Actually, the title is Here's why FFXIV Players are Bad. A wonderful start to a thoughtful essay on ... bah.

Because the game never once through the entire playthrough of the MSQ requires you to properly play your job, There never is a dps check or anything where you actually need to think for a bit or practice(excluding certain sequences where you are forced to play different character, so you don't really know what you are doing, and even then you can lower the difficulty in case you fail.)
You can beat all teh trials even if you instantly die because the other teammates just kill it for you.

[Hasrat]

The only problem with leveling is that it goes too fast. It's done so you have enough xp with just the msq. Thus right now, if you do a few fates, roulettes, out of msq things, you're greatly overleveled.

Having just gone through EW myself, I can attest, this isn't 100% true. With intention to only ever take MSQ (and MSQ duties) exp on my main job, there were a couple gaps that required a few FATEs be cleared to bridge the levels. But, they're not terribly large. And honestly, for a story-driven game, it's for the best that players can experience the story without needing to interrupt for frequent grinding.

As for previous expansions.. well, yeah, you do out-level if you're starting any expansion higher than the original starting level cap, which you always will if you're starting from 1. But that's largely a product of level cap quests providing exp where they did not initially.

And while the simplistic answer to that is "don't add exp to level cap quests," then we're back to the original problem of players complaining that they're not getting anything from completing the more tedious patch quests.

[DPZ2]

Because the game never once through the entire playthrough of the MSQ requires you to properly play your job, There never is a dps check or anything where you actually need to think for a bit or practice(excluding certain sequences where you are forced to play different character, so you don't really know what you are doing, and even then you can lower the difficulty in case you fail.)
You can beat all teh trials even if you instantly die because the other teammates just kill it for you.

To some extent, after the changes made to gameplay over the years, this is quite true. Both power levels of attacks and the experience of players make a lot of the instances much easier.

However, with 20+ classes and jobs, creating high-end in-game tutorials for each would require a nightmare in resources, and one that would have to change extensively for each expansion.

I can guarantee that making such a tutorial mandatory for end-game gameplay after each expansion releases would tick off quite a number of high-end players. It would, however, remove the need for the so-called Mentoring System, so that might be a plus.

I'm not exactly sure why the Japanese servers do so well at end-game gameplay, with consistently higher percentages engaging in and completing the content. Are they just that much better at the game, despite the fact that the MSQ does not require you to properly play your job?

Or, perhaps, are they more dedicated to finding and learning from resources outside of the game?

For all of the complaining Rinon does in the two videos mentioned by the OP, I haven't found a single "learn to do better during the MSQ" video. Lots of end-game commentary on healing, yes, but nothing that walks a new player through the best habits to develop for healers while leveling. It's a common fault throughout the youtube ecosystem. Lots of "How to Raid" without any consideration of "how to prepare to raid while leveling". At least most of the jobs mentioned on the icy-veins website (example: https://www.icy-veins.com/ffxiv/white-mage-leveling) provide level-appropriate rotations for the job that will make sense as end-game approaches. Alas, Youtube creators do not yet feel the need to help develop the necessary skills while leveling.