Quote Originally Posted by Eastwall View Post
https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxivdiscus...t=share_button

I found this interesting post. This is probably why Se does not incentive people to get better. Because instead of getting better, more people would quit And that hurts profit
With respect, I think this misses the mark a bit. Because the game is filled with incentives to improve at the game, such as mounts and gear that are exclusive to higher end content.

As other posts in the thread you linked note, the issue is not one of incentives, but rather the lack of a natural ramp that allows players to smoothly transition from easier activities to more difficult ones. If your average casual player wants to get better at the game, there's very little in the game itself that supports their journey of self-improvement. Nothing to teach rotations, nothing to teach mechanics, nothing to smoothly bridge the gap between MSQ- and Extreme-difficulty content. And that's rough, because the difference between the requirements for the MSQ and an Extreme Trial are a giant jagged leap that functionally acts as a wall to most players.

And beyond difficulty, when your average casual player decides to give an Extreme Trial a try and pokes their head into the Party Finder, they'll see things like "doing double-reverse windmill strategy" and "must have watched video" they're going to be like "Ah, this isn't for me" and never look back. Because they want to play a game, not do research and homework.

If the devs want players to improve, they need to craft the game such that your average casual player can improve within the game itself without external help. Until they do that, no amount of incentives will change things.