Heavensward was the peak of this game as far as the combat system goes and it has gotten worse with every patch since 4.0 to the point that now it feels like they actually WANT people to quit.

Before anyone cries about it, yes, other aspects of the game have improved immensely like world travel, inventory management, glam dresser, abilities reset after wipes, etc.

I don’t understand what they claim the issue was with the combat back then. It was NEAR PERFECT. The skill floor was low enough that if someone had enough brain power to type in their login credentials without help then surely they were able to clear all of the MSQ content, dungeons, or normal difficulty raids without much issue. The skill ceiling was high enough that if you really wanted to push your job to the limits it made doing dungeons at the time more engaging than today’s savage raids. It was brilliant. Not only the best MMO combat I have ever experienced but maybe even one of the best online games EVER MADE.

Everyone has been (rightfully) crying about how dumb the jobs themselves are but even on a core mechanical level the system that was once accessible, in-depth, and satisfying to master has become so bare-bones it is actually embarrassing. It is not even the same game. It really is sad and honestly I cannot believe that the same team that created HW has had any input on how the game has ended up.


Half of the playerbase hasn’t even experienced the actual final fantasy XIV combat system that had things like:
  • Aggro management
  • Cleric stance and Multiple tank stances (3.x WAR was the best job in the history of this game)
  • TP (sprint not draining it was a good change)
  • Dungeon packs actually being a threat
  • Multiple viable builds for all jobs
  • Power level being driven by skill rather than solely depending on your gear ilvl
The list goes on.

Aggro management ALONE made this game fundamentally different. It was a deceptively in-depth mechanic that, while being immensely satisfying to master as a tank, required interaction from ALL THREE ROLES and really added a sense of teamwork to every encounter and was the SOLE REASON TO PLAY TANKS!!! Now tanks are just 123 drones that act as a (somehow) even less engaging melee DPS.

A change like that happening in any other franchise would instantly kill it. Imagine if a franchise like counter-strike removed grenades in the name of making it “more accessible” because high level players take better advantage of them and you had half of the playerbase saying “it’s the same game!!! Stop being elitist!!!!” I understand that a competitive FPS and an MMO are not the same but I think the comparison is very appropriate.

I have been on maximum cope hoping that each expansion will make the game fun again and it’s my fault for staying subbed but at this point I think anything short of a complete overhaul in 8.0 there is no chance for another 10 years of this game existing.