Is anyone else not really enjoying themselves?

[BakoolJaJa]

I think for me, I've been playing FFXIV for a long time and usually the MSQ is always something I can count on to motivate me to want to learn more about the world we're put in and the circumstances around it. This time though, while the battle content is really stellar(probably the best it's been in forever) I just can't feel motivated to keep playing. In fact playing kind of makes me sad. Between how bad the MSQ was and the likelihood that the Dev's might screw up Viper which is the job I've had the most fun with for over 6 years. I've kind of lost all motivation to keep playing in general.

I really liked the characters before, and now I dunno, I can't imagine going through anymore of the Wuk lamat show, like just the thought of having to deal with more of how the main quest was written, or having to deal with more of Wuk lamat. It honestly makes me wish I never bought Dawntrail. I've never been more excited for summer vacation to end in my life. Honestly, if the game continues down the path Dawntrail has started, I can't see myself being able to justify the expense of a game I don't enjoy anymore. I'm really hoping the raids are fun and that the story is 100% separate from Wuk Lamat, because after getting through the MSQ , especially the final trial (I will absolutely never do that trial again), I've never been more depressed to be playing a game in my life.

I play MMOs because I want to be part of a big, multiplayer, persistent world. Most people do. It's why and how people get so invested in these games and their characters. It's a separate ongoing life of sorts. The MMO experience isn't comparable to single player games in that regard. There you become part of a world for a specific moment in time, both virtual in game time, as well real life time. The world has a beginning and an end, so does the story, so does a character, etc. Not in MMOs though.

While FFXIV keeps getting updates, it keeps on being this other living, breathing world filled with real people. And we all can be part of it.

But if suddenly the world changes, if it becomes unappealing for whatever reason, the feeling of immersion begins to fade. And anything in the "world" can contribute to that change. It can be class balancing, it can be a graphics update, it can be music you dislike, story not being up to par, the community becoming toxic. Suddenly you feel a distance. You feel alienated. You no longer want to be in the world at all, despite the original issue potentially being very minor. I'd compare the effect to how easily immersion breaks in VR vs usual gaming. You can suffer through a million graphical bugs on a 2d screen before you get fed up. But a single tiny hiccup in VR is enough to pull you right out of the experience.

So I don't think anybody is exaggerating or being dramatic. This is in the nature of the genre.

For me, I've been having minor issues with the ffxiv community for a while now, but it sure feels like it came to a head with all this Dawntrail controversy. Not once have I silenced or criticized anyone who is having fun or sharing their positive impressions. But the amount of toxicity I have gotten in return is far too much. And all I have ever shared are rather legitimate and polite criticisms, no personal attacks, nothing overly emotional. The way the playerbase reacts to any sort of complaints is hard to stomach. Aside from feeling like you can never be genuine and truthful, instead constantly having to fake pure bliss, it also feels like this leads to feedback never getting heard. And I want the game to become better. But when so much of the community is constantly pushing back against every attempt to better something I love... Well, it makes me skeptical about the future.

Edit: I see some misunderstanding in the comments. None of what I mentioned has anything to do with the size of in game areas. I am not talking about locations or about whether or not the game has an open world to explore. Not once. I am not talking about the physical aspects at all. This is more of an emotional/mental thing. A world can be persistent and big while being physically small. For example through its community.