/r/ffxivdiscussion: The format of the MSQ lacks gameplay and should change

[Magikazam]

Rose colored glasses. It's been the same formula with an average of 1 new mechanic during MSQ per expansion.

Unfortunately for you, 2 of my friends started playing FFXIV in the last 2 years and I've seen both of them stream their experience of the MSQ on our discord server. So my memories of the older xpac ain't tainted in some nostalgia. In fact it did let me make a new opinion on some part of it, and to experience the new post ARR MSQ since it got reduced in length.

[Nadda]

Questing in general lacks gameplay. Tell me if this type of Quest chain sounds familiar to you:

Talk to npc (a)
Pick up x number of sparkly things on the ground. One of the sparkly things is purple therefore there will be one or two easy to deal with mobs.
Talk to npc (a).
Talk to npc (b).
*text only cutscene*
Talk to npc (c).
Talk to npc (b). again
walk to a destination on the map. use item or emote.
*text only cutscene*
Talk to npc (b). again
Go to place on the other side of the world.
Talk to npc (d)
*text only cutscene plays*
Talk to npc (e)
Talk to npc (f)
Use emote or item on npc (g)
Talk to npc (g)
Talk to npc (f)
Go to location on the map. Pick up x number of things.
Talk to npc (f)
Go back and talk to npc (b)
npc tells you to go to where npc (h) is
Talk to npc (h)
use a camera to take a picture of a certain mob in the background.
Talk to npc (b)
Go back to npc (h) give him a letter.
npc (h) tells you to go back to talk to npc (g)
npc (g) tells you to talk to npc (d)
npc (d) gives you an item to give to npc (c)
npc (c) tells you to talk to npc (b)
and finally you go back and report to npc (a)
*text only cutscene plays*

Personally, at least for me I felt Dawntrail MSQ was paced better around getting you from zone to zone, It didn't have long quest chains making me backtrack two zones over to complete where I was forward and back and then forward and back then one step forward. Honestly, even though I watched every cutscene, talked to every npc post cutscene, did all the side quests and Fates I could... Dawntrail felt like a blur to me. Which is funny because every expansion before in my almost 10 years of playing has had like one bit where I was like "Eh" and it took me forever to motivate myself to get through it. (minus EW, HW)

In Shadowbringers things felt slow for the trolly section of Ahm Arang, Stormblood Yanxia through Azim Steppe was rough. Heavensward I just remember taking breaks during the msq for life reasons I was trying not to rush myself because Post ARR was rough for me only because I was impatient and wanted to get into HW and catch up with my then friends that I played with... So I'd like force myself to progress as much as I could through the then heavy ARR post game content as fast as possible to catch up. I never did succeed. I was almost always perpetually just half an expansion behind back then.

[Cach]

Very late here, so here are some random disorganized thoughts, not exclusive to DT:

-Combat, outside the context of group play, feels really bad and I have no idea how to fix that.
-Combat Scenarios are usually too long, enemies are too spongy, they feel unrewarding and like a waste of time. They are also still single player only and its baffling for a mmo, playing alongside friends is frustrating.
-New zones might as well be a big grey square. Which is funny considering how long they spend showing the visual design of new zones. There's no exploring, there's no quest sending me to a interesting place, no secret locations/rewards, even the gathering points are 100% fixed.
-Independent from the quality of the story, the framework for it just feels all wrong. I'm not the adventurer exploring places, talking to people, discovering things or solving problems. I'm the muscle for the anime Scooby Gang being hand held through places I'd rather not be.

[Andryl]

[7.0 Light MSQ spoilers ahead]

I really agree with the original post and all the answers.

I'm playing FFXIV since 1.0 but really got hooked at ARR and even if previous expansions had flaws, i've never been bored following it.

I think Endwalker was really good, even if it was slow and not always interesting, it was carried by the "it's the end of a 10 years story" so it really clicked for me.

I've just finished DT MSQ and I, in fact, really liked it ! The first part was really slow and felt like a guided tour in a hollywood studio but the idea of a trial of succession was really original and some fresh air from the "saving the world" we had for a while.
The second part tho, was for me incredible, the cities, the character design, it was a real changing in the Tribal environment we have each expansion and i really wish they will pursue the game in this direction. Solution 9 is 11/10 for me and i visited every pixel of it.

But in the last third of the MSQ, even if it was really good, i was heavily burned out, i was happy to get to the end just so i can do something relevant gameplaywise.

We had really cool moment, the Wuk Lamat vs TwoHeadedKinkLizardBoy solo instance was fun and a good change of pace in the story
The dungeons and trials are for me the best we had since launch but i think, the progression phase from release to the end of MSQ is lacking a paralel system to engage players.

We need something to do that is relevant (and not only a xp farm) that bring something that will follow throught the whole leveling process and after the max level.
Maybe an area that needs us to join other players to progress a big paralele story that will reward us with equipments or that will unlock new buildings, npc. Something for us to feel like we're a part of something and that this is OUR story.

The problem of the current MSQ is that story is TOLD and not LIVED, there's a lot of solutions to tell a story throught gameplay and experience rather than text blocks.

I think we need a balance between gameplay and storytelling, i really liked DT a lot but I was expecting the "after Endwalker closure" would bring important changes in the structure of progression.

It's just a point of view but overall DT is really good for me and I'm loving it, but as a previous person said, I'm really having trouble recommanding the game while me, as a fan from the first hour, get burned out during the progression of expansions.

[Swordsman]

I sincerely hope not, citizen. That would be a hugely miscalculated knee-jerk reaction on Square's part if they misunderstood the complaints about "In From the Cold" as not wanting gameplay.





May your blades never dull.

Hey remember what titanman said? Why you gotta always be replying on my posts lmao.

Why is it that when one of you two makes a post, the other one isn't too far behind with a reply?

Edit:

-Independent from the quality of the story, the framework for it just feels all wrong. I'm not the adventurer exploring places, talking to people, discovering things or solving problems. I'm the muscle for the anime Scooby Gang being hand held through places I'd rather not be.

Yup we're pretty much just henchmen for furry female naruto.

[WeebPolice]

Hey remember what titanman said? Why you gotta always be replying on my posts lmao.

Citizen, a cautionary tale - we'll end up invoking Titanman/Doritoman if we keep conversing about him.




Remember the lessons of the past.

[Swordsman]

Citizen, a cautionary tale - we'll end up invoking Titanman/Doritoman if we keep conversing about him.