Difficulty of normal content.

[tank2fish]

The difficulty is perfect. Frankly, it could still be a little harder and still be good casual content. If you're struggling, make a PF and ask for help. This game is FULL of people who LOVE to help and explain how to do the content, or even be happy and willing to carry you through the content you struggle with if it feels hopeless on your own. Genuinely. I can't tell you how many PFs I have joined specifically to help people through the content they struggle with, and I know I'm not alone bc those PFs always fill up FAST.

And frankly, the idea that it's "too difficult" is not an accurate assessment. You are too used to the game's difficulty being tuned way down, with EW being the easiest the game has ever been, and too used to running content while being heavily over-geared. Now that a new expansion has released, everyone is running at min ilvl, which means things are the hardest they're going to be, for now. As time goes on, things will get easier as better gear becomes more widely available.

Personally, this has been the most fun I've had in the game running dungeons and raids so far. It would be a tragedy if they were to tune the difficulty down, so please don't do that.

I do want to say there is an argument to be made (and should be made!) about there not being enough accessibility features for people with light sensitivity or color blindness, and tbh I feel like all these discussions about "difficulty" always distract from the actual bigger issue of accessibility. If there were more accessibility options (ability to change aoe colors, arena colors, saturation, brightness intensity, etc.), that could also HELP with people struggling to see the mechanics who may not normally "require" accessibility features. But instead we're out here, asking for the content to be nerfed instead. There needs to be a wider view when looking for solutions instead of "too hard, make easy?".

[Kaurhz]

It does, on that I will agree wholeheartedly, but that kind of spells out the issue: Rather than being willing to bring players up and teach them the fundamental skills underpinning the combat system, we're coddling them and willingly letting them be bad and the playerbase's overall skill level deteriorate because CBU3 isn't willing to make HotN more informative, isn't willing to put a stricter skill gate before current content, and isn't willing to start using EX/Savage to gate out bad mentors. Those are issues that can and should be fixed, but the fix isn't to make the entire game easier. There is no timeline where that's ideal, it's putting the cart before the horse, and shooting the horse so it stops complaining about the cart.

They should go back and fix older content to better support the expected skill level of current content, on that I can agree. But this is only part of the problem in itself.

Why? Because of the discrepancy in time that players spend at relevant level-cap. In many instances a lot of players are only ever going to complete 1 duty once, before going back to do a further tens-of-hours of MSQ again before the next relevant duty. A lot of consistency in both how the player does, and how well they can read the game will only come through doing actual content fairly extensively, and this is something that IMO most players actually underappreciate. Even in terms of de-rusting, etc., - Many players are still also coming back from pretty extensive breaks.

[jdtuggey]

It shouldn't baffle you.

This game does a tragic job of teaching the fundamentals of the game, and this has only gotten worse and worse over the years.

I mean, I've brought in maybe half a dozen players since endwalker from a community I share with them, and they've been able to learn and adapt fairly quick. They question themselves, they want to improve, they also question me and others. I see the same thing in novice network, some sprouts just have a pristine attitude and genuinely want to learn and get better, but there's definitely a set of players that like to complain and don't want to put in any effort ? Like, they want immediate, effortless solution ? There's also no personal responsibility in how they express themselves ? "It's the game's fault". Hard to put in words for me. I'm not sure teaching players how to play the game is the problem when a subset of players don't want to put effort into learning or taking advice and think we should accomodate them delivering a minimum viable product. Like, there's exceptions to this, I came across this guy who lost a hand, I could tell it was not easy for him, but I could tell he was trying, some players try, some players don't and don't want to, and I think the latter is the problem.

I think it's okay that the game isn't like, verbatim telling you how to play, cause these standards can change because a lot of them are community based. A tutorial for the game would tell you that a healer's job is to keep everyone healthy and hale, that dps is a secondary thought, when the perception of the community looks more like push as much dps you can while keeping your party alive (not necessarily healthy!) using OGCD's as much as you can kinda thing? I don't think the game could properly teach about a concept like uptime, we as a community emphasize its importance. Same with slidecasting. I think these things are much better learned by osmosis. Just need to want to learn I guess. :P

There are some things they could really teach better though, like the meaning of the different markers and what to expect of them comes to mind.

[punki]

we (the people not ok with this difficulty) need for the devs to hear it to hopefully make a course correction.

"we" aka the people that feel that normal raids or expert dungeons are too hard are approximately not even 5% of the playerbase. Why should the majority of people, about 95%, who enjoy and also feel completely fine with the challenge presented adjust to your course?
Have you ever considered that the fault is on you and not the game? Have you ever considered improving? I highly doubt that.

And it's not an issue of learning the fight, because that I can do

if you are capable of learning the fight then whats the issue here? I just hear blablabla if i'm honest. People like you have forgotten that gaming always was, is and will be a challenge. If you want to just sit back and watch stuff go see a movie in the theatre.
Seriously... i wish people like you were born in the 80s like me and experienced what "difficult games" really mean

[Gullis]

No, some stuff is already starting to fade in difficulty, as ppl are getting gear and experience. I barely have to heal anymore in the new expert dungeons. wait a bit before proclaiming things to be too hard

[Zakuyia]

Honey b fight is what i live for. Shes cute, shes adorable, fiesty, a monster girl, her music is banging. And her fight is hella fun.

[talloran]

We are way past being nice to people like OP. It's time we drive them out through sheer hostility.

Think the game is too hard? Then leave.
Don't like how the mechanics are being handled? Then leave.
Do you believe there should be more "casual", "singleplayer" experiences for your regular anxious blorbo? Go play something else.

We do not need you here. We do not want you here.

You ruined Endwalker post patches, you WILL NOT ruin Dawntrail.


Either know your place in the game's hierarchy or leave.

We will drive you out, OP. This game is not for you anymore.

[ReyXander]

its a skill issue. sorry

[holydiver1286]

I'm trying to respect and understand your opinion, but you're out of your mind if you want the difficulty to be easier. I've been put in earlier content in roulette's the past couple days, specifically today it was P6, and I swear I almost fell asleep. The most engagement I had in ANY of the earlier fights from roulettes was having my cards as an astro and that's a real stretch calling that engaging. You don't have to be a hardcore raider to enjoy something that's at most a little interesting. All of the content that's been added in Dawntrail is super forgiving but at the very least more interesting and fun. If you're having bad experiences with random people not being able to do mechanics, leave and hop in again. I guarantee you'll end up one of the times you go with at least one competent person. If you're having bad experiences from YOU not being able to clear these fights then that's a you problem. So many people are enjoying the difficulty level that encounters are at now because it's very fun. If you get up to the level of slightly competent at paying the smallest amount of attention, then you'll also see how fun the game can be when you actually have to play it instead of hopping into fight, pressing random buttons, and putting youtube/netflix up on the side so you have something engaging to do. The normal raids, trials, and dungeons in Dawntrail are all at the perfect level of difficulty where they can at least be a little interesting for people of all levels, but literally anyone can clear them when putting at least minimal level of effort.

[Volfe]

God, even as a sprout when I was going through early MSQ. I remember feeling so disappointed with the Thordan fight, it felt like bullying a poor old man rather than an actual fight. Story fights still need to make some impact, especially a final boss... Of a fantasy battle game.