Disappointed With XIV Direction

[Saraide]

What I get from this patch for casuals is that they want you to run fates till you drop dead for the new plates.
Gather a lot of orange scripts until you can buy the new mount with tokens, even more if you hadn't managed to get the Rroneek yet.
Run 500 maps until you finally get to the last floor(because door rng is abysmal)and very maybe roll a weapon coffer.
Pvp for the series reward and just let everything cap, because there isnt nothing new to get.
Go back to Eureka?

Out of all of those the fact we didnt get another set of rewards for crystal trophies confuses me the most. They didnt even give us any level 1 recolours of old sets. Could have given us lvl 1 glam versions of various crafter and gatherer sets aswell. But it's just nothing new there. I guess I can feed more into the glamour dresser without wasting slots with the new set feature.

[BabyYoda]

Why are you disappointed of the current XIV direction?

there is no direction really it is just same old mindset and it will be like that.

They didn't show us roadmaps, guidelines or any clear sign of any direction for the game for the next 10 years,

[DynnDiablos]

After 11 years I am pretty much done at this point. They are shifting to cater to the raiders and 5% of the population that like hardcore content, while fun and casual things to do are left in the dust or pushed way too far back in the patch schedule. I finished everything I needed to do in 7.1 first evening. Now what? Run a horrible and unfun alliance raid weekly? Why? I have all 720 gear.

At this point, it wouldn't be an unsub. It would be a complete character and account deletion. No looking back. No temptation to return. Wipe out the eleven years of history and leave it behind forever. And I think I'm honestly ready. Way better games out there that respect your time and provide a healthy amount of content consistently.

[Daralii]

Out of all of those the fact we didnt get another set of rewards for crystal trophies confuses me the most. They didnt even give us any level 1 recolours of old sets. Could have given us lvl 1 glam versions of various crafter and gatherer sets aswell. But it's just nothing new there. I guess I can feed more into the glamour dresser without wasting slots with the new set feature.

New items are things that could instead be put in the cash shop, and old things... uh...

[Kohashi]

If 14 actually provided a comprehensive exit survey then maybe people wouldn’t feel the need to announce they are leaving

I have to say it's been a while since I have laughed so hard while reading something. And who would have the time and resources to read every person's feedback who unsubscribes for whatever reason? Roughly 20 million people are subbed each month.

While having targeted surveys to test the player base trends and how the company is doing in terms of delivery is an excellent idea, what you propose is not feasible.

Also, let me say this: If a company relies on directing people to provide feedback in forums, it's just another way of saying, "We don't care what you have to say." Forums are mostly echo chambers that hardly ever prompt a company to change. They're a space for people to vent and nothing else.

[Supersnow845]

I have to say it's been a while since I have laughed so hard while reading something. And who would have the time and resources to read every person's feedback who unsubscribes for whatever reason? Roughly 20 million people are subbed each month.

While having targeted surveys to test the player base trends and how the company is doing in terms of delivery is an excellent idea, what you propose is not feasible.

Also, let me say this: If a company relies on directing people to provide feedback in forums, it's just another way of saying, "We don't care what you have to say." Forums are mostly echo chambers that hardly ever prompt a company to change. They're a space for people to vent and nothing else.

Someone who can organise a basic AI to read general answers to “on a scale of 1-10” questions and send out targeted surveys at an amount that is feasible for the company

It’s almost like almost every other MMO and live service game has figured this out

[Jeeqbit]

If a company relies on directing people to provide feedback in forums, it's just another way of saying, "We don't care what you have to say." Forums are mostly echo chambers that hardly ever prompt a company to change. They're a space for people to vent and nothing else.

To be fair, they talk about the forums a lot. When you watch development panels and Q&As they often say "I checked the forums and saw x, y or z". There was also that time not too long ago when Yoshi-P had to stop requiring people to read them if they couldn't handle it due to an increase in rudeness. Checking the forums is not just something the GMs tell people to get them off their back, it's frequently mentioned in interviews, live letters, etc. It seems strange to us, with how forums are very dated of a concept, but it's what they genuinely feel works for them. If we think of the forums as an "issue tracker" then they are looking at most likes is my guess.

So, I think they are genuine about the forum but obviously there could be additional things like tracking issues more concisely or regular surveys.

[Hallarem]

I think they should look at forums. Reddit is spouting the same things.

And just like one of old friends taught me. "Just because something feels complete there is always something to improve." Even if people are coping that its just some minority percentage that thinks Dawntrail is weird and that they need to add more innovative stuff in game and improve their systema.
Sometimes feedback can be rude, but have the thick skin to pick out the "good suggestions" from it. Instead of being like "this person is rude. Ignore everything lalala"

[Bonoki]

One of the biggest betrayals in FFXIV's supposed identity is how it's touted as the ultimate social MMO, yet to me, it feels more anti-social than ever. The community and dev team prioritize fostering social interaction, but where? Finding an active Free Company that RP doesn't consume feels like searching for a needle in a haystack. And once you find a group, what can you do together? Raiding and treasure maps – that's about it. Beyond that, the game practically plays like a single-player RPG, with Limsa Lominsa reduced to nothing more than a glorified AFK lobby.

Party Finder is overrun with what can only be described as businesses masquerading as community activities—venues more interested in boosting a DJ's Twitch viewership than creating real, meaningful connections. It doesn't feel like community bonding; you're just another number.

Social platforms like Twitter/X and Reddit don't help either. Instead of fostering discussion, they're dominated by echo chambers where you're either fully aligned with the hive mind or silenced for fear of stepping out of line.

Even raiding, the supposed pinnacle of community collaboration, has become a mixed bag. Statics fall apart when content is cleared, leaving behind a trail of burned bridges. Most of the time, I never see those people again—because we're too busy resenting each other. Maybe I killed their parse. Perhaps they think I dragged us down. It doesn't matter; the result is the same. FFXIV feels less like a social haven and more like an isolating, segmented experience where connections are fleeting and shallow.

FFXIV is starting to feel shallow in its single-player aspects, which used to be its saving grace. Patch cycles are growing longer, yet the content we're getting feels like a downgrade, getting less per patch. The story, once the game's crown jewel, is starting to falter with questionable writing and pacing. Even something as simple as hairstyles isn't appropriately handled when we finally get a new style.

Jobs? They're being gutted and oversimplified, stripping away the depth and complexity that once made them engaging to master. This isn't just a gameplay issue; it's an identity crisis. The game offers plenty to do, but there's little to no incentive to do any of it. Take Extreme Primal mounts, for example: why should I bother grinding them now when I know that by 8.0, the drop rates will increase, unsync will make it trivial, and patience will reward me more than effort ever could?

This creeping sense of hollowness in both multiplayer and single-player experiences is undeniable. For all the game's talk of being a vibrant, dynamic world, it feels like the soul that once drove it is slowly slipping away.

[Ritsugamesh]

This creeping sense of hollowness in both multiplayer and single-player experiences is undeniable. For all the game's talk of being a vibrant, dynamic world, it feels like the soul that once drove it is slowly slipping away.

This is the most important line there. What makes this MMO vibrant or dynamic? Literally everything is copy/pasted timelines and exact mathed out 'this is the best statistical dungeon layout so EVERY dungeon is the same design'. There's literally no moving parts in the world outside of hunts/fates (no thank you, I've done more than enough mindless fates and hunt trains for a lifetime) - everything else is as static and regimented as can be. Even the fight design is the epitome of static and unyielding, do the dance the right way and win. I know fights are only beat with the right strategy in every game, but imagine playing FFIX and the only way to win a fight was to sequence the perfect combo of attack/spell/attack/attack/defend/back row/etc. - it's hyperbole, but you get the concept.

There is just no room for anything other than the designed scope. Jobs have no identity and have been boiled down to the bare essentials. No room for expression, I mean even look at things like AST cards - the long vaunted discussion I know - but like, they're not even cards anymore. They're just additional crap oGCDs that are worse than other AST oGCDs.

FFXVI unfortunately felt exactly the same. The combat was flashy but was ultimately pointless, not challenging, and the whole effort lacked soul. I'm no longer sure this dev team have the creativity to escape the tightening of the noose.