The Great FFXIV Exodus of 2024

[Capstone]

Nah the ultimate is about to come out

[Carbon20XX]

Started playing in late SB (character I play on now is a late EW character but I've taken numerous long breaks and finally committed to making 14 my "main game" in early 2023) and while I think calling this a mass exodus is hyperbole I do think DT hasn't really addressed any of the issues people have with FF14 that might lead into a exodus ala Shadowlands if 8.0 doesn't address the issues (and really they need to address them now).

1. Story Quality is the same or worst then Post-EW (and I thought 6.0 wasn't the best either just really good highs and really bad lows after doing it again on this character after playing 6.0 at launch) and a lot of the experience that gets people to play is being invested in the story and I can't bring myself to care about pretty much any of the DT cast save Bakool personally. I'm aware 7.1-7.3 is probably already largely written and set in stone but I do hope they at least try and either communicate they're changing stuff going forward or course correct the patches

2.I don't know what old players are suppose to do for content if you don't like raiding (and even then I was done with the tier by week 12 and was basically only raid logging by week 4 unless I wanted to level a alt job) I'm already done with 7.1 save MSQ because I'm procrastinating more Wuk Lamat Adventures and besides the AR which is really fucking good, I don't get what someone who isn't A. Grind for the Sphene EX mount or B. Is doing FRU like I am is suppose to do for this patch. It's been said a bunch already but "midcore" players basically have nothing to do till the relic comes out in 7.25 with the new bozja like content and this was already after 6.x had basically no content of that front either. Relic should have been at worst this patch and I'd argue its first step should have been 7.08 or something. For all the content they promised and know is coming from fan fest their is no actual timeline of when its coming really.

3. Job design is this game is boring save a few examples and while promising it get better come 8.0 they're actively on some jobs making it worst? Why did DRG lose 2 nastrond charges? Why can't we start fixing the jobs up a bit for their rework sooner when SAM this very expansion got a semi-rework that is largely accepted as positive. Those changes were great and helped make the job a bit more unique and added some cool skill expression. I'm fine with stuff like the TCJ change which imo was more frustrating to adapt around then skillful especially under bad ping. But the DRG changes to me especially felt like changing it for the sake of change.

Think the biggest thing the SE could do to at least stop the bleeding a bit which at least for now is small is just say something. Give me a roadmap for the rest of DT and ideas of change for 8.0. because if you aren't a Savage/Ult raider you probably could have waited to buy DT and sub till 7.25/7.3 with the new relic and zone.

[ShadowyZero]

1. Story Quality

2.I don't know what old players are suppose to do for content

Think the biggest thing the SE could do to at least stop the bleeding a bit which at least for now is small is just say something. Give me a roadmap for the rest of DT and ideas of change for 8.0. because if you aren't a Savage/Ult raider you probably could have waited to buy DT and sub till 7.25/7.3 with the new relic and zone.

1- they keep changing writers is the problem instead of improving upon the skills an knowledge that has worked best for them an their audience. this needs to stop an instead bring all the writers together to brainstorm ideas not just the main ones i feel they could learn alot from eachother instead of being so closed minded.

2- they expect the casuals to endure the same rinse and repeat content ad naseum is the issue an even then even the more experienced(mid/hard core) are getting sick an tired of the same tune and same dance when it comes to the content that they receive with the only thing now for them to look forward too is ultimate and the savage raid for cloud of darkness etc. its pretty sad to be honest an they wonder why so many people cheat or resort to using banned software an modifications etc.

last point- the have already stated everything they plan i hate to be the one to tell you though but someone has to reply to it basically we're getting more of the usual mind numbing stuff with the newer additions being: Cosmic Exploration, Beast Master limited job, more quality of life tuning/pruning, and minor adjustments to combat gameplay and sadly thats it unless they somehow pull some suprises on us but i rather doubt they will all the while the consumers for this game keep getting stupider an blinder by the day ignoring all the problems an complications everyone has nicely an neatly put out for them on a silver platter to be served to the devs so that THEY KNOW what players are concerned with etc.
but idk really does feel like NA and EU feedback is grossly ignored so might be time to pack our bags an just leave to show them our discontent by not paying anymore etc.

[Garnix]

How can cosmic exploration and beast master be "the usual mind numbing stuff" when we literally know nothing about either of them and the lessons they learned from previous iterations?
Reading comments like that just makes it obvious that people will just never be happy with what they get.
Quality of life stuff are also probably the most requested thing from the community the last few years (mainly improvements to glamour, of which we had a first step in 7.1).
And even if they added a relic grind in 7.0X already people would still not be happy about it because "meh I played this new map for 500h and got all the weapons and now I have nothing left to do".

Also, some of the things they did in 7.1 were steps in the right direction. New hunt mount, New scrips mount. Adding stuff like this is what the game needs. Incentives running the old/existing content.
Like IMO instead of adding the new relic earlier they should add old relics for new jobs. (The fact that going in Eureka with any job that came out in 5.0 or later is a debuff is incredibly stupid to me)
They should also make the 2.0-4.0 areas have the shared FATE system to bring more life there. They should have a way to incentivize people to go in the old deep dungeons more often. Also same for old treasure maps.
They should re-enable the Ishgard restoration ranking with a weekly reset. They should add new rewards to buy over there in Ishgard as well.
There should be a weekly/daily bonus for going on an ocean fishing trip.
They should have added PvP rewards (there is a thread complaining about that).
Rival wings should get some love.
Rolling the unreal fights out of the game also makes no sense.
They should figure out what they want to do with Grand Company and add rewards to buy with seals.
Etc

[BabyYoda]

most of the stuff that has been added in DT should be added in EW instead,

they moved things from EW to DT when someone say "we got more things than ever" it is because they didn't add it in EW.

We want 8.0 stuff in 7.0 they keep saying we are changing things in game but I don't see that it is enough of a change, SHB was harder than DT in many cases specially raids, the point that yoshi p is mentioning "we increase the difficulty" yes if you compare it to DT but that wasn't the case in SHB. you changed things and now you call it a feature.

how petty

[Visthra]

How can cosmic exploration and beast master be "the usual mind numbing stuff" when we literally know nothing about either of them and the lessons they learned from previous iterations?
Reading comments like that just makes it obvious that people will just never be happy with what they get.
Quality of life stuff are also probably the most requested thing from the community the last few years (mainly improvements to glamour, of which we had a first step in 7.1).
And even if they added a relic grind in 7.0X already people would still not be happy about it because "meh I played this new map for 500h and got all the weapons and now I have nothing left to do".

Also, some of the things they did in 7.1 were steps in the right direction. New hunt mount, New scrips mount. Adding stuff like this is what the game needs. Incentives running the old/existing content.
Like IMO instead of adding the new relic earlier they should add old relics for new jobs. (The fact that going in Eureka with any job that came out in 5.0 or later is a debuff is incredibly stupid to me)
They should also make the 2.0-4.0 areas have the shared FATE system to bring more life there. They should have a way to incentivize people to go in the old deep dungeons more often. Also same for old treasure maps.
They should re-enable the Ishgard restoration ranking with a weekly reset. They should add new rewards to buy over there in Ishgard as well.
There should be a weekly/daily bonus for going on an ocean fishing trip.
They should have added PvP rewards (there is a thread complaining about that).
Rival wings should get some love.
Rolling the unreal fights out of the game also makes no sense.
They should figure out what they want to do with Grand Company and add rewards to buy with seals.
Etc

I really like your post and agree with everything you mentioned. Shared Fates would be nice to have in the earlier areas. It wouldn’t solve the problem, in fact it would be a drop in the bucket… but it would be something

[Yoyoyako]

Returning player here, queue is instantaneous with my white mage, server usually is congested by ~20 players.
It doesn't mean there's no such exodus, but the game is still very healthy.

I have no "reason" to come back, I was bored and thought "hey, that was a fun game".
I'm newbie too so that may be a factor in my perception of the community's health

[CNitsah]

Returning player here, queue is instantaneous with my white mage, server usually is congested by ~20 players.
It doesn't mean there's no such exodus, but the game is still very healthy.

I have no "reason" to come back, I was bored and thought "hey, that was a fun game".
I'm newbie too so that may be a factor in my perception of the community's health

There is always a "congestion queue", since the implement of the new connection method after the catastrophic Endwalker lauch. You can connect at 4 in the morning and still get a "congestion queue". So that tells nothing.

[TomsYoungerBro]

Returning player here, queue is instantaneous with my white mage, server usually is congested by ~20 players.
It doesn't mean there's no such exodus, but the game is still very healthy.

That is a anti-DDOS measure to slowly funnel logged in players into the server. You have to be on absolute dead dead times to potentially not run into one of those.

[GrizzlyTank]

So many games, so little time.

No need to lock yourself down to one game.