The slow decline of FFXIV, a summary.

[MisterNublet]

I guess Yoshi P forgot to add: "Act on feedback and complaints, on a faster pace than once every 5 year cycle"

Its a given that you SHOULDNT act on every random complaint or a game will become a mess, but repetitive complaints over years to add more QoL, more open world, more enterable buildings, Viera and Hrotgar hats, friendslist changes, all of it. Getting "Please look forward to it" is starting to really not cut it at all. I want to like this game, but the honestly DRY content and time between any MEANINGFUL content is actually crazy for an MMO where its supposed to offer you things to do.

Yoshi-P - "We heard your feedback and are going to try to act upon them much quicker."











"Please look forward to it."

[Lium]

Eh, I made it through the first five minutes of the video because I found her voice and style annoying.

I can only speak for myself when I say that my playtime in this game has decreased dramatically because I felt like the story ended with Endwalker. And even though I was right here on the day DT launched, and will continue to play it, I don't login nearly as much as I used to. I'm playing other stuff these days.

I will say that YouTubers are always going to have clickbait titles and takes because that's what gets clicks and views. I will also say that the forums of any MMO are the worst. Doesn't matter the game, the forums will always say it's in the worst state it has ever been in.

At the opposite end is Reddit, where the game can do no wrong, no matter what. That's just as bad in my opinion. The truth is somewhere in between.

I don't care as much about gameplay as many of you. I primarily play for the story and THAT'S MY CURRENT PROBLEM WITH THE GAME. I feel like my journey is over and from what I've seen in Dawntrail, the story hasn't really grabbed me yet. It has some interesting concepts, but nothing has made me feel like I need to jump in and figure out what's going on. I'm not all that invested.

One word of warning, though, for those of you who have been saying the game is too easy. Every time a developer has tried to make their game more challenging, at least in my experience, it has failed. Badly. What Lucy Pyre said in her video about SE dumbing down the game for money is 100% correct. If they suddenly make this game way more challenging you'll see what's left of the population here crater spectacularly.

Think about it. FFXIV has largely been marketed for its story, and up through Endwalker, it had great writing, memorable characters and a lot of depth. It's all about understanding your target audience. And for years, that audience has been here primarily for the story. Not raiding or PvP. Those things were there, but it was never the main focus of this game. It was a niche game for many years.

If they suddenly start making MSQ dungeons and trials very challenging, people will simply stop playing them and stop playing the game as well.

The only ones left playing will be those of you on this forum who will sound a lot like that guy from the Dead Ends dungeon who nuked all his enemies and cheered, but there was no one left to hear him.

[Gurgeh]

I agreed with absolutely everything. In fact the only thing it was missing was a mention of how DCs are cannibalising each other and how they are not even acknowledging it, but at this stage who's counting anymore.

[Mawlzy]

One word of warning, though, for those of you who have been saying the game is too easy. Every time a developer has tried to make their game more challenging, at least in my experience, it has failed. Badly. What Lucy Pyre said in her video about SE dumbing down the game for money is 100% correct. If they suddenly make this game way more challenging you'll see what's left of the population here crater spectacularly.

Think about it. FFXIV has largely been marketed for its story, and up through Endwalker, it had great writing, memorable characters and a lot of depth. It's all about understanding your target audience. And for years, that audience has been here primarily for the story. Not raiding or PvP. Those things were there, but it was never the main focus of this game. It was a niche game for many years.

If they suddenly start making MSQ dungeons and trials very challenging, people will simply stop playing them and stop playing the game as well.

The only ones left playing will be those of you on this forum who will sound a lot like that guy from the Dead Ends dungeon who nuked all his enemies and cheered, but there was no one left to hear him.

A critical point that is understood by the majority of the player base and a minority on these boards.

This puzzles me because, outside of the MSQ, there is plenty of challenging content.

[AvoSturmfaust]

Yes, SE was gifted an incredible opportunity with the influx of players from WOW's temporary selfdestruction, and Covid. But rather than capitalizing on that opportunity, by adapting their development schedule to get more incentive out for those 'temporary' players to become more permanent additions to the playerbase, instead they kept doing what they were doing, and let the golden goose walk straight back out of the pen

Square could adjust everything they want, the WoW Refugees wouldnst stay, if Square wanted them to stay they had to change the ToS or do you with all honesty think a WoW Player which comes from the most toxic mmo out there would accept ffxivs "happy pink unicorn fluffy world everyone loves everybody there is nothing bad in the world" mentality? hell nah, i know already 5 wow refugees which leaves the game again because they cant tell people that they are suck and should start practicing the rotation and start doing dmg etc

[Gurgeh]

A critical point that is understood by the majority of the player base and a minority on these boards.

This puzzles me because, outside of the MSQ, there is plenty of challenging content.

But we disagree that that would happen.
They need to gently increase the difficulty in a way that educates people.

Don't make casual content much more difficult. Just a little.

Where normals and trials are in DT right now is 'perfect*. *Just knock 5 item levels of the sync cap to keep it interesting as people Op.*
DT Dungeon bosses are perfect. *Again, knock 5 item levels of the sync cap*. The stuff in-between bosses is awful in it's lack of suprise. Create something interesting and fun SQX. I never want to see a 2 mob 2 wall run again.

ShB Ex1 Dancing plague is THE missing content! 4 experienced people can help 4 people blind prog it *MINE*, in 1 hour. It can be done. That's what's missing.
We need 12 if 'those' per expansion. They need to have three mount rewards among them that you don't have to sweat more that 10-15 clears if each instance for.

The normals need to have 'exactly' the same reward structure as savage. There needs to be a really good mount al fit the 4th of every one. Frankly it should be a recolour of the savage mount. By all means make people clear 1,2,3 per week. By all means keep the drop rate the same.

Jobs need to be more interesting. Challenging to play properly. Doesn't mean it should matter if people don't for their MSQ. What that does to ultimate, casual doesn't give a F as long as there are 8 jobs which can clear ultimate. If you want to Meta it, go ahead.

[ForsakenRoe]

The only ones left playing will be those of you on this forum who will sound a lot like that guy from the Dead Ends dungeon who nuked all his enemies and cheered, but there was no one left to hear him.

Ironic thing to bring up, because I'd say that the gradual removal of Job Complexity mirrors the final part of the Dead Ends dungeon.

'Farther still existed a star without strife...
...where none remembered life's trials—or its joys.
What its people had gained from ease, they lost to apathy.
So they created the kindest, most gentle of beasts.
Its steps were light, and its gift was as painless as it was beautiful.
Bathed in its golden glow, they all slept happily ever after...'

Now that we have the majority of our damage output tied to pressing a single button as a Healer (that is over 60% of our CPM), now that we have the WAR doing our job for us in EX roulettes via Bloodwhetting, now that we have so many OGCDs we literally don't need to press half of them to clear the dungeon - Now, we have the gameplay SE wanted: A gameplay without sources of player friction, a 'gameplay without strife'.

[AvoSturmfaust]

But we disagree that that would happen.
They need to gently increase the difficulty in a way that educates people.

Don't make casual content much more difficult. Just a little.

Where normals and trials are in DT right now is 'perfect*. *Just knock 5 item levels of the sync cap to keep it interesting as people Op.*
DT Dungeon bosses are perfect. *Again, knock 5 item levels of the sync cap*. The stuff in-between bosses is awful in it's lack of suprise. Create something interesting and fun SQX. I never want to see a 2 mob 2 wall run again.

ShB Ex1 Dancing plague is THE missing content! 4 experienced people can help 4 people blind prog it *MINE*, in 1 hour. It can be done. That's what's missing.
We need 12 if 'those' per expansion. They need to have three mount rewards among them that you don't have to sweat more that 10-15 clears if each instance for.

The normals need to have 'exactly' the same reward structure as savage. There needs to be a really good mount al fit the 4th of every one. Frankly it should be a recolour of the savage mount. By all means make people clear 1,2,3 per week. By all means keep the drop rate the same.

Jobs need to be more interesting. Challenging to play properly. Doesn't mean it should matter if people don't for their MSQ. What that does to ultimate, casual doesn't give a F as long as there are 8 jobs which can clear ultimate. If you want to Meta it, go ahead.

No and No and even more No

Dancing Plaque was one of the easiest Ex Trials ever, seriously we dont need more of them clearly not and the current ex trials are really easy and i think for a "EX Trial" the Difficulty is more then perfect

Mount in Normal Raids? Rather not, if you want the Mount just do savage, if you cant do it, your own fault

Classes should be challenging yes but thats something which will never happen, lets be real for a second you could play your whole Rotation with 1 Button and i guarantee there are some people which still would be to sorry to say it so hard dumb to press the one button, before you can make the classes more challenging you need to get rid of these people

[Teno]

At the end of the day, if wow could bounce back from shadowlands, nothing's stopping ffxiv from doing the same. That is, if they ever decide to look at feedback other than that of Japan...

[Arohk]

Classes should be challenging yes but thats something which will never happen, lets be real for a second you could play your whole Rotation with 1 Button and i guarantee there are some people which still would be to sorry to say it so hard dumb to press the one button, before you can make the classes more challenging you need to get rid of these people

I just recently had a white mage in a lvl 50 dungeon who only spammed Cure III, when i told her that is not good and why she would only use that spell. she replied "It is my highest level healing i got, i am toxic for criticizing her"