The slow decline of FFXIV, a summary.

[Red-thunder]

Finally a youtuber calling outright for unsubbing. It's the only way to get something achieved. I did unsub after seeing that video too because no matter what 7.x brings the game will allways be the same formulaic mess. So I'm out till 8.0

Honestly I'm happy for you! Genuinely it looks like you got to a point where you're no longer having fun and are just grasping at chaotic raids, which I've heard is one of the last things that is fun in this game.

Unsubbing is the right choice. There are so many games out there that are just amazing. Try Split Fiction out with your boyfriend! It's actually really, really fun and I had a blast, even though it's EA lol.

[Red-thunder]

I mean, that is why you are here, for the attention, no? That's why all your takes and threads are nothing but dumb engagement bait. But don't worry big boi, I have heard your cries for help, and will happily oblige. After all:



That was you on Feb 13th, pretty much 3 weeks ago. And in that time frame you have made 157 posts on this forum, or around 7.5 posts per day. Seems pretty emotionally attached to me. And since you can't post in this forum without having a subscription, that means you have been basically paying SE for their "garbage" game without even making use of the services you pay for (and you have bought the expansions as well). So yes, you are indeed the best customer that SE could wish for, since you only cost a simple webserver.



Whereas you of course are the shining beacon of what a reasonably adjusted adult would do, carrying and presenting their hateboner for a computer game all day long

I mean, I understand, the economy isn't going well and demand for clown services is at an all time low, but surely there is something more productive you can do with your life, like cutting grass with some safety scissors or something.



lol
lmao even

Let's look at you being a shining beacon of discourse etiquette when pressed to clarify how the Nael phase was "truly random" (your own statement):




Such dignity, much humanity, top social skill, 10/10, would post to linkedinlunatics again.



Tell us again, great clown-senpai hiding behind an alt, how the Nael phase is "truly random"
Your "thinking" about game mechanics has the same quality as all the "doing my own research" clowns we've had to endure since the rise of social media. Further, if you've been here for so long, while the game goes in a direction you didn't like for so long, yet you buy every single expansion, pay for subscription, possibly even multiple times (whenever your previous account gets banned for trolling), then you are nothing but ... what's it you called it ... oh right, "hopelessly brainwashed"

You were fun to rile up for a while but this is just getting sad. I honestly did not imagine questioning why someone who didn't clear UCOB would jump into a conversation about UCOB would provoke such a long-lasting fixation. Actual rent-free lmao. I honestly think I hit a nerve there.

Keep it up bud, you're not the first reply guy I had, and you won't be the last.

[Voryn]

In practice it’s hard to know why and how the player count are as they are unless we know everything, and it feels like using them in the arguments isn’t that helpful.

Like as mentioned in this thread, there’s probably decline because of covid lockdown being over and wow players playing wow again. So people who stopped for reasons other than thinking ffxiv is really bad right now. But I’m pretty sure we also all know people who would be unsubbed a lot more if they didn’t have a house, or people who stay subbed to just do dailies to level up jobs even though they’d prefer more content right now. So these people are contributing to the player count for a reason other than this ffxiv is really good right now.

And then we get discussions where the doomers will use the player count to support their arguments and say “here’s why ffxiv is dying,” and then the people who disagree will say there’s other reasons for the lower count, and none of that really says anything about whether jobs are designed well. We all just make our own assumptions about what the most important reasons for the player counts are (just like how I’m making the assumption it’s too hard to tell).

I've been pointing out the numerous issues since 2021, and the WoW swarm was so great that any criticism just gets swept under the rug.

Gonna be funny being “wrong” again if wow has another bad expansion and it makes ffxiv numbers go up lmao

[Supersnow845]

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

According to limited data we can gather on the listening posts and some unofficial polls done on twitter and some of the official WOW forums the biggest source of people leaving 14 to go back to WOW was dragonflight was good. The second biggest was that EW’s patch cycle was boring and empty

TOS disagreements didn’t even rank

It’s stupid to think you shouldn’t try to hold your competitors players by adapting to them. As much as some people on the forum hate it the sheer amount that fled to us was worth whatever square could possibly do. Instead they did nothing and not only sent the WOW refugees back but also pissed off the core playerbase. 14 has increased by about 100,000-200,000 players per expansion since ARR. the fact that two expansions later we are barely clinging to ShB and are about to fall back to SB numbers is blatant shrinkage. This isn’t a return to long term trends, we are losing players

[Velthice]

I'm legitimately happy to see Lucy actually call for unsubbing, but I'm also convinced that xiv could lose 99% of it's playerbase, and the devs would STILL cling to the exact same content release schedule and game design philosophy because they'd be afraid of upsetting the 1% of players they had left instead of trying to understand why the 99% left and trying to win them back

[Wilford111]

If only I had a nickel for every "FFXIV is slowly declining" conversation.....

[Supersnow845]

If only I had a nickel for every "FFXIV is slowly declining" conversation.....

I love how some people’s response to criticism is “I’m so over criticism” rather than “why haven’t they fixed the criticism

[Bonoki]

I love how some people’s response to criticism is “I’m so over criticism” rather than “why haven’t they fixed the criticism

People are much more easily swayed from a positive mindset to a negative one than vice versa. In this context, a player who enjoys the game might start second-guessing themselves after constantly hearing about its supposed flaws—flaws they never actually had an issue with. Over time, this can create dissatisfaction that wasn’t there before, making them feel wrong for simply enjoying the game as it is.

Constant exposure to nonstop criticism can be exhausting, especially for someone who doesn’t see any real problems. When you're just trying to have fun, being surrounded by negativity can feel suffocating, like you’re being told your enjoyment is invalid. Even if you disagree with the criticism, its sheer volume can wear you down, making it harder to play the game for what it is.

The solution for those who feel this way is to avoid spaces where criticism is rampant and, most importantly, not engage with people venting their frustrations, such as saying, "I'm so over it."

[Gurgeh]

No and No and even more No
...

Hey?... Is that Yoshi-P come to spend more time in the forums now you've got more time on your hands? Ahh! I got you! You bin sussed Yoshi!

...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...

First of all, if you do content higher than extreme, ie savage, then you just don't get a say in anything below it. Extreme isn't even necessary to unlock savage.

Also you misunderstand.
- I want 12 of the current extreme difficulty. (not 7)
- And I want a further 12 instances per expansion of Dancing plague level difficulty.
- I expect at least 3 mounts per difficulty tier. MUST NOT BE RECLOURS OF EACH OTHER. I expect that without having to clear the same instance more than once every week, and on that basis to be guaranteed a mount within that patch period.
- Square Enix, as far as I'm concerned if you expect to put 'my' money in your pocket, I will then be 'ENTITLED' to the above. (what the rest of you do with your money is up to you)

...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...

That really is Yoshi isn't it? Well your plan is working. You're getting rid of plenty of people!
I don't think I explained very well. For absolute normal content, then if the jobs get harder and dungeon boss difficulty stay where it is, they will still clear by not even bothering with 1,2,3. Casuals aren't the problem with job design. Its hardcore, who refuse to use a job if it makes harcore anything less than as easy as it possibly can be. Casuals don't even know they are playing badly. And will play the job anyway to level it, and go back to their favourite 1 DPS, or their favourite healer for those insta queues. 'facts'.

Well carry on though Yoshi (I mean "AvoSturmfaust!" ;-> ) everything is fine! Change nothing! You're certainly getting rid of those players.

Hey seriously Avo.I know your bating me. I also know you genuinely don't care. And if XIV dies, you'll move onto some other sweat challenge. It makes no difference to you. What's more you will get to enjoy being toxic in game too, which is what really completes the experience for you.

[Wilford111]

I love how some people’s response to criticism is “I’m so over criticism” rather than “why haven’t they fixed the criticism

You misinterpreted my post. These types of threads have been happening for as long as I have been playing, which I started in early Heavensward. People have always been saying "the game is dying", when in reality, it hasn't. Just a funny observation from someone who's been playing for a long time