Square Enix, Are we really just pretending that WoW isn't running laps around you?

[Boblawblah]

It can run as many laps as it wants. The problem with WoW is...well, it's WoW.

[OliverQ]

I played WoW for a long time, but going back to it recently, I just can't handle those cartoon graphics anymore. I way way prefer FFXIV's graphic style.

[Thaciscokidd]

If WoW has shown anything it's that it takes time to course correct. You're commending WoW like they flipped a switch and made everything better overnight. They didn't.

This is right. People need to remember that WoW has been dying since TBC. It took WoD to make the player base realise that they didn't have to stay for it and Shadowlands when there was another place to go.

WoW being good right now, even if you don't intend on playing it, is perfect for 14 fans who want better thing for 14. 14 being so good saved WoW because players had a place to go during Shadowlands vs WoD and enough of them did to get Blizz to course correct. If WoW was still in a bad spot Squenix would have to power just like WoW has had for so many years.

Where at the point where people take any complaints about 14 as a personal attack and that is just weird. Some people need to get off there high horse and realise that someone being critical with complaints means that they still care about the game and want it to get better. When someone wants something fixed they're gonna complain, you should worry when you do the same thing and they don't complain anymore its usually a good sign that they have given up.

[Wired-Lain]

This is right. People need to remember that WoW has been dying since TBC.

Well... No not really. Wrath was enormous. The playerbase peaked there and it only started dipping with MoP (which was the expansion that served as the basis for Yoshi Ps reinvention of XIV), with only Legion coming close to those Wrath levels again. The game started dying with the one two punch of BFA and Shadowlands being terrible, but it recovered to a stable place thanks to Classic being a huge success and Dragonflight being pretty decent. We'll probably never see subscriber counts like Wrath again though.

WoW is definitely not an example of how long it takes to "course correct ". They have shown that they can be just as out of touch and stubborn on changing things for the players benefit.
Housing is just one positive thing it's done out of the many other things it does that still turn people from playing or even returning. (Lore butchering and character assassination of long time favourites)

If people don't start asking for innovation in FFXIV now, then you can't really expect much more than the status quo.



People have every right to compare 2 of the biggest MMORPGs on the market competing for a ever shrinking user base, those still willing to pay a sub for a single game.

FFXIV should start taking things that WoW has done well and try and make it work. I would love "Job set bonuses" to gear that uniquely alter or change how jobs play for example. Saying "IT CANT/SHOULDN'T BE DONE!" is how you get the same standard of content while your competitors take your stuff and make it better.

I will say though that while it took blizzard forever to eat humble pie and admit maybe they were wrong the course correction when it happened was pretty swift and sweeping. Comparing Shadowlands to Dragonflight its a whole other game on almost every level. These dramatic changes in philosophy and design can happen, and happen fast. I just don't want to see XIV take babysteps for 8.0 yknow.

[Thaciscokidd]

Well... No not really. Wrath was enormous.

I know that it was a meme. I wish the OG WoW forums were still around so people could re experience the level of unhinged posts about BE's coming to the Horde and how they were going to ruin the Horde and now they're the most played race in the game.

Reminiscing aside, that meme (before WoD) is what people would point to dismiss people complaints as nonsense, I don't want FF 14 players to do that with people that voice complaints.

[Nadda]

I’ll say this much: I do have confidence things will get better.

And no, saying that isn’t copium. It’s not worshiping at the altar of Yoshi-P, either—whatever that’s supposed to make me. You’ve got to believe things can improve and still have a critical lens. One doesn’t cancel out the other.

But this constant mourning, this vitriolic tone everywhere? That’s wasted energy. I get where people are coming from; I even agree with most of the points. But the package people are putting it in? It’s ugly. It’s demoralizing. And honestly, it’s not healthy. Not on a personal level.

Don’t burn yourself out over something that isn’t real yet. Don’t wear yourself down mentally and physically for what might be.
If I felt even half as miserable as some of these folks act, I’d have quit already.
I wouldn’t waste money on something that made me feel awful. I wouldn’t engage with a game I had zero hope in.
And I sure as hell wouldn’t compel or guilt-trip others into being as miserable as me. That’s weird. Like, fricken weird.

White-knighting and pretending everything’s fine is weird, too.
But this “you’re a cultist if you’re not as miserable as we are” schtick? Grow up.
And before someone hits me with, “Can’t I express my opinion?”
Yeah, dude. So can I. And telling you to chill out isn’t white-knighting. It’s being a human being who’s tired of the black hole of negativity.

I’ll do you one better:
You want to be a rebel? You want to go against the player base narrative?
Say something positive about Dawntrail and watch hell rain down on you.
I’m not suppressing anybody when I get dogpiled by eight people just because I won’t enable their Negative Nancy nonsense.

Yes, the game is in a rough state. The content cadence needs work. The story needs help. Jobs need identity.
Yadda yadda, to the heat death of the universe.We’ve been over it.

But you know the one thing I think this game desperately needs right now?
A message. From Yoshi-P.
Telling us it’s going to be okay— more than that how they plan on fixing things.

That’s the biggest flaw right now: no community interaction.
I remember a few years ago, Yoshi-P cried when they couldn’t deliver a small QoL upgrade on time. That wasn’t just for show—this team cares. And I know they can make changes, not out of blind faith, but because it makes pragmatic sense. Maybe the game needs to lose a little before it learns how to win again.

But man, even when I’m not looking for it, everything feels negative.
At least in the West. And we need some kind of ‘proof of life’—a signal that the dev team gets it.

Even just saying something would help.
It wouldn’t shut everybody up, sure. But it’d be something.

Even with the Blacklist incident—credit where it’s due—they laid out a short-term fix and told us a permanent one’s coming in 7.2. That’s what I expect from them. But the rest of this critique? It’s overwhelming. If I were on the dev team, I’d feel forced to respond by now, because it’s deafening.

So no, I don’t buy this “White Knight” or “Cult of Yoshi-P” crap. The criticism is overwhelming. It’s cutting, it’s ugly, and it’s exhausting.
And before anything else, what I want most is just… A response.

I need to know things will get better. And I need to know there’s a plan in motion. That won’t fix everything. It won’t silence everybody. But it’d be something.

[Ardeth]

Wow in general, is in a better spot with a brighter future. It's not even an argument at this moment. Wow players have something to look forward to while we wait for more of the same.

[Rithy255]

After playing wow's free trial I'm actually likely to buy and play it when i got the money to now, My main cons about wow is that the graphics are really blah and how the synching system works (though ff14 isn't great at that either). I dislike that you can't play more then one class too.

I really liked the class customisation In ff14 its very bland compared to WOW where you can even change into healer/tank depending on what you picked and have totally different gameplay styles, I much enjoy the idea of being a healer Paladin, but ff14 doesn't allow me to do that.

Gear system also was a pretty nice upgrade I hate having ugly pauldrons on every armor tank set, capes not being tied to gear, theirs just a lot more moving parts to gear that actually lets you tailor them way more.

Though my thoughts on wow are very limited right as the free trial isn't really a lot. Now I can at least see the appeal a lot more then I used to, makes me really wish ff14 had a better class system in all honesty.

[MAJRIS]

the saving grace of wow is "what you see is what you get" type of combat without purposely mismatched telegraphs from enemy cast bars and actions, and the encounters designed to make use of class identity (e.g. AMZ, turtle shell, cc) giving your class specific task rather than dance revolving doing calculus in your head.

the problem with feedback is that they can't read alphabet. only numbers - for example yearly revenue numbers, they can read it and reflect on it pretty well.

[AshtonCrowe]

Meanwhile, Square enix "7.2 will have dungeons, trials ETC! (More of the same)

Meanwhile WoW " https://youtu.be/YXDdl5IDdKE COMBAT RACING ANYONE? NEW HOUSING? A THRIVING COMMUNITY? MEMES!? https://youtube.com/shorts/V5-GEIw3N2g?feature=share "

Even further Meanwhile, Square Enix " 7.25 in a couple of months will have the new zone everyone wants, Content yourself with our slop till then :^)" "Just go play other games!"

They should really hire CBu3 And Yoshi for the Circus, Some quality jokes.