Genuinely, What am I missing?

[Auro_Seldaris]

Fair! Well I think the gist of what’s happening has been captured in your summary, but for some more context, a lot of the reception to the latest expansion, Dawntrail has been mixed. It has been, from all appearances, a divisive expansion. The expansion before this marked the end of a major storyline for the game and, while that was highly praised, many concerns about the story direction and game design decisions began to arise during the patches that followed - coming to a head with Dawntrail.

There has also been concern in the community over the past few years as the developers extended the time between patches while releasing either less content or, from some people’s perspective, lower quality or rehashed content.

Extensive job and encounter design changes have happened over the years, again often in the eyes of various community folks to the detriment of that job and encounter design.

There has also been a growing perception that the developers are not listening to feedback and haven’t been for years, and that has led to mounting frustration and increasingly aggressive feedback.

Regarding Wuk Lamat - that is the predominant character in Dawntrail. Her reception has, again, been mixed along with the mixed reviews of the story.

I have my own opinions on all of this stuff, but my preference here is to really just give context on where the “vibe” of the forum is coming from. I hope this helps.

This is all rational and reasonable summary, without unnecessary snark from either side. Thank you for that, Lannis. wish I could upvote more than once.

To the OP, I say.... just keep on trucking and have fun. If you're enjoying it at the moment, that's all that matters. Everything that's a "problem" is for veterans, not you, my sprout friend. Enjoy Eorzea and beyond!

[IndraSyngiwyb]

I'm not gonna trash the game or be like some people in this thread and disregard ALL criticism as just "people being buttmad the devs didn't do what THEY wanted." Because those two extremes are unhelpful. I can only give you MY perspective.

And for me, I just outright didn't much enjoy Endwalker's post-expansion patches. They were... okay. And after the highs that ShB and EW had, just 'okay' kinda brought down the mood. So when Dawntrail was finally announced, I got hyped, thinking, "Okay, the EW patches were kinda meh, but we got a new expansion. This'll be great"

Only for Dawntrail to deliver the worst story, worst characters, and worst overall experience out of every expansion I've played so far. Your character as well as the Scions you've grown to know and love are shoved to the background to make room for a new character who never shuts up, never gets off screen, and practically BECOMES the main character while you are basically her guard-dog/storage container.

Now this wouldn't be an issue if she were an enjoyable character, but she is not. She is lame. Over-the-top cheesy. She doesn't earn anything she gets, and she's honestly just obnoxious to be around. On top of that, her English VA is just not very good. So you have this character who is around ALL the time, AND she has a grating voice.

Add to that serious story beats and plot points that are handled in such an overly-simplistic, juvenile manner and it's a recipe for disappointment. Dawntrail felt like what would happen if modern day Disney tried to make Hunchback of Notre Dame. We all know they'd soften every story beat to keep from 'discomforting' people too much, and that's how Dawntrail felt. Soft. Safe. Corporate.

My advice to you would be to keep playing but temper your expectations when you get to Dawntrail. Don't hype it up like I did because you might be disappointed. Just take it for what it is, and I think you will be able to find enjoyment in it that I couldn't find after months of hyping myself up.

And just as a more positive note for the end of this, I finally actually played 7.1. And I mostly enjoyed what they were starting in that patch (except for the "find my parents" sections which I thought were kinda unneeded). It seemed like they were starting to take their own plot points a bit more seriously and maybe steer away from the "friendship conquers all" messaging that permeated 7.0. So, for my part, I think there is hope that the patches might redeem 7.0.

Take my opinion how you will. I don't think the game is beyond saving or that you are wasting your time if you keep playing. I think the devs just need to keep a better eye on their writers and do better quality control for future patches/expansions.

[Nero-Voidstails]

I'm not gonna trash the game or be like some people in this thread and disregard ALL criticism as just "people being buttmad the devs didn't do what THEY wanted." Because those two extremes are unhelpful. I can only give you MY perspective.

And for me, I just outright didn't much enjoy Endwalker's post-expansion patches. They were... okay. And after the highs that ShB and EW had, just 'okay' kinda brought down the mood. So when Dawntrail was finally announced, I got hyped, thinking, "Okay, the EW patches were kinda meh, but we got a new expansion. This'll be great"

Only for Dawntrail to deliver the worst story, worst characters, and worst overall experience out of every expansion I've played so far. Your character as well as the Scions you've grown to know and love are shoved to the background to make room for a new character who never shuts up, never gets off screen, and practically BECOMES the main character while you are basically her guard-dog/storage container.

Now this wouldn't be an issue if she were an enjoyable character, but she is not. She is lame. Over-the-top cheesy. She doesn't earn anything she gets, and she's honestly just obnoxious to be around. On top of that, her English VA is just not very good. So you have this character who is around ALL the time, AND she has a grating voice.

Add to that serious story beats and plot points that are handled in such an overly-simplistic, juvenile manner and it's a recipe for disappointment. Dawntrail felt like what would happen if modern day Disney tried to make Hunchback of Notre Dame. We all know they'd soften every story beat to keep from 'discomforting' people too much, and that's how Dawntrail felt. Soft. Safe. Corporate.

My advice to you would be to keep playing but temper your expectations when you get to Dawntrail. Don't hype it up like I did because you might be disappointed. Just take it for what it is, and I think you will be able to find enjoyment in it that I couldn't find after months of hyping myself up.

And just as a more positive note for the end of this, I finally actually played 7.1. And I mostly enjoyed what they were starting in that patch (except for the "find my parents" sections which I thought were kinda unneeded). It seemed like they were starting to take their own plot points a bit more seriously and maybe steer away from the "friendship conquers all" messaging that permeated 7.0. So, for my part, I think there is hope that the patches might redeem 7.0.

Take my opinion how you will. I don't think the game is beyond saving or that you are wasting your time if you keep playing. I think the devs just need to keep a better eye on their writers and do better quality control for future patches/expansions.

Endwalker post patch could have made a great expension in itself they felt rush like way to rushed to be enjoyable

[Mawlzy]

I understand that, but I still want to hear about them as to why and get a better perspective. I've missed 10+ years of this game and just want to know more. I'm not letting others thoughts on the state of the game influence my own. I just want more context I suppose.

I think the context is quite complex and has various branches. Some key ones include:

The game had a large influx of players around COVID. The bulk of those players have now hit endgame and discovered that the release of new content is on such a slow cadence that they have run out of stuff to do that interests them.

Players who have been around for longer that that have multiple issues related to the gradual evolution in game and job design, and frustrations that have been building for a while have now burst the dam.

A significant fraction of veteran players had an extremely negative reaction to the Dawntrail story.

Patience has run out on several issues and requests that have received the "we're working on it" response from SQEX for several years.

Unless you no-life FFXIV, I imagine and hope you have a couple of years of enjoyment at least before you run into these problems. Or depending on your personal preferences, you may find you have no issues at all.

[Exmo]

I'd suggest if you're looking for tips or strategies, don't look to the forums, there's none here. Finding guides or articles on other sites is the better approach.

There's so much complaining here for a few reasons.

Some people (a tiny, vocal minority) are politically misaligned with the values of the game and are soldiers in their little culture war. They typically make alt forum accounts to make their problems seem more common than they actually are, and respond to their own threads to constantly bump them to recency.

Other people (the majority who complain) are up to date with the game and have completed it to a level they're satisfied with, have gotten bored or burnt out but continue to login as if something new might have dropped overnight. They have a short memory so they frequently repeat the same complaints here over and over and continue to get more frustrated day after day.

The last group is mainly people who pop in, voice a complaint, then leave. Usually they don't check if there's already an existing thread for what they want to say, resulting in duplicate threads being created week after week (filled with comments from the second group who have gotten angrier since the last time they shared their opinion).

From where you currently are in the game you don't really need to be concerned with the complaints. You'd be better off playing at your own place and forming your own opinions on things like story quality and how all jobs feel at max level.

[Lizzit]

I'd suggest if you're looking for tips or strategies, don't look to the forums, there's none here. Finding guides or articles on other sites is the better approach.

There's so much complaining here for a few reasons.

.

stay out of the forums - Got it! lol

[Nero-Voidstails]

stay out of the forums - Got it! lol

I do say you should keep going even if the story can be weird at time there is good in all expension and if you have friend to do them it's even better I will be saying this I always have said Endwalker was bad but Endwalker wasn't bad at all. I just missed doing msq with my friends I saw Endwalker as shadowbringer but alone so it left a bad taste in my mouth.


if you enjoy all aspect of the game don't leave and live the experience the best you desire! after all some stay for RP content or even social.

the other problem is when you are up to date with the patches you just see a couple month kinda lifeless yes the forum are the last place you should ask advice but not everyone have bad attention some does for sure! but some just wanna see the game they spent times on or even love thrive and not die.

I always have love 14 even if I complain but I just don't wanna find a new MMO to play because i feel none other will be like this one I dont have much friend but I do have a good RP group and people enjoying my dark joke around xx).


so just go and experience the game as it best! that is my advice find a group make memories have fun laugh and be the best you can be!

[AmiableApkallu]

I'd suggest if you're looking for tips or strategies, don't look to the forums, there's none here.

There are tips and strategies here. They're just buried in the bowels of threads because people tend to start by venting their spleen instead of simply describing what they're doing or having a problem with, and asking for advice.

[Bonoki]

These forums have never really been the place for guides or beginner advice. This game is over a decade old, and any guides posted here are outdated or buried beyond usefulness. The pace of updates is so significant that even if someone did post a guide, it would quickly become irrelevant. On top of that, guide threads rarely stay visible because they do not generate discussion; they are read once and forgotten. Our guide makers and content creators never post here themselves, which does not help. If you are searching for guidance, platforms like X, Reddit, and especially YouTube or Discord are where the community actively shares that content.

The negativity here is so noticeable because it has been pushed out of those other spaces. SE themselves direct players to bring complaints and feedback to these forums, so naturally, this becomes the dumping ground for grievances. If you are new to the game, I recommend avoiding these forums altogether. The risk of running into spoilers is high, and the constant wave of criticism can easily sap your enjoyment while you are still trying to find your footing.

What you described with MTG is precisely what long-term players are feeling here. It is an inevitable cycle with any game or product you invest years into. Over time, the passion that once fueled excitement can turn into frustration and, eventually, burnout. It is not something unique to this community or to MTG; it happens in every long-standing hobby. But in spaces like this, where frustration gathers and amplifies, it can feel overwhelming and all-consuming.

[Musashidon]

you aren't missing anything, there is a small group of people who just want the game to be something it never has been and every expansion goes well if they don't change the game to what i want i will leave but then doesn't leave and just does it again for another expansion.