Honestly, What's the verdict for you?

[Unixeon]

I don't want this to be a "doom-post" but I'm genuinely at a loss, and genuinely want to know where others stand..

Quick TLDR, I've posted another thread a bit ago with my gripes and dislikes with how SE has been handling XIV since DT's release, and honestly, I think we're hitting a major break point..

I've got friends who haven't logged in for months, almost a year at this point, who had logged in daily before. I myself have been taking breaks with other game titles just because I do not feel as if XIV has anything for me to do.

I know there IS plenty to "do", but when it's all the same stuff, a seemingly less interesting flatter feeling rendition of Eureka/Bozja, instead of it's own ecosystem.. OC feels very.. not genuine.. It feels like it was tossed together to give the community what they "wanted". The way the fates and CEs are handled makes it, far too fast paced feeling, while being the same 5 things repeatedly. FATEs inside die instantly. The 'jobs' inside adding clunky feeling additional things to weave into rotations we've already come to do on repeat..

Moving on from that, as I don't wish to truly shame OC, as it is just the first zone so far, and I'm practically on my knees begging it evolves well.

But, it's more and more evident, at least on my side of the world, that XIV is losing people's care, their passion, and their drive. People who, me included, would LIVE online to just support it, can't even bring themselves to get past what it has become.. And I'm genuinely becoming more concerned of more permanent damage, as far as the playbase goes.

Am I alone on feeling like this? Are me and my entire FC just wrong? Is there supposed to be a new vision that we just haven't grasped yet? Has it become harder to support for anyone else? My sub at this point is to preserve what I've built up, instead of fully letting it crumble, a house, a free company, friends (as rare as it is to see them online), etc.. Being told "just take a break-" but, finding it hard to return to something that hasn't gained anything aside from a repetitive retention attractions.. and finding it hard to actually take a full break because of the fear of losing my house, fc, friends who remain.. It's a horrible feeling..

[hydralus]

Obviously V****'s ending is the correct one.

[AvoSturmfaust]

I mean lets be real for a Second, the Content really didnt change much, maybe its on your side because you played that game quit long and see now how it really is.

Lets break it down a bit.

Heavensward :
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
Diadem
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
a few Dungeons
3 Beasttribes

Stormblood :
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
Doman Restoration
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
a few Dungeons
HoH
Ultimate
3 Beasttribes
Eureka + BA

ShB:
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
Bozja (Which incluces 2 Large Operation and 1 48 Raid + the Savage Version of it)
a few Dungeons
Ultimate
3 Beasttribes

EW:
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
a few Dungeons
Eureka Ortho
Ultimate
3 Beasttribes
Criterion
Island Sanctuary

DT: Currently at it


you see its kinda always similiar with the difference in DT which adds now everything, so its really just maybe a issue on your side if you play the same game many many years it just starts to get boring and bland escpecially if you dont do all the content out there

but in the end its just a game and i dont wanna sound rude but your house, your fc etc thats just some ingame shit, sooner or later if the servers shut down in the future it will happen anyway i wouldnt bother with it if you are really unlucky right now

[Raikai]

I mean lets be real for a Second, the Content really didnt change much, maybe its on your side because you played that game quit long and see now how it really is.

Lets break it down a bit.

Heavensward :
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
Diadem
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
a few Dungeons
3 Beasttribes

Stormblood :
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
Doman Restoration
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
a few Dungeons
HoH
Ultimate
3 Beasttribes
Eureka + BA

ShB:
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
Bozja (Which incluces 2 Large Operation and 1 48 Raid + the Savage Version of it)
a few Dungeons
Ultimate
3 Beasttribes

EW:
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
a few Dungeons
Eureka Ortho
Ultimate
3 Beasttribes
Criterion
Island Sanctuary

DT: Currently at it


you see its kinda always similiar with the difference in DT which adds now everything, so its really just maybe a issue on your side if you play the same game many many years it just starts to get boring and bland escpecially if you dont do all the content out there

but in the end its just a game and i dont wanna sound rude but your house, your fc etc thats just some ingame shit, sooner or later if the servers shut down in the future it will happen anyway i wouldnt bother with it if you are really unlucky right now

You're right - if you play the same game for many years, and a game that sticks to the same on-rails formula for all of those years, of course you'll hit a personal break point.

But then I wonder if they are just OK with veterans quitting because at some point the same-same-same formula gets the best of them.

[AvoSturmfaust]

You're right - if you play the same game for many years, and a game that sticks to the same on-rails formula for all of those years, of course you'll hit a personal break point.

But then I wonder if they are just OK with veterans quitting because at some point the same-same-same formula gets the best of them.

Of course they are fine with it, after all there are 3 Reasons for it

1. Yoshi always said quit the game come back sooner
2. We still get new player thats something we cant forget
3. He knows that most people still stay subbed, why do you think do they keep with through all the years the same housingsystem? because they know people are emotional bounded to stuff like that and keep the sub rolling

[Kranel_San]

I mean lets be real for a Second, the Content really didnt change much, maybe its on your side because you played that game quit long and see now how it really is.

Lets break it down a bit.

Heavensward :
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
Diadem
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
a few Dungeons
3 Beasttribes

Stormblood :
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
Doman Restoration
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
a few Dungeons
HoH
Ultimate
3 Beasttribes
Eureka + BA

ShB:
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
Bozja (Which incluces 2 Large Operation and 1 48 Raid + the Savage Version of it)
a few Dungeons
Ultimate
3 Beasttribes

EW:
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
a few Dungeons
Eureka Ortho
Ultimate
3 Beasttribes
Criterion
Island Sanctuary

DT: Currently at it


you see its kinda always similiar with the difference in DT which adds now everything, so its really just maybe a issue on your side if you play the same game many many years it just starts to get boring and bland escpecially if you dont do all the content out there

but in the end its just a game and i dont wanna sound rude but your house, your fc etc thats just some ingame shit, sooner or later if the servers shut down in the future it will happen anyway i wouldnt bother with it if you are really unlucky right now

You do know that your argument proves he's right? In comparison to other successful MMOs, this game follows an almost static formula, which is the issue.

• Deep dungeons are a re-skin of PotD.
• OC is just an open area with FATEs and Hunt bosses, without the usual ecosystem of exploration zones (See Eureka for reference, where it feels like a mini-MMO, or Bozja which actually gives you a feeling that you're fighting a war, but still has a trade system and around 100 lost actions)
• Dungeons: Actually this time they're much better than EW in terms of difficulty, which in itself is actually a good direction! Although they're a linear path nowadays. Wall to wall pulls that get pretty dull. Take a look at WoW for example, while yes they do have the usual linear dungeons. They also have other varieties of dungeons, like a tower defense dungeon, or a dungeon that let you decide which boss you want to face first. This feeling of refreshment is much needed. In fact, I'd welcome it if they even add optional secret dungeon bosses every now and then to encourage players for exploration, something I liked about ESO which is another MMO.

I could go on, but you get the idea. This game needs new blood, a refreshment. Flare things up! Make it exciting!

[Raikai]

They also have other varieties of dungeons, like a tower defense dungeon, or a dungeon that let you decide which boss you want to face first.

Trash mobs there also have unique elements to them that aren't just tank fodder,with the occasional aoe cone telegraphs to dodge, which adds a little bit of strategy when you approach those packs. I think in XIV at best there's something to interrupt every now and then, and it's not like they don't know how to design interesting trash mobs: see Deep Dungeons, they do offer some enemies that you need to approach differetly.

[Kranel_San]

Trash mobs there also have unique elements to them that aren't just tank fodder,with the occasional aoe cone telegraphs to dodge, which adds a little bit of strategy when you approach those packs. I think in XIV at best there's something to interrupt every now and then, and it's not like they don't know how to design interesting trash mobs: see Deep Dungeons, they do offer some enemies that you need to approach differetly.

Not sure why the devs are afraid to have another Aurum Vale (The old iteration. Nowadays Aurum vale is just another bland dungeon)

But you're absolutely right. A mix between deep dungeons and variant dungeons should be a thing to create the next iteration of story dungeons.

[dspguy]

I mean lets be real for a Second, the Content really didnt change much, maybe its on your side because you played that game quit long and see now how it really is.

Lets break it down a bit.

Heavensward :
3 Normal Raidtiers + Savage Raidtiers
Diadem
7 Ex Trials
3 Alli Raids
a few Dungeons
3 Beasttribes
-snip-

Thanks for breaking it down like that.

People are complaining about a game that has been this way for 10+ years. It's like asking why a Ford F150 is "still" a pickup truck after being a pickup truck for 50 years. FFXIV has been formulaic for 10 years, at least. It goes beyond even just what you posted, too. We all know that X.2 and X.4 will have crafted gear that replaces pretty much everything earned in X.1. We know that there will crafted DoH/L gear released in X.0 and the right side will be used until X.3 sees the release of a whole new left/right side set. We know that X.1, X.3 and X.5 patches will see alternative ways to upgrade your DoW/M gear. Either turning in hunt tokens, doing the new 24-man raid weekly or spending uncapped tomestones to upgrade crafted gear. We know that beast tribes will be completed in N days every time if you do the turn-ins just right. We know that if you do all 3 beast tribes to Bloodsworn, there will be a late-expansion quest for an emote. We know that if you earn all the Ex Trial mounts for an expansion there is a quest to earn another mount to cap it all off. We know that savage raids will drop tokens for players to turn in so they can get upgrades that didn't drop after their weekly clears.

The list goes on and on.

Frankly, it is like being surprised when we played a Megaman game on the NES and had 8 robot masters, followed by some other version of robot masters, followed by Wily and/or a stand-in for Wily. Oh, and then clearing the robot masters again right before fighting Wily twice.

If I didn't like MM2, I probably didn't like MM3. And I would not have bothered with MM4. The same goes for FFXIV. If I didn't like HW, I probably didn't like SB or ShB or EW or DT. And if I'm still giving SE money after all of this time, I'm a fool.

[Jeeqbit]

I myself have been taking breaks with other game titles just because I do not feel as if XIV has anything for me to do.

That's fair, but FFXIV right now has everything it has always had: regular Beast Tribes, Custom Deliveries, Normal Raids, Savage Raids, Trials, Extreme trials, MSQ, Dungeons, Ultimates

Plus the return of Field Operation, Exploration Content

Plus more recent additions to the content cycle such as Variant/Criterion, Chaotic

This has not changed since Heavensward other than things having been added to the content cycle as mentioned above. So either the game has never had anything for you to do, or it is you that changed.

Am I alone on feeling like this?

You're not alone since clearly most people who post on these forums express similar sentiments and experiences.

But when I gauge sentiment in the game itself people are largely positive and defend the game, whether in OC or in High-End pugs when I have chill chats about the game in party chat. Although not everyone is happy with the game in NN or FC chat, most people are happy with the game in NN or FC chat.

Of course, you mentioned most of your FC aren't even playing, so it's possible people in the game are positive because, well, the ones that aren't positive stopped playing much.

If there's one piece of advice I can give though: every MMO I've played has had positive aspects and negative aspects. You can focus on what you like or what you dislike; the amount of effort is the same, but one of those things makes you happy.

Moreover, two people can view the same thing in a completely different way depending purely on their mood and how depressed they are generally. Take a glass that is filled half way with water. Is the glass half-full (optimist), or is it half-empty (pessimist)? Often whether people are happy with the game comes down to just whether they are predisposed to view things positively or negatively in general.

But ultimately, if you can't find thing(s) to enjoy, or a way to think of it positively no matter what you do, then maybe the game just isn't for you anymore. No point playing something if there isn't even a small slither of enjoyment, happiness or excitement that you can find, or potentially find, in it.

A lot of people say they want everything to be different and not "a different coat of paint", but personally, I'm content with that and the consistency.