Thoughts on the Blacklist: why are we still matched with those we block?

[Dodfisk]

This might be overly polite, but putting it this way helped me frame what I wanted to say without being a jerk about it.

I'd like to offer some thoughts on the FFXIV blacklist, not as a complaint, but as constructive feedback on a feature that feels a bit incomplete. My hope is that this perspective might resonate with others who have felt a similar frustration with the system.

While most players are aware of the initial issues that stemmed from the account-wide blacklist, the current version still seems to fall short of its intended purpose. The system's ability to hide a blacklisted player's character model and filter their chat is a welcome change. This is a good baseline, and it feels like the mute list is sufficient for minor annoyances. For me, the blacklist is a tool for addressing far more serious issues, such as extreme antisocial behavior such as being openly hostile to others, repeated verbal abuse, and griefing .

My primary concern is being matched with blacklisted players in duties. While I appreciate that the system offers the option to temporarily view their chat (you can right-click on blocked chat messages on PC), this feels counterintuitive to the entire purpose of the blacklist. From a player's perspective, the goal of this tool is to completely remove someone from my gaming experience. Being matched with them, and having our in-game progress tied together, feels like a violation of that core principle.

I understand the issues and challenges of the duty finder. The system wasn't designed to police a player's personal relationships, and checking for blacklisted players would add a layer of complexity to the matching process. Consider the 16 possible player-to-player interactions, then cross referencing each persons blacklist, just for a single party of 4. But for those of us who use the blacklist as a last resort, the current system undermines the peace of mind we're looking for and defeats the very reason we used the tool in the first place.

[Exmo]

Although I share this frustration, I think allowing players to be matched with a player they blacklisted is the best overall option. If this were not the case, the blacklist could be used to block another player from accessing a duty, so it becomes an instrument of extreme harassment.
Currently, I've found the only real practical case where I've been matched with a blocked player is in PvP where there are just not enough instances running in parallel to offer a practical alternative - it's either we get matched or one of us doesn't get to play that game mode.

Other than pvp, I think I've been matched with a blocked player maybe once or twice ever. Not surprising given how many possible duties and instances I could get matched into and I'm far, far more likely to be matched with non-blocked players than blocked players. When it happens I raise an eyebrow at the system, but like I said, better than the alternative.