My first 72 hours since being gone for two years...:(

[SyferU]

Now, let me address the comments I made regarding how FFXIV is emulating Dark Souls or Elden Ring. This article, from June 2024, shows Yoshi-P himself directly stating that the influence for Dawntrail was heavily inspired by his crew playing both Dark Souls and Elden Ring. Even if the game is not 100% as hard as those titles, they factually influenced many of the fight designs in this expansion, and to say they did not is disingenuous.

The article is here: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/ff...brutally-hard/

This is the intellectual dishonesty I've come to expect from many of the hardcore defenders of the game who dismiss any criticism of the current design. No, FFXIV is not an exact one-on-one copy of either of those games, but these defenders try to play it off as if this latest expansion was not designed with these influences, running counter to what we've previously seen with FFXIV over the past 12 years. Again, we have Yoshi-P's own words as evidence, but they seem to be ignored simply because the new content is not at the same extreme difficulty level as Elden Ring or Dark Souls. Every game has telegraphed attacks, yet to pretend that Dark Souls or Elden Ring isn't on a completely different level of telegraphed attacks is astonishing.

Well now you are being disingenuous. In the article it doesn't say anything about heavily inspired, especially not the difficulty since the article said this:

In the interview with PC Gamer, Yoshida went on to say that you'll probably see most of Elden Ring's influence outside the combat encounters.

[Brandr]

In my previous comment I guess I didn't emphasize enough what I thought is the main part:

You have many, oh God so many, valid reasons to quit FFXIV.

BUT, strangely, everything OP said is either a straight up lie or dishonest, stinking of AI generated text.

The reason I affirm this is because nothing OP said would make a human being quit any game.
The game is different? Really that different? Has the gameplay and rotations that different from when he left, back in ShB? If he had said he left in Heavenward, I'd agree, but it was in Stormblood that the new homogenized rotations began.

Another reason he gave is FCs died. Unless this is your first MMO, it shouldn't be any surprise. Shadowbringers was in July of 2019, SIX WHOLE YEARS AGO. My God, dont you know people chance hobbies, change games, peoples lifes changes! People leave FCs, whole FCs change games together, people go to college, start jobs, have kids, get tired of gaming altogether... So many reasons to stop playing a game...

No human being would be remotely surprised by that.

The other point was Souls-like stuff.... Of a content OP says he didn't even played himself, he says he HEARD OTHER PEOPLE saying... Worse: game journalists... Man, we're in 2025, you should know better that since "7.2: too much water", not a single word of a game journalist is worth any second of your life.

Again, there are many valid reasons to quit FFXIV, I have quitted and came back, but none of OP says is valid. If you wanna quit, just quit.
If you really need that Pat in the back and someone saying "Yes, I see your point, you're absolutely right!", give us a true reason. There are plenty!
"My friends don't play anymore", that's a good reason.
"I don't like what they did with my favorite job",
"My server is empty", "Another game does better what I like the most in a game", "I lost my job, don't have money to pay my subscription", "Now I feel like playing single player games", "I am in a phase of my life that I can't play games/MMOs", "Wuk Lamat bad".
All valid reasons, and many more.

But what you doing is just lying.

[TheRealMadruck]

In my previous comment I guess I didn't emphasize enough what I thought is the main part:

You have many, oh God so many, valid reasons to quit FFXIV.

BUT, strangely, everything OP said is either a straight up lie or dishonest, stinking of AI generated text.

The reason I affirm this is because nothing OP said would make a human being quit any game.
The game is different? Really that different? Has the gameplay and rotations that different from when he left, back in ShB? If he had said he left in Heavenward, I'd agree, but it was in Stormblood that the new homogenized rotations began.

Another reason he gave is FCs died. Unless this is your first MMO, it shouldn't be any surprise. Shadowbringers was in July of 2019, SIX WHOLE YEARS AGO. My God, dont you know people chance hobbies, change games, peoples lifes changes! People leave FCs, whole FCs change games together, people go to college, start jobs, have kids, get tired of gaming altogether... So many reasons to stop playing a game...

No human being would be remotely surprised by that.

The other point was Souls-like stuff.... Of a content OP says he didn't even played himself, he says he HEARD OTHER PEOPLE saying... Worse: game journalists... Man, we're in 2025, you should know better that since "7.2: too much water", not a single word of a game journalist is worth any second of your life.

Again, there are many valid reasons to quit FFXIV, I have quitted and came back, but none of OP says is valid. If you wanna quit, just quit.
If you really need that Pat in the back and someone saying "Yes, I see your point, you're absolutely right!", give us a true reason. There are plenty!
"My friends don't play anymore", that's a good reason.
"I don't like what they did with my favorite job",
"My server is empty", "Another game does better what I like the most in a game", "I lost my job, don't have money to pay my subscription", "Now I feel like playing single player games", "I am in a phase of my life that I can't play games/MMOs", "Wuk Lamat bad".
All valid reasons, and many more.

But what you doing is just lying.

If you think my post or my replies are generated by AI...then again you are just another person who will say anything against someone you disagree with in a attempt to discredit. Individuals like yourself is precisely a key aspect of this community I grew to loathe and was happy to be away from for a very long time by blatant lies about others who have a opinion or critique.

Well now you are being disingenuous. In the article it doesn't say anything about heavily inspired, especially not the difficulty since the article said this:

In the interview with PC Gamer, Yoshida went on to say that you'll probably see most of Elden Ring's influence outside the combat encounters.

Quote ""When it comes to the people involved in the battle content on our team, they would be playing and they would be saying, 'Oh yeah, if we could make something this difficult, we should definitely do it,"
"But when it comes to things like the scenery in the game or the atmosphere and being able to convey that sense without a lot of text to convey those nuances in the story, Elden Ring does that really well. And I think there must be people in the team who are really inspired BY THAT AS WELL."

"By that as well" means in plain English in addition or including! Why do individuals like you have to blatantly lie when anyone can read verbatim what he said themselves?!?! So he did not say "Elden Ring's influence outside the combat encounters" only, he clearly said that in addition to other aspects of what Elden Ring is which includes combat which is factually a massive draw for why people play these series of games!

My goodness I sincerely get tired of dishonest players who can't allow others their critiques unless they have to lie about them...

[Brandr]

If you think my post or my replies are generated by AI...then again you are just another person who will say anything against someone you disagree with in a attempt to discredit. Individuals like yourself is precisely a key aspect of this community I grew to loathe and was happy to be away from for a very long time by blatant lies about others who have a opinion or critique.

So purposely didn't read the rest of my comment. Specially the part where I listed valid reasons to quit, said this game has huge flaws that can make anyone leave to never go back.

Amazing how you prove yourself to probably never ever played this game not a second of it.

[ItsKylos]

I do want to mention that many people that are disagreeing with you in this thread are some of the most vocal in critiquing the game for it's flaws. These are not FFXIV defenders, but quite the opposite. I mention this because you are not engaging in the conversation because you are under the notion you are talking to white-knights, when in fact, you are talking to the opposite.

People are also allowed to disagree with you. Considering a lot of people have complained the game has gotten simplified, too easy, etc., and we just started seeing the return of the usage of a brain cell in the casual content, I'd like to see the game heading the direction of upping the difficulty WHILE still keeping it casual (not a repeat Forked Tower lol). People are allowed to disagree with me, but casual content is easy to me in an extreme degree. Other FFs have implemented more of a challenge while still being considered casual, FFXIV can do that as well.

Know I still wish you well in your current journey in FFXIV or any future journeys you take part in, but when you start a thread, people will agree and disagree with you. Ignoring them and not taking them into account is the same behavior of the white-knights you have disdain for.

[TheRealMadruck]

So purposely didn't read the rest of my comment. Specially the part where I listed valid reasons to quit, said this game has huge flaws that can make anyone leave to never go back.

Amazing how you prove yourself to probably never ever played this game not a second of it.

So let me understand. Merely because I didn't directly acknowledge your comments in which a person can may agree/disagree with...that automatically 100% means they didn't read your post. Brilliant logic there Brandr...top marks! Truly...
And with your second comment, now I know you are a forum troll that likes to harass legit criticisms by claiming I have never played this game. Truly a person who has never touched FF14 once would know the info I posted originally at the top of my post. Keep on trolling Brandr!

I do want to mention that many people that are disagreeing with you in this thread are some of the most vocal in critiquing the game for it's flaws. These are not FFXIV defenders, but quite the opposite. I mention this because you are not engaging in the conversation because you are under the notion you are talking to white-knights, when in fact, you are talking to the opposite.

People are also allowed to disagree with you. Considering a lot of people have complained the game has gotten simplified, too easy, etc., and we just started seeing the return of the usage of a brain cell in the casual content, I'd like to see the game heading the direction of upping the difficulty WHILE still keeping it casual (not a repeat Forked Tower lol). People are allowed to disagree with me, but casual content is easy to me in an extreme degree. Other FFs have implemented more of a challenge while still being considered casual, FFXIV can do that as well.

Know I still wish you well in your current journey in FFXIV or any future journeys you take part in, but when you start a thread, people will agree and disagree with you. Ignoring them and not taking them into account is the same behavior of the white-knights you have disdain for.

I would love to know how you have info that these are some of the most vocal critics of FF14. Powers of clairvoyance perhaps? Or is that something you say to others to grit down their replies?
And sincerely...how have I ignored them? I have directly replied to things I didn't agree with...again I ask, if someone doesn't respond to every post or comment...does that automatically imply they ignored that post or 100% disagrees with what has been said? And with respect...there is a clear difference between what I called hardcore defenders to the notion of a white knight which I never said. But thank you for putting words in comments or labels I never made.
Again people can disagree with me...and just because I did not reply does not 100% mean their comments were not read or not agreed upon.

[SyferU]

Quote ""When it comes to the people involved in the battle content on our team, they would be playing and they would be saying, 'Oh yeah, if we could make something this difficult, we should definitely do it,"
"But when it comes to things like the scenery in the game or the atmosphere and being able to convey that sense without a lot of text to convey those nuances in the story, Elden Ring does that really well. And I think there must be people in the team who are really inspired BY THAT AS WELL."

"By that as well" means in plain English in addition or including! Why do individuals like you have to blatantly lie when anyone can read verbatim what he said themselves?!?! So he did not say "Elden Ring's influence outside the combat encounters" only, he clearly said that in addition to other aspects of what Elden Ring is which includes combat which is factually a massive draw for why people play these series of games!

My goodness I sincerely get tired of dishonest players who can't allow others their critiques unless they have to lie about them...

He follows this up with saying to not worry about bosses like in Elden Ring:

Yoshida said he suspects some members of the team would probably consider a near-impossible encounter "the perfect balance in Final Fantasy 14."
He quickly followed that up with a clarification for any FF14 players afraid of having to fight a boss as brutal as the ones in Elden Ring that they "have nothing to worry about," however.

the funny thing is that there is so much in this article denying an Elden Ring level of difficulty. You kinda messed up posting that article.

[Valence]

I do want to mention that many people that are disagreeing with you in this thread are some of the most vocal in critiquing the game for it's flaws. These are not FFXIV defenders, but quite the opposite. I mention this because you are not engaging in the conversation because you are under the notion you are talking to white-knights, when in fact, you are talking to the opposite.

People are also allowed to disagree with you. Considering a lot of people have complained the game has gotten simplified, too easy, etc., and we just started seeing the return of the usage of a brain cell in the casual content, I'd like to see the game heading the direction of upping the difficulty WHILE still keeping it casual (not a repeat Forked Tower lol). People are allowed to disagree with me, but casual content is easy to me in an extreme degree. Other FFs have implemented more of a challenge while still being considered casual, FFXIV can do that as well.

Know I still wish you well in your current journey in FFXIV or any future journeys you take part in, but when you start a thread, people will agree and disagree with you. Ignoring them and not taking them into account is the same behavior of the white-knights you have disdain for.

There is at least two different sides to people criticizing the game for its flaws. One side is mostly satisfied with the current model and just wants more difficulty in baseline content. Another side is completely dissatisfied with where said difficulty has been shifted to and doesn't really like the direction of the content nor is really interested in seeing baseline content becoming more difficult.

Of course there is also intersecting opinions between those two and nothing is binary depending on who you ask.

[Brandr]

So let me understand. Merely because I didn't directly acknowledge your comments in which a person can may agree/disagree with...that automatically 100% means they didn't read your post. Brilliant logic there Brandr...top marks! Truly...
And with your second comment, now I know you are a forum troll that likes to harass legit criticisms by claiming I have never played this game. Truly a person who has never touched FF14 once would know the info I posted originally at the top of my post. Keep on trolling Brandr!

That's because right after the first few lines I DO AGREE ANYONE HAS TONS OF REASONS TO LEAVE THIS GAME.

But what you say is the opposite of that.

No human being would be remotely surprised by people leaving a game after SIX YEARS. You strangely is.

You say this game is souls-like, without even playing this supposed souls-like content. And criticize by hearsay.

Funnily, you do have valid reasons to stop playing: your friends left.

But you're making it seem like other people say has more value than your own insight of things.

[TheRealMadruck]

That's because right after the first few lines I DO AGREE ANYONE HAS TONS OF REASONS TO LEAVE THIS GAME.

But what you say is the opposite of that.

No human being would be remotely surprised by people leaving a game after SIX YEARS. You strangely is.

You say this game is souls-like, without even playing this supposed souls-like content. And criticize by hearsay.

Funnily, you do have valid reasons to stop playing: your friends left.

But you're making it seem like other people say has more value than your own insight of things.

Thank you for confirming to everyone with irrevocable proof on here Brandr that you are a troll with your post!

Quote "No human being would be remotely surprised by people leaving a game after SIX YEARS. You strangely is."

Reminder to everyone but the troll...the title of this entire forum thread is "My first 72 hours since being gone for TWO YEARS"...not SIX.

Now I hope everyone can see precisely what I mean by hardcore dishonest defenders!