Personally, I think this is a worthwhile thread that could fuel ideas to help the devs develop the game. However, the devs have already stated that they are looking for a killer game and are implementing some of the suggestions about housing and bards. I would love to see an impromptu group of gamers form a little band to play some new music.

I wrote the devs a long letter about game content way back when. I loved the Easter Egg quest. It was meaty: in other words it lasted about a week and had an interesting reward. Doesn't matter if the reward is substantial. It is sufficient to get a flashy new helmet and ring and accomplishment. That is the kind of content we need. Worthwhile adventures with interesting stories and some puzzlement. Try to avoid: go there - kill that. Now I know some people just want to kill the toughest monster.... all macho bravura.... but battling bosses gets old fast. Leveling your stats and equipment so you can face the strongest boss and not die instantly is not the basis of a good game. Tricky maneuvers to keep from getting blasted by the boss may be interesting to some players, but I think the percentage of players that like that is low.

That said, every Final Fantasy I have played revolved around getting the highest level weapon and armor and then killing the super-boss. It wouldn't be Final Fantasy without this aspect. However, FFARR needs to live for at least ten years, so we need things like the Easter Egg hunt at least as often as every other month with Seasonal Events in between.

It is super important to have deep story lines that all tie together into the complex history of Eorza. We need stories that explain why this is that way, why this works that way, why such and such is even in the story. We need clever stories that get you involved in stuff... like I would love to be forced to live with a moggle family for a couple of weeks while following a story line. Or how about a story the forces you to get up close and friendly in a beastman camp.

Now people have already complained that I mix FF stories, and that most FF stories do not take place on Eorza, but please recall that FF includes time-space portals and trips into other realities. So, why couldn't there be underground caverns full of super-high-tech equipment and machinery, full of robots, access to portals, access to spaceships, etc. We could find stories where Yuna and others show up (Snow? Lightning?). For fun, you could even have a story that crosses over into Xenosaga or Kingdom Hearts. (Yea... I know many people don't want this, but this game has to last for ten years...)

The Prayer Ring Quest that concluded FFXIV-1 was just about the best FF quest ever. I loved it. It was beautiful. If FFARR has more of that it will be the game of the year.