Possible story-based areas for end-game

[Duelle]

@OP: You forget that in FFXI (specially in the case of CoP) you had zones that were designed for the story rather than the story designed around the zones. Most of those zones were too far out of the way to be of any real use to players at large.

In the case of Al'taieu and Tu'Lia, sure you had bosses that you could pop and fight the bosses out of order, but it wasn't that different than running a raid. You're putting too much value on being able to fight the bosses out of order and devaluing the fact that because instances are designed with the bosses in mind, the fights tend to be much more mechanically involved.

I'm not against having zones connected to endgame, but I am more in favor of world-relevant zones over story-relevant zones. This is not mentioning that with quests being one of the main ways to level in 2.0, you technically do get zones that are unlocked as you advance the story. This should not stop the devs from introducing well-designed and memorable zones, though.

[Elexia]

@OP: You forget that in FFXI (specially in the case of CoP) you had zones that were designed for the story rather than the story designed around the zones. Most of those zones were too far out of the way to be of any real use to players at large.

What you forget is that the majority of zones in XI all were designed that were based on story elements as well. In CoP there were some zones purely made for story purposes, but that was outweighed by the regular zones introduced. The only story related zones are:

R. Site A01/B01
Sacrarium (doubles for NM fights and subligar farming)
Phomina Aquaducts (though doubles for other stuff like subligar farming)
Promyvions
Pso`Xja (doubles for other stuff)

This is ignoring the BCNM areas and regarding the capped period. Otherwise a lot of zones were designed to be unlocked and explored through the story then later on your own (you know, like a FF game tends to do.) Everything in XI was world relevant and story relevant because the lore and storylines fit into the world like a good RPG.

[Duelle]

What you forget is that the majority of zones in XI all were designed that were based on story elements as well.

There's a difference between a zone that fits into the story and a zone that is designed for the story. Zi'tah and Bibiki Bay are good examples of the former. Attowa Chasm and Riverne being of the latter. I'm against the latter while being for the former.

Otherwise a lot of zones were designed to be unlocked and explored through the story then later on your own (you know, like a FF game tends to do.) Everything in XI was world relevant and story relevant because the lore and storylines fit into the world like a good RPG.

As always, you and I are not going to agree on that. What CoP did is use the tried and true "cluster of zones" that is typical of an expansion with a couple of scraps added to the main continent. Problem is that they created the zones exclusively for the story, and it shows when there is no real reason to be in the Archipelago outside of the CoP missions barring one or two extra things like subligar farming. Even if you were to go back in time and convince Tanaka to not put in the three promyvion requirement, the zones as designed are not inviting. You wouldn't see the kind of shift to the Archipelago as you did when Bibiki Bay opened up, much less the shift to Bafflau Thickets when TAU hit.