Count me amoung the skeptics ...

[Gramul]

In FFXI traveling to Valkurm for the first time, I was in awe of the environment, and I could pick out land marks, like Craigs to let me know when I was getting close to a zone or quest marker, but here that is lost. The open world feel is awesome, no zoning and no loading screens, but the cut and paste landscape is forgettable. Additionally, running to Valkurm seemed like and adventure and kept my heart beating as I sneaked around Lumbering Lambert, where as in FFXIV running from Ul'Dah to Gridinia seems like an arduous chore where the scenic route equals death and the direct route is boring to the point of tears.

Leveling is a system that has gotten better since launch, but unlike FFXI where leveling had its benefits, such as RSE, JSE, Airship pass, Limit Breaks, etc, XIV seems to lack that since of progression. Gear can be equipped at any Rank/Level, though it does wear faster and benefits are reduced, it still doesn't seem to be earned. And, if you look cool to start with, what's to separate a noob from a veteran. Not to mention the universal nature of the equipment is far too confusing. I know it was meant to make things easier by allowing one piece of equipment to fill multiple rolls, but who really wants to storm the castle in wooden clogs? So, in reality, everyone carries multiple sets of armor, combined with an over abundance of drops and harvested materials, and suddenly the 200+ storage slots between the character, retainer and bazaars aren’t enough. Too me this just adds another level of frustration to the fledgling adventurer. Reverting to FFXI again, by the time I reached level 25 and headed to Kazham for the first time, I felt like I had come a long way from where I had started in San d’Oria and like I had grown as a player. I knew what a good party was. I knew how to Skill Chain, Magic Burst, Pull, Tank, not all at once, but you get the picture. At Rank 30 in FFXIV I still have yet to see cohesive, let alone coherent, party mechanics. I don't have a great understanding of how my job is supposed to function in relation to other jobs, especially when any skill or trait can be borrowed from another class.

I agree with most of your points, but these stuck out to me the most. The game desperately needs a sense of accomplishment and progression. I mean, how am I supposed to feel a sense of adventure when pretty much everything is already available from the start?

I hope Yoshi takes this to heart.