I know everyone is sick of hot takes on the mandatory 2.1-2.5 MSQ progression, but I just finished this part of the game and wanted to add a little positivity to the discussion. If I'm totally off base please feel free to downvote me into oblivion. In short, I loved these quests,and the fact that I couldnt skip them to go straight for Heavensward made me feel like I was playing a real roleplaying game as opposed to the traditional theme park grind of most MMOs.
I popped over to FFXIV from WoW after it became obvious that Blizzard wasnt going to fully support the most recent expansion after it flopped. I dont hate WoW or anything, and I'll definitely be back, so dont want this read as some sort of circlejerky anti-WoW post. Anyway, one of WoWs major design choices that in my opinion has really held the game back was the decision in 2009 to make it so only the most recent six months of content was relevant. WoW blasts you to max level in a period of weeks and then dumps you straight into the most recent raid. That is how the game has been since the middle of Wrath of the Lich King. I always disliked this because it felt like the game was making itself seem very small in the short term interest of congregating all players around the newest shiniest content. The experience feels like being asked to start at episode 65 of a TV series with 66 episodes rather than starting at episode 1. For me at least, satisfaction is derived not from being caught up with everyone else, but rather from knowing that I still have 60 more episodes to watch. WoW is such a huge game and it's a real shame that it trivializes more than 90% of it's own content.
FFXIV has not done that to me, at least in my experience. Requiring me to play through all these MSQs is the exact opposite of the design philosophy described above. I dont feel like missed out on ARR by not playing it when it was current. I got the full experience of not just playing the story but also nearly all of the group content at the level for which it was originally intended. When the word Heavensward flashed across my screen for the first time it felt like I had reached a real milestone. ARR was not just some obstacle in my race to endgame; it was a f*cking journey. Like in a real RPG. Not being at endgame has not at all hindered my ability to socialize, make friends, and group up either. Honestly, I hope I never reach endgame because I dont want this journey to end.
submitted by /u/Quagmiresire
[link] [comments]
Continue reading...
I popped over to FFXIV from WoW after it became obvious that Blizzard wasnt going to fully support the most recent expansion after it flopped. I dont hate WoW or anything, and I'll definitely be back, so dont want this read as some sort of circlejerky anti-WoW post. Anyway, one of WoWs major design choices that in my opinion has really held the game back was the decision in 2009 to make it so only the most recent six months of content was relevant. WoW blasts you to max level in a period of weeks and then dumps you straight into the most recent raid. That is how the game has been since the middle of Wrath of the Lich King. I always disliked this because it felt like the game was making itself seem very small in the short term interest of congregating all players around the newest shiniest content. The experience feels like being asked to start at episode 65 of a TV series with 66 episodes rather than starting at episode 1. For me at least, satisfaction is derived not from being caught up with everyone else, but rather from knowing that I still have 60 more episodes to watch. WoW is such a huge game and it's a real shame that it trivializes more than 90% of it's own content.
FFXIV has not done that to me, at least in my experience. Requiring me to play through all these MSQs is the exact opposite of the design philosophy described above. I dont feel like missed out on ARR by not playing it when it was current. I got the full experience of not just playing the story but also nearly all of the group content at the level for which it was originally intended. When the word Heavensward flashed across my screen for the first time it felt like I had reached a real milestone. ARR was not just some obstacle in my race to endgame; it was a f*cking journey. Like in a real RPG. Not being at endgame has not at all hindered my ability to socialize, make friends, and group up either. Honestly, I hope I never reach endgame because I dont want this journey to end.
submitted by /u/Quagmiresire
[link] [comments]
Continue reading...