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[GravityMan]

I don't see how that is bad game design. 80-90% of expansions and DLC I've played (regardless of genre) require you to either finish the base game, or at least advance the main story up to a certain point before the expansion content becomes accessible. It's never bothered me.

I understand the annoyance behind finding other people to play with for base game dungeons, but that doesn't make Heavensward's integration bad design.

Honestly, it seems like an ill-advised decision on the part of the customer to buy Heavensward if he/she hasn't already put a decent amount of time into vanilla FF XIV: ARR.

 

[Novocaine]

This is what I'm saying, it's extremely discouraging for a new or returning player who wants to jump in with their friends who have been playing, or by themselves to experience the new stuff like 99% of the player base.

I'm saying give me a 50, all I'm saying is you shouldn't gate the new stuff behind old stuff people are not doing anymore which a new or returning player needs to do advance. Just give me an abridge version of what's happening w/o me jumping through hoops and making me watch hours of cut scene's just because you want to artificially extend my time.

So you want a level skip? That's not how MMO's work man sorry, get grinding.

 

[diablos991]

I stopped before Ninja was released and I caught up with story quests and into the new area in around 6 hours. It isn't as crazy as some people make it out to be.

 

[Ken]

They aren't, but they're also players that have done everything in the main scenario and are excited to have new content and jobs to level, also since the level cap is raised, they're going to be getting all of the old jobs leveled. I wouldn't want to inconvenience them when they're putting in time for something they've been waiting a long time to be able to do.

They would help, no doubt, but I'd rather let them enjoy doing new stuff they paid for over helping me do old stuff when they're playing.

I'll get to it eventually, especially since I'm reading you get high level gear from scenario quests now, but instead of right now (was going to buy it today after work), it'll be in a couple months.

Well, should also note that it'll be 2 weeks before the Alexander Normal raid comes out and another 4 weeks for the real endgame. Currently there's not a whole lot to do at 60 so I'm sure your friends will find some time to help once they hit cap/finish the story.

And yeah, they made catching up in gear/item levels easy.

 

[PsionBolt]

You know, that actually sounds kind of awesome. Someone should take this all the way. Make a sequel that you literally can't play without loading a completed save from the first game. What a cool idea! I am seriously interested in this concept, like, no joke. It sounds crazy, and great.

Have any games done this yet? I want to make one now.

 

[Skii]

I think this is fine in a game like Dark Souls. The DLC was locked away until you had completed more than half of the game. However, you'd easily get to that point in any new game within 10 hours. That's the nature of the game. You become really good at it when you reach the end that any new playthrough is essentially a breeze.

Locking it behind 50 hours of work is a bit rough but in an MMO situation, you can't complete the game right? Surely you'd just buy the DLC when you got to that point?

 

[Ken]

This is the reason why I didn't do the Dark Souls DLC. Didn't feel like playing the game again just to unlock it.

...you only have to play through FFXIV once to unlock the new stuff.

And you can actually skip a ton of the side-content like Relic/Primals EX, Coil, and the 24-mans I believe.

It's kind of funny seeing people rip on Destiny's expansions for not enough content and then seeing people rip on FFXIV for not letting you skip content.

 

[panama chief]

Ask them to come back to help you on like the handful of Trials you need a real group for? I don't see why friends in expansion areas suddenly are barred from helping you.

You make sense. A lot of people here are asking for some entitlement without earning it. "Give me new stuff while letting me skip old stuff even tho this is an expansion of old stuff....." This isn't a new game people.

Also like you said, where are those friends? Yes they are enjoying new content, but if they are good friends, they'll pull these people through.

 

[Ridley327]

You know, that actually sounds kind of awesome. Someone should take this all the way. Make a sequel that you literally can't play without loading a completed save from the first game. What a cool idea! I am seriously interested in this concept, like, no joke. It sounds crazy, and great.

Have any games done this yet? I want to make one now.

IIRC, they actually did this for the Japanese release of White Knight Chronicles 2, which came with an improved version of the first game. I think they changed that in the western release, though.

 

[diablos991]

Organizing a wedding.

They helped me do a lot of the old stuff, actually, when I did have time to play. I have time to play now, but since I can't play with my friends, I won't be.

You're an ass.

Using logic makes people asses?

 

[BolognaOni]

If grinderific fetch quests and huge time sinks are not really your thing, then maybe the game is not for you...? At least that is the conclusion I've come to for myself with MMOs.

I've had fun with them in the past, and understand that there are great aspects to them, but in general the theme park style MMO is designed to be a huge timesink. I really can't get over that any longer, so until the business/gameplay model changes, I'm done with the genre. Maybe you are too?

 

[Haunted]

Ok,how about people who don't keep up, or what about a completely new player who doesn't follow the game?

I'm sure this has been pointed out before, but there is no old content for new players?

It's all new to them. They're new.

 

[Xion_Stellar]

Dammit OP I was hoping to come here to see NOT being a stealth thread to complain about players wanting immediate access to the Heavensward content and I disagree with you in the within the context of Final Fantasy XIV.

 

[Zomba13]

Is there an option to pay to bypass stuff and get to the expansion?

Thankfully not. I have a short temper for bad players. I mean, I know it's a game and all but it's a game I play to have fun and I don't have fun entering an instance with people who at that point should know how to play but can't. Just today I went into a Guildhest (shot instanced battle designed to basically teach mechanics. You get extra exp for doing them on new classes and they take 5 mins at most) and these are things where the game gives you a big popup (not just a little not in the corner, though you get that AS WELL) that tells you what to do in this instance. This one made it clear to kill these bubbles before they pop because if you don't monsters will spawn.

As a Tank my Job was to hold the attention of the big boss of the instance while the DPS classes pop bubbles (die very easily) and damage the boss while I make sure it's not facing anyone else as it has a huge cone AoE that does almost every debuff. What do everyone else in my party do? Ignore what the game tells them to do and stays on the big boss. I try to get the bubbles I can with my limited AoE and range (you know, being a tank that should stay still so DPS can position attacks) and bubbles spawn monsters and I then get blamed for it because they can't read.

And this was a level 30 instance (or upper 20s at least) and at that point you should know how to read instructions. I don't want to imagine playing with players that jump to 50 without knowing anything about the game. I have a lot of patience for the lower level stuff because you're just starting out and the dungeons aren't as in your face about things as the guildhests but when you get to that point (keep in mind you have to finish the previous one on the list to unlock the next) you should have learnt to read.


I know this is a big rant and probably doesn't make sense to anyone that hasn't played FFXIV but the thought of something like that happening in a 50+ dungeon hurts. It's one thing going in blind and not knowing mechanics of a certain boss but when the game hands you instructions for a simple encounter with basic mechanics (kill the adds then focus on boss). It'll be like popping into a dungeon saying you're new, having a player explain the mechanics and then going "lol tl;dr" and then blaming the guy who told you what to do for the wipe.

 

[PsionBolt]

IIRC, they actually did this for the Japanese release of White Knight Chronicles 2, which came with an improved version of the first game. I think they changed that in the western release, though.

Wow, cool. I should have figured it'd been thought of already!
Sadly, it looks like that game wasn't very well-received... Hah, I can only imagine it'd have reviewed even more poorly in the West if it had kept this feature in.

 

[Ridley327]

Wow, cool. I should have figured it'd been thought of already!

Sadly, it looks like that game wasn't very well-received...

I wonder why!

 

[Hasney]

Ok,how about people who don't keep up, or what about a completely new player who doesn't follow the game?

I envy the latter. They've got several hours of an excellent story to play and then even more once they hit the expansion.

Accelerating people to play the expansion straight away would actually be bad game design. They've got so much to learn and if they were straight on level 50-60 dungeons and trials, well the experienced player base would be screwed.

 

[Azzurri]

So you want a level skip? That's not how MMO's work man sorry, get grinding.

I meant "I'm not saying give me a 50" sorry for the typo.

1-50 is a must, but having to run hours and hours of MSQ with a lot of it being fetch quest just to get to the new x-pac isn't not fun game play to me.

Also, I forgot you can't even play the new classes until you do all this, which is also a dumb decision.

 

[Feep]

Not directly related, but getting to see the Celestial Capital of Al'Taieu in FFXI only after completing an absurdly difficult sequence of quests and bosses is still, to this day, the most rewarding thing I've ever experienced in a video game.

Fuck this free bullshit. Make awesome content hidden or very difficult to reach. It's all the better when you get there.

 

[Darkstorne]

I get they want to you to experience the story because it leads up to the new x-pac, but let's be honest here people don't play MMO's for the story, they skip cut scenes, and speed through text not even knowing what's going on because they want to hit max level.

Actually, this is exactly why I play SWTOR when I have an MMO itch to scratch. I love good stories in games, and MMOs are no exception to me. Especially with the latest 12x XP boost in that game, I'm blasting through class quests (which have all the best writing and voice acting) and skipping all the side quests, giving me a fantastically well paced adventure.

You're right though, that they shouldn't gate all of their content away. The new classes sound really interesting, especially the Astrologian, and as a player who tried out the beta but didn't get hooked, those new classes would have tempted me to return if I could play them from level 1. Being told "you still have to play through all the content that didn't interest you enough before, and then you can try out the new classes"... kinda kills all my interest.

Seems like an expansion squarely aimed at the current playerbase, which is awesome for those of you that love the game. Certainly odd that this expansion does absolutely nothing to try and capture a new audience though. Usually an MMO expansion tries for both of those things.

 

[Hasney]

Actually, this is exactly why I play SWTOR when I have an MMO itch to scratch. I love good stories in games, and MMOs are no exception to me. Especially with the latest 12x XP boost in that game, I'm blasting through class quests (which have all the best writing and voice acting) and skipping all the side quests, giving me a fantastically well paced adventure.

You're right though, that they shouldn't gate all of their content away. The new classes sound really interesting, especially the Astrologian, and as a player who tried out the beta but didn't get hooked, those new classes would have tempted me to return if I could play them from level 1. Being told "you still have to play through all the content that didn't interest you enough before, and then you can try out the new classes"... kinda kills all my interest.

Seems like an expansion squarely aimed at the current playerbase, which is awesome for those of you that love the game. Certainly odd that this expansion does absolutely nothing to try and capture a new audience though. Usually an MMO expansion tries for both of those things.

The classes I'll give you, that does seem a little off.

Story and existing content in 2.0 shouldn't be skipped at all though and I'm very glad it's in there.

 

[Kalentan]

Honestly one great thing about this, is that I've noticed that people in the new content, seem to know how to play their classes!

So yeah, being locked out is great because people can actually go through 1 - 50 and learn their classes. Though it hasn't stopped people pre-Heavensward from barely knowing how to play their class at level 50.

So If anything, having to do a bunch of content at 50 before going to Heavensward is good as they will get even further good at their classes.

 

[Skilletor]

Using logic makes people asses?

What logic?

I'm getting married and organizing a wedding, so I haven't had time to play. I play with my friends, almost exclusively. My friends are too busy doing new stuff, and since I'm way behind on content, can't join my friends, and don't want to inconvenience them at launch of the new expansion, so I won't play right now.

I'm not complaining about it being bad game design (even said so in my initial post), but I am disappointed I can't join my friends with the new content immediately.

 

[Hasney]

What logic?

I'm getting married and organizing a wedding, so I haven't had time to play. I play with my friends, almost exclusively. My friends are too busy doing new stuff, and since I'm way behind on content, can't join my friends, and don't want to inconvenience them at launch of the new expansion, so I won't play right now.

I'm not complaining about it being bad game design (even said so in my initial post), but I am disappointed I can't join my friends with the new content immediately.

They can join you though. They'll hit an XP wall or do the new content then it's best to do some roulettes with you.

 

[Zomba13]

The bit I can see being potentially annoying/bad is needing to do the 2.x story mission stuff. Obviously it's there because of the setup for Heavensward and as a way to introduce new (at the time) content but I can see how getting to 50 months/a year ago and then coming back for the expansion being told to catch up on over a years worth of updates could be shocking and bothersome.

 

[Skilletor]

They can join you though. They'll hit an XP wall or do the new content then it's best to do some roulettes with you.

Yeah, and I'll check in in a week or two to see where they're at.

But most of the people I play with have been playing FF14 since 1.0. I don't want to interrupt at the height of their excitement for new content.

It's cool, I've got Witcher and Batman until then.

 

[DuffDry]

Whoops, you're not the op!

 

[Ken]

My personal situation is that I would like to play as an Astrologian. I don't however want to have to go through 50 hours of content to become one, when I would like to have experienced those hours of gameplay as an Astrologian.

I feel like this one could have gone multiple ways.

The new jobs start at 30 so it'd be weird to have new players skip all that stuff. If they had them start at level 1 then they might not be as appealing to existing players. If they started at level 30 and didn't require Ishgard, they'd probably have to redesign them to have a base job like Archer, Conjurer, Arcanist, etc., which seems to be what they're moving away from.

Should note they still haven't made Rogue/Ninja available as a starting class so maybe something is weird behind the scenes?

 

[Azzurri]

The bit I can see being potentially annoying/bad is needing to do the 2.x story mission stuff. Obviously it's there because of the setup for Heavensward and as a way to introduce new (at the time) content but I can see how getting to 50 months/a year ago and then coming back for the expansion being told to catch up on over a years worth of updates could be shocking and bothersome.

This is where I'm getting at.

Maybe I typed it wrong, but I didn't say you should not have to level to 50, I said you should not be forced to do these quest just to play the expansion.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

[djplaeskool]

The content was not meant to be parallel.
Do them story missions, son.
They're actually really good, and it doesn't take much time to go through a lot of it, especially post 2.3.

 

[Santar]

Isn't the point of a expansion to add content to the main game?
I'd think new players would just be happy that the game they bought is getting bigger.
I don't like it when games trivialize the old parts to get people to the new content fast like Blizzard tends to do in wow and Diablo 3.
It's not like the original parts of a game suddenly is worthless because a expansion was released.

 

[Ken]

The bit I can see being potentially annoying/bad is needing to do the 2.x story mission stuff. Obviously it's there because of the setup for Heavensward and as a way to introduce new (at the time) content but I can see how getting to 50 months/a year ago and then coming back for the expansion being told to catch up on over a years worth of updates could be shocking and bothersome.

A year of updates isn't really that much though? The batches of story quests per patch can be blown through in an evening, if that. 2.55 was probably the longest story chain.

 

[Ferrio]

This is a non issue. How can you expect an MMO to bring out more challenging and unique content if good number of the players didn't learn the basics?

 

[Gipsy Danger]

God forbid you have to slog through a fun game to get more fun content. That really is bad game design.

What's worse is people who get a free Level 90 character and have no idea how to play the game because they skipped all the content.

 

[Hasney]

This is where I'm getting at.

Maybe I typed it wrong, but I didn't say you should not have to level to 50, I said you should not be forced to do these quest just to play the expansion.

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

But you get to experience a fantastic story, especially from 2.5 onwards. So jealous that I'll not be able to do that again.

You even get a nice leg up, because those quests will grant experience from 50 which we never got. Will probably stop that Heavensward wall you hit while going through the story to level up.

 

[Darkstorne]

The classes I'll give you, that does seem a little off.

Story and existing content in 2.0 shouldn't be skipped at all though and I'm very glad it's in there.

Yep, I agree about the story. It's just very odd that this does nothing for players potential new players. I semi-enjoyed FFXIV last time I played but felt the classes in particular were missing... something. Couldn't put my finger on it. The Heavensward announcement instantly caught my attention because I got excited at the thought of big new improvements to the game and new classes, that maybe now there would be something that captures me.

But nope. Unless you have a level 50 character and have finished the main story missions, there is literally nothing for you here. That is very bizarre for an MMO expansion.

I'm not saying this is wrong, or a bad decision, I hope it works out well for them. I'm just used to seeing WoW expansions launch with new races, new classes, new gameplay overhauls, etc. They have end-game content, and they have early-game content. This is 100% end-game content only, which is a bold move. Unless you've done all the main quest from the first game, you're completely locked out of everything, even exploration.

 

[Zareka]

I will never ever ever understand people complaining that they have to group with people in an MMO. Why on earth are you playing an MMO if you don't want to play with others? That's kind of a big flag that, you know, maybe the they aren't for you.

Anyway, personally low level dungeon queues are never very long for me (even in Heavensward) and even when I don't use DF, a quick /shout asking for dungeon help can get me people in minutes. There are always people to group with if you're willing to look for them.

As for the story, literally every other game does this. Just because it's an MMO doesn't mean it can't have a main story quest you have to play through like every other RPG ever.

Edit: I'll give that not allowing you access to all classes from the get go is pretty wonky. I should be able to start as a Dark Knight or a Rogue if I want to.

 

[DJIzana]

I will never ever ever understand people complaining that they have to group with people in an MMO. Why on earth are you playing an MMO if you don't want to play with others? That's kind of a big flag that, you know, maybe the they aren't for you.

Anyway, personally low level dungeon queues are never very long for me (even in Heavensward) and even when I don't use DF, a quick /shout asking for dungeon help can get me people in minutes. There are always people to group with if you're willing to look for them.

As for the story, literally every other game does this. Just because it's an MMO doesn't mean it can't have a main story quest you have to play through like every other RPG ever.

I don't mind doing low level dungeons but not so much raids. I like being able to solo because I like MMO combat, quests, the story etc. If you lived in FFXIV's world, pretty sure there are times you wouldn't always want to be around people either. Just sayin'. Soloing is also good for when you only have a short amount of time to play as well so... there are definitely times where I prefer it.

 

[Darkstorne]

I will never ever ever understand people complaining that they have to group with people in an MMO. Why on earth are you playing an MMO if you don't want to play with others? That's kind of a big flag that, you know, maybe the they aren't for you.

I think it depends on the MMO and the marketing for it. SWTOR and TESO are two MMOs that are designed for solo play, and marketing rides on the backs of very popular single player games. There's definitely a case to make for wanting solo options from a Final Fantasy MMO.

Not every element of a social game has to be grouping for game play. Just being able to trade, hang out in towns, admire other people's outfits justifies the MMO components of games for me (Destiny being another example for the last two points). I tend to dislike group play.

 

[Azzurri]

I will never ever ever understand people complaining that they have to group with people in an MMO. Why on earth are you playing an MMO if you don't want to play with others? That's kind of a big flag that, you know, maybe the they aren't for you.

Anyway, personally low level dungeon queues are never very long for me (even in Heavensward) and even when I don't use DF, a quick /shout asking for dungeon help can get me people in minutes. There are always people to group with if you're willing to look for them.

As for the story, literally every other game does this. Just because it's an MMO doesn't mean it can't have a main story quest you have to play through like every other RPG ever.

Edit: I'll give that not allowing you access to all classes from the get go is pretty wonky. I should be able to start as a Dark Knight or a Rogue if I want to.

Because when I have a very limited time and want to get something done I can't and have to rely on other people.

 

[Zareka]

I don't mind doing low level dungeons but not so much raids. I like being able to solo because I like MMO combat, quests, the story etc. If you lived in FFXIV's world, pretty sure there are times you wouldn't always want to be around people either. Just sayin'. Soloing is also good for when you only have a short amount of time to play as well so... there are definitely times where I prefer it.

Oh definitely, I'm not saying that you should want to play with others 24/7 because I don't want to either, but that's why there's solo content there. It's when people hit, say, a dungeon and get irritated because they have to do group content that I don't understand. At no point should you start an MMO expecting to do everything without interacting with other people.

I think it depends on the MMO and the marketing for it. SWTOR and TESO are two MMOs that are designed for solo play, and marketing rides on the backs of very popular single player games. There's definitely a case to make for wanting solo options from a Final Fantasy MMO.

Not every element of a social game has to be grouping for game play. Just being able to trade, hang out in towns, admire other people's outfits justifies the MMO components of games for me (Destiny being another example for the last two points). I tend to dislike group play.

Yeah, I can understand that. I just see FFXIV being pretty clearly intended to encourage group play instead of just sharing the world with others, trading items etc.

Still, solo content is there, it's just not dungeons.

Because when I have a very limited time and want to get something done I can't and have to rely on other people.

Then you have the option of doing solo content, whether that be quests, dailies, crafting etc. Dungeons are designed as group content and definitely aren't made to be played with limited time.

 

[skLaFarebear]

I will never ever ever understand people complaining that they have to group with people in an MMO. Why on earth are you playing an MMO if you don't want to play with others? That's kind of a big flag that, you know, maybe the they aren't for you.

The world, the story, the gameplay, etc. I don't mind grouping up with people or interacting with them. And doing Fates with other people is fine. Its the fact that I wanna kick back and play through the story then all of a sudden, time to wait 30 minutes for a dungeon (at least in Ultros as a DPS before Heavensward). They throw so many at you in the 1-50, especially when you have to do 3 in a row, that's its annoying, and most of them so far have kind of sucked anyway. I only liked the manor (level 30 myself).

At least a SP option would make it go by way faster, or even making more of the dungeons optional for people who want to actually do that stuff. I don't mind the connectivity of an MMO, its when I'm constantly forced to connect with people is when it starts getting really annoying.

 

[Hasney]

Yep, I agree about the story. It's just very odd that this does nothing for players potential new players. I semi-enjoyed FFXIV last time I played but felt the classes in particular were missing... something. Couldn't put my finger on it. The Heavensward announcement instantly caught my attention because I got excited at the thought of big new improvements to the game and new classes, that maybe now there would be something that captures me.

But nope. Unless you have a level 50 character and have finished the main story missions, there is literally nothing for you here. That is very bizarre for an MMO expansion.

I'm not saying this is wrong, or a bad decision, I hope it works out well for them. I'm just used to seeing WoW expansions launch with new races, new classes, new gameplay overhauls, etc. They have end-game content, and they have early-game content. This is 100% end-game content only, which is a bold move. Unless you've done all the main quest from the first game, you're completely locked out of everything, even exploration.

Yeah I feel like they have 2 options when making an expansion like this. You make it a new end game like this which is great for existing players. You know everyone you're playing with has at least gotten somewhat up to speed with how to play their role and all the new areas are challenging to explore. There's no new character filler you have to go through.

The other option is treat it like a new release, make the old content trivial or optional and have even existing players in these zones they're overlevelled for. They've gone with the former mostly because they feel story is important, especially as it's a Final Fantasy game. I'm glad they did, it's the only MMO I've ever enjoyed and the story is a large factor in that.

 

[Azzurri]

The world, the story, the gameplay, etc. I don't mind grouping up with people or interacting with them. And doing Fates with other people is fine. Its the fact that I wanna kick back and play through the story then all of a sudden, time to wait 30 minutes for a dungeon (at least in Ultros as a DPS before Heavensward). They throw so many at you in the 1-50, especially when you have to do 3 in a row, that's its annoying, and most of them so far have kind of sucked anyway. I only liked the manor (level 30 myself).

At least a SP option would make it go by way faster, or even making more of the dungeons optional for people who want to actually do that stuff. I don't mind the connectivity of an MMO, its when I'm constantly forced to connect with people is when it starts getting really annoying.

Agreed, I should not be forced to group in my Story quest. If you want me to do it beofre I enter Ishgard then I'm fine, but gimme a solo option so I can get it done w/o waiting god knows how long to complete one phase of the quest. This is not fun for me and many other people.

 

[Xion_Stellar]

Seems like an expansion squarely aimed at the current playerbase, which is awesome for those of you that love the game. Certainly odd that this expansion does absolutely nothing to try and capture a new audience though. Usually an MMO expansion tries for both of those things.

And that's the great thing right now since they care to keep their current Playerbase.

Lets look at it from their perspective everyone.


This is a SUBSCRIPTION based MMO so it's in Square-Enix's best interest to keep you subscribed for as long as possible.

So by forcing new players to go through the old content in order to access the new content they are in a sense increasing the amount of time you would need to clear the old content and therefore keep you subscribed longer.

They can accordingly make the content "hard" for the Playerbase who have reach the point of accessing the new content and not have to worry about pandering to new players who are still learning the ropes.

In my opinion if you can't be asked to clear the Main Quests of 2.0 and want immediate access to 3.0 than your probably not the intended audience for the game as your clearly not completely invested in the game and probably won't be subscribed to the game for more than 3 months so you wouldn't be the "long term player" that Square-Enix clearly aimed this expansion towards.

If the expansion brings in new long term players than that's good for the community and Square-Enix's pockets but if it doesn't well Square-Enix doesn't have to worry about that as the current Playerbase is good enough to bring them substantial profits.


BTW OP and everyone else who hates this concept......I REALLY hope that when 4.0 comes out in 2 years it gets locked behind 3.0's Main Story Questions Line.

 

[Hasney]

Agreed, I should not be forced to group in my Story quest. If you want me to do it beofre I enter Ishgard then I'm fine, but gimme a solo option so I can get it done w/o waiting god knows how long to complete one phase of the quest. This is not fun for me and many other people.

Then what? Get to level 50 and have to do group stuff and you have no idea how to effectively play your class causing a group to fail? That sounds like bad game design. In fact, it doesn't sound fun for the people you'd be grouping with.

 

[UberTag]

Hmmm... I was entertaining the idea of dipping my toe into the FFXIV universe but with no way to clear the content gates to catch up with the rest of the community I might as well not even bother.

Thanks for the heads up, OP.

 

[Ferrio]

Hmmm... I was entertaining the idea of dipping my toe into the FFXIV universe but with no way to clear the content gates to catch up with the rest of the community I might as well not even bother.

Thanks for the heads up, OP.

Except where other people are in the game has very to little effect on you playing the game. Why does it matter if some are doing the expansion stuff? There will be just as many new people, as well as veteran people leveling up new characters/classes.

 

[Kalentan]

Except where other people are in the game have very to little effect on you playing the game. Why does it matter if some are doing the expansion stuff? There will be just as many new people, as well as people leveling up new characters/classes.

Yeah... honestly if this expansion revealed one thing, is that old content is STILL being done. Not hard to find groups. Hell at one point it was giving bonus to DPS players to do roulettes. Which is a first.

 

[Hasney]

Yeah... honestly if this expansion revealed one thing, is that old content is STILL being done. Not hard to find groups. Hell at one point it was giving bonus to DPS players to do roulettes. Which is a first.

Oh god I know. I was getting so much XP for doing the very first guildheist! So much fun.

Plus, with the Mac version just out, there's a flock of new players. When the new story takes me back to the old zones, I'm seeing a lot of those new user icons as I blast past them on my mount.