[Megathread] Final Fantasy XIV

[Xilurm]

Huh, the art for the patch depicts the raid, not the MSQ.

Not the first time that's happened. 5.1 art had the Nier raid. The 4.1 art had the Ivalice raid. Probs more aswell.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Unless the story from the raid bleeds into the MSQ, which it absolutely should, IMO, given that the story of the raid is intimately related to the story of the First.

Someone on the official forums has pointed out that Lahabrea appears in the artwork, to the right of Gaia.

I'm guessing Eden was a project he had worked on or something.

Perhaps Eden is how Lahabrea, Emet-Selch, and Elidibus escaped the Sundering. They were on a spaceship in orbit over Hydaelyn, so they weren't divided into 14 pieces like everyone else on the planet was.

That, or they were on the moon.

I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that, shortly before HW, Lahabrea went to the First and rewired Eden to kick off the Flood of Light in anticipation of Black Rose being used on a mass scale. But I don't know if Emet had been brought back by that time. Nevermind, just remembered that Elidibus didn't bring back Emet until after 3.0, so Lahabrea couldn't have been prepping for the Black Rose/Light Calamity plan.

[Kaelwryn]

Not the first time that's happened. 5.1 art had the Nier raid. The 4.1 art had the Ivalice raid. Probs more aswell.

2.1 was pvp? ish art work, 3.1 was void ark, and 4.2 was omega. Running theme seems to be that the .1 art work is generally related to something else, with most of the other patches being msq related but not always.

[Tenjen]

I've been doing the Stormblood DRK quest line and oh god who wrote this tapestry of pain?! The Shadowbringer guys?!

edit: THEY DID!

[Wrecktangle]

I came back to trial our replacement tank and we decided to do E6S and E7S. I legit haven't touched this or an MMO in nearly 4 months and was able to clear the fights in one pull.

That's not an impressive feat, it's actually kinda depressing how much muscle memory took over. I wish they weren't so scripted. I do need to eventually do the bozjan nonsense to get the tank helm, but thankfully that's all I care about. Hoping the new raid is decent, but annoyed it's coming out the same time as the WoW raid. I wish they would cut that crap out lol.

[Mordin Solus]

im prety sure ffxiv doesnt schedule shit around wow XD

[Poppincaps]

And the expansion was delayed so I doubt they even expected them to release near each other. That being said, I'll likely skip 5.4 or only play the story and then bounce. Shadowlands and my PS5 are keeping me busy atm.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I briefly reinstalled WoW and logged in during the free weekend. Logged into Orgrimmar to see that it was a ghost town, as opposed to a thriving city with lots of roleplayers like back in the MoP and early WoD days (I tried looking through Youtube for a video showcasing examples of Moon Guard's huge RP events, but all I found were the meme Goldshire videos. But those events were very huge; like 200-300+ turnout for server wide events, like trials taking place at Mogu'shan Vaults or a massive PvP battle at the Thandol Span). Looks like all of the major guilds from my time are gone (Kor'Kron Legion, Brokehorn, etc). Made me sad.

I'm really nostalgic for my farm back in Pandaria. Pulling weeds, planting seeds and watering them, doing some cooking at the Halfhill Market, going down to the river to fish, with the beautiful and wacky music playing. Planting seeds at your FC house, or hanging out inside your apartment... it's cool but it isn't the same. But I have pretty warm feelings about porting to the FC house for raid night and we all goofing off while waiting for everyone else to log in.

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it's actually kinda depressing how much muscle memory took over. I wish they weren't so scripted.

I liked what they did with the 5.3 trial and the Adramellech fight.

• In the 5.3 trial and Adramellach, they use a random element combination mechanic that is fun and keeps me on my toes everytime.

• In the second half of the 5.3 trial, there are four mechanics, but the order in which they happen is randomized each time.

I like that FFXIV fights aren't WoW levels of random, but some randomness is nice to spruce things up.

[Wrecktangle]

im prety sure ffxiv doesnt schedule shit around wow XD

I genuinely don't know if one game targets the other or not (so I'm not saying FF14 is doing it to WoW or vice versa) I'm saying it's annoying that they always seem to overlap regardless of the reasons.

I liked what they did with the 5.3 trial and the Adramellech fight.

• In the 5.3 trial and Adramellach, they use a random element combination mechanic that is fun and keeps me on my toes everytime.

• In the second half of the 5.3 trial, there are four mechanics, but the order in which they happen is randomized each time.

I like that FFXIV fights aren't WoW levels of random, but some randomness is nice to spruce things up.

To each their own. I'll have to check out the mentioned fight though.

[Granyala]

im prety sure ffxiv doesnt schedule shit around wow XD

Actually, they do. So does Blizzard.
Most large MMOs do try to deliver content when a competitor does.
It makes perfect business sense too, you want to avoid that your customers only play the other game for a few weeks because they have nothing to do in your game.

Luckily (?) I don'T have time for 2 MMOs and no one to play WoW with, so Shadowlands will be the first release I skip. Feels a bit weird tbh.

[Graeham]

I'm toying with ESO as my side game to FFXIV. The latter doesn't quite have enough content to keep me busy these days - I don't raid, since I never managed to find a reliable group of players to do it with. Party finder exists, of course, but it isn't the same as running with the same bunch of players each week and building up a strong rapport with them.

Cyberpunk is also out two days after 5.4 goes live and I'm much more interested in that than another round of baiting from the writers about 'something big' happening that conveniently gets thwarted before it can even arise as an actual threat. I wasn't terribly impressed with how 5.3 ended and how such a major character went out without even taking out a throwaway character, let alone anyone of note. I miss the days of ARR and HW - consequences were much more common back then. Though the writer in charge left to go work on FFXVI, I believe.

I'm really hoping Shadowlands does very well, though. FFXIV sorely needs a wake up call at this point and a solid rival that forces it to adapt rather than play things extremely safe.

[KrayZ33]

Gotta say, the Shadowlands experience so far has been utter shit, worse than BFA even.
The sharding is absolutely horrible and half the shit doesn't even work correctly and you see dead enemies in front of you while you wait for it to respawn, basically spoiling the whole fight and scenario. Not to mention that the cutscenes are so poorly done, they make FFXIV's "turn 180° degree and walk out of the scene"-stuff like a masterwork.

They should really make it a co-op / single player game when it comes to leveling and story telling. Jesus christ am I unsatisfied with the whole thing so far.
And the funniest thing I've seen was a "puzzle" that told me to light up 5 thingies around the object so I can loot it and it literally said "you know you have to do this because you are psychic" WHAT - THE - FUCK.

All these flipping streamers that told me how good the shadowlands story was and how interesting it is must have been under influence of cyanoacrylate adhesive or something. FFXIV really has nothing to fear - I'm not going to pretend that I'm still playing FFXIV but at least I can go back to it and not feel like the game is a total shitshow.

[Katchii]

Gotta say, the Shadowlands experience so far has been utter shit, worse than BFA even.
The sharding is absolutely horrible and half the shit doesn't even work correctly and you see dead enemies in front of you while you wait for it to respawn, basically spoiling the whole fight and scenario. Not to mention that the cutscenes are so poorly done, they make FFXIV's "turn 180° degree and walk out of the scene"-stuff like a masterwork.

They should really make it a co-op / single player game when it comes to leveling and story telling. Jesus christ am I unsatisfied with the whole thing so far.
And the funniest thing I've seen was a "puzzle" that told me to light up 5 thingies around the object so I can loot it and it literally said "you know you have to do this because you are psychic" WHAT - THE - FUCK.

All these flipping streamers that told me how good the shadowlands story was and how interesting it is must have been under influence of cyanoacrylate adhesive or something. FFXIV really has nothing to fear - I'm not going to pretend that I'm still playing FFXIV but at least I can go back to it and not feel like the game is a total shitshow.

It honestly just sounds like you're over the whole WoW experience.

I'm loving Shadowlands so far, the cinematics and cutscenes are well done in Blizzard style, and look great to me. I don't know what standard you're holding these to, but these are typical WoW cutscenes with higher fidelity graphics due to the better technology in the game.

That quest text is meant to be tongue in cheek humor. Don't take it too seriously, because the game certainly doesn't. Even FFXIV does this sometimes.

IMO, Shadowlands is fine, even great. You obviously disagree. But I do honestly wonder if this is truly an issue with the game, or an issue with you personally...not saying you have issues, just that you may have simply outgrown the game or your tastes have changed. It happens.

[KrayZ33]

It honestly just sounds like you're over the whole WoW experience.

It honestly does not, I'm just calling it out for what it is.
I've never had the "WoW Experience" you might be thinking about, because the games storytelling has been dogshit since forever. I've been playing the game for the gameplay alone. But since 4 addons they've been throwing these supposedly epic "scenario quests" at me that I can't dodge anymore.
So I actually have to play through it and I can see nothing but poorly executed cutscenes, scenario quests, horribly placed triggers that completely destroy NPC interactions, overlapping voicefiles, nonstop "in and outsharding" (no clue what to call it). For example, you go towards the Maldraxus Chosen castle and see NPCs patrolling and guarding it, and when you move closer the sharding changes and you see dead bodies everywhere.

And that's just one example out of several issues I encounter every 20-30 minutes or so.

That's just poorly done, no excuses.
Not sure what the beta-testers were actually doing other than whining about how OP some covenants are.
Very rarely do I ever get thrown out of my immersion and considering how often it happens in WoW, I can't help but state that it's just awful.

That quest text is meant to be tongue in cheek humor. Don't take it too seriously, because the game certainly doesn't

sure, lets pretend.
Not sure why you think the game "certainly doesn't" mean it seriously though. It's not even a quest in the first place. It's a description for the "puzzle" you are supposed to read and *have* to read and it's the only text for it. There is no NPC no diary or anything. It's not even funny - it's just sad.

[A Chozo]

Used those free days from the campaign to finally finish the latest patch's MSQs, what an ending to a magnificent campaign. Can't wait to face off against Zenos Yae Nofucks in the future - dude's like our nemesis at this point.

It honestly does not

No, he's right, it really sounds like you're over WoW. Go play something else instead of paying to dislike a good game.

[KrayZ33]

No, he's right, it really sounds like you're over WoW. Go play something else instead of paying to dislike a good game.

Yeah, the issues I stated are obviously "good" and not just "issues".
And I'm paying for the combat and raids - thank you very much. Just because you don't think that's worth it, doesn't mean I have to scrap all the fun I have in that game outside of the horrible quest experience.

[Katchii]

It honestly does not, I'm just calling it out for what it is.

You're calling it the way you see it, which is obviously colored by your personal perception, bias, prejudice, etc...

I've never had the "WoW Experience" you might be thinking about, because the games storytelling has been dogshit since forever. I've been playing the game for the gameplay alone. But since 4 addons they've been throwing these supposedly epic "scenario quests" at me that I can't dodge anymore.

Which, to me, translates to YOU not liking the aspects of the game Blizzard introduced. Not a problem with the game itself.

So I actually have to play through it and I can see nothing but poorly executed cutscenes, scenario quests, horribly placed triggers that completely destroy NPC interactions, overlapping voicefiles, nonstop "in and outsharding" (no clue what to call it). For example, you go towards the Maldraxus Chosen castle and see NPCs patrolling and guarding it, and when you move closer the sharding changes and you see dead bodies everywhere.

And that's just one example out of several issues I encounter every 20-30 minutes or so.

That's just poorly done, no excuses.

The sharding/ phasing issue you're describing is something that's been an issue since phasing/ sharding was implemented, that's not new to Shadowlands. I agree that it's off-putting, and can be described as "poorly done" but it's not Shadowlands specific.

As to cutscenes. I think they're fine, as do many others. You don't, along with many others. That fact alone means it's not a game issue, it's a personal "issue" or preference.

Not sure what the beta-testers were actually doing other than whining about how OP some covenants are.
Very rarely do I ever get thrown out of my immersion and considering how often it happens in WoW, I can't help but state that it's just awful.

Again, this is a very subjective thing, which translates to it being more of a YOU issue than a GAME issue.

sure, lets pretend.
Not sure why you think the game "certainly doesn't" mean it seriously though. It's not even a quest in the first place. It's a description for the "puzzle" you are supposed to read and *have* to read and it's the only text for it. There is no NPC no diary or anything. It's not even funny - it's just sad.

Ok it's not quest text...the point stands. The game is make a tongue in cheek joke. It pokes fun at itself, the genre and the typical MMO tropes all the time. The fact that you don't find it funny, is again, a subjective thing and means it's not an inherent problem with the game as is a YOU issue.

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Yeah, the issues I stated are obviously "good" and not just "issues".

They're issue's YOU have with the game. That's a personal thing.

And I'm paying for the combat and raids - thank you very much.

You can still experience those things, right? What's the issue? If you were never paying for the things you dislike anyway...why do the things you've always disliked have an impact on your enjoyment now?

Just because you don't think that's worth it, doesn't mean I have to scrap all the fun I have in that game outside of the horrible quest experience.

Who's asking you to scrap anything?

[KrayZ33]

How about you read what I'm writing and don't add whatever backstory you got for me to the discussion?

like

You can still experience those things, right? What's the issue? If you were never paying for the things you dislike anyway...why do the things you've always disliked have an impact on your enjoyment now?

The issue is that it's still bad? What makes you think they have an impact "now" and not "always had" an impact on my experience?

Who's asking you to scrap anything?

The guy who told me to go play another game?

Again, this is a very subjective thing, which translates to it being more of a YOU issue than a GAME issue.

how the *fuck* is that an "You" issue and not a game issue.
It's immersion breaking when the NPCs talk over each other, it's immersion breaking when things phase in and out non stop, it's immersion breaking when NPCs warp and teleport over the place because you trigger the next quest step randomly. That's a fact, as much as it's a fact that a citrus tastes sour.
If people are able to ignore shite and eat shite, doesn't mean that shite tastes good and it doesn't mean you should have it as your meal when you could eat something good instead.

[Katchii]

How about you read what I'm writing and don't add whatever backstory you got for me to the discussion?

like

The issue is that it's still bad? What makes you think they have an impact "now" and not "always had" an impact on my experience?

First, I'll say that we seem to be going off-topic so this will be the last time I respond here.

Second, fair enough

The guy who told me to go play another game?

Again, fair enough.

how the *fuck* is that an "You" issue and not a game issue.

Because it's an issue you have with the game that other people may or may not have. Therefore, it's not an inherent game issue. Like a bug or something.

It's immersion breaking when the NPCs talk over each other, it's immersion breaking when things phase in and out non stop, it's immersion breaking when NPCs warp and teleport over the place because you trigger the next quest step randomly. That's a fact, as much as it's a fact that a citrus tastes sour.

I can accept this. However, this is simply a part of the game, and has been since this technology was implemented. I've simply learned to live with it and disregard it. I understand that this is somethin other's may or may not also be able to do.

If people are able to ignore shite and eat shite, doesn't mean that shite tastes good and it doesn't mean you should have it as your meal when you could eat something good instead.

If it was literal shit, you'd have a point. But it's not. It's differences in preferences, like some people liking brussel sprouts and others hating them. There are still those in between that can acknowledge that they don't like them. It doesn't have to be so polarized.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Cyberpunk is also out two days after 5.4 goes live and I'm much more interested in that than another round of baiting from the writers about 'something big' happening that conveniently gets thwarted before it can even arise as an actual threat. I wasn't terribly impressed with how 5.3 ended and how such a major character went out without even taking out a throwaway character, let alone anyone of note. I miss the days of ARR and HW - consequences were much more common back then. Though the writer in charge left to go work on FFXVI, I believe.

I'm really hoping Shadowlands does very well, though. FFXIV sorely needs a wake up call at this point and a solid rival that forces it to adapt rather than play things extremely safe.

Yeah. I'm guessing that Urianger might die in 6.0, but otherwise I'm not hopeful for any actual consequences for the heroes.

Well, Hydaelyn might be gone, but it's not like that will actually have an impact on anything.

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Also, I'm not sure if I've asked this before, but how is ESO now? I remember playing the open beta during 2013/2014 and I thought that the MMO questing rather mediocre. I've heard that they've since then added some more sandboxy stuff, like thieving and werewolves and vampires, but is it just mostly the same game?