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  1. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by GreenJesus View Post
    I joined the game a few months ago, but I am stuck on going through the Realm reborn main story quests. I am halfway through the level 50+ quests of realm reborn with 70 hours played and that was with a 100% xp boost for playing on a certain server so I didn't have to do ANY side quests. I can't imagine having to actually level and do the MSQ without the 100% xp boost.
    It was miserable. Think I made it to 52 before I quit again. Having to knock out the MSQ for the base game + expansion was just too much for me. On top of that, I rarely saw anyone (2-3 people per zone usually) and duties took forever to q as a DPS. Game was a ton of fun, but I just couldn't sit through another expansion's full MSQ before getting to endgame (where I enjoy playing, as opposed to leveling)
    Quote Originally Posted by Vaerys View Post
    Gaze upon the field in which I grow my fucks, and see that it is barren.

  2. #42
    I'd say FFXIV is great for "Hardcore Casuals". 99% of the game is more difficult than WoW by virtue of syncing and casual content having tons of one shot mechanics and combat / class mechanics (think cataclysm level when it was first released). But being harder doesn't exactly mean hard. The opposite is true with raiding in that WoW is typically more crushing on its hardest mode versus FFXIV's own. There are still instances where it takes weeks to finish some things and learning parties are a thing, but overall it doesn't compare in terms of the "hardcore" environment... but definitely is the better game for casual content. They give no shits about if you wipe or continue to wipe on normal content. They just expect you to get better and overcome it and don't tweak it so anyone is able to do it to make them feel better.

    There are three twenty-four man raids per expansion. The first one per expansion tends to be fairly easy, with the other two ramping up difficulty to the point of getting memes (The Weeping City -- The Wiping City). Though most of that is due to the P.U.G nature and them deciding to add so many mechanics that are unforgiving.

    Followed by that there is a completely separate "Elite" raid (which has two versions of itself), that is 8 man. They keep on adding onto it with patches, but it is something you typically get premades for (especially the Savage version). Kefka Savage is merciless with its mechanics, and they do every now and again make fights whereby they just try to wipe people -- but they're optional and not a part of the difficulties.

    Add to that, they had one-off fights called "Primals" that have difficulties as well.

    Though one of the great things about the game is that it has multiple different types of end-games and metas. There is the crafting and gathering meta, which is pretty huge in of itself. The Deep Dungeon (100+), Relics, Eureka, Diadem, Wondrous Tales etc. As well as other activities like Triple Triad metas (and tournaments), Chocobo Racing, Chocobo Leveling and breeding, Housing, Glamour (and glamour contests), Squadron Leveling and Dungeoneering, Mentorship, Roulettes, Retainer Leveling / Uses, Airship and Submarine Management (which has its own meta), gardening (two types), etc. Pretty much every system is well thought out (though sometimes hit and miss) and continuously updated or revitalized with patches to have people go back. Which makes it all incredibly casual friendly and gives you perhaps too much to do.

    So it's a game that primarily focuses on things to do besides fighting or raiding, to answer your question. The main thing they do different when it does come to dungeons (aside from normal and hard dungeons typically being more challenging as a whole) is that they completely change bosses, mobs, aesthetics, story and music with each level of dungeons. They aren't just statistical increases, for the most part. They also have different holiday events (and plenty of them) each year with different mount / outfit / furniture rewards, storylines, aesthetics as a whole. They also focus a lot of storylines and the continuation / quests thereof as well as neat side stories that are interesting if not humorous. In terms of class design, it is pretty much unrivaled as well as they are all unique, fun, full of mechanics and have actual thought put into them (Incredible amount of depth to most). Though you don't really get into the nitty-gritty of that until around level 60+ with all the abilities you learn from 50-70. In essence, it's much more difficult to master FFXIV classes than it is WoW at the moment. I'll quote what someone else said on the matter:

    "...For every combo, there's an exception; for many attacks, they're a positional; for every buff, it's conditional; for every niche ability, it's covered. Just contributes way too much bloat especially when you can more or less bake many of those abilities down to further streamline the process instead of having three or four bars full of abilities where you have to shift and ctrl bind everything in order to keep up with the rotation or priority.

    I know that's probably a controversial opinion though but it feels like a huge barrier to overcome which may turn folks away." -- Triggered Fridgekin

    So it's the premiere casual MMO for people who don't like that 99% of WoW is faceroll due to not playing mythic raids. I'd recommend it to any non-mythic raider without a doubt (though 45-50 content is meh due to the old 2.1-2.35 series patches being widely known as the worst content of the game). Though many of the features are behind walls such as working to get there, or it not being evident on how it unlocks or even telling you that it exists. The retainers alone took me about six months to level before they were useful (and they're incredibly useful), and not many have the time to do that. It's similar to a lot of the game's many metas or activities(including housing or apartments, due to being able to get one or pay for one -- and affording furniture). Same also with chocobo leveling (takes forever), breeding the perfect racers, acquiring cards for triple triad (through tournaments or boss fights) and so on. But you do feel accomplished if you spend six months to a year working on just a single thing and it finally pays off in the end. I've made billions of gil from putting the effort into a few of those and have one of the highest crafting capacity in the entire game -- with crafts actually being worth a darn.

    It's basically a game that rewards hard work moreso than providing an impossible challenge (though it has that in some forms as well, 150+ of PotD is pretty legit, and there are specific Ballad fights that are difficult if you sync down). The basic dungeons are more difficult as well; I've bought the game for some Mythic Raiding WoW friends before and they just kept on getting wrecked in some Stormblood dungeons and primal fights The class design and combat is much better as well, when you're high enough to make use of them.

    They also focus on adding a lot of new hairstyles, emotes, hair color, aesthetics, furniture, house looks, etc. Basically focusing a lot on the little things, which a lot of people appreciate. As well as adding highly requested RP features, since the Producer Director said he enjoyed RP himself.

    Edit: Don't underestimate the Crafting and Gathering Meta. That stuff takes A LOT of time and effort not only to learning everything each expansion, but get the BiS equipment, materia, etc. The competition is also pretty cut-throat, and you have to have leveled up every craft to max, know the correct specializations, food, tea, best rotationals (yes, crafting has rotations), watch your resources, use high quality and expansive materials, level up gathering and get BiS for gathering and collect all the best recipees, etc. It's pretty much a full time job to be in the meta for either of those. Little to no time for the average person to even think about raiding if they're a part of the meta in a different portion of the game. Plus, the equipment is very useful for alts or even your main. The best combat equipment you can make is like item level 350 versus 355 stuff in normal raids or Eureka -- and they are entire sets for every slot with their unique armor looks.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Trensharo View Post

    I do think the Story is not a great thing, because of the way they have tied leveling/progression to it. Once you get to your 2nd or 3rd job... You're probably going to be reliant on PotD to level to 60 from earlier and earlier levels... And nothing puts you to sleep faster than that!
    20-50, the most efficient way to level at the moment is using the Squadron (If you are Second or First Lieutenant in your Military -- First Lieutenant required for 40+ dungeons). If you level up a Squadron (both level and dungeon level), they will gain a 60% damage buff that will destroy ARR dungeons faster than any group is able to (plus you get the added bonus of instant queues since you're using the Squadron that you trained). Add to that your +50% experience equipment, 100% alt class, etc. experience, and you'll get to 50-55 in a single night from level 20 (and level 20 from one very quickly if you know how). From there PotD is pretty good. Though the new Deep Dungeon is coming in 4.3., so 60+ will probably be good for that.
    Last edited by GRAMMARAXIS; 2018-04-17 at 05:57 PM.

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