What problems do you have with Final Fantasy 14?

[La]

Healing in the game is incredibly boring, though it's a product of the games overall design that makes it suffer. You're basically just a DPS with heals. Most fights are all completely scripted with when abilities are done, which means healers can basically do nothing but damage, then use their oGCD CDs in rotation on tanks for the tank busters, along with the tanks using their own CDs. Most damage that goes out is large AOE bursts to the entire raid, which again, the healers can use their CDs to mitigate and heal, and most heals are all AOEs in general, with many being oGCD you can weave. I guess some people might like the more calculating aspect of it, but to me it's slow, boring, and clunky. It was so mind numbing that I had to switch to DPS in Savage. The only fun I had as someone who always plays healers in games is wall to wall pulls in leveling dungeons. The worst part is how boring healer rotations are when they should be more like DNC/RDM 4 button proc rotations.

[Athredas]

The disgusting, vomit inducing artstyle. Some people claim that it's the best looking MMO today and I just cannot fathom how can anyone think this.

[Skylarking]

The new player experience is abysmal

MMOs should be looking to grab the player and make them sink themselves into it at the beginning. FFXIV seems to do the opposite of that. The endgame is basically WoW but cut in half.

[Feral Druid ist Op]

GCD and the telegraphed shit of Mecanics, you can make a coffe walk your dog come back and still have time to doge.
I have tryed to compare my WR 20 WoW experiences to ff 14 and it was a joke.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

• As someone who plays for the story, I'm not fond of the MMO timegating of the beast tribes (behind daily lockouts) and job questlines (the long grind it takes to get a job to level cap).

• Glamour restrictions: can't glamour certain cool gear because it is a maiming piece and my job is striking, etc.

• Tech debt problems, such as the input delay or housing restrictions. Also, it really sucks to have a 100 object cap in your apartment.

• Funky cutscene lighting, making it hard to see character's faces. Unless it's one of those handcrafted cutscenes with preset lighting and stuff, a lot of the time the character's faces are dim or in shadow.

• Story wise, I'm disappointed that there seems to be an aversion to consequences and loss. (Shadowbringers 5.4) no one has died since Heavensward. I feel that the writers may be too attached to their characters, or perhaps they won't kill off characters for fear of upsetting audiences/diminishing the value of the FFXIV brand (the Trails series has this problem really bad). There aren't really any long term consequences such as towns being destroyed or reputation's being tarnished; everything is conveniently fixed by the end, and so on. I like the optimistic tone of the story, but I just wish that there had been more losses along the way.

• Also on the story front, I'm disappointed by how one note Garlemald seems to be presented as in the MSQ. Every other nation is fleshed out with good guys and bad guys and people in between, every other nation fleshed out as people. But Garlemald is pretty much only ever the evil cartoon bad guys, with the only guy who wasn't that being Regula. Who had 5 minutes of screentime and then died without ever showing his face. RIP.

• The crafting minigame is a ton of fun, but actually acquiring the materials to do it isn't. I hate gathering in this game. I have to go to Garland tools and find out that - wait a minute! - this item is from a node that spawns at 2 AM on Wednesdays and lasts for 5 minutes. And you need to be like pentamelded to get the most out of it... which costs millions and millions of gil...

[Kalisandra]

I made a post regarding this once, and it is still the ONLY reason I don't play FF14: There are waaaay too many buttons to press. I hate games where u have to be press more than 10 buttons in your rotation (Situationals and buffs not counted), I love simple gameplay and hard boss mechanics! - Maybe that is why I like old wow - sadly the content is not difficult

Back when I first tried it out (before any of the expacs) this wasn't the case, and while rotations were slow some were reasonably interesting. When I last tried it a year ago every job had tons of buttons, and all the rotations felt the same. Even with the newer, more twitchy rotations (from the off-GCD spells) it lacks the fluidity of even a fairly slow 'turret' spec in WoW has.

My biggest gripe is how clumsy healing is though, with the need to target you healing target, cast, retarget, etc. In a game where you're expected to DPS as well as heal this is really annoying, and again, it makes the game so much less smooth and fluid than WoW. WoW's fluid combat play is what really drew me away from FFXIV and back to WoW last time. I could put up with having to slog through lots of filler quests to level, and the limited maps, and other minor annoyances, but all those plus the clunky combat play was too much. Even my "has to waddle through mud to get anywhere" Ret Pally feels more fluid.

[Wrecktangle]

The intend was to make it more tactical and closer to the turn based feel of the old school games. You ease into your rotation and while you do that you move based on enemy ability markers and think of how best to use your oGCD abilities. Wether it functions as intended is a different matter, but the aim was a completely different feel to WoW. Which is a good thing if you ask me. The more you try to be like WoW the least likely your success is. WoW is the best at being WoW.

Do you have a source for this? I've never heard this or seen this said anywhere nor do I actually believe this to be true. I have seen Yoshi go on record saying he looked at WoW for inspiration in reimagining the game though.

Sadly yes. We used to have DPS stances for healers and tank rotation, but raiders whined that what is fun for 90/ó% of the gamers makes it way too hard in Savange raids so the good stuff had to be pruned. Really glad Yoshie-P is making a single player game as well where nonsense like meta and balance are a non issue.

Savage raiders weren't the reason that those items were removed lol. In fact most of them lamented the loss of complexity in the combat engine. More importantly though, they needed to be removed. Thematically the idea of tradeoffs and balancing was great, but mechanically both of those things were absolutely fucking awful.

Cleric Stance was clunky and overly punishing if you made a mistake (and there isn't a SINGLE person who actively tried it who hasn't caused a wipe because they thought it was off, but the shit netcode betrayed them).

Tank stances were just bland and boring toggles. You either could use it effectively or you couldn't there wasn't much middle ground.

What the game really needs IMO is a complete redesign of tanking and healing paradigms. Give us control over our efficiency, mitigation, and remove scripted combat endurance by making more rapid and dynamic decision processes.

This bit is more an aside, but years ago this kind of post would NEVER have been able to be posted here. I've been in this forum for a long time and watched countless posts of constructive criticism, people discussing flaws of the game, etc. and it had rapid fans tear them to shreds. Despite the game getting better and growing, you can definitely tell people are ready to see change and I hope that SE considers it. It brings a smile to my face to see an actual discussion here.

[agm114r]

1. The inventory. I honestly find this to be absolutely unacceptable. You're expected to keep multiple sets of gear for all the jobs you have plus sets you like the appearance of because there's no appearances system like in WoW or GW2.

Actually, glamour prisms are very cheap, anything I want to keep, I just toss in the glamour dresser. That doesn't take up inventory anywhere, and if you ever need it for an alt job, you can pull it back out. Pretty much, white gear, I desynth anyway.

140 slots on the character, 175 each on two retainers, so total 350, and another 70 on the chocobo = 140 + 350 + 70 = 360 slots.

If that and the glamour dresser isn't enough, well, maybe you're a pack rat?

Having said that, on the space issue: I am enjoying FFXIV. I'm not a hardcore raider anymore, so the chill atmosphere there suits me.

Truly, if hardcore/high difficulty raiding is what you're after, don't play FFXIV. Stay in WoW. It's much better set up for that.

Me? I'm avoiding the meta-slave tryhards like the plague, and they should stay in WoW, where they have already ruined the game for the rest of us. YMMV.

- - - Updated - - -

I think that your issue is by design. And it's also been why FFXIV has been a success story.

No one is going to beat WoW at WoW. Nothing that has tried to beat - or even keep up to - WoW has failed, utterly. The thing is... the loot treadmill endgame is all that WoW has. And some people are simply tired of that treadmill. Some people can't even manage to get on it anymore.

I much prefer the breadth that FFXIV provides than just getting another MMO that tries and fails to beat WoW, and spends the majority of its development resources making content for the audience of a different game.

I can play for months without killing a single thing and make legitimate progress in other ways, and I find that to be a little wonderful.

Yes. All of that resonates with me. I played WoW since 2005, and I tanked for PuGS all the way from Vanilla to Wrath, and played some in all the other expansions including SL. The tryhards just ruin everything when you try to pug anything these days.

Enjoying the hell out of FFXIV. Are there issues? Yes. But nothing like the issues I have with WoW at this time.

If you want WoW's endgame, it's already there in WoW. Go play it. FFXIV is a different sort of experience. If you like WoW's endgame, you probably won't like FFXIV. So don't go there.

YMMV.

[Tenjen]

I enjoy the game and understand that there are existing limitations causing certain issues. Would like to see them overcome but it will take time and resources stretched over time by the devs.

The main thing I'd like to see would be

- Inventory space.

Either ways to expand current space using something ingame (not retainer subscriptions) or saving space. Such as Dye's in their own bag like quest items or consumed to add to a UI element for a qty of uses rather than an inventory slot. A seperate bag or UI element for resources for crafting/gathering jobs

- Glamor system.
A technical limitation due to spaghetti code which is hard to overcome but possible to expand on over time, its why glamor changes right now can only be done in cities, glamor wardrobe editing is restricted to one room. its also why currently there are too few glamor plates vs the number of classes even if you consider combat classes alone and not the crafting/gathering and "fun/casual" glams people will want to use. the limitation of 400 stored items for the glamor system is also VERY restrictive for the same reasons. This will only get worse as more classes like Sage are added.

- Viera/Hrothgar hats
An old tiresome one but at least for viera we should be able to choose whether we want our ears to appear or not. I see helms and hats literally edited with slots for miqute ears if they wear them instead of any other race. I am forever envious of how vibrantly expressive they are with their ears and tails. Even just steady small bit by bit changes per patch in this regard would be neat. A handful of items made wearable, etc.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

- Viera/Hrothgar hats
An old tiresome one but at least for viera we should be able to choose whether we want our ears to appear or not. I see helms and hats literally edited with slots for miqute ears if they wear them instead of any other race. I am forever envious of how vibrantly expressive they are with their ears and tails. Even just steady small bit by bit changes per patch in this regard would be neat. A handful of items made wearable, etc.

There are mods that allow Hrothgar and Viera to wear hats, and honestly they look pretty good. It says a lot that we're coming up on two years since Hrothgar and Viera release, and the official dev team hasn't done this yet, and yet modders did this on their off time.

It has been long speculated that Square Enix has been slowly constricting the budget for FFXIV, but they still by all accounts have an absolutely humongous dev team. Surely one or two could have been set aside to tweak headgear for a few weeks/months?

[Wangming]

Do you have a source for this? I've never heard this or seen this said anywhere nor do I actually believe this to be true. I have seen Yoshi go on record saying he looked at WoW for inspiration in reimagining the game though.

Yes, WoW was the inspiration admittedly. But you can see in many parts of the game that FFXIV takes a different route. And that is a good thing. Because, as I said, if people want to play WoW, the play WoW. There has to be something new or different a game brings to the table.

[Advent]

The disgusting, vomit inducing artstyle. Some people claim that it's the best looking MMO today and I just cannot fathom how can anyone think this.

That has to be facetious when people say it. It might be graphically "competent" but other more recent MMO games have far stronger visual fidelity.

Justice Online
Black Desert Online

To name a couple off the top of my head.

[Wrecktangle]

Yes, WoW was the inspiration admittedly. But you can see in many parts of the game that FFXIV takes a different route. And that is a good thing. Because, as I said, if people want to play WoW, the play WoW. There has to be something new or different a game brings to the table.

Not arguing any of that. I'm arguing do you have a source for this statement "The intend was to make it more tactical and closer to the turn based feel of the old school games." I've never seen this mentioned or said anywhere, nor does it actually make any sense given the inspiration or the gameplay.

[Musta]

it sucks to level a job after the first.

[Wangming]

Not arguing any of that. I'm arguing do you have a source for this statement "The intend was to make it more tactical and closer to the turn based feel of the old school games." I've never seen this mentioned or said anywhere, nor does it actually make any sense given the inspiration or the gameplay.

Oh that part. Well I remember it being discussed in live letters and forums posts, but can't recall the specifics I mean it had been ten years and Yoshie and co are very active. To say nothing of interviews. I know this is not scholarly, but if you are still interested 3 months later (when I'm done with my thesis and most recent degree and have time to go over every dev post) i will find it for you. Promise.

[threadz]

The new player experience is abysmal

MMOs should be looking to grab the player and make them sink themselves into it at the beginning. FFXIV seems to do the opposite of that. The endgame is basically WoW but cut in half.

this might be down to personal taste. i remember starting the game in ARR and had no idea what it would be like and was hooked immediately.

[Sixnalia]

I'd really like if there were more QoL changes to the game. It "feels" old.

-Rework how to do Decor with housing. Glitching shouldn't be a standard in quality housing design.(I HATE doing second floors/lofts).
-Perhaps create instanced housing (you give up decorating outdoors - and that can be a perk for getting a non-instanced home)
-Better Glam system - more outfit slots at least! Especially when they release so many outfits.
-Give leveling perks to alts (yes, you can play everything on 1 character - but I like alts. Both for more housing stuff and playing a different race often)


While I do not care for the endgame design, if housing was much better(both in accessibility and design/usage) I would be a permanent sub just for that.
Wildstar's housing system felt incredible and it gave the "building" and "RP" communities tons of outlets to flex their imagination and creativity.
I remained on that game for ages without raiding, just because I could so easily create alts and work on new lots/housing quickly.

[Sorrior]

Sadly yes. We used to have DPS stances for healers and tank rotation, but raiders whined that what is fun for 90/ó% of the gamers makes it way too hard in Savange raids so the good stuff had to be pruned. Really glad Yoshie-P is making a single player game as well where nonsense like meta and balance are a non issue.

Still miss my stances/unique tanking styles

[Wangming]

Still miss my stances/unique tanking styles

I miss the Heavensward Astrologian. Those were the fun times. Enjoyed it even more than ninja.

[oplawlz]

The fact that they make you play through hundreds of hours of quests to play endgame then have the nerve to sell a boost to skip it in a buy to play subscription mmo is enough to ensure ill never touch it again.
The entire story can be summed up with "animu billshit", which is fine if it wasn't forced on you to play with friends.