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Ha'uruh Nunh · **03-15-2015, 12:39 AM**

How do you eat a chocobo?Â One bite at a time.Â Just do the missions.Â Skip the cutscenes if you don't care about them.Â If you skip cutscenes and just grind from checkpoint to checkpoint, they actually go quite fast.

Edgar · **03-15-2015, 12:50 AM**

(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Ha Wrote: How do you eat a chocobo?Â One bite at a time.Â

You-

You monster.

[Image: giphy.gif]

Warren Castille · **03-15-2015, 12:55 AM**

(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Sylas Wrote:
(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Warren Castille Wrote: FFXI's Chains of Promathia. That is all.
I don't remember if CoP required you to clear RotZ first. All I really remember are shitty level caps that required you to keep ALL OF YOUR GEAR FOREVER.

Buying CoP didn't give you access to anything except the balls-hard fights required to access the new zones, the new city, the new story and everything that wasn't jobs. Zilart required you to complete everything to unlock Sky. Aht Urghan was different in that regard, opening a lot from the door, but there is a precedent for buying an SE MMO and having it be an empty box save for a pile of IOU: Patch Content notes.

Arelian · **03-15-2015, 12:59 AM**

(03-15-2015, 12:55 AM)Warren Castille Wrote:
(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Sylas Wrote:
(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Warren Castille Wrote: FFXI's Chains of Promathia. That is all.
I don't remember if CoP required you to clear RotZ first. All I really remember are shitty level caps that required you to keep ALL OF YOUR GEAR FOREVER.

Buying CoP didn't give you access to anything except the balls-hard fights required to access the new zones, the new city, the new story and everything that wasn't jobs. Zilart required you to complete everything to unlock Sky. Aht Urghan was different in that regard, opening a lot from the door, but there is a precedent for buying an SE MMO and having it be an empty box save for a pile of IOU: Patch Content notes.

I do think there's a difference between buying the expac and immediately having access to the new content, be it in the form of stupidly hard fights, even if I look back on Promyvion's fondly for how cool they were, in some way as opposed to buying the expac and having access to literally nothing until you clear what is basically all of the content from the base game.

My main concern is really the group content, though. That's gonna be a massive pain in the ass to get through unless they really give people a reason to go back and do it or they somehow let you solo it (which they've talked about).

Zyrusticae · **03-15-2015, 01:38 AM**

(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Sylas Wrote: 1) New players and people that plain haven't done the MSQ up to 2.55 will have a lot of post-50 content to chew through and they'll likely be well above level 50 by the time they get to Heavensward content. It seems a little counter-intuitive to design content that's meant to be done at level 50 but you're physically unable to access it until level 51+ as a new player.

Concerning the bolded... I'm confused by what you're saying here. Are you talking about the expansion content (which is definitely level 51+ content right off the bat) or talking about the patch 2.x series content? The former case is obviously incorrect, but even the latter case makes no sense to me, because you're gated by ilvl anyway and having access to level 51+ gear should only make those ilvl gates easier to reach... right?

(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Sylas Wrote: 2) SE is going to have to really, really incentivize doing outdated content if they expect queue times for group-related thing to remain remotely acceptable. It'd be one thing if most of that was considered "optional" but doing stuff like the Keeper of the Lake and the HM primals is going to be a treat unless the roulette's are:
Pruned down to only include necessary things (like the story roulette is now, but expanded slightly).

Highly incentivized more than the current story roulette is.Â

The main story roulette only gives (now-worthless) soldiery tomes and it still sees tons of action to this day. Not sure what you're worried about here. If anything, I'd be more concerned about the low-level roulette which has always been a bit slow and will likely only be even slower post-Heavensward (especially if they follow through on the new jobs NOT starting at level 1).

At any rate, there's going to be TONS of returning players plowing through that old content simultaneously, so this is really only a concern months after Heavensward's release.

(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Sylas Wrote: 3) It just seems silly to me to totally lock people out of what sounds like it'll be a new hub area until they reach a certain threshold. Let people go and see why they bought the expansion immediately, even if they can't take any quests or anything. I can understand locking the story content behind a gate, to a degree. You need context to really care. But locking the main new city? Why?

Of course, that's all assuming that the quest they mentioned is only completable after finishing the rest of the story up. It could very well be a gigantic catch-up/flash back quest that basically just gets you up to speed after you've hit level 50.

Oh, I can agree with that. Not being able to enter Ishgard at all is a bit much, but then again, the story event that allows us access to it is supposed to be a momentous event, and if you haven't reached that point in the story and yet still have access to it... it's a bit jarring, isn't it?

This is just one of those things... gameplay and story separation might be preferable here, but frankly I can see the call going either way, and they chose to emphasize the story side of the equation. That's all there is to it.

Berrod Armstrong · **03-15-2015, 01:42 AM**

You've got three and a half months, if you get started now, you'll be done in time.

Arelian · **03-15-2015, 01:52 AM**

(03-15-2015, 01:38 AM)Zyrusticae Wrote:
(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Sylas Wrote: 1) New players and people that plain haven't done the MSQ up to 2.55 will have a lot of post-50 content to chew through and they'll likely be well above level 50 by the time they get to Heavensward content. It seems a little counter-intuitive to design content that's meant to be done at level 50 but you're physically unable to access it until level 51+ as a new player.
Concerning the bolded... I'm confused by what you're saying here. Are you talking about the expansion content (which is definitely level 51+ content right off the bat) or talking about the patch 2.x series content? The former case is obviously incorrect, but even the latter case makes no sense to me, because you're gated by ilvl anyway and having access to level 51+ gear should only make those ilvl gates easier to reach... right?

(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Sylas Wrote: 2) SE is going to have to really, really incentivize doing outdated content if they expect queue times for group-related thing to remain remotely acceptable. It'd be one thing if most of that was considered "optional" but doing stuff like the Keeper of the Lake and the HM primals is going to be a treat unless the roulette's are:
Pruned down to only include necessary things (like the story roulette is now, but expanded slightly).

Highly incentivized more than the current story roulette is.Â

The main story roulette only gives (now-worthless) soldiery tomes and it still sees tons of action to this day. Not sure what you're worried about here. If anything, I'd be more concerned about the low-level roulette which has always been a bit slow and will likely only be even slower post-Heavensward (especially if they follow through on the new jobs NOT starting at level 1).

At any rate, there's going to be TONS of returning players plowing through that old content simultaneously, so this is really only a concern months after Heavensward's release.

(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Sylas Wrote: 3) It just seems silly to me to totally lock people out of what sounds like it'll be a new hub area until they reach a certain threshold. Let people go and see why they bought the expansion immediately, even if they can't take any quests or anything. I can understand locking the story content behind a gate, to a degree. You need context to really care. But locking the main new city? Why?

Of course, that's all assuming that the quest they mentioned is only completable after finishing the rest of the story up. It could very well be a gigantic catch-up/flash back quest that basically just gets you up to speed after you've hit level 50.
Oh, I can agree with that. Not being able to enter Ishgard at all is a bit much, but then again, the story event that allows us access to it is supposed to be a momentous event, and if you haven't reached that point in the story and yet still have access to it... it's a bit jarring, isn't it?

This is just one of those things... gameplay and story separation might be preferable here, but frankly I can see the call going either way, and they chose to emphasize the story side of the equation. That's all there is to it.

To address the points in order:

1) I worded it strangely, perhaps. But it's sort of like, uh. We'll all be entering Ishgard/Heavensward content at level 50 because the 2.xx storylines didn't award any exp due to them being level-cap only. It's hard to imagine that they'll continue to award no exp, so people that are doing the 2.xx storyline after Heavensward is released will be above level 50 when they can enter Ishgard. It just seems strange to me, really.

2) A concern is still a concern, even if it's only applicable months after the expac drops. I have no doubt that they've some system in mind to address the issue as they've been fairly spot-on for it.

Though I'm hesitant to call soldiery tomes useless. I know plenty of people that want the tomes for Relic books and i100 weapons and fishing the story roulette is a good way to get first-clear bonuses. So it's likely a problem that can fix itself as long as Tomestones aren't locked for the first two weeks like they hinted. Still, a concern is a concern.

They've already spoken about reorganizing the roulettes to begin with, so we'll see. As of right now, however, it's a little Undecided

inducing.

3) I'm not sure if I can necessarily agree with getting into Ishgard being some momentous event that's supposed to be "special" if only because we don't know why we'll be getting access as of yet. It's entirely possible they've just opened the goddamn floodgates because shit's gotten extremely real and they need all the help they can get. SPECULATION.

I'm still not terribly happy about it, especially if they lock the new jobs within Ishgard. Though I have a hard time thinking they'll put everything in there to begin with. Seems like a great way to give some serious congestion issues.

Kurt S. · **03-15-2015, 02:13 AM**

I have roughly 3 months to get Effie to level 50, then gear her with at least i90 gear....same with Nah...and Keil. Then I'll bring Kurt through the MSQ. I've only just met Teledji and Yugiri, I still have a number of content to chew through right? A Zenith would be sufficient for it right?

Ah well I'll savor my journey to 50 on Effie. Let everyone turn Ishgard into lag central and all.

Granted, I got Nah to 50 in the space of less than a week.

Also, Keil is practically the only one of my characters who'll probably end up in Ishgard due to his personal storyline, assuming I can make it work. I'm not really sure if Nako will bring his errand boy/girl along neither. It could be Kurt'll be left behind to hold the fort while the boss goes on an adventure T_T

Kismet · **03-15-2015, 02:30 AM**

We have a little over three and a half months until the expansion hits... Is that not enough time to get the MSQ done for most people?

TheLastCandle · **03-15-2015, 02:36 AM**

(03-15-2015, 02:30 AM)Kismet Wrote: We have a little over three and a half months until the expansion hits... Is that not enough time to get the MSQ done for most people?

Playing quite casually, it took me a little over a month to get through the MSQ as my alt, for what it's worth.

Erik Mynhier · **03-15-2015, 02:45 AM**

(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Sylas Wrote: All I really remember are shitty level caps that required you to keep ALL OF YOUR GEAR FOREVER.

IKR!!!

Mae · **03-15-2015, 03:54 AM**

(03-15-2015, 12:59 AM)Sylas Wrote:
(03-15-2015, 12:55 AM)Warren Castille Wrote:
(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Sylas Wrote:
(03-15-2015, 12:39 AM)Warren Castille Wrote: FFXI's Chains of Promathia. That is all.
I don't remember if CoP required you to clear RotZ first. All I really remember are shitty level caps that required you to keep ALL OF YOUR GEAR FOREVER.

Buying CoP didn't give you access to anything except the balls-hard fights required to access the new zones, the new city, the new story and everything that wasn't jobs. Zilart required you to complete everything to unlock Sky. Aht Urghan was different in that regard, opening a lot from the door, but there is a precedent for buying an SE MMO and having it be an empty box save for a pile of IOU: Patch Content notes.
I do think there's a difference between buying the expac and immediately having access to the new content, be it in the form of stupidly hard fights, even if I look back on Promyvion's fondly for how cool they were, in some way as opposed to buying the expac and having access to literally nothing until you clear what is basically all of the content from the base game.

Bolded because that's exactly how I feel.Â

You didn't have to be level 75, finish a Nation's missions, beat Rise of the Zilart and be partially geared through Dynamis and other HNMs in order to start Chains of Promathia. All you needed to be was level 30 and have some luck to get through the Promyvions. It was possible to have Tavnazia access before you got your AF armor, got your airship pass, and beat the Shadow Lord. There were also zones that were released with CoP and you only needed to have the expansion installed to access -- Bibiki Bay and Carpenter's Landing to name two that I specifically remember bouncing off the zone-line because I didn't have CoP installed, and after installing I could access months before I even attempted my first Promyvion.

The ONLY things that were affected by completing RotZ before starting in on CoP? Some minor changes in dialogue, the realization to why Esha'ntarl wouldn't let Nag'molada speak to Kam'lanaut, and the ability to participate in the optional Apocalypse Nigh fight.Â

And even if you finished CoP before RotZ, you STILL went back and finished RotZ because epic cutscenes and that silly earring that's STILL viable gear in some circumstances.

(03-15-2015, 01:42 AM)Berrod Armstrong Wrote: You've got three and a half months, if you get started now, you'll be done in time.

(03-15-2015, 02:30 AM)Kismet Wrote: We have a little over three and a half months until the expansion hits... Is that not enough time to get the MSQ done for most people?

These... are actually sentiment that I've been sort of dreading >_>

Getting to level 50 is easy for just about anyone. I've got my main who's got -most- jobs to 50, and currently four alts that all have at least one job to 50.

But when you have a job that requires you to give up such comforts like in-home plumbing, a proper stove, and stable internet access, doing the group content that requires coordination and strict adherence to stratagy... you can end up sitting on something for months. I personally sat on story-mode Garuda's doorstep for three months. The Castrums and all that stuff in that final 2.0 story stretch took me another four months. Then I sat on King Moogle Mog's doorstep for another three months. I got lucky last week and was able to plow through King Moogle Mog and all the way through Shiva before I ran out of both steam and time to go further... but if I'm understanding what's coming up ahead for me IRL, it can be another six months before I get another chance like that again.. and I -still- have to do HM Ifrit, Titan, and Garuda before I can even pick up the next questline.

I may be unique in my specific situation, but I doubt I'm the ONLY player in the whole game who's 50 right now and while they on the surface have access to a lot of playtime, they'll be unable to just walk across a bridge and look around a brand new city because their real-world obligations don't give them enough actual leeway to do the progression fights.

I'm not saying I want to have access to the personal airships, or new dungeons, or armor/weapon upgrades before finishing 2.55. Hell, I don't even care if I'm not allowed to attune to the aetheryte, NPCs will not respond to me clicking on them, and I'm unable to view the market board or call retainers in Ishgard until I complete 2.55. I just want to be able to go lean up against a wall in the new city and watch people run around.

Right now, the feeling I get from the details of this expansion are "Unless you really want to play the new race (and of course granted that SE didn't gate THAT behind 2.55, too /pessimist), don't bother buying the expansion until you clear 2.55". And I really won't be surprised if that's the sentiment that's picked up by the review sites.

Edda · **03-15-2015, 04:07 AM**

This is my theory, and probably really unlikely actually, but I had considered this when Heavensfall was announced.

So like, remember doing the MSQ for the very first time, and then you hit I think 46 and then there was this really awkward gap where you couldn't continue it until you were 49? Would it not be super supreme if they axed the 50-only requirement for a lot of the content patches (say 2.1-2.4), so you could be about 50 by the time you were working through 2.4?

Granted, this would probably a real fucking pain in the ass to pull off, and we all know Square won't do any heavy lifting unless it's to save face, but it's an idea. Sadly, this would only help out new players and returning players that couldn't be assed to FATE grind to 49 in the first place. The rest of you capped-out ALTaholics would essentially be screwed in that regard. But you have time! Chippity chop now, these quests won't finish themselves!

Gone. · **03-15-2015, 04:21 AM**

This has always been my biggest complaint with this game. Story is all well and good, but I'd prefer to do it my own leisure, not something I have to do to access every single core thing in the game. It's even worse on alts where I just don't even want to bother and mash A through all dialog or B > Skip Cutscene so I can get through it as reasonably fast as possible. They're just for RP and specializing in other jobs, anyway, I read and watch on Vetiver so I know what's going on but even then I struggle at times just because I feel forced to do it just to keep up.

(03-14-2015, 11:51 PM)Ashren Snow Wrote: Not only is the game fairly alt hostile, it's also not very accommodating when it comes to RPers, which considering there is no official RP server or community is understandable to a degree. They build things from a design perspective, not in a way that makes things easily accessible and convenient for RPers.

Disagree so much. Head tracking, interactive furniture, emotes and poses that are actually usable, housing, etc. actually make this game much more immersive to RP in than anything else I've played.

The only things I even miss from other MMOs when it comes to RP is the skin library and dye system from GW2 and SWG's sandbox. Everything else, FFXIV does better for me and I'm willing to sacrifice them because of it.

Qhora Bajihri · **03-15-2015, 06:47 AM**

In my experience, standard procedure with MMO expansions is some content available for everyone, most available for those who've run out of things to do in the old game, thus already have everything unlocked, so making it available only to them isn't a big negative. That market's already there. They're the ones who want/need their game expanded, as it were.

If you want to see the new stuff and haven't done the old stuff, then there's always the option of not buying the new stuff until you've seen the old stuff. Technically you don't lose out on anything, except time, but that's time that was lost somewhere along the line before the expansion's arrival, at least relative to the expansion's usual targets.

Alts, though, or rerolls, they're another kettle of fish, yeah. Technically, you've seen the old stuff, just not on that character, but it's something of a self-inflicted inconvenience in this game at least.

That's not saying it wouldn't be nice for more of the new stuff to at least be accessible for exploration and visibility for everybody. It would. I just see why it's not a priority.

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Can I go to Ishgard right after purchasing Heavensward? Yoshida says "No".

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