Gone.

Please see post #10 for more up-to-date information. Original OP is below in spoilers.

Hey, it's not their fault if they're that fabulous. Flaunt it, etc.

You know I'm always available for some Cass time. <3

Just as possible as any other race. A lot of people go this route if they're not too keen on the tribal lore, which, at least in the case of Seekers, can be understandable.

Hah, same goes for Foxglove. Given her back story and patron deity, AST is just too good of a fit to ignore.

Love pretty much all of these, but the AST, BRD and WHM have me most interested I think. Looks like it was a good move to try and get all the pre-Heavensward cosmetics I wanted, after all.

That's part of what makes Miqo'te so interesting, though, especially on the Keeper side of things.

Really really pretty gear, just hope it won't be obnoxious to acquire.

Just because something is better in comparison doesn't mean it still isn't problematic to begin with. Take it from someone that's been abused plenty of times through duty finder, experienced countless diva tanks that take a thirty minute penalty over the most minor of mistakes and all sorts of petulant behavior, most prevalent in the crystal tower raids. Perhaps you have the privilege to play in pre-mades all the time and thus can avoid these sorts of people, but outside of that exception? The community is nowhere near as good as you're making it out to be.

The majority of the FFXIV player base is already unskilled and entitled; I've been here for six months and can outplay people that have been here long enough to grind out full i130. New people are not the problem. Stagnation, however, is another story.

Difference being those secondary classes can be done at any time past level 10 which is entirely reasonable. Having to sludge through weeks of MSQ tedium isn't. Not a fair comparison whatsoever.

It's a perfectly fair example of an MMO that does equipment better than its contemporaries, action oriented or not. To dismiss it is to miss my point entirely. I didn't say it wouldn't be a difficult undertaking, either, or even a practical one, just saying that it is possible and by all means the superior option. And no, I didn't play FFXI; I avoided it like the plague due to the notorious level of tedium, the very reason I disagree with item level as a mechanic to begin with. Tedium is bad game design, plain and simple. It may suit the grinder with no life outside of their chosen game, but anyone else is more or less sacrificed in turn for it. Also, no, the horizontal progression was not meaningless, not one bit. Every class could make use of several stat combos depending on build and situation; this was especially true if you played all three game modes. Perhaps you didn't step out of FotM builds, but trust me, it was definitely there. This sort of variation is something I see requested for on the official FFXIV forums quite frequently. Unfortunately, the only way to do it is to ditch ilevel and go full horizontal, making the gear we find actually valuable for more than six months. Sorry, but I hate throwing things out that should be perfectly usable for many years to come. I wish I could say this about what my characters have now, but it's ultimately all disposable making the effort ultimately pointless in the end. That was living story. I'm not talking living story, I'm talking the original, variable quest line the game launched with which has always been optional. As soon as a player makes it through the short and painless racial introduction, they are free to roam about and approach the game as they see fit. This is, by all means, the best way design an MMO from the ground up. One should not have to be forced through a predefined story with a character they made themselves, certainly not to the degree FFXIV does. And for the record, I'm really not that attached to the FFXIV story because when it comes down it, it's not mine. If I want to be told a story, I will play a single player game or watch a movie, of which I have many already. I'm here to build my own legacy, not someone else's. Now granted, I have to make some sacrifice as this type of game design is no longer in vogue with MMOs, but FFXIV could be doing a lot better than it is now. I'm honestly afraid to see how things will look years from now if SQX doesn't address things now and you should, too, because frankly? It'll be a mess at best and impenetrable at worst.

I would absolutely love to meet Avis on either of my ladies. Love love love. Thinking Foxglove might be the better choice as she's also a bit of a writer herself with a lot of (admittedly grotesque) stories to tell, but either would fit, I think!

This is something that's happened to me a handful of times in the past and I still don't really know how best to deal with it unless said character simply has no connections left leaving you free to approach the situation however you want. Even now it's happening on Vetiver, the main I've cherished from day one. I've had bad experience after bad experience on her, nearly every relationship forged ending up far, far away from anything intended, countless rejections unfairly suffered; I've more or less hit my breaking point now and it hurts. It hurts a lot. She's my baby and yet I've been more or less discouraged from ever stepping foot back into Eorzea on her. I've tried countlesss of things; attempts to move on at both IC and OOC levels, a number of retcons, etc., but none of it has really done the trick. At the end of the day the only things keeping Vetiver here are 1-2 RP obligations and small flickers of conceptual joy... her back story, personality, even that sad moon kitty face I came to adore; there's a part of me that has trouble letting go of it all. I wish I had advice to give. I really, really do. Unfortunately this is one of those rare times where I'm the one that needs help because I just don't know what to do anymore. Even something as simple as writing about it puts me on the verge of tears. All I can really do is hope no one else ends up the situation I've found myself in; it's a serious emotional drain that no roleplayer deserves.

Frankly you're already on the right track. You're communicative and respectful to the players around you and that goes a long way in any RP, antagonistic or not. I don't agree that playing a villain will necessarily net you better RP in the long run as Blue said, nor do I think playing a good natured character decrease one's chances of maturing; to be honest, I find that insinuation absurd when there's infinitely more ways to grow outside of morality. Even then, there's plenty of angsty and/or edgy sorts out there that are some combination of bland, laughable, one-dimensional or just straight-up offensive making the 'darker' side of things all that much more of a shallow pool to pick from. I do, however, agree that OOC bonding helps a lot, though once again, this goes for all RP, especially anything that goes past a casual level. Also think Harmonixer asks a lot of good development questions, though I'd definitely pass on the OOC stalking and just straight up ask. Some people just won't be interested no matter what, you know? In regards to my personal experiences; they're similar to Khaine's with a character that has some of the issues Telluride describes. In this case, it's my beloved but much maligned Foxglove Kyo. To preface: I personally would not consider her a villain, though I think some would given her previous, albeit relatively short blood-soaked Garlean service. For me she is more of antiheroine, or at least that is the direction I'm trying to go in given a number of her inspirations (Think Nicholas Winding Refn's protagonists, Snake Plissken, Lady Snowblood, countless leading ladies in the Shaw Brothers erotica canon, Walter E. Kurtz, etc.) At first meet, she's typically defensive or otherwise off-putting, sometimes even creepy and/or downright mean. While her reasons for being this way are both sympathetic and entirely understandable, it still hasn't prevented Foxglove from earning a negative reputation within the community. This has left her frequently dismissed before she has a chance to shine with her more charming, compassionate side she keeps locked away. That's the thing; she's not a sociopath, just a multi-dimensional character made of numerous, conflicting layers. There are times where she misses all that power and control, sure, but ultimately she has remorse for her actions, frequently haunted by them in her thoughts and dreams despite any questionable desires that may still linger. On the one hand, you have to develop the character right and play them thusly. On the other, there's also that reliance on the players around you to do their part, as well. Unfortunately today's average roleplayer lacks the patience for anything more than positive, casual interactions that satisfy on the short-term. Long-term plotting just really isn't in vogue, certainly not in the 'mainstream' if you will. This combined with every other issue previously mentioned puts characters like ours at a great disadvantage. Sad, but unfortunately true. That said, if you truly love what you're playing, then by all means, keep at it; you may not find them tomorrow, but there's someone out there's that's going to appreciate what you're doing and it's going to be worth the wait. It almost always is.

"Carrot on a stick" only appeases a small minority. In a game that the director advertises as easily accessible, this is counter-productive in the entirety. Frankly I've never seen a game with said balance issues due to horizontal gear; Guild Wars 2 did it just fine and the balance issues were found elsewhere, not in the gear itself. The game already really is designed for it; merge ilevel and required level, tie stats to the colored tiers, scale back post-ilevel 60 content and boom, done. Time consuming and unlikely? Sure, but it's not an Einstein project. Once again, Guild Wars 2 managed it just fine. The story was entirely optional making it no longer a tedium (at least in that regard, the writing was another story) to simply wade through. Hell, it works out just fine for countless sandbox games. Why not here? Don't get me wrong, either, I totally get it; SQX wants that single player Final Fantasy appeal. That's fine and all, I can deal, but at least do us all a favor and have the MSQ unlock things on an account level. It's too much of an epic to do more than the one time, nor is it really good enough for that matter.

Should have told me! I would have been happy to drop by and give my support.

For me it's less my own motivation that I have to worry about and more the motivation of my roleplay partners. It's exceedingly rare that I'm ever able to hold onto someone for more than a few months; sometimes I'm lucky if I even get more than 1-2 sessions before either I or my characters are misjudged and subsequently dropped. Never really gets easier, either, especially not when there's a lull in a game's respective community as there is right now. Honestly, if you're burnt out on the game itself by this point and lack in a circle of friends to begin with, it's probably time for a short break. Things always seem to turn around after a month or two, you know?

The MSQ gating and item level requirements are two of my only complaints with FFXIV. I would enjoy the game much more without the tedium of either and I worry about the state of the game years from now if they keep things as-is; it's a disaster waiting to happen. Item level in particular has always baffled me as a design choice. Why not just go full horizontal at level cap that way the gear you find actually has some long-term value? I just don't get it. Also, while the story in FFXIV is certainly competent, it is not the main draw for me, not by a longshot; the game world and attention detail are what draw me here as well as the varying mechanics at max level. It's an expansive, nuanced game hidden behind numerous locked doors. Designs flaws like this are why to this date I will not rate FFXIV a full five-star game, but a four. It could be, but not until the annoyances are addressed.

Would definitely be willing to give Vhali a try some time! Strong Moon Keepers are kind of my thing~

Hold me, Nebbs?

I don't think posts like this really help the situation any.

... so let me get this straight. You're upset that a post which clearly violates the RPC rules (which in themselves are quite cut and dry) resulted in a warning issued to the poster in the most open, transparent way possible? And you think this is somehow 'liberal policing'? Image macros aren't funny; they're a cop-out devoid of any real critical thinking, the most blatant shitpost one can ever make on a forum. It doesn't add to the discussion in any rational way. It veers it off-course in one obnoxious, self-indulgent swoop. The RPC moderation team dealt with the situation accordingly, if not admirably so. That they're willing to let your thread stay open when it truthfully amounts to nothing more than a disproportionate knee jerk reaction is a testament to that in the fullest extent.

I don't care if you can break duty finder with a pre-made, nor do I care about dated Coil experiences, something most players have and will never, ever touch (thanks in no due to part to some of the attitudes witnessed here). I don't even care about DPS numbers on anything that isn't a DPS class. These are exceptions and do not define the game as a whole. I do, however, believe we should welcome anyone willing to play a healer and offer gentle advice should they need it, not harass them into submission for our own selfish desires. Not everyone learns in the same way or at the same pace; it has to do be done on that player's time or not at all. People chastise me for not bothering to look up videos and the like for various encounters. That doesn't work for me in the slightest; it goes in one way and right out the other. The only way I'm able to master a game is by building that first-hand experience through trial and error as I've done for the past couple of decades. No amount of vitriol is going to change how my mind learns, end of story. The same goes for anyone else. If situations such as those are somehow beyond your empathy and comprehension, then please do the entire community a favor by sticking with your pre-mades and not random pick-ups from duty finder. Everyone will be a lot happier this way. Promise.

You're... joking, right? If it was a healer's job to DPS, then they would be queued as such in duty finder, or at least given the option to do so. As it stands now, this is not how the game is designed, thus if you are WHM or SCH, your first and foremost priority should be the safety and well-being of your fellow party members. If you don't feel comfortable DPSing, then don't. There's no reason to take a risk just because you can and frankly there's very little I can think of more frustrating than watching some wannabe BLM spam Holy over and over while everyone else burns. If there's a reasonable window to switch into Cleric's, then sure, go for it, but it's not a requirement by any means, nor does it shirk one from what they were brought there to do in the first place just because the option is available. It's selfish attitudes like this that push our potential healers away from ever picking up a cane or grimoire. No one deserves to be abused for having what ultimately amounts to a cautious play style, much less so if they're wiling to endure what is, in my opinion, the most selfless role one can ever play in an RPG. --Signed, a frequent stance dancer