This year is my 18th year of being a fan of, and covering, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy MMOs.
I’ve been finding myself more and more disappointed with not just the state of Final Fantasy XIV, but the way that Square Enix is handling things outside of the game.
I’m going to be taking a break for a bit and stepping back from my roles at Gamer Escape and Aetheryte Radio to, hopefully, reset and come back to be excited for Dawntrail.
You can of course find me here on YouTube where I hope to start a new video project I’ve been thinking about for awhile, as well as on my Twitch channel here: https://www.twitch.tv/rofldrg
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Man I didn’t really think about how “dead” 14 is socially until recently and idk if it’s just because I’m also a FF11 player but it really feels like that’s missing, there’s other things I feel as well that ruins the experience and kinda makes me regret coming back lol
I totally understand where ya coming from and it is valid! A break is always good. It is important for your mental health, im gonna miss you on the podcast but I will support you on whatever you do in the shadows
❤
And you must do a video for that eh? Attention please. 🤡💩
I think next Square's game should honestly just focus on a Monster Hunter like "Lobby" RPG. It's a genre that's the better of both MMO and Single-player RPGs, and makes classes unique enough, they've been diving into different genres in FF16, so a monster hunter iteration would be nice and might even take after some of the missing aspects of Vanilla FF14 (the one Tanaka developed). They have to play super safe for FF14 and make a super predictable content cycle, that's what turns it off for me. I even saw a few hardcore raiders having more fun in games outside of raids, such as seeing NEST play Bloodborne back in the day, goes to show how "Job-like" FF14 (and in some aspects FF11) can be.
Playing DRG (not Dragoon, deep rock galactic) and finding ways how the different classes work to several different encounters in a procedural generated map brings far more team interaction than FF11/FF14s "read this guide, do your rotation, fit in the cog" raids and honestly Square could take points from this game for their next deep dungeon iteration if they want to improve (FATE within a Deep Dungeon, that'd be rad). And it's the price of a two month sub. I'd give this game a try… heck even makes it relevant to the name, LOL.
"I can't quit because I have a house" Bro. If you don't even enjoy the game. Just quit. This is sunk cost fallacy. Not to mention that you would be giving up the plot to someone who actually enjoys spending time in the game.
Alitte weird take to say the game shouldnt be solo friendly long term. as well MMO-players normally get togther in groups and stick to those groups. ive been running with the same people for years and we dont get tried of this group cause we are you know. friends. this alone would defeat the arguement that they are turning it solo-friendly. as well it is solo-friendly but so is MMO's like WoW. just high-end content is harder as a solo player.
So your arguement is simply i miss seening people out and about in the world doing their own thing anyway?
I wont even get into the MSQ complaint.
In the end its your opinion. FFXIV is in a better spot then ever. if you love not only FF but MMO's in general. its not perfect nothing is. but alot of the things you are talking about is just that opinions. Just unsub its better for your mental health over all. and i wish you all the best- i only came across this video randomly i know nothing about you. so sorry if my comment comes across as blunt.
easily the best I am taking a break video. 100% truth
Sounds like you're really burn out that you're starting to nitpick every single thing to make it a huge problem for yourself. I got burn out when they introduce P9S-P12S, took a long break from raid and came back refreshed. It will be a 6-7 months long wait till dawntrail, go play other games.
Part of me was always amazed that you hadn't taken a significant break sooner. I mean that in a good way; it reflects your passion for XI/XIV. 18 years is a LONG time. I think, in the long run, you'll enjoy things when you come back a lot more thanks to the break. Be well my man! – Torquill
4:00 – Oh drop it with the "it was hot in Vegas!" nonsense.
People live in Vegas YEAR ROUND. There are major events – which draw even more people than FanFest – in Vegas, YEAR ROUND. And yet they seem to handle it just fine. It's called personal responsibility, preparedness and using your brain.
Stop blaming SE for individuals' lack of preparation, or failing to use their brains.
Just stop.
Also, if anyone from SE, happens to look at this video. Please take the FanFest criticism to heart. I am not exaggerating, at all, when I say my ENTIRE FC has written off future FanFest attendance because of the poor experience we had. It was appalling bad. What REALLY twists the knife is the fact that there has been ZERO acknowledgement from SE that there were problems; this suggests NA should not expect it to be any better next time.
It's always good to take a break when you're feeling frustrated! I for one love it. From the disastrous beginning to ARR and the rest. There have been boring times but overall I love it and don't see that changing. As for the merch I agree, its really expensive so I never get most of it but I do get the Art Books! YoshiP himself even said people should take breaks and try new games. FF14 will always be there is welcome you home. <3
Good idea to take a break from FFXIV if you're that annoyed by it. I'll be patiently awaiting your return.
And truth be told, if I could have had the same experiences you had, maybe I'd feel the same. But sadly I didn't get tickets to these past fanfests and since shipping to my country is about three times the price shipping costs in the US, I hardly ever buy anything from the official store anyway. Plus I actually quite enjoyed Endwalker and the 6.x story.
I'm sure your co-hosts will hold the fort for you. I'd offer my help but I'm not sure I could contribute enough to keep an interesting conversation up ^^;
I'm also taking a break from ffxiv not out of burnout but out of boredom aside from the story the game has really nothing to bite during this expansion life cycle. The hardcore players get to eat some good cakes with their ultimates, casu players still having a good time at Limsa I guess… But as a mid-player who has tried every content that it has to offer, I don't find anything that clicks during this expansion, also just frustrated with lazy contents that we got in Endwalker in general. And the cult that kept quoting the lord Yoshi P about "yOu DoN'T hAvE tO sTaY sUb" as a counterpoint to any criticism to improve the game is getting on my nerves lately, some can't even have a civil conversation without the need to antagonize any who disagree with their views. Overall the game is still 10/10 even if it's mid right now but some part of the community is unbearable. xD
EVERYONE….EVERYONE….EVERYONE….EVERYONE….EVERYONE….EVERYONE….EVERYONE….EVERYONE….EVERYONE….
Stop looking at me, Im just taking a break…EVERYONE….EVERYONE….EVERYONE….EVERYONE….
everyone needs a break, try other games and come back when you are ready
Take a break and at least you know you need one. It was getting hard to listen to the podcasts, but it hadn't gotten as bad as listening to LBR in the middle of Stormblood. Where it became palpable in how much all five of them needed a break from the game. Yet they forced themselves to play something none of them seemed to have been enjoying all due to them having a podcast dedicated to XIV. Course that wasn't the only reason I stopped listening to them. I know you feel that it feels bad to not want to give up your house in game, but it could make you resent the game and have you end up transferring that resentment onto whatever you come back to the game for.
I feel this. I've been playing 11 and 14 for years, preordered 14 and was playing from day one. It really feels like they are focused on making a really streamlined consistent product instead of a fun game. We can predict the exact ilvl, dungeon and trial points at levels and in the story, and exactly how many bosses trash pulls and loot drops they will have. We can guess the exact structure of crafting and gathering materials and how they will turn into gear, what patches will add what content. The game is shifting away from what I originally was interested in 11 and 14 for, to play an MMO.
Ok
Literally no one knows who you are. You just posted this for clicks and subs. Weirdo.
The relic series this expansion was my biggest disappointment ig i didnt mind there not being an exploration zone this time but thats whatever. There being no grind whatsoever and then just tying ut to the hildibrand quest is the problem for me.even the final relics for each job not being unique at all was lazy its like they didnt even try
"The MSQ should have been a trial series." – What does that mean? You want the whole msq to be focused around trials?
If the expansion didnt click for you narratively, that's fine. It doesn't have to and no game lasting over a decade will always be narratively a 10/10 for each person. I thought everything past Garlemald in the EW MSQ was subpar too, but I also hated the Ala Mhigo portion of SB, yet I loved the far east and ShB in general. You can't expect it to be an ever expanding list of things you think are better and better. Just by the nature of the theme and characters involved you will like some things more than others.
Housing has been a shitshow for years and SE has no excuse, I agree. Should be fixed and the fixes are out there if they simply decide to do it. Some things are coming in 7.0 but yes get it together and make the system what it should be already. As for fanfes, nothing to do with the actual in-game experience so I don't see how that's relevant. Japanese hobby events have similar issues in general when tried outside of Japan and it is frustrating that SE seems incapable of organising a proper expression of the game for the fans in an event space but still; its not the game itself. if you were crying after reading bad convention stories, I advise you step away from the game and refocus in general. Can't be good for your mental health.
The same applies for merch. I generally agree with you that SE doesn't handle merch well outside of japan and everything from their pricing to their store is not great. Not really anything to do with the game though and a larger conversation about suppliers, logistics and contractors/manufacturers.
Also and finally most importantly; the game has not been getting worse. Its generally been getting better every expansion. It's had setbacks yes, but overall its an upwards trajectory. ARR/HW we're not great and many players were simply not around back then, especially during HW where the game damn nearly died due to its shit raiding and a slew of failed systems (diadem anyone?) and bad class rebalances. Just to add to this as well, I'm not saying the game is flawless. It has issues. Gearing when it comes to raiding progression is not good. I would have liked more midcore/variety end game content this expac (even though I loved variants) plus a few other smaller issues. Overall though, game is in a good place objectively.
It seems many content creators want xiv to be something its not. It's not a weekly podcast game, I'm sorry to break it to you. It never was and it never will be. It's a game where you're meant to take a break from once you're satisfied with the content you've done. I had a nice big month long break over the holidays and came back refreshed to do stuff in-game. It's not a job, it's a leisure hobby. Treat it as such and go play other stuff as well instead of clinging to xiv. Hope you can be satisfied with the game again, maybe in 7.0.
I'm an achievement hunter, so there is no taking a break for me. I do agree that MSQ has been lacking though. I loved 6.0., but everything past 6.0. has been trash IMO. They could have spent everything past 6.0. building up for Dawntrail, but instead decided to save a dragon. For reasons… lol
EW is a poor expansion period
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You've been disappointed with the game and company for 10 years straight? And you still play and sub monthly? If this is how you show disappointment – by being the most dedicated simp SE could ask for – I'm not sure what why they would change
Lmao I been playing the game since 2014. Just take a break! Try Valkyria Chronicle!!! So much fun!!! So many good games the have come out this year. Just play them, as for the house? Just log in ones a month? It be fine. FF14 will feel fresh ones you take a break.
You sound like a whiner. Grow up, you are nitpicking or just quit and never come back.
The auto-demolition is too strict imo. 2 months and it's gone? Crazy. Should be 4mths and you get the warnings, then at 6mths it's removed. It's turned my oceanic ward into a deadzone as the few housing slots that were occupied slowly but steadily vanish. And of course if they do come back and buy another house (which is dead easy on Oce), it sure won't be in my all-but empty ward.
That said, I am confused about the bee you seem to have in your bonnet about instanced housing being some magic fix-all. It sounds like apartments + island sanctuary cover that for you, yet you seem to like neither, so… I really don't know what you imagine when you think of instanced housing. In name alone I'd rather have my dead ward – at least there's a chance someone might see it, whereas fully instanced is fully personal.
Also, your disappointment in square-enix is odd to me. They've been a borderline awful company for more than a decade. It's like being disappointed in Acti-blizz… like, yeah, what rock have you been hiding under? XD
If FFXIV square hasn't been that bad for you, it's not because of the square part. Wouldn't be surprised if the director's considerable influence is waning after 16s lackluster performance.
Honestly I'm not that interested in Dawntrail, they not-so-much haven't sold me on it, as it feels like they haven't even tried to sell it. We're going to a new land, and here's the… capital city? Okay, I hope there's more to it than that. But then I'm story-focused. I don't care about new jobs or the lead NPCs looking 'cute' – tbh it feels like their story's told and now they're being dragged around for fan-service.
To the races thing, it's a chicken and egg question. Did they make male hroth & fem viera for the players or for ShB? I'm guessing for ShB.
Does it suck they didn't do both? not really. Does it matter? no. It's just people getting worked up over imaginary problems as usual.
(I understand that mental issues are like the leading problem among people nowadays, but even those suffering from them can comprehend that they are their issues and no one elses.)
Fair and valid. Ignore the GCBTW crowd that wants to blindly accept the game's direction forgetting this is a MMORPG, and not a single-player game(altho the devs are trying their hardest to make it that way). Take a break, see what DT offers from afar then decide on coming back. That's what I'll be doing unless a friend decides to try the game out before then.
Why are people so hesitant these days to use harsh words? It doest just suck what theyve done. Its downright disgusting.
I recently just got back to the game after A 3 month break but might be dipping again once FF7 rebirth drops I probably hop back on when ever they release the FF16 Collab Event