LTTP: Final Fantasy 14, aka this game is going to blow me away isn’t it?

Ashes of Dreams · Sep 7, 2020

ARR's story was fine for what it was at the time. It's only really a problem now in retrospect after the game became what it did. Note that when ARR came out people felt the same way about MMO stories as they do fighting game stories. You do them if you are forced to, often skipping the cutscenes. People's biggest issues with ARR story at launch was that it gated the endgame content. It was still better than anything else in the genre at that time, though. A classic style FF story with a good cast and some exciting twists and turns.

It got REALLY good with Heavensward. Stumbled with Stormblood (my least favorite of the four). Shadowbringers is leagues above anything else in the game. Like, if I were rating FFXIV on it's story, before Shadowbringers I'd give it a solid 7/10, maybe a 6/10 on a moody day. After Shadowbringers it's a 9/10 at least. The game asks a long commitment of people to get to the best content, but it's well worth it.

That said, as someone who started playing the game in 2013, I'm completely burned out on it. If Shadowbringers hadn't been so good, I'd have dropped the game by now. It's content cycle is so repetitive and they can only make so many variations on "dodge the AoEs". I also think the mechanical side of the MMO genre has been filed down too much, the game offers zero variety or creativity in it's playstyles. A lot of the charm of the MMO genre has been removed bit by bit with every expansion, and there wasn't that much there to begin with.

Still, that's coming from someone who has been playing it for the better part of a decade. I legitimately envy people getting into the game now.

Waxwing · Sep 7, 2020

Having fun myself about halfway through HW. I've gotten sucked into crafting/gathering. It's a definite time-sink, but kinda fun to gather stuff while listening to podcasts.

Dark Knight · Sep 7, 2020

If you're enjoying the post ARR stuff, HW will melt your face. Excited for you!

B.K. · Sep 7, 2020

KrillinLikeAVillan said:
Awesome, that sounds perfect for my antisocial self, i'll give this a whirl next time i have some significant free time, are there any classes that are well suited for the lone wolf approach?

Final Fantasy XIV is a very anti social game. There's almost no interaction with other players during dungeons and trials. Probably 95% of interactions take place in Discords and the other 5% in FC chat. You can easily get by without saying a word to anyone, if you want.

Dark Knight · Sep 7, 2020

B.K. said:
Final Fantasy XIV is a very anti social game. There's almost no interaction with other players during dungeons and trials. Probably 95% of interactions take place in Discords and the other 5% in FC chat. You can easily get by without saying a word to anyone, if you want.

I would say it's as anti-social as you need or as social as you want. Plenty of people constantly chatting out in the open in the big cities, but you can get by being a relative ghost in the game. I played alone for many years in a 1 person guild, and I've also played with very talkative communities. It's possible to do either or both.

KrillinLikeAVillan said:
Awesome, that sounds perfect for my antisocial self, i'll give this a whirl next time i have some significant free time, are there any classes that are well suited for the lone wolf approach?

Do Dark Knight! Hold your own easily against field enemies, decently fast solo queues for dungeons, and the entire job is basically themed around being a veritable jaded loner.

Of course you do need to reach Heavensward to unlock Dark Knight, so you'll have to find something else first. Maurader/Warrior could be cool if you want to tank, and Black Mage is very fun if you want to just wreck stuff.

MrConbon210 · Sep 7, 2020

Was in love with the game and then Stormblood made me lose all interest. I finished the main quest but am stuck in the post-quests and I just, ugh don't care about any of these charecters or locations.

KrillinLikeAVillan · Sep 7, 2020

Dark Knight said:
the entire job is basically themed around being a veritable jaded loner.

Sounds like my kind of class. ;)
I looked at the video posted earlier, dark knight seems rad as hell, interesting skill set and a big ass sword, fukken sold!

Xils · Sep 7, 2020

KrillinLikeAVillan said:
Sounds like my kind of class. ;)
I looked at the video posted earlier, dark knight seems rad as hell, interesting skill set and a big ass sword, fukken sold!

Just know that Dark Knight and other HW jobs are the most annoying jobs to start in the game. You have to start as other jobs then finish the base game and patch contents to get to HW which by then, you should be around mid level 50s depending on your bonus xp. Then you can start the job BUT you'll start at level 30 so you'll need to grind for 20 levels in order to get your new job to level 50 to be able to use it to continue the MSQ.

Though Dark Knight 30-50 job quests are dope as hell and worth to level for just those alone.

Laughing Banana · Sep 7, 2020

MrConbon210 said:
Was in love with the game and then Stormblood made me lose all interest. I finished the main quest but am stuck in the post-quests and I just, ugh don't care about any of these charecters or locations.

Stormblood was pretty middling yes, especially the Ala Mhigo part, though there are many bright moments there, like (stormblood spoiler]

The entire arc of

Yotsuyu

and your confrontation against

Omega weapon

, the latter is especially really sweet if you are a Final Fantasy fan.

The latter is even lore-wise a very important part of Shadowbringer. And yes, even if you don't like Stormblood, just power it through to get to Shadowbringer, which so many people praise for many great reasons.

MrConbon210 · Sep 7, 2020

Laughing Banana said:
Stormblood was pretty middling yes, especially the Ala Mhigo part, though there are many bright moments there, like (stormblood spoiler]

The entire arc of

Yotsuyu

and your confrontation against

Omega weapon

, the latter is especially really sweet if you are a Final Fantasy fan.

The latter is even lore-wise a very important part of Shadowbringer. And yes, even if you don't like Stormblood, just power it through to get to Shadowbringer, which so many people praise for many great reasons.

I thought the Ala Mhigo part was the most tolerable. It was the whole other section of the world they added that I had absolutely no care for. I've only played 7,10,12,13 and 15 so I wouldn't say I'm a major FF fan. A lot of the references are lost on me tbh.

kurahador · Sep 8, 2020

MrConbon210 said:
I thought the Ala Mhigo part was the most tolerable. It was the whole other section of the world they added that I had absolutely no care for. I've only played 7,10,12,13 and 15 so I wouldn't say I'm a major FF fan. A lot of the references are lost on me tbh.

The Omega raid make references to 5, 6 and 8 which you didn't play.

Also...I find the Stormblood post-game conclusion (patch 4.3) alot stronger than Shadowbringers.

Laughing Banana · Sep 8, 2020

MrConbon210 said:
I thought the Ala Mhigo part was the most tolerable. It was the whole other section of the world they added that I had absolutely no care for. I've only played 7,10,12,13 and 15 so I wouldn't say I'm a major FF fan. A lot of the references are lost on me tbh.

A la mhigo is just soooo drab looking. Deserts and crags and stones, bleh... At least Kogane and Yanxia is colorful and pretty, and Azim Steppe is just very beautiful IMO, especially with that music...........................

And yeah, you pretty much missed out all the FFs they're referencing, hahah. For a long time FF players like me who have played all since the first FF in NES, the raid fights of Stormblood is really great. And shadowbringers tied it up nicely too.

Ardend · Sep 8, 2020

I've been tempted to jump back in but because I bought and played before on PS3/4, I can't be a part of the free trial to get me to HW. I don't want to create a new SE account and PS account as I have other things associated with those, so I guess I'm stuck renewing for the paid monthly? I mean if they are willing to let anyone play through HW for free, it seems like a "come back to the game" solution would be to allow previous owners/players do the same. If the new content is that good, returning players would probably renew paying once they got there after getting hooked by HW.

MrConbon210 · Sep 8, 2020

Laughing Banana said:
A la mhigo is just soooo drab looking. Deserts and crags and stones, bleh... At least Kogane and Yanxia is colorful and pretty, and Azim Steppe is just very beautiful IMO, especially with that music...........................

And yeah, you pretty much missed out all the FFs they're referencing, hahah. For a long time FF players like me who have played all since the first FF in NES, the raid fights of Stormblood is really great. And shadowbringers tied it up nicely too.

I felt super attached to Eorzea and enjoyed the vibe and feel it gave off. Yanxia and Kugane gave the series this Eastern element which I didn't feel meshed with what I enjoyed about the game so far. Like the music is one of my favorite parts about the game but everything in Stormblood was so meh to me.

Dmax3901 · Sep 8, 2020

kurahador said:
Change your job into Dark Knight when you starts Heavensward to get double dose of awesome story.

Wouldn't you then have to level up to 50 all over again?

Laughing Banana · Sep 8, 2020

MrConbon210 said:
I felt super attached to Eorzea and enjoyed the vibe and feel it gave off. Yanxia and Kugane gave the series this Eastern element which I didn't feel meshed with what I enjoyed about the game so far. Like the music is one of my favorite parts about the game but everything in Stormblood was so meh to me.

At least power through it to reach Shadowbringers :)

Many people consider it as a crowning achievement in FF's storytelling and well, it has that reputation for a good reason.

Dmax3901 said:
Wouldn't you then have to level up to 50 all over again?

Yeah, but Dark Knight is a Tank so levelling up is not gonna be an issue.

kurahador · Sep 8, 2020

Dmax3901 said:
Wouldn't you then have to level up to 50 all over again?

Yup, and you starts at 30. But you can sped up your leveling with Palace of the Dead.

Dark Knight · Sep 8, 2020

MrConbon210 said:
I felt super attached to Eorzea and enjoyed the vibe and feel it gave off. Yanxia and Kugane gave the series this Eastern element which I didn't feel meshed with what I enjoyed about the game so far. Like the music is one of my favorite parts about the game but everything in Stormblood was so meh to me.

I'm not a huge fan of the Eastern motif stuff myself(I was bored to tears by most of the gear sets in Stormblood sadly), but I thought Stormblood had amazing music and that Doma absolutely felt like a natural part of the same world. It's so far away from the lands under the Eorzean Alliance that it was appropriately a culture shock moment when you first go there.

Dmax3901 · Sep 8, 2020

kurahador said:
Yup, and you starts at 30. But you can sped up your leveling with Palace of the Dead.

Interesting, is it a unique job in that you start at 30? When will I gain access to it? (I'm up to the last two ARR patch quest lines leading to HW)

Laughing Banana · Sep 8, 2020

Dmax3901 said:
Interesting, is it a unique job in that you start at 30? When will I gain access to it? (I'm up to the last two ARR patch quest lines leading to HW)

It's on the main hub of Heavensward, in the city of Ishgard.

All the three new jobs there start at level 30. Tank is Dark Knight, Healer is Astrologian, and DPS is Machinist.

Dmax3901 · Sep 8, 2020

Laughing Banana said:
It's on the main hub of Heavensward, in the city of Ishgard.

All the three new jobs there start at level 30. Tank is Dark Knight, Healer is Astrologian, and DPS is Machinist.

I've been playing White Mage so DPS or tank will be a nice break. Dark Knight is the best one to go with in terms of story though?

Laughing Banana · Sep 8, 2020

Dmax3901 said:
I've been playing White Mage so DPS or tank will be a nice break. Dark Knight is the best one to go with in terms of story though?

It's the "canon" job for Shadowbringer.

In terms of story, actually Heavensward is basically tailored for Dragoon, you'll get extra dialogues and nods if you play as it during Heavensward. And one of the biggest major characters in Heavensward is introduced in Lancer --> Dragoon's job quest.

Dark Knight's job quest is unique though as it is the only job quests that tie its content directly to what is happening in the MSQ, and it's written by the scenario writer of Shadowbringer, so yeah the quality is markedly better compared to any other job quests for other jobs in the game.

Try Astro! It has a very different feel than WHM, it's much more active, I really really like it.

Tatsu91 · Sep 8, 2020

MarcoXD said:
Wait till you get to that Estinien story arc on HW. So damn good. I liked the game prior to that, but that whole story arc was really awesome.

Estinien is my favorite supporting character tbh ARR is decent but the story gets so much better. Gameplay is the same throughout but i feel the story is good enough to carry it.

Zeal543 · Sep 8, 2020

Theswweet said:
SB story is worse but the trials/dungeons/raids are better. It also has Eureka.

Don't @ me.

I don't think this is a controversial opinion, SB's story is undermined by a horrible villain

which square refuses to kill off

Dmax3901 · Sep 8, 2020

Laughing Banana said:
It's the "canon" job for Shadowbringer.

In terms of story, actually Heavensward is basically tailored for Dragoon, you'll get extra dialogues and nods if you play as it during Heavensward. And one of the biggest major characters in Heavensward is introduced in Lancer --> Dragoon's job quest.

Dark Knight's job quest is unique though as it is the only job quests that tie its content directly to what is happening in the MSQ, and it's written by the scenario writer of Shadowbringer, so yeah the quality is markedly better compared to any other job quests for other jobs in the game.

Sorry for more questions, but will it be weird playing Dark Knight during Heavensward content for spoiler reasons? Like will they reference events from the HW MSQ in the Dark Knight quests?

Also to do Dragoon I'd need to start as a Lancer from lvl 1 I assume?

Tatsu91 · Sep 8, 2020

B.K. said:
Final Fantasy XIV is a very anti social game. There's almost no interaction with other players during dungeons and trials. Probably 95% of interactions take place in Discords and the other 5% in FC chat. You can easily get by without saying a word to anyone, if you want.

Sometimes you get good world interactions while grinding blue mage. Met someone who needed help getting an enemy skill we both needed so we helped each other until we got was a nice experience.

Laughing Banana · Sep 8, 2020

Dmax3901 said:
Sorry for more questions, but will it be weird playing Dark Knight during Heavensward content for spoiler reasons? Like will they reference events from the HW MSQ in the Dark Knight quests?

Also to do Dragoon I'd need to start as a Lancer from lvl 1 I assume?

It's fine! I like answering FFXIV's questions, hahah.

Nah, not at all. If anything, in my personal opinion actually playing as the Dragoon is the weird one, although it has additional dialogues and nods during HW. Why? Because it actually has MAJOR story implications in the lore but everyone who should be surprised or WTF-ing is just so MEH about it, hahaha. If you don't play as Dragoon tho and later on say once you finish HS and you want to do it, you will be weirded out guaranteed because that major character that is calling you a fellow warrior and comrade in HW suddenly doesn't recognize you anymore during your early Dragoon's job quest.

Dark Knight is fine if you don't want to be weirded out with stuff like that on Heavensward.

And yes, to do Dragoon you need to level up your Lancer.

Apollo · Sep 8, 2020

Laughing Banana said:
Dark Knight's job quest is unique though as it is the only job quests that tie its content directly to what is happening in the MSQ

What do you mean by this? I honestly don't remember it being tied to the MSQ more than any other job questline

Theswweet · Sep 8, 2020

Apollo said:
What do you mean by this? I honestly don't remember it being tied to the MSQ more than any other job questline

It's not really brought up until the lvl 60-70 quests.

Laughing Banana · Sep 8, 2020

Apollo said:
What do you mean by this? I honestly don't remember it being tied to the MSQ more than any other job questline

It deals with how

wary WoL is due to how everything that is happening to them in MSQ, their frustration, their feeling of hopelessness and anger because all the thing that they must do in MSQ.

IIRC is the only job quests that directly deals with how WoL actually think about everything that is happening to them in MSQ story line.

The other job quests, on the other hand, its like their own thing.

Xils · Sep 8, 2020

Dmax3901 said:
Sorry for more questions, but will it be weird playing Dark Knight during Heavensward content for spoiler reasons? Like will they reference events from the HW MSQ in the Dark Knight quests?

Also to do Dragoon I'd need to start as a Lancer from lvl 1 I assume?

They won't spoil anything past the point that they're sure you've cleared.
30-50 will reference pre-HW stuffs because you have to reached HW by that point so it's fine.
60-70 will reference HW stuff because you will have cleared HW and reach SB before you can start doing them.

Apollo said:
What do you mean by this? I honestly don't remember it being tied to the MSQ more than any other job questline

It directly referenced, and deal with, things that happened (as in had happened in the past, not stuff that you're currently doing) in MSQ while other jobs are pretty self-contained.

Apollo · Sep 8, 2020

Laughing Banana said:
It deals with how

wary WoL is due to how everything that is happening to them in MSQ, their frustration, their feeling of hopelessness and anger because all the thing that they must do in MSQ.

IIRC is the only job quests that directly deals with how WoL actually think about everything that is happening to them in MSQ story line.

The other job quests, on the other hand, its like their own thing.

Xils said:
It directly referenced, and deal with, things that happened (as in had happened in the past, not stuff that you're currently doing) in MSQ while other jobs are pretty self-contained.

Okay yeah that makes sense, it does match up more with what I remember. I was originally thinking along the lines of how like, obviously DRK/AST/MCH all deal with Ishgard throughout their job stories, which is where you're at in the MSQ when you get them

Theswweet · Sep 8, 2020

DRK has an absolutely amazing post-lvl 80 quest that is especially great when you

Go to read the journal entry for it as a non-DRK, and then again as a DRK

kurahador · Sep 8, 2020

Dmax3901 said:
I've been playing White Mage so DPS or tank will be a nice break. Dark Knight is the best one to go with in terms of story though?

Absolutely. The very 1st quest story will make go "The fuck is wrong with this guy??".

roflwaffles · Sep 8, 2020

I started about a month ago and got addicted. In Stormblood right now.

In all honestly, I don't think ARR and Stormblood are that good. Heavensward is incredible, but ARR and Stormblood are kind of slogs.

I would actually have dropped at Stormblood if it hadn't made the combat so much better.

Tatsu91 · Sep 8, 2020

roflwaffles said:
I started about a month ago and got addicted. In Stormblood right now.

In all honestly, I don't think ARR and Stormblood are that good. Heavensward is incredible, but ARR and Stormblood are kind of slogs.

I would actually have dropped at Stormblood if it hadn't made the combat so much better.

Stormblood has some great moments better than ARR but it does slog in places which drags it down. But its definitely at least a decent continuation and sets Shadowbringers up well enough.

roflwaffles · Sep 8, 2020

Tatsu91 said:
Stormblood has some great moments better than ARR but it does slog in places which drags it down. But its definitely at least a decent continuation and sets Shadowbringers up well enough.

I think alot of what I don't like about SB, aside from the abundance of fetch quests, is the villains. The Empire just isn't compelling and the new main antagonist is one of the lamest in recent memory.

Tatsu91 · Sep 8, 2020

roflwaffles said:
I think alot of what I don't like about SB, aside from the abundance of fetch quests, is the villains. The Empire just isn't compelling and the new main antagonist is one of the lamest in recent memory.

I find the empire more compelling in the post SB quests and the build up does get better but Zenos is meh i feel he gets better by the end but he is nowhere near Emet-Selch or even Elidibus in portrayal.

LTTP: Final Fantasy 14, aka this game is going to blow me away isn’t it?

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