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    Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn

    Game » consists of 21 releases. Released Sep 22, 2010

    The second MMO in the Final Fantasy series, famous for its tumultuous launch and subsequent rebirth by a new development team.

    Overall thoughts/random thoughts on Heavensward?

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    Belegorm

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    Hey all, I was wanting to hear the GB FFXIV guys thoughts on 3.0 (especially as I'm on Hyperion rather than Ultros!).

    I think that it's the biggest thing by far since 2.0 came out, and the first time we haven't been in the shadow of 1.0. I thought the story was fairly enjoyable (though not as rad as 2.55), the leveling process was good, and the endgame content has been decent.

    However I think that FFXIV could really stand to grow, you know. For me I came back to this game after going back to FFXI right before they announced they were going into maintenance mode, so maybe I'm biased, but I thought that FFXI was a bit more innovating in several areas. The idea of having big storylines in an MMO was pretty new at the time, but since FFXI's storylines we've had SWTOR and GW2's personal story (and a number of other big MMO's with big personal stories). What I'd like to see out of a new MMO storyline is a more cooperative, realistic, story, maybe a little lower scale as well. Instead of it being all about me me me, I'd like it to be more about us working together for a goal.

    Also I think that while the endgame so far has been fun, it could be a lot more. It feels very much like a repeat of 2.0's initial endgame: grind dungeons for tomes, do some pretty hard primals, work on the latest raid. So far we've got grind through facerolley dungeons (fun the first time), grind through alexander normal (still pretty fun overall but also facerolley), fight your way through the ex primals (same thing we've seen before, also not too important since we'll have relics/esoteric weapons soon enough), and pretty soon, a hopefully ridiculously hard alexander savage (read: new coil). We've got dungeons that are 4 man, eventually a (probably easy) 24 man, and the rest are only 8 man. And only 6 encounters too that are challenging! 2 ex primals and 4 floors of alex savage!

    How can it improve? I think in a greater diversity of meaningful, challenging content for real gear upgrades. I'm not expecting to be able to choose from salvage, nyzul, dynamis, sky, etc. but it would be nice to have something like salvage for smaller groups that is challenging, in addition to the 8 man content. Tying the new stuff to the relic more and also trying to keep older content would be relevant would be nice.

    Oh but I do think the new abilities for jobs mix them up real well, but the new jobs are kind of underwhelming.

    Just my 2 cents, how about yours?

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    CommodoreGroovy

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    I'm still not 60 yet, but I've enjoyed the story and leveling process so far. 3.0 feels a lot like how 2.0 did, and I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing, but I can't help but feel a little disappointed there wasn't any advancement on the game's mechanics in the expansion. For example, I've been saying since the beginning that FFXIV could use a customization system to give the player more choice in the way their characters grow. It could be just a bit too early in FFXIV's life for any major changes to the systems, but I think it would be really disappointing when 4.0 comes around and they continue with the, "don't fix what isn't broke," mentality.

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    deactivated-629ec706f0783

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    With my main Dragoon at 60 and have completed Alexander 1-4 at least once, I think it's a fantastic experience. Personally I really enjoyed the story all the way through leveling, the dungeons were varied in look, enemy types, systems, and just were gorgeous. And there is a lot to do. That is the biggest thing for me. As someone who just a few months ago finally broke up with World of Warcraft after 9 years, mostly because of how small Warlords was and how upset I am that Blizz said they are done with that expansion, Heavensward is a breathe of fresh air. All of that tied into a beautiful package with lots of diversity in it's classes, and you got a place I plan on staying for a long time.

    Side note: I personally thought FF14's 2.0 and Heavensward stories to be better then anything in the FF13 trilogy. Not sure if that speaks more to FF14, or speaks horribly to the FF13 trilogy. At least 13 was also fun to play, so it doesn't have my mantle for worst FF game (looking at you, 12)

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    BabyChooChoo

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    #4  Edited By BabyChooChoo

    I really enjoyed the story, but the Ul'dah section bothers me immensely because it and 2.55 together just don't make sense. In the context of Heavensward, 2.55 now just feels like an cheap, arbitrary way to reintroduce the Scions over the course of the expansion rather than this big epic emotional moment it was when you first experienced it. But I digress, I've ranted about that enough before.

    Other than that, my only real problem with the story content is that Reactor is mind-blowingly easy. All the other content this expansion can be pretty challenging if you go in blind, especially something like the Aetherochemical Research Facility. However, you can get a full group of 8 new players together and fumble your way through that final fight with virtually little to no trouble whatsoever. Don't get me wrong, the music and visuals of the fight are fucking phenomenal, but the difficulty just feels out of place in comparison to the rest of the expansion. If not an EX version, I hope they add another, more challenging "Minstrel's Ballad" version like they did with Ultima Weapon.

    As far as new classes go, I haven't really messed with DRK and MCH much, but they seem fine I guess. Can't really say one way or the other since I've barely put any time into either. I'm loving AST though. Lots of really fun, cool-looking skills, but the RNG on drawing cards sometimes feels fucked.

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    Giantstalker

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    #5  Edited By Giantstalker

    Well, first off, I think Heavensward is a great expansion overall. There are some balance issues - as a 60 bard I've got a few gripes - but what they've added as a whole really complements the game well.

    I think the open areas of the game are honestly kinda under-utilized though. Hunts are kinda neat but the sheer randomness of it and the ensuing crowds really put a damper on it. Treasure maps were a good idea too, but they're basically a sideshow for getting minions and crafting materials.

    Neither are really a core method of character advancement, and as someone who slogged through coil turns 1-13, I can safely say that kind of raid content just doesn't interest me as much anymore

    So in a sense I agree, a focus on putting challenging and interesting objectives out there specifically for 4- or 8- person parties would be great

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    kagato

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    I've been enjoying myself getting to grips with the new jobs and collecting the new gear, i see the added the EX mission for the final fight already too as well as the new currency and ways to get/upgrade Doman armor (no more seal grinding!). I do feel the u'ldah missions should have been kept out of the expansion, it felt weird to put our war in Ishguard on hold to run back and forward to there when it would have been better served as story content for one of the smaller updates. Still, i enjoyed and still enjoy my time in Eorzea, cant wait to see what the 3.0 version of the Crystal Tower trilogy dungeons will end up being...

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    Belegorm

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    We definitely could get some more balancing; switched from bard to dragoon here.

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    cloudymusic

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    Positives: I like most of the changes they've made to the jobs, especially Paladin. The new jobs seem pretty decent overall, pending further tweaks. The new zones are great, the new dungeons and primals are generally great, and most of the new music is fantastic. The story was generally interesting. I like how they made Alexander more accessible, too.

    Negatives: I agree with the complaints about the Ul'dah stuff. It feels both out of place, and a cop-out to go back on most (all?) of what happened in 2.55. Still hate the large-scale Hunts, but solo hunts are still a harmless alternative, and they're less annoying than in 1.0 now that you can fly.

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    ASilentProtagonist

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    Haven't gotten it yet since the new jobs don't appeal to me. Hoping that Red Mage, Puppeteer, Samurai are added to the inevitable next expansion.

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    InstantRyan

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    @belegorm: / @giantstalker:

    As a Bard main that hasn't played since a little after 2.0 and am coming back due to some friends wanting to play FF14, what balancing have they done for you guys to have gripes/switch? Since my friends are new, I'm thinking about leveling up a new class but since I'll probably end up switching back to bard when they get to 50ish, I'm interested to hear what they've done.

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    slyspider

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    #11  Edited By slyspider

    They add positionals to the ninja for absolutely no gain in dps or utility for the class. 0/10. In seriousness, despite that bothering me way more than it should, I like heavensward. I'm not 60 on the nin yet but everything I've done feels pretty cool and the scenery is very pretty

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    Belegorm

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    @instantryan: They added 1.5 second cast times to all your weaponskills.

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    Pierre42

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    I figured I'd give healing ago and picked up Astrologian. I love card-wielding heroes (Twisted Fate, Gambit, etc) so I was pretty down with the idea of random buffs and figured it'd be a nice chance to fit in.

    I do enjoy the class but now I'm worried about Stigma I'll get for playing it. I see so many people complaining about it online, after the latest patch (3.05?) my friend told me about the buffs the class had received and I was like "SWEET!" so I went to see what other people were talking about it.

    A whole lot of "CRAP" and a whole lot of "Still worse than SCH or WHM," and man it just made me sad to think that I might join a party and get derision for picking a type of healer. Still in any case my girlfriend babysat me as a healer team through WOD last night so I'm gaining confidence in 8-party content.

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    grandCurator

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    @pierre42: Don't worry, I play a Machinist. Went into an Expert roulette and literally got called the shackle around their collective ankles. They then proceeded to make me do every single mechanic while they stood there and did next to nothing.

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    Zeik

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    @pierre42: I main Dragoon and I've had to deal with "loldrg" bullshit basically since day 1. Even now I get vague mocking every once in awhile when entering a duty, even though they have some of the highest dps in the game at the moment and I am more than competent at the class and game. You just have to ignore it. If you play your class well most people won't care, and anyone who does try to make an issue out of it isn't worth the time of day anyway. They're rarely as good as they think they are.

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    BabyChooChoo

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    #16  Edited By BabyChooChoo

    @pierre42: I main AST and I've never gotten any shit for it whatsoever. In fact, I would even say you'd be surprised how many people love having an AST in the party because no other healer has buffs like it does. I feel like anyone complaining about it is looking at it from that weird min-max perspective that normal, sane people don't give a shit about. Outside of Alexander (no pun intended...) because I have yet to do it myself, I can assure you that AST is great for literally any content you can throw at it.

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    gerrid

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    I loved going through the story to 60, being part of those first few days with everything being new and unknown was intoxicating. Just spending time in the new zones flying around, admiring the scenery, reading the quest dialogue, uncovering a new area and so on. Flying is a real joy and I have filled up my hard drive with screenshots. I immersed myself in it totally and had one of the best RPG experiences ever. The story had a few odd moments but overall I liked it, and it was up there with the best stuff post 2.0.

    I really enjoyed going through all the new dungeons blind with friends too, and learning them on the fly. There are some really great bosses, particularly in the Library and the stuff at the end of the story, with the music and atmosphere and plot all pulling together. Fights that are just plain FUN, and I thought the challenge was pitched just about right, with a few exceptions (Fractal is super annoying to heal, for instance)

    This is also the first time I've been at the cutting edge for the endgame, having never really been geared up enough. I was always slightly behind on primals and coil, which can be really frustrating. Having a regular group to do Alexander, Bis and Ravana EX has been very enjoyable and I really like those fights mechanically (although the snakes in p3 of Bismarck EX can go to hell). I've also been really pleased with the additions to Scholar, which have added some extra situational moves to an already pretty stacked arsenal. I love playing this class and finding the right combination of skills to best respond to each situation, and I particularly like the changes to Selene.

    One of the best additions is the full party unsync, which has breathed a lot of life into old fights and dungeons. Steamrolling low level dungeons, speedkilling EX primals and using undersized parties for old boss fights has been some of my favourite time spent in the game. A 2-man clear of Battle on the Big Bridge comes to mind, as does some 2 man Shiva Hard Mode farming. Rolling into T13 as a Summoner and a Dragoon was also an... experience.

    On the downside I got sick of Neverreap and Fractal pretty quickly in the EX Roulette (even moreso now it's the best route to Esoterics), and I am now pretty sick of Alexander to the point where I can't face going back even though I still need a couple of pieces of gear from there. Mostly it's just the loot system in Alex that I hate, although it's my own fault for going for specific pieces rather than just Needing on anything. I'm happy to farm Ravana because the tokens give everything a real sense of progress. I can't quite face bringing another class to 60 from 50 quite yet because there's nothing but FATE grinding left.

    On the plus side, everyone's renewed interest has been really energising for me going back and doing things that I missed. Doing the Sightseeing Log cleanly (as in, not looking up the answers) has been one of my favourites and breathes a bit of life back into a world that I often ignore. I'm sad that they simplified it so much in the HW areas - all they need to do is remove the infuriating weather/time mechanic. I've been getting harder into the glamour and mount and minion game too, and I imagine at some point I'll get back into crafting, or start PVP. It's easy to get to the end of HW, be geared up with your Rav weapon and a few Esoterics pieces and think "well now there's nothing left to do", but I like to take the chance to try other stuff instead.

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    SnakeLinkSonic

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    @gerrid said:

    On the downside I got sick of Neverreap and Fractal pretty quickly in the EX Roulette (even moreso now it's the best route to Esoterics), and I am now pretty sick of Alexander to the point where I can't face going back even though I still need a couple of pieces of gear from there. Mostly it's just the loot system in Alex that I hate, although it's my own fault for going for specific pieces rather than just Needing on anything. I'm happy to farm Ravana because the tokens give everything a real sense of progress. I can't quite face bringing another class to 60 from 50 quite yet because there's nothing but FATE grinding left.

    I'm not a big fan of Fractal now for the same reason but I like Neverreap so I could pretty much do that ad nauseam. Admittedly the Duty Finder continually gives me Fractal though so I haven't even had much of a chance to get sick of Neverreap.

    Alexander Normal's loot system is atrocious though, and I've already reached the point where I'm refusing to do it since Eso gear will immediately be replacing it in the coming weeks anyway. Token systems for the EX primals and Savage Alex is a great addition though.

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    Pierre42

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    @zeik: @grandcurator: @babychoochoo:

    Ok thanks for the perspectives, the buffs are really amazingly handy and I sort of took my first baby steps into 8-man content the other night by healing with my girlfriend in WOD the other night. Though I hear mixed perspectives on our stances, some people say Nocturnal is the way to go when paired with a WHM (which I do) while others say that Diurnal is so much better than it you are better sticking with the Regens.

    Also just did Gubal Library last night as my main (MNK) and MAN is that place fun. I am dying to get one of it's kilts though.

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    Zeik

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    @gerrid said:

    On the downside I got sick of Neverreap and Fractal pretty quickly in the EX Roulette (even moreso now it's the best route to Esoterics), and I am now pretty sick of Alexander to the point where I can't face going back even though I still need a couple of pieces of gear from there. Mostly it's just the loot system in Alex that I hate, although it's my own fault for going for specific pieces rather than just Needing on anything. I'm happy to farm Ravana because the tokens give everything a real sense of progress. I can't quite face bringing another class to 60 from 50 quite yet because there's nothing but FATE grinding left.

    I'm not a big fan of Fractal now for the same reason but I like Neverreap so I could pretty much do that ad nauseam. Admittedly the Duty Finder continually gives me Fractal though so I haven't even had much of a chance to get sick of Neverreap.

    Alexander Normal's loot system is atrocious though, and I've already reached the point where I'm refusing to do it since Eso gear will immediately be replacing it in the coming weeks anyway. Token systems for the EX primals and Savage Alex is a great addition though.

    Honestly, I still can't decide whether Alex's loot system is better or worse than Crystal Tower. On the one hand, I definitely had to run CT way way too many times to get a drop I could use, and there was no guarantee anything would drop for my class for a whole run. On the other hand, when something did drop you rarely had to compete with more than one person, and if that person already had the piece they couldn't roll on it again.

    The idea of having a token system where anyone can use the drops for whatever class they play feels like a great idea, but it does mean you're always competing with way more people for drops. On the plus side, you can join a farm party and pretty much ensure that everyone gets a drop within 4 runs. I think the biggest problem is just that there are 4 different floors of loot, so it's just that much more grinding. I think just adding one more loot chest per floor would alleviate the problem a lot, which I think they mentioned they were considering in the last live letter.

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    SnakeLinkSonic

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    #21  Edited By SnakeLinkSonic

    @zeik said:
    @snakelinksonic said:
    @gerrid said:

    On the downside I got sick of Neverreap and Fractal pretty quickly in the EX Roulette (even moreso now it's the best route to Esoterics), and I am now pretty sick of Alexander to the point where I can't face going back even though I still need a couple of pieces of gear from there. Mostly it's just the loot system in Alex that I hate, although it's my own fault for going for specific pieces rather than just Needing on anything. I'm happy to farm Ravana because the tokens give everything a real sense of progress. I can't quite face bringing another class to 60 from 50 quite yet because there's nothing but FATE grinding left.

    I'm not a big fan of Fractal now for the same reason but I like Neverreap so I could pretty much do that ad nauseam. Admittedly the Duty Finder continually gives me Fractal though so I haven't even had much of a chance to get sick of Neverreap.

    Alexander Normal's loot system is atrocious though, and I've already reached the point where I'm refusing to do it since Eso gear will immediately be replacing it in the coming weeks anyway. Token systems for the EX primals and Savage Alex is a great addition though.

    Honestly, I still can't decide whether Alex's loot system is better or worse than Crystal Tower. On the one hand, I definitely had to run CT way way too many times to get a drop I could use, and there was no guarantee anything would drop for my class for a whole run. On the other hand, when something did drop you rarely had to compete with more than one person, and if that person already had the piece they couldn't roll on it again.

    The idea of having a token system where anyone can use the drops for whatever class they play feels like a great idea, but it does mean you're always competing with way more people for drops. On the plus side, you can join a farm party and pretty much ensure that everyone gets a drop within 4 runs. I think the biggest problem is just that there are 4 different floors of loot, so it's just that much more grinding. I think just adding one more loot chest per floor would alleviate the problem a lot, which I think they mentioned they were considering in the last live letter.

    They definitely heard the complaints. The maintenance last night added two more drops to each floor in Normal Mode. I've heard people mentioning that it's now four drops per floor with one specific type of item each in three slots that always drops and a random drop as the fourth.

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    Zeik

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    #22  Edited By Zeik

    @snakelinksonic: I literally just found out about the 4 drops, haha. That's great.

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    Pierre42

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    #23  Edited By Pierre42

    Just finished the plot. It was pretty great for a finale, lots of crazy things happening at it's best.

    Though I wonder about this (LARGE ENDGAME SPOILER WARNING):

    Large Endgame Spoilers:

    If Estinien goes onto become Nidhogg, who trains the Dragoons in their Job Quests?

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    Zeik

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    #24  Edited By Zeik

    @pierre42: He wasn't really your trainer pre-50 and had nothing to do with the post-50 quests. Alberic has always been the NPC you go to for your job quests.

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