Does the world open up any?

Ohnooze

So I'm a low level...like 18 but I haven't even unlocked the duty finder yet.  I grinded some Fates and managed to lvl higher than my main story quest line.  

Anyway, this far the world zones seem pretty small and the world very fragmented.  Does this change much or at all?

I really like the game but I honestly do like the feel of a larger zone/world.

Thanks guys.  

Kajidourden

I haven't played any stormblood zones but from ARR to HW, no not really.  Here's a link to Heavensward maps, so make your own determination vs what you are seeing now.

There are more areas to access for sure in HW once you unlock flying in them though.  http://heavenswhere.com/

Ohnooze

Thanks for the map link.  Well those look a lot larger than the areas I have been in this far.

Ohnooze

Honestly I have had a heck of a time figuring out the world in this game.  As far as having a big picture view of the world and my location.

Ohnooze

Nyctelios said:

Yes it does...

The whole problem is that PS3 support was holding map size (and many other features).

Heavensward maps are 3 times bigger than average vanilla map, they intend to increase it even further now that PS3 is no longer supported.

That's great news.  I just started the game.  The beginning is so smallish as far as zones go.

Trying to decide if I should skip through the story really quick and just grind/fate/duty finder my way to HW or SB or if I should just play as normal....

Kajidourden

Nyctelios said:

Ohnooze said:

Nyctelios said:

Yes it does...

The whole problem is that PS3 support was holding map size (and many other features).

Heavensward maps are 3 times bigger than average vanilla map, they intend to increase it even further now that PS3 is no longer supported.

That's great news.  I just started the game.  The beginning is so smallish as far as zones go.

Trying to decide if I should skip through the story really quick and just grind/fate/duty finder my way to HW or SB or if I should just play as normal....

My advice: Sit and enjoy the ride.

If you skip the story, you'll be skipping the game's main attraction - and you'll lose any attachment to characters or future losses.

Also, the flying maps on the clouds with flying islands awe you more if you played many hours over the vanilla ones.

Give the devs some trust, and play it as it is. I had "sessions" of quest, where I reserved hours of my day, grabbed some popcorn and a cola, just to sit and "watch" quest lines and cinematics - they are as good as any FF single player title.

HW added more land mass but most of it is empty space, tbh.  Hopefully Stormblood will have a little more substance outside of quest hubs.

RemyVorender

A little, but it's one of my big complaints with the game. There are some zones that have a little size to them, but it's not "vast". 

JeffSpicoli

It is a very confusing map system they have in place, Unfortunately i would have to say the feel of the zones doesnt change much, Doesnt bother me personally i still find them very immersive

Filbur

That's one of my main complaints. The zones feel so dead and static. While a little larger, the Heavensward areas are plastered with the same bad textures and are totally empty, no hidden secrets, caves or chests, interesting NPCs... Once you have done all quests, there is basically no reason to go back unless you are a crafter/gatherer.

But they have learned their lesson. SB zones feel more varied and organic.

Viper482

Ohnooze said:

Nyctelios said:

Yes it does...

The whole problem is that PS3 support was holding map size (and many other features).

Heavensward maps are 3 times bigger than average vanilla map, they intend to increase it even further now that PS3 is no longer supported.

That's great news.  I just started the game.  The beginning is so smallish as far as zones go.

Trying to decide if I should skip through the story really quick and just grind/fate/duty finder my way to HW or SB or if I should just play as normal....

It is up to you, personally I am not a fan of FF story. I enjoyed other parts of the game, story wasn't one of them. I just don't get it, personally. If you aren't feeling the story, you will be able to skip it and get to the better stuff with a reasonable payment. Don't let anyone tell you how to play unless they are willing to pay for your sub.

Ohnooze

At the moment I'm level18 and the story is pretty meh but I know it's early.

Dullahan

The linear story, map and progression along with invisible walls between me and every place I wanted to go was ultimately what made me drop FFXIV within the first week.

Ohnooze

I just don't see much of a story yet other than some crystal talking to me about having the light inside me and some pirate drama.  

kallens

Ohnooze said:

I just don't see much of a story yet other than some crystal talking to me about having the light inside me and some pirate drama.  

Sounds like you've barely started the game, the story is awesome, only mmo where I actually read all the dialogue and watch all the cute scenes. Not only is the MSQ story pretty good, but the class quests and crafting quests are great too! 

Mincedmax

I tested it quickly last year and just returned to have a look. Honestly, if this is the highest rated game on MMORPG then this is just sad. Boring world, endlessly repetitve quests, horrible mapmaking. The healer class i tested this last 2 weeks has exactly 2 attack spells until level 20 (after which i gave up). So in principle i smash a single button. I even ran to one of the other lifeless capitals to learn thaumarturgist just to find out that i have to restart everything - i cannot even use the robes i had from my healing class. Do not even get me started on storyline and other things. Overall sad waste of time.

Ridelynn

What this game has:

Engaging linear story line
Final Fantasy tie-ins
Pretty good graphics and effects
Gorgeous soundtrack
Variety of dungeons and raid events
Better than average crafting & gathering
Good housing options (but with a poor housing allocation method)
Single character with all class options available at any time
Trinty based gameplay
Dungeon Finder (Duty Finder)
Open World events (leves, Ranks, etc)

What it doesn't have:

Seamless zones
Sandbox anything, this is the DisneyWorld of themeparks
Competitive PvP (there is PvP, but you probably won't play this game for PvP)
The ability to ignore or bypass the main story
A good housing allocation method (but excellent customization if you can get one)
Limited open world events (leves, Ranks, etc, scripted and not much variety)

I can pretty well sum up your reaction to FFXIV in one question:
Do you like Chocobos?

If you answer "Yes! OMG!" - you'll love the game.

If you answer "The most annoying thing I've ever seen and the music makes me nauseous" - you will hate this game

If you answer "What's that?" -- then you haven't ever played a Final Fantasy game. It's a very Japanese/Anime inspired series, it has a big following in the West, but it's definitely not your typical Western RPG/MMO. YMMV, but worth checking it out.

The world does open up a bit more once you hit L20 and unlock the airships that let you travel around a bit more freely, and the dungeons start to become more varied and things really start to pick up. FFXIV is a slow burner to start out with, but you only have to unlock all of that once with one class.

Once you hit L15  you should have unlocked the Duty Finder, if you haven't yet, keep working on the main story line and it will open up soon. That helps a lot.

Ohnooze

Mincedmax said:

I tested it quickly last year and just returned to have a look. Honestly, if this is the highest rated game on MMORPG then this is just sad. Boring world, endlessly repetitve quests, horrible mapmaking. The healer class i tested this last 2 weeks has exactly 2 attack spells until level 20 (after which i gave up). So in principle i smash a single button. I even ran to one of the other lifeless capitals to learn thaumarturgist just to find out that i have to restart everything - i cannot even use the robes i had from my healing class. Do not even get me started on storyline and other things. Overall sad waste of time.

Agree with some of this.  

The map does leave A LOT to be desired.  I read that the conjurer is painfully boring to lvl up.  I almost went that way as well but decided to switch because I wanted to play a scholar.  

I have always hated Japanese style games in the past but they have really started growing on me.

I have gotten to lvl 22 and things have opened up some and I have gotten a little further into the story.  Personally I'm not huge into story so I only half way pay attention to it.  My ADD just doesn't care enough to keep me paying attention to it.  I just get a general idea what I'm doing and run with it.

I like the art style in this game and that really surprising considering how much I have hated anime in the past.  But I've kind of opened up to it really.

I think it's a good MMO, combat is fun and graphics are decent...quality game I think.  It's just too bad that the PS3 limited the world size so much.  But I suspect that once the PS3 is dropped and SB comes out, it will fix this issue.

I'm really looking forward to that 4K patch for the PS4 Pro!!

ubermut

The base game story is pretty boring, I didn't get into it until heavensward.  I agree, with the maps were a little more open and I, too, have faith that SB will help a little in this regard.

JeroKane

The HW zones are amazing and way more open than the ARR ones. Though, I didn't feel restricted in the ARR zones. They were still a mile better than the original FFXIV 1.0 zones. They were horrible.

Only the Clouds based zones can be a bit frustrating at the beginning (since they are islands in the sky), but open up fully when unlocking flying, since they really are made for flying! Then it's amazing.

rojoArcueid

Ohnooze said:

At the moment I'm level18 and the story is pretty meh but I know it's early.

Since you said you are new to the game i suggest you give the story a chance. It gets a lot better, specially when you start getting deep into the Scions main quest line. Not everyone like story driven games, but FF has always been about a lot of story and the mmo is no different. If you just play it like any other mmo and just grind away like its a job you will get tired and quit. If you like stories in games, this one is worth the while IMO. It just has many little annoyances in between but its worth it.

My opinion, I found a lot of memorable characters and i haven't even seen the first expansion content.

JeroKane

rojoArcueid said:

Ohnooze said:

At the moment I'm level18 and the story is pretty meh but I know it's early.

Since you said you are new to the game i suggest you give the story a chance. It gets a lot better, specially when you start getting deep into the Scions main quest line. Not everyone like story driven games, but FF has always been about a lot of story and the mmo is no different. If you just play it like any other mmo and just grind away like its a job you will get tired and quit. If you like stories in games, this one is worth the while IMO. It just has many little annoyances in between but its worth it.

My opinion, I found a lot of memorable characters and i haven't even seen the first expansion content.

Absolutely agree!  Not to spoil anything, but the ARR Story arc conclusion in Patch 2.4 and 2.5 are absolutely Epic! It's handsdown one of the best parts of the game and the Cinematics amazingly done with pretty good voice acting!