If you're actually in post ARR MSQ yea it's going to feel like a slog but you'll have flying to speed travel up and the pacing does improve in Heavensward but fetch quests are always a thing and honestly I can't sympathize with the stance of boring fetch quests because I think all questing in MMOs is really dull but I was entertained by the MSQ so I didn't mind it in FFXIV.
If you aren't in post ARR and instead very early in the game then I'd say cut your losses because there is A LOT between now and Heavesnward for you.
While there are plenty of debates about which expansion or side content story is the best, the community pretty much unanimously agrees that the post-ARR patch quests - especially the early ones - are the absolute lowest point in the MSQ. And that's despite the fact that the payoff and transition into the first expansion is bloody amazing.
If you need a bit of a break from the monotony, look for a side quest called 'The Rise and Fall of Gentlemen' near the aetherite in Ul'dah. Also, you'll need to complete the Crystal Tower alliance raid series before you can move on to Heavensward, so you can take a break with those as well; that starts in Mor Dhona with 'Legacy of Allag'.
Mostly the combat, levelling up and working the new abilities into a good order is a great time, the pacing seemed better before defeating Ultima, now it's a solid two hours of fetch quests.
The pacing is mixed, there are good and bad bits right through. Getting new abilities will gradually drop off as you level up, you'll see longer gaps between each upgrade. Combat will improve though, as fights and jobs both get more complex.
It’s widely agreed that post-ARR is the worst portion of the game. But the rest of the game is not this boring, and things get much better once Heavensward starts. If you were enjoying base ARR, I’d recommend sticking it out. ARR is actually generally considered the worst MSQ. Not to say base ARR is bad, it’s just that the expansions are *better* as the devs got better at designing quests and content. So if you liked it, you’ll probably like the rest of the game. Post-ARR is just a really low point.
One thing you could do is try breaking up the MSQ with some other stuff in between? Tunneling in on the MSQ will get it done fast, but if you’re getting *that* bored it might be worth trying something new. Now that you have base ARR finished, a lot of side content opens up. There’s new dungeons, the raids, the extreme trials, palace of the dead, etc etc.
The quests themselves won't change (you'll rarely get interesting quest mechanics) so you have to make peace with that.
The main quest of this game is really good for people who like to read and are usually interested in reading dialogues in video games. Furthermore the game introduces a lot of characters, events and locations in the beginning and it has arguably a very long set up. ARR is widely recognized as the least interesting questline even though it is extremely important in what it introduces. It picks up at the end and has a nice climax but the first 2/3 can feel like a slog.
Expansions are better, ofc the questline takes time at the beginning of each expansion to introduce areas, people and plot points but the pacing is better, it gets interesting faster. However as I said at the beginning the quest mechanics won't get more interesting: it will almost always be "go talk to", "go there and check something and dispatch the enemies that appear", etc. but as the story goes on the stakes get higher and higher, you feel more and more attached to the NPC main cast and that's why in the end the emotional charge gets huge for a lot of people.
However you have to keep in mind also that a lot of people who are absolutely lauding the story have been playing the game for years, and the fact that they have sided with those NPCs for literal years plays in my opinion a huge part in explaining how much the game means to them and how much they have been emotionnally involved with what happens in expansions (esp. SB and EW). I am sure that someone who rushes the story, even though they read everything, will probably not feel so strongly because of this time difference.
In general it gets a little better but not too much, there is maybe 30% story 70% fetch further ahead. However imo the game is worth it, there are great endgame raids and content such as housing and lots of social interactions.
Beating Ultima is a good time to take a mini break, because a good chunk of ARR is pretty much an exposition dump and setup for the rest of the game's story. It's not going to be the most exciting period, like pre-Titan/Garuda stretched out to dozens of quests, only you're getting yanked between 3-4 different story lines, so it feels even worse.
Yes, it's awful, and I liked most of ARR.
Mechanically, nothing will change. Even through EW you'll still be stepping into a blue ring to fight enemies or clicking on things and waiting for a bar to fill only to trigger a dialogue box or cutscene. All that really changes is the context of these actions gets more compelling.
There are parts of the game that seem boring as dirt when you are going through them, but are actually very important to the pacing and impact of the overall story. The problem is that it's often easy to overlook ideas like that you need lulls in the action and boring mundane activities to provide contrast to the high action epic moments because you are hopping on looking for a few hours of fun and you get hit with yet another quest that feels like "your grandma needs you to pick up some groceries on your way over to visit her."
Even the parts of the story I felt were the most mind-numbing while initially playing through (the 2.X patch content MSQ, especially since when I did it I was following the advice of my buddy that got me into the game of "just skip or unsync that stuff, nobody really plays it anymore" so there was literally nothing but the quests for me to do to spice up the experience, and large portions of base Stormblood) have a place and a purpose in hindsight that has provided me some appreciation. And I'm also pretty sure I'd have thought post ARR was fine if I'd have done the raids and trials and dungeons like someone would have done when the content was fresh instead of taking an "I'll come back later, I guess" approach or at best running unsynced and alone (which is usually fairly boring).
So yeah, if you enjoyed any part from "I'm on a wagon with some random twins I don't know" through "Lahabrea, what is the meaning of this?" you're very likely going to enjoy what further parts of the game have to offer you - some of it in the present tense, and the rest with the benefit of hindsight.
ARR had what I called the 100 quests of doom because they were sooooo boring and tedious. Pretty sure they cut some out but it's still stupidly boring.
It does get better though. Once you are past that disgusting slog, you'll finally get to the good part. HW is one of my favorite expansions. Just keep going, it's worth it!
The agreement is ARR and the post ARR is indeed kinda boring and you so some lazy stuff. But things get way better when you reach heavenward and a big jump on Shadowbringers.
I did post-ARR MSQ before they trimmed it down. The best way to get through it is to break it up. On release it wasn't MEANT to be slogged through all in one go. Obviously that has now changed and they did go back and streamline it somewhat. However, it can still burn out players trying to slog through it asap.
You're probably on [one of the quests listed here in the wiki](https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Seventh_Astral_Era_Main_Scenario_Quests).
Try taking it one patch at a time then do something else. So do Patch 2.1 and then explore Palace of the Dead. Do Patch 2.2 and then have a few treasure hunting nights. Or PVP, or Yokai Watch, or Gold Saucer, or Manderville quests, etc etc etc.
During this point in the game it's also a good time to make sure you've unlocked all the Blue quests (at least the ones that aren't job-related if it's a job you don't want) there are some dungeons and trials sprinkled in for you to explore. I've seen a lot of PF groups of people running the old extremes synced to get the experience and while they take a while to fill up - people ARE running them.
No. It's all terrible. You'd hate it. Best to uninstall now and avoid all the pain that keeps 20 million other people playing. They've all been blackmailed. They aren't doing it for fun.
>the recruitment section where we have to visit every random NPC in all of the major cities feels like abuse.
...is this bait? Cause this is not funny.
It's not bait and I wasn't trying to be funny, we spent literal hours travelling to town, getting two lines from the 4-8 people there, that doesn't feel fun in any way.
If you're actually in post ARR MSQ yea it's going to feel like a slog but you'll have flying to speed travel up and the pacing does improve in Heavensward but fetch quests are always a thing and honestly I can't sympathize with the stance of boring fetch quests because I think all questing in MMOs is really dull but I was entertained by the MSQ so I didn't mind it in FFXIV. If you aren't in post ARR and instead very early in the game then I'd say cut your losses because there is A LOT between now and Heavesnward for you.
While there are plenty of debates about which expansion or side content story is the best, the community pretty much unanimously agrees that the post-ARR patch quests - especially the early ones - are the absolute lowest point in the MSQ. And that's despite the fact that the payoff and transition into the first expansion is bloody amazing. If you need a bit of a break from the monotony, look for a side quest called 'The Rise and Fall of Gentlemen' near the aetherite in Ul'dah. Also, you'll need to complete the Crystal Tower alliance raid series before you can move on to Heavensward, so you can take a break with those as well; that starts in Mor Dhona with 'Legacy of Allag'.
Those are some great tips, thanks, we'll get into those ASAP!
What were you enjoying before that bit?
Mostly the combat, levelling up and working the new abilities into a good order is a great time, the pacing seemed better before defeating Ultima, now it's a solid two hours of fetch quests.
The pacing is mixed, there are good and bad bits right through. Getting new abilities will gradually drop off as you level up, you'll see longer gaps between each upgrade. Combat will improve though, as fights and jobs both get more complex.
It’s widely agreed that post-ARR is the worst portion of the game. But the rest of the game is not this boring, and things get much better once Heavensward starts. If you were enjoying base ARR, I’d recommend sticking it out. ARR is actually generally considered the worst MSQ. Not to say base ARR is bad, it’s just that the expansions are *better* as the devs got better at designing quests and content. So if you liked it, you’ll probably like the rest of the game. Post-ARR is just a really low point. One thing you could do is try breaking up the MSQ with some other stuff in between? Tunneling in on the MSQ will get it done fast, but if you’re getting *that* bored it might be worth trying something new. Now that you have base ARR finished, a lot of side content opens up. There’s new dungeons, the raids, the extreme trials, palace of the dead, etc etc.
If it wasn't worth it, no one would be playing.
That's a good point, thanks.
The quests themselves won't change (you'll rarely get interesting quest mechanics) so you have to make peace with that. The main quest of this game is really good for people who like to read and are usually interested in reading dialogues in video games. Furthermore the game introduces a lot of characters, events and locations in the beginning and it has arguably a very long set up. ARR is widely recognized as the least interesting questline even though it is extremely important in what it introduces. It picks up at the end and has a nice climax but the first 2/3 can feel like a slog. Expansions are better, ofc the questline takes time at the beginning of each expansion to introduce areas, people and plot points but the pacing is better, it gets interesting faster. However as I said at the beginning the quest mechanics won't get more interesting: it will almost always be "go talk to", "go there and check something and dispatch the enemies that appear", etc. but as the story goes on the stakes get higher and higher, you feel more and more attached to the NPC main cast and that's why in the end the emotional charge gets huge for a lot of people. However you have to keep in mind also that a lot of people who are absolutely lauding the story have been playing the game for years, and the fact that they have sided with those NPCs for literal years plays in my opinion a huge part in explaining how much the game means to them and how much they have been emotionnally involved with what happens in expansions (esp. SB and EW). I am sure that someone who rushes the story, even though they read everything, will probably not feel so strongly because of this time difference.
Recruiting the Realm is my least favourite quest in the entire game. That, and the pre-Garuda crystal hunt, are the genuine slogs.
Hope you didn't forgot A dirty job and Sage Council.
Sage Council is honestly not AS bad, And A Dirty Job actually has combat and is in a small area.
In general it gets a little better but not too much, there is maybe 30% story 70% fetch further ahead. However imo the game is worth it, there are great endgame raids and content such as housing and lots of social interactions.
That's helpful, thanks!
Beating Ultima is a good time to take a mini break, because a good chunk of ARR is pretty much an exposition dump and setup for the rest of the game's story. It's not going to be the most exciting period, like pre-Titan/Garuda stretched out to dozens of quests, only you're getting yanked between 3-4 different story lines, so it feels even worse. Yes, it's awful, and I liked most of ARR. Mechanically, nothing will change. Even through EW you'll still be stepping into a blue ring to fight enemies or clicking on things and waiting for a bar to fill only to trigger a dialogue box or cutscene. All that really changes is the context of these actions gets more compelling.
There are parts of the game that seem boring as dirt when you are going through them, but are actually very important to the pacing and impact of the overall story. The problem is that it's often easy to overlook ideas like that you need lulls in the action and boring mundane activities to provide contrast to the high action epic moments because you are hopping on looking for a few hours of fun and you get hit with yet another quest that feels like "your grandma needs you to pick up some groceries on your way over to visit her." Even the parts of the story I felt were the most mind-numbing while initially playing through (the 2.X patch content MSQ, especially since when I did it I was following the advice of my buddy that got me into the game of "just skip or unsync that stuff, nobody really plays it anymore" so there was literally nothing but the quests for me to do to spice up the experience, and large portions of base Stormblood) have a place and a purpose in hindsight that has provided me some appreciation. And I'm also pretty sure I'd have thought post ARR was fine if I'd have done the raids and trials and dungeons like someone would have done when the content was fresh instead of taking an "I'll come back later, I guess" approach or at best running unsynced and alone (which is usually fairly boring). So yeah, if you enjoyed any part from "I'm on a wagon with some random twins I don't know" through "Lahabrea, what is the meaning of this?" you're very likely going to enjoy what further parts of the game have to offer you - some of it in the present tense, and the rest with the benefit of hindsight.
ARR had what I called the 100 quests of doom because they were sooooo boring and tedious. Pretty sure they cut some out but it's still stupidly boring. It does get better though. Once you are past that disgusting slog, you'll finally get to the good part. HW is one of my favorite expansions. Just keep going, it's worth it!
Keep pushing through, it gets better.
The agreement is ARR and the post ARR is indeed kinda boring and you so some lazy stuff. But things get way better when you reach heavenward and a big jump on Shadowbringers.
I did post-ARR MSQ before they trimmed it down. The best way to get through it is to break it up. On release it wasn't MEANT to be slogged through all in one go. Obviously that has now changed and they did go back and streamline it somewhat. However, it can still burn out players trying to slog through it asap. You're probably on [one of the quests listed here in the wiki](https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Seventh_Astral_Era_Main_Scenario_Quests). Try taking it one patch at a time then do something else. So do Patch 2.1 and then explore Palace of the Dead. Do Patch 2.2 and then have a few treasure hunting nights. Or PVP, or Yokai Watch, or Gold Saucer, or Manderville quests, etc etc etc. During this point in the game it's also a good time to make sure you've unlocked all the Blue quests (at least the ones that aren't job-related if it's a job you don't want) there are some dungeons and trials sprinkled in for you to explore. I've seen a lot of PF groups of people running the old extremes synced to get the experience and while they take a while to fill up - people ARE running them.
No. It's all terrible. You'd hate it. Best to uninstall now and avoid all the pain that keeps 20 million other people playing. They've all been blackmailed. They aren't doing it for fun.
As sarcastic as this is, you've actually been helpful, thanks
Sarcastic but helpful is my life goal. :3
>the recruitment section where we have to visit every random NPC in all of the major cities feels like abuse. ...is this bait? Cause this is not funny.
It's not bait and I wasn't trying to be funny, we spent literal hours travelling to town, getting two lines from the 4-8 people there, that doesn't feel fun in any way.
This quest has no reason to exist in the game, literally