Let's look back at all the FFXI content blunders

[Antithesis]

Actually, if I woke up to an update adjusting EF so that it's actually useful and challenging to do... I'd cum buckets.
In fact, if one of their version updates was just adjusting tons of old content to make the old new again and not adding anything actually new (while keeping the 'current events' relevant) I would be all for it.

Fucking co-signed.

[drwaffles]

Add Jorm and Vrtra to the list. Epic mobs in epic settings (still some of the coolest free-roaming monsters in the game, in my opinion) with virtually no reason for existing other than speeding up Staff skillups. It annoys me no end that SE designs and implements really interesting HNMs that are doomed to obscurity simply because they never bothered to give them useful drops. Jorm, Vrtra, Gulool, Medusa, Gurfurlur, Yilbegan, Hydra, the WotG fomor, even Cerb/Khim nowadays. What the hell is difficult about giving each of them a properly worthwhile drop? Why give Tiamat one of the most desirable items in the game and then give Vrtra a silly novelty hat?

Completely agree with the "wish they'd spend half an hour making pointless content worth doing" sentiment.

[Izzy]

Vrtra used to be the only way to get a Manteel aside from desynthing subligar.

Then Bahamut v2 came out.

[Byrthnoth]

Vrtra used to be the only way to get a Nashira Body aside from desynthing subligar.

Then Bahamut v2 came out.

You've been gone too long, but yeah (Sha'ir Manteel). Jorm also used to be one of the few sources of Dragon Talons for Igqira Weskits.

[Isiolia]

I'd say Campaign.

The event all by itself, not necessarily, though some of the tweaks to it were dumb. The main problem I have with it is the degree to which WoTG as a whole ties into it + the expiration of medals. Basically, if you're not doing Campaign, you're probably not doing a whole lot in WoTG in general outside of possibly hunting a handful of NMs. While ToAU wasn't perfect either, that had events that, while related, were not as tightly integrated, and it worked better for it.

While SE likely thought medal expiration would encourage more regular participation, what I observed was that far more people just said screw it and stopped doing Campaign altogether because it punished irregular participation like that.


Though it wasn't a complete failure per se, having Nyzul be an Assault (and thus needing tags) and/or having Salvage require AP was a poor planning move as well. It discouraged helping out or returning to Nyzul or non-profitable Assaults.


As a fundamental design issue, the lack of space. Non-instanced (or even copied) Dynamis zones, world-spawn HNMs with long timers, or even limited copies of BC zones that could become overcrowded....SE failed to anticipate (or was too lazy to do anything about) bottlenecking or competing for content. Some of it lost appeal as a result. Plenty of people stopped doing HNM camping (or never started) because of the mechanics of it. When I tried doing MMM for XP, my LS enjoyed it...until we started becoming unable to get into the zone for 30-45 minutes at a time due to overcrowding, and subsequently stopped trying.
While the number of participants for some events isn't next to none...there are some where you'd probably have 10-20x or more the number of people doing them if they were able to just go do 'em uninhibited by what amount to design problems.

[Izzy]

You've been gone too long, but yeah (Sha'ir Manteel). Jorm also used to be one of the few sources of Dragon Talons for Igqira Weskits.

ROFL yea, thanks for pointing that out.

It has been too long.

[Zirk]

I still have hope to this day Ballista will get an overhaul and become popular again, Ballista is my favourite thing to do in FFXI by far.

[Insertnamehere]

Fairy Augments any1 >.>

[shepardG]

-Event helpers? I think was what it was called? basically GM's to help you run...LS based events? like a game of hide and seek or some shit... it. never. happened. once.

-fucking getting married? must have been ps2 limitations to include an item that gave buffs while in the party with your spouse, thereby making marriages something people gave a shit about, other than for the lulz.

-Fiat-lux being "instanced"

-MMM conflicting with Sandworm zones ... should be enough fail to wrap this bullet up....

I'm still thinking but those 3 came to mind and i don't think had been "directly" mentioned

[Gwynplaine]

Really at this point nearly everything in FFXI is unrewarding considering the alternatives, and hence not worth the time it takes in this slow/old game to find people and invest time or money.

Worthwhile and Relevant:
Abyssea, and everything it encompasses (leveling/meriting/skillups/gear).
Missions, for some rewards and if you're a story buff.
Leveling subjobs/Field of Valor, if you haven't already done so.
Magian Trials, if you hate living and can stomach them.

Debatably Marginally Relevant:
Crafting/Synergy/Gathering
Salvage
Walk of Echoes
Einherjer
NPC Fellows
BCNM/KSNM/ANNM

Irrelevant:
Conquest/E.F./Garrison/Brenner/Ballista/Sky/Sea/Limbus/Ground NMs/Chocobo Raising/Chocobo Racing/Pankration/Beseiged/Assault/Campaign/Campaign Ops/Stronghold NMs/Story Scenario Addons/Augments/Evolith/MMM/ISNM/ZNM/VNM/ENM

I don't mind old content being outdated, but I'd like there to be more coming in at the same time to supplement/replace it. Right now I feel like it's useless to be logged in unless I am in Abyssea. The only other activity is playing instant messenger from your Mog House. FFXI would do well to have some casual activity you could pick up solo between group stuff.


Edit: Actually come to think of it I think it's important to differentiate between a failed event/feature and one that was good for its time but has become obsoleted. Things like sky and sea and even Garrison had their place once with some rewarding stuff. However all you need to do to find true "blunders" is look at things that don't reward you by developing your character: Ballista/Brenner/Pankration/etc.

[Snprphnx]

how about the time periods SE takes to release full expansions?

RotZ - Complete upon initial release
CoP - 9/04-7/05 - 10 months till completed
ToAU - 4/06-8/07 - 16 months till completed
WotG - 11/07 - 12/10 - 3 fucking years

[Khajit]

Znm still has Hachiryuetc and pw body is still one of the best bodies for jobs that dont need a stp body

[shepardG]

how about the time periods SE takes to release full expansions?

RotZ - Complete upon initial release
CoP - 9/04-7/05 - 10 months till completed
ToAU - 4/06-8/07 - 16 months till completed
WotG - 11/07 - 12/10 - 3 fucking years

This... a thousand times this..

[Sepukku]

I still have hope to this day Ballista will get an overhaul and become popular again, Ballista is my favourite thing to do in FFXI by far.

Definitely agree. I wasted a year+ of my life living in Ballista >_> Every night, whatever cap it was, I was there with the same group of people. I had equip sets for Ballista for every job I had leveled, every cap. And not just any equips, equips for Ballista (Behemoth Mantle+1 for example). I would go insaaaaaaaaaaaaaaane for a massive Ballista re-do.

What I found useless (other than what was already mentioned):
--Entire sections of Whitegate useless. They could've added more NPCs/quests/anything in Whitegate. Some of the 8 "squares" are complete ghost towns.
--Beastmen centers NMs (Throne Room, Qulun Dome, Monastic Cavern). Pre-ToAU these battles should've been EPIC.
--Oldton/Newton Movalpolos.

[ronin sparthos]

Definitely agree. I wasted a year+ of my life living in Ballista >_> Every night, whatever cap it was, I was there with the same group of people. I had equip sets for Ballista for every job I had leveled, every cap. And not just any equips, equips for Ballista (Behemoth Mantle+1 for example). I would go insaaaaaaaaaaaaaaane for a massive Ballista re-do.

What I found useless (other than what was already mentioned):
--Entire sections of Whitegate useless. They could've added more NPCs/quests/anything in Whitegate. Some of the 8 "squares" are complete ghost towns.
--Beastmen centers NMs (Throne Room, Qulun Dome, Monastic Cavern). Pre-ToAU these battles should've been EPIC.
--Oldton/Newton Movalpolos.

Don't forget about Pso'xja :3

[Mercilessturtle]

Irrelevant:
Conquest/E.F./Garrison/Brenner/Ballista/Sky/Sea/Limbus/Ground NMs/Chocobo Raising/Chocobo Racing/Pankration/Beseiged/Assault/Campaign/Campaign Ops/Stronghold NMs/Story Scenario Addons/Augments/Evolith/MMM/ISNM/ZNM/VNM/ENM

That's a pretty arbitrary list. Salvage has what, 2-3 useful pieces of gear still? Does einherjar even have that much? Sea, sky and ZNMs all have 2-3 useful pieces too. Hell even the mini-expansion gear is still useful if you have the job(s) to make use of it.

FFXI would do well to have some casual activity you could pick up solo between group stuff.

It is a multiplayer game, expecting single player content is a bit silly. You are allowed to log out when you don't have anything to do.

[Villian]

The zone with Shen in it? I find that zone to be one of the best.

[BWYuko]

Original RNG nerf.

TP/hit nerf on one and two-handed weapons.

Blaze Spikes.

Original Sky pop item distribution.

Half of the relic weapons.

Eastern Shadow. Argus. Bloodsucker.

Original Sea pop item distribution.

/sh

Fucking doors in fucking sky.

Non-instanced lottery spawns with windows of three or more hours. Some were (are) the only place in the game to collect particular items for about 5-6 straight years.

Haste cap implementation during the heyday of Rune Chopper and Apoc zerg.

Respective Souleater nerfs that followed soon thereafter.

The puppetmaster job class.

Almost all of the Mythic weapons.

Arrapaggo Remnants.

Hauteclaire is exactly as valuable as Abyss Cuirass.

Luck-based treasure distribution with drop rates less than 10% on monsters that spawn once every 6 days.

Moblin Maze Mongers.

Month after month after month after month after month of essentially no useful content in between-expansion update notes. For about 5 consecutive years.

This list is bottomless. What exactly is the goal of this thread?

[Uubu]

agreed would love to see ballista get a revamp, maybe even some sort of title ranking system

[blowfin]

Making Kirin a bigger timesink by having a random portal.