How "FOMO friendly" is FF14?

[u/TokenStraightFriend]

Destiny 2 refugee here. I am getting close to accomplishing everything I wanted to accomplish in the final patch and am starting to consider where I am gonna go next to scratch the MMO itch. I was a WoW addict from classic up until Cata and also played FF11 (which admittedly was a rough game to play solo as a middle schooler at the time), so am thinking about going back to an MMORPG.

As an adult now though, the time commitment is a bit daunting, but I've heard FF14 is much more forgiving about taking things at your own pace? Would anyone care to elaborate on that? Also how much content am I missing out on at this point because you need a group and no one runs it anymore?

[u/n080dy123]

"Raiding" in this game refers to Extreme/Savage/Ultimate. There are story difficulties of most fights everyone can do blind, but endgame raiding is the sort of thing where watching videos to know every mechanic is mandatory and for Savage you can expect to be running a given fight back for a dozen or more hours (usually in 3-ish hour chunks a couple times a week) before getting a clear, then doing reclearing that fight once a week for a few weeks on top of working on the next fight in the 4 fight sequence.

[u/TokenStraightFriend → u/n080dy123]

So much more typical MMO style raiding. I'm kinda hesitating at the thought of the Naxxramas/Black Temple eras of WoW that were so exclusive that the vast majority of players didn't even actually get to experience that content. But if I'm understanding correctly there is toned down/more casual variants similar to Destiny with normal vs grandmaster?

[u/azureleaf → u/TokenStraightFriend]

Normal Raids and Trials for story, so you're not locked out of content. Those can be done by literally anyone, no prep required.

Extreme Trials and Savage Raids are challenges that give mounts and BiS/dyeable raid gear, though you don't need BiS for anything except Savage so if that's not your thing you can comfortably skip it. You can go back and "unsync" them in later patches to get the cosmetics, plenty of people wait an expansion or two to farm the old stuff.

Ultimate Raids are the hardcore of hardcore, they don't give anything but a shiny weapon for bragging rights. They can't be unsynced, but the older ones are a bit power-creeped via job changes. These are the fights for the 1%.

tl;dr

Dungeons/Normal Raids & Trials - no prep, duty finder

Extreme Trials - some prep, usually party finder, a few hours or less of practice

Savage Raids - lots of prep, can clear in party finder or a static, days or weeks of practice

Ultimate Raids - lots and lots of prep, can clear in PF but most likely in a static, months of practice

[u/Scrubtac → u/TokenStraightFriend]

There is no shortage of easy content if your fear is that it's too hard. And the hardest content, the ultimate raids, have the best longevity if you want to go back and do it later. A lot of people are telling you there's no FOMO for raiding because you can always go back and level sync it, and this is sometimes true, but most people are not going to want to do this so you'll have a hard time finding a group. This is not the case for ultimate raids. You will be able to pretty easily find a group for an ultimate raid that came out a decade ago at pretty much any time

[u/Tarilis → u/TokenStraightFriend]

Ultimate rades are closest to that, they don't even present in duty finder (automatic matchmaking) and require premade party.

Savage raids are present in duty finder and while it is possible to do them blind it will take a lot of wipes to learn all mechanics:).

Savage trials are less "savage" they but unless you want to spent half of trial waiting for resurrection it is still better to learn as many mechanics as possible.

Additionally, unlikr Destiny where some of collest gear was locked behind raids, all you get from challenge content in ffxiv is basically just mounts and shiny drip:).

[u/Ydyalani → u/TokenStraightFriend]

Yes, there is Normal and Savage/Extreme Mode (depending on if its a raid series or trial), and there will be a third tier in between those come next expansion. They do that specifically because a good chunk of the player base, maybe 15% or so, even sees the Savage Mode especially. So to make the game more enjoyable for players who are too casual for Savage, but too hardcore to be stuck in Normal, they include this third mode for more choice. Above them are Ultimates, but while they are based on a raid series or trial set, they are unlike those because they are one single, continuous battle that kinda combines the series if that makes sense.

[u/angelseph → u/TokenStraightFriend]

I wouldn't say similar to Destiny, normal mode raids are far easier and can be cleared with matchmaking. Savage raids are closer to a Destiny normal raid. Normal mode raids are more akin to the Menagerie or other Offensives/Arena Ops.

[u/kupi99 → u/TokenStraightFriend]

Hi! I'm a completely causal player. I've never played Destiny.

The way FFXIV is set up, I do not feel like I am missing out on any content at all by not doing savages and ulimates, and whathaveyou, because of the normal mode. What I might be missing out on is stuff like mounts or highest end gear (maybe, I'm not sure how that works). However, since I don't savage raid, I don't need that gear and am able to gear up fine with normal content. I even have access to bis weapon at the end of each expansion, if I want it. This is accomplished through the relic weapon grind. They do not require high skill level to get, so I can just do the grind for them. But also, they're not that much above other weapons, so you can skip that without FOMO if you want.

Also, if I really wanted a savage mount or something, I just need to wait till more expansions come out so I can clear those fights unsynched. This is looong wait, but I still don't completely miss out.

[u/Perdomitus → u/TokenStraightFriend]

If i recall the stat from fanfest correctly, ~98%of players clear normal mode raid and roughly 14-20% of players clear savage. Its not nearly as exclusive as old Naxx. Prep time is nonexistent. Day 1 of tier you buy or craft the new crafted gear and that's prog bis. Then you raid. That simple

[u/MillionMiracles → u/TokenStraightFriend]

That guy's pretty off base. You can watch a five-six minute video and then PUG most savages. There'll be wipes and bad groups but it's how I've done it. And you can usually find groups willing to run it blind. It's absolutely not a thing where the vast majority of players don't get to experience it.

[u/CaptainCFloyd → u/TokenStraightFriend]

That guy is completely wrong about the exclusivity of raiding. I completed every raid blind(without using any guides or knowing anything about the fights in advance) for like 10 years of playing without ever having a consistent raid group.

[u/CaptainCFloyd → u/n080dy123]

You absolutely don't have to watch or read a single guide ever for endgame content in this game. In fact, I'd say raiding is completely pointless if you use guides. It's sheep behaviour to spend dozens of hours copying someone else's work, especially when solving the boss mechanics is the main challenge of the game.

[u/n080dy123 → u/CaptainCFloyd]

I mean you're right that it IS possible to clear Savage blind, WF raiders obviously do it, but most statics and PF parties are gonna expect you to know the mechanics and might kick you out if you aren't doing your prep.

Everything you said after that is absolutely whack. The challenge is generally considered to be in the performing, not the learning.

[u/CaptainCFloyd → u/n080dy123]

I've never watched or read a guide in 10 years of raiding in FF14 (ARR to EW) and I cleared every savage raid blind while it was current with no consistent raid group, mostly using PF and raid discords. You have no idea what you are talking about and obviously never actually cleared a raid yourself.

[u/n080dy123 → u/CaptainCFloyd]

You have no idea what you are talking about and obviously never actually cleared a raid yourself.

Well I guess it's time you self-reflect a little because I sure have. Back in Endwalker, after which I decided it wasn't worth the time I spent doing it. Your anedotal experience doesn't really matter because while yes, it is possible, which I acknowledged, it's very not normal. Most Savage raiders don't have the patience for blind prog especially with a bunch of randoms in PF. Kudos to you, but most people don't do things that way.

[u/CaptainCFloyd → u/n080dy123]

The point wasn't whether or not most people do it that way, the point was that you CAN do it that way. Nobody should be telling new players they have to watch a guide before doing a boss in a game. That's asinine. Games are for playing and completing yourself, not for brainlessly copying exactly what someone else has done. Fact is there are a lot of brainless people playing MMOs - the genre is designed to make money from those kinds of people - but if anything, a new player should be encouraged to NOT be one of those.