“[O]ur policy of reducing gameplay-related frustrations was sometimes taken too far. And in some cases, even the hurdles and frustrations that existed to make the gameplay more engaging were eliminated, which made them less fun. […] [We] vetoed some interesting ideas for mechanics so melee players wouldn’t be frustrated by periods of downtime where they can’t attack the boss; we removed them regardless of how interesting the mechanic could be.”
Many of the changes in battle content design philosophy have been seen in Dawntrail, with the devs now placing “greater emphasis on enjoyability” as an overall North Star according to Nakagawa; he notes how his team is trying to strike a balance between DPS uptime and making bosses with unique mechanics like those found during Heavensward’s Alexander raids.
“If we continue to veto ideas like those out of concern for frustrations, […] our content would lose its diversity and all bosses would end up following the same patterns,” he says. “That said, we also don’t believe that everything needs to be unique; after all, some battles should remain orthodox while others can be tremendously innovative.”
In other, less combat-heavy FFXIV news, the MMORPG is readying to mark the New Year with another Heavensturn event starting on Tuesday, December 31st. Players can expect another new seasonal quest as well as thematic goodies in the form of housing decor and a “delightfully squidgy” new minion. After all, what better way to bring good fortune in 2025 than by having a New Year’s Great Serpent of Ronka follow you around?
