FFXIV is also designed with the mentality that players are “allowed” to take breaks. They don’t actively design 90% of their game to manipulate the playerbase into maintaining a subscription, or staying engaged with content that has long overstayed its welcome.
As such… most of their content is designed with a very clear, specific vision that isn’t necessarily going to appeal to everything. Blue Mage is niche content. Housing is niche. Crafting is niche. PotD is niche. Gold Saucer is niche. But if those things appeal to you, you’re going to have a great time with them because their designs aren’t compromised by trying to make them appeal to the entire playerbase, like Torghast or Warfronts.
But yeah, like I said above… FFXIV is pretty much the same game it was in 2015. What prompted current events? It certainly wasn’t FFXIV, as it is currently in a content lull itself.
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WoW boomers overdosing on that copium.
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Yep it’s nothing FFXIV did. It’s everything Blizz did that doesn’t resonate with people who have decided to leave and go play other things.
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No, FF14 deserves a little credit here. Shadowbringers is their best expansion by far. The story and the OST are very good.
I find them to all be the same expansion with different graphics.
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As someone who loves trolls and pvp and can’t connect with any ffxiv race at all and pvp that sucks, yet having more fun in ffxiv and unsubbed from WoW I’d say your somewhat wrong.
Wows been on the decline for a solid 4 years (some might say earlier but I actually liked legion.)
WoW isn’t designed for large content droughts with all these systems. Ffxiv however is because after raiding and collecting ur armor u can still chill out with ur homies and and work on ur house or do crafting gathering stuff. There’s a ton to do in ffxiv at any lvl without feeling pushed to do end game content and grind out systems that’ll die.
WoW is currently designed for raiders and mythic plus players not the casual crowd anymore.
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that is how i feel i mean yea game is going to be fun and thats because im brand new dont know a damn thing about the game so it feels more fun where as with wow ive played for many years so yea the excitement doesn’t come as easily.
i mean ff14 has been out for idk how long so has SL and imo blizz really didn’t change much over the past few years prior to covid so why only now? basically just band wagon type of stuff from streamers milking content from ff14 vs WoW. people that quit WoW for good moved to ff14 YEARS ago its nothing new.
other mmorpg’s exist as well swtor, OSRS, ESO, ff14, GW2, etc… same ole ones that been holding the genre down for years now.
Sabbia is like an IPA. The first time you have a taste, it’s horrible. But then over time you start craving it and then it’s your favorite.
They are, sure, but they’re simply exceeding an already fantastic track record. It’s been generally at this level since Heavensward. Although Shadowbringers is better, it is certainly not a marked improvement - not enough to necessitate the influx of of sprouts we’re seeing.
Definitely, people wouldn’t be drawn to it if it weren’t good. But the exodus started because of stuff Blizz was doing. Or not doing in some cases. Otherwise people wouldn’t have gone shopping for another MMO.
I feel bad for the FF14 community in a year when the WoW refugees come off the honeymoon and begin lashing out at the Square developers, calling the Cult of Yoshida shills for liking the game, and leaving the game en masse.
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It’s a breaking point for some. Willing to give Blizzard chances over the years in hopes things would improve and they’d love the game again.
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It’ll be interesting to see how they react to a developer that actually takes ownership of its issues and strives to solve them, instead of pretending that these issues don’t exist or are simply “social” issues that are entirely the responsibility of the playerbase.
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See above.
You can take the player out of General Discussion, but you can’t take the General Discussion out of the player 
I mean, true. But it did certainly change my perception of the developer, and therefore the game itself, and how I go about voicing those concerns. I am infinitely more willing to be measured and diplomatic over on the FFXIV forums than I am here. (The fact that they actually combat passive toxicity over there also keeps me in line.)
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Contrary to popular belief, criticism is not hate. 
Wanting a company to do better is not hate.
i guarantee you i’ve been a fan of the franchise longer than you lol.
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i don’t think it’s so much a breaking point but rather a mentality thing where they see so much flocking to ff14 currently that they are hyped and jump on the band wagon.
AKA - trends.
for some yes it is a actual breaking point but for the whole in general? doubt it. im not saying ff14 is a bad game or anything im just saying why only now they are leaving with all the hype around it versus the many times they could have left prior. what we are dealing with in WoW is no different over the years. it’s been the same ole same ole bs
It just became more public with streamers leaving. There were already people leaving to play FFXIV way before that.
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I did notice an increase of sprouts in the past few months, but the last couple weeks have been absolutely unreal.