party-content
Latest
The Mog Log: The mandatory early dungeons of Final Fantasy XIV
You're going to be exploring at least three dungeons in Final Fantasy XIV no matter what, possibly more. Progression in the main story requires a trip through Sastasha Seagrot, the Tam-Tara Deepcroft, and Copperbell Mines. While I've talked a great deal about the ethics of including this grouping experience, what I haven't really discussed are the actual dungeons themselves, even though that's certainly a big deal. Let's be honest here: If this stuff isn't fun, all of the talk about the validity of forced grouping is kind of pointless. Even if you can, there are times when you shouldn't. Fortunately for the long-term viability of these dungeons, all three have more than just nice loot (which is apparently shared between them); they also offer a fun ride through regardless. So as you could probably infer from all of the text up to this point, let's take a gander at the first three dungeons in the game and the ones we know for a fact you have to clear right off.
The Soapbox: Groupthink
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. I can pinpoint exactly the moment that the luster of World of Warcraft's big old-game-changing expansion wore off for me. And it didn't take very long, just long enough for me to pick up a quest named It's Raid Night Every Night for my Dwarf. It was an unremarkable quest in every way, with the only really clever-ish bit being the title that slyly winks at players about one of the game's criticisms. Except that it's not exactly an unfair criticism. If you were at the level cap and wanted to keep playing the game with anything approaching forward motion, it was raid night every night. The joke left a bad taste in my mouth. Of course, this isn't an article about WoW except in passing and by association. It's about the temptation and tendency to have group content as the panacea, as the overwhelming focus of any new content. It's about why we get so much content that focuses on large group efforts, and why that isn't necessarily such a good thing -- for the players or even the developers.
The Daily Grind: What was your favorite experience as a healer?
If you're going to play a game in which your allies will rush forward into their imminent death despite your best efforts, someone's going to need to take the task of keeping them from death. Sometimes the healer is up on the front lines like the Warrior Priests of Warhammer Online, but most often your job in the healer is to stand back and keep everyone alive in spite of their determination to stand in fire. It's not a glamorous job, but boy is it ever important. From games like World of Warcraft that require a dedicated healer to games like City of Heroes where your "healer" may have no direct healing spells, the third part of the holy trinity sees the least direct action but still tables a lot of responsibility. So what's your favorite experience from taking on the role of the walking band-aid? Were you stuck in a group with members who couldn't keep themselves alive at all if not for your healing? Or is there a particular game that always made healing feel more fun than any other task in the game? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: What was your favorite experience as a damage dealer?
Out of the three roles of the holy trinity, damage dealers (or DPS, depending on personal preference) are usually seen as the most superfluous. After all, you just have to pound something into the ground, right? But that's neglecting all of the work that damage dealers actually do, and it's neglecting the fact that you notice when your resident monster-pounder isn't up to snuff. Just because there are an awful lot of damage-dealing players in certain games (World of Warcraft springs to mind) doesn't mean there aren't some noteworthy members of the role. From EverQuest to RIFT, pretty much every game has some way of allowing players to just rack up huge numbers and lay waste to the opposition. So what has your favorite experience been when piling on the damage? Was there a time that you broke numbers you didn't even think you were capable of hitting? A time when you showed your entire party just how good you were at what you did? Or was it a game where you got to combine your love of breaking things with a more party-oriented utility approach? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
