This is going to be a touchy subject, so I’m going to say as little as possible so as to avoid insulting anyone (even though no insult is intended). The number of complaints I’m seeing about Liadri brings to light the conditioned state of (seemingly) most gamers. They want easy, accessible content and they want to be able to complete everything (so as to maximize achievements or loot or just to feel good about themselves).
On the other end of the spectrum are the players who genuinely want to be challenged. The fact that some players have defeated Liadri says she can be defeated. The fact that many players are complaining that she’s an unfair fight says that defeating her requires skill.
That leaves us with two groups of players directly opposed to one another, and the developers cannot – no matter how much they’d like to – please both at once. They’re either going to release content that is easy enough for virtually anyone to complete or they’re going to release challenging content that leaves less-skilled players crying foul. Either way, someone’s going to feel alienated.
I’m of the belief that the game (all games, for that matter) need tougher content that require a greater display of skill to complete. I don’t necessarily like the idea of content being locked behind difficult achievements (this is coming from a guy who had access to Sea in FFXI when that actually meant something), but I have no problems at all with achievements/achievement points or cosmetic items being reserved for the very best players.
The problem arises in the conditioning of players these days. Now I recognize there are many players who fail something like Liadri and say to themselves, “well, I’m just not good enough. Bravo to those who beat her,” and move on with their gaming lives. But these also seems to be a vocal group (who knows how large they actually are?) who believe effort or desire, and not skill, should determine whether or not one is able to accomplish every achievement or obtain every reward. It’s strikes me as a sense of entitlement, and I can see where it would put the developers between a rock and a hard place.
Thoughts? If you respond, please do so in a civil and constructive manner. Thanks.
PS – This thread shouldn’t offense anyone, but these days you never can tell. So I’m sorry if I ruffled any feathers with my post; that was not my intention.