Dawntrail is so painful; is it on purpose?

Dawntrail is the start of a whole new story after the climatic expansion that was Endwalker, nearly a full decade after the beginning of ARR. It has to build stuff up before things can be exciting so yes, it's "painful' because it's nothing like Shadowbringers or Endwalker.

The story really has pacing problems. It's talking >95% of the time and huge parts of the MSQ do little to advance the plot and feel like side quests that drag on forever. For example, the multiple trades in the first part and the bracelet thing later on. Did my WoL really needed to learn everything about agriculture in Xak Tural? zzz...Then they make cutscenes that last way too long and bring nothing to the story such as the one at the end of the Xibruq pibil quest where Wuk can't stop praising the dish (ok she likes it, can we move on please?)

Same with the role stories. Idk if they are all like the melee dps questline but it was all talking save the killing of one weak beast and a mega easy short fight at the end. Before the proportion was inverted: you had a fight in every quest except 2 stages. There is no need to know a job at all to complete them and despite how irrelevant they are, they are required to regain the mentor status lol.

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Originally Posted by CerusSerenade

Dawntrail is the start of a whole new story after the climatic expansion that was Endwalker, nearly a full decade after the beginning of ARR. It has to build stuff up before things can be exciting so yes, it's "painful' because it's nothing like Shadowbringers or Endwalker.

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Just because it's a new expansion that has to build stuff up, doesn't mean it can't be fun and exciting. The story had a major hook with the search for the Golden City. Like I have seen somebody else mention, this could have been the Indiana Jones expansion. No realm threatening danger, just the pursuit of adventure.

Instead they turned it into some sort of Sesame Street lesson of love, peace and understanding. A lesson that got repeated for way too many hours. My Little Pony seasons were more exciting.

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Originally Posted by Toutatis

The story really has pacing problems. It's talking >95% of the time and huge parts of the MSQ do little to advance the plot and feel like side quests that drag on forever. For example, the multiple trades in the first part and the bracelet thing later on. Then they make cutscenes that last way too long and bring nothing to the story such as the one at the end of the Xibruq pibil quest where Wuk can't stop praising the dish (ok she likes it, can we move on please?)

Same with the role stories. Idk if they are all like the melee dps questline but it was all talking save the killing of one weak beast and a mega easy short fight at the end. Before the proportion was inverted: you had a fight in every quest except 2 stages. There is no need to know a job at all to complete them (and despite how irrelevant they are, they are required to regain the mentor status lol).

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Not only are they long, they often repeat the exact same thing as previous cutscenes. They do far too much telling and not enough showing. Then often when they do the showing, it is after already telling, so it just drags it out even further. It is like the writers think we are dumb and won't recall what we were told 5 minutes before.

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Originally Posted by Gullis

I feel this is every msq ever tho? People just notice it more in DT, due to not liking the story. I didn't feel like this was any more of a cutscene sim that the others

I do wish they would give us more actual gameplay for sure.

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I politely disagree--to a point. It's true that people disliking the MSQ has certainly exasperated the issue, but compared to say...Stormblood (just because I do it a lot due to boosting to get to Empyreum), there's far fewer solo duties to break up the quest dialog with some manner of doing something. Also DT has more cutscenes as a whole. The two together create a situation where the story does drag on with few "gameplay breaks".

Now granted, Endwalker had this problem as well and it became *really* clear to anyone that leveled alts and skipped the cutscenes, but as you said--and here I agree--EW's story carried past that. It's still a "recentish" change in MSQ design philosophy, though. FF14 has always prioritized narrative other than "kill X something", and that's good, but Trusts are no replacement for solo duties. They fill different roles in the narrative experience.

The conspiracy theorist in me says DT is bad on purpose so people will look at previously disliked bits in a more generous light...

Like would you rather have more wuk or more Lyse? I personally would after DT be perfectly fine with more Lyse.

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Originally Posted by Toutatis

The story really has pacing problems. It's talking >95% of the time and huge parts of the MSQ do little to advance the plot and feel like side quests that drag on forever. For example, the multiple trades in the first part and the bracelet thing later on. Then they make cutscenes that last way too long and bring nothing to the story such as the one at the end of the Xibruq pibil quest where Wuk can't stop praising the dish (ok she likes it, can we move on please?).

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Yeah this expansions has some of the worst pacing issues. They focused far to long on unimportant things like the Pelupelu trading "mini game". After the 3rd time it should have been enough. But they also focused far to little on important things. Like Bakool Ja Ja and his redemption being rushed.

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Originally Posted by CerusSerenade

Dawntrail is the start of a whole new story after the climatic expansion that was Endwalker, nearly a full decade after the beginning of ARR. It has to build stuff up before things can be exciting so yes, it's "painful' because it's nothing like Shadowbringers or Endwalker.

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So because its the start of a new story it should excuse poor writing and pacing? So they haven't learned from the last 10+ years of story telling? Come on man...

I'm just noticing this as well but is every zone just a remix of the opening track? I use to love FFXIV OST in other expansions but now all Im hearing is that one song in different tempos am I crazy? I know they've done it it before with other main themes but this seems really excessive.

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Originally Posted by Barachim

Just because it's a new expansion that has to build stuff up, doesn't mean it can't be fun and exciting. The story had a major hook with the search for the Golden City. Like I have seen somebody else mention, this could have been the Indiana Jones expansion. No realm threatening danger, just the pursuit of adventure.

Instead they turned it into some sort of Sesame Street lesson of love, peace and understanding. A lesson that got repeated for way too many hours. My Little Pony seasons were more exciting.

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*Game series known for decades of game based around the power of friendship is criticized for again including the power of friendship*

Anyway, there was plenty of excitement, sci-fi invaders, interacting with the denizens of another shard, discovering what happened to the people of the South Sea Isles, PLENTY of excitement. You just didn't personally like the content.

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Originally Posted by MoonStoneX

So because its the start of a new story it should excuse poor writing and pacing? So they haven't learned from the last 10+ years of story telling? Come on man...

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That's a strange thing to say considering the writing was fine. Maybe you're just following the bandwagon.

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Originally Posted by CerusSerenade

*Game series known for decades of game based around the power of friendship is criticized for again including the power of friendship*

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Which should honestly clue you in on how bad the writing in this expansion was.

Let me compare this in Anime terms. If ARR to EW was One Piece, DT is Fairy Tail.