I didn't think Ysayle's Heel Turn was out of nowhere. When she managed to get horde into Ishgard she had a sharp dose of reality when they attacked innocents rather than doing what she thought they would, which is go after the leadership. Ysayle's idealism lead to her being deluded into the reality of what the horde was. That's the big turning point for her in her story. When we meet her she is still stand offish but the ground her conviction was built on has already been eroded. The journey she takes with us only washes away that ground further until finally she is able to be honest with herself.
Moenbryda fit narratively fine. The primary issue the character had was that we as players had little time to get to know her so she did feel a bit rushed as a character. Given her backstory and the reason for inclusion in the narrative her traits, skills and personality made plenty of sense. Of course the Archons loved her. She was a friend they hadn't seen in a long time.
Minfilia I think has suffered due to her role. Being a good manager isn't glamorous. I think she has played her role in the Scions well and as I have said in the past anyone who underestimates the value of a good manager has never had to deal with lousy managers before. I think she is popular with the Faction leadership because the Scions proactively take a role in helping the city states in a time where the city states will take any help they can get. The problem with her is she is never in a role where we as players can really learn to appreciate her as a character. The closest is in 2.2 when she comes with us to learn about the echo. It was her observations that gave us the first clue on how the kill Ascians. Sadly she ended behind the desk again just pushing papers. This is one of the reasons I think Minfilia still has solid potential. We just have never seen her proactive in a role which wasn't dull.
