Why I think Heavensward is the best MMO story I've played so far (No spoilers)

I've been playing MMO's for about 20 some years now, starting with UO. I love playing in a full world, with a bunch of other players, and meeting new people. And the stories they write are often quite amazing.

However, the stories often happen around you. You often don't feel apart of the story itself, you're just there for the ride. Which is fine, and often times well done. And if they ever do put you in the driver seat of a story, it is often very short, or segmented, to the point where it doesn't flow as well as it could have.

With that said, after going through Post Heavensward, as corny as this sounds, I feel like I've gone through a long journey with old friends, and new allies. I actually look around Ishgard, feeling that I've accomplished something. That I personally crawled through mud to get to where I am. And it feels absolutely great.

The fact that the story itself definitely helps, but that wasn't it. It was also the character development that came with it. The dialogue that really strained the journey we were on. The moments that brought back old feelings.

It was executed so well, that I definitely feel something must be said about it. I've heard that HW is the best of the three expansions, but the others don't fall far behind. I look forward to my continued journeys.

Keep playing, as the best is still to come. Shadowbringers story just blows it out of the water (Stormblood is okay, but took a long time to get up steam.). ;)

Agreed - Heavensward did a great job with its characters and story. It feels like a solid RPG with a group of allies, and I think it worked well centring the plot around a single location and going fairly deep into it. I also appreciated how a lot of the supporting characters know and have history with one another.

I felt like Stormblood dropped the ball on this front, but Shadowbringers picks it right up again - a lot of it involving the Scions and seeing them interact with each other. Being able to run dungeons with them is also great.

Make sure you do the Lv50 Crystal Tower storyline prior to Shadowbringers (probably ideally now if you're in a bit of a lull in the post-Heavensward plot) because that plays into the MSQ and you're going to appreciate certain plot elements a lot better.

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Originally Posted by Klaleara

I've been playing MMO's for about 20 some years now, starting with UO.. However, the stories often happen around you. You often don't feel apart of the story itself...

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Hey Klaleara I to started with UO as well "Baja represent" S|A For life! Have you ever tried to go back? OMG you have to set a Macro to open a door and even with "UO assist" it's so slow now.. UO will always be an amazing first game, with amazing memories but that's where they should stay.

I have also played GW2, SWTOR, LOTRO, and of corse FFXIV. Each MMO has their own positives and negatives. For Example GW2 Skill's are interactive, you place an water field on the ground and some one else can use a hammer and "Smash" it healing all party members. The mount system is very cool, as well as their "Glamour Chest".

Where as LOTRO has "Fellowship maneuvers" where you whole party sync up to do a party maneuver, and there are several different ones you can do depending on the need. Also they have fighting while on your mount.

As to the best story.. that goes to SWTOR. My god the individual class quest in that game are so in-depth it really is amazing. You'r toon has an actual voice and you decided with path you take.. the dark side or light. Your choices have actual consequence to the point that you can kill "a whole mining expedition" or save "your one team mate that you've been playing with the whole time". They companion aspect is amazing each companion you get can fight along side you out in the field, and there are SO many companions with their own unique personality. You can gain "Reputation" with them to the point that if you max it out you can even merry your companion. Hand's down the most immersive MMO I've played.

But they all have down sides. FFXIV is a very beautiful world their player base is very helpful and informative. They have a great story SB is amazing. But when it comes to immersive and how you feel your toon effetcts the world I think SWTOR is the best. Plus you can wield a light saber.

But I'm here not there so FFIXV is better.

They all have its flavors. HW was good. Post-heavensward got me reeling. Really, the entirety of HW expansion wrapped up a lot of endings, which left a good feeling on it all.

SB I can say I didn't like as much initially because of the way HW set up the story. It was more of a conflicting ideal which snapped me out of the HW setting / pacing, but it was a transition that was needed in order to keep progression interesting in my opinion. Once I got into the new pacing, I realized it was really good in its own narrative. The build up to SB into the final execution was very good. Most people can't really relate to [redacted] and I think SE demonstrated that aspect quite nicely in a fantasy genre.

ShB tho. SHB THOUGH. *Plays Insatiable*
Don't actually look this theme up though until you get to that point. Better left in the dark for maximum impact.

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Originally Posted by AnotherPerson

Better left in the dark for maximum impact.

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I see what you did there! ;)

I agree that ShB sets the bar at a new heights for quality on all fronts.

Makes me wonder how they will top this for 6.0

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Originally Posted by Eric_Riot

Hey Klaleara I to started with UO as well "Baja represent" S|A For life! Have you ever tried to go back? OMG you have to set a Macro to open a door and even with "UO assist" it's so slow now.. UO will always be an amazing first game, with amazing memories but that's where they should stay.

I have also played GW2, SWTOR, LOTRO, and of corse FFXIV. Each MMO has their own positives and negatives. For Example GW2 Skill's are interactive, you place an water field on the ground and some one else can use a hammer and "Smash" it healing all party members. The mount system is very cool, as well as their "Glamour Chest".

Where as LOTRO has "Fellowship maneuvers" where you whole party sync up to do a party maneuver, and there are several different ones you can do depending on the need. Also they have fighting while on your mount.

As to the best story.. that goes to SWTOR. My god the individual class quest in that game are so in-depth it really is amazing. You'r toon has an actual voice and you decided with path you take.. the dark side or light. Your choices have actual consequence to the point that you can kill "a whole mining expedition" or save "your one team mate that you've been playing with the whole time". They companion aspect is amazing each companion you get can fight along side you out in the field, and there are SO many companions with their own unique personality. You can gain "Reputation" with them to the point that if you max it out you can even merry your companion. Hand's down the most immersive MMO I've played.

But they all have down sides. FFXIV is a very beautiful world their player base is very helpful and informative. They have a great story SB is amazing. But when it comes to immersive and how you feel your toon effetcts the world I think SWTOR is the best. Plus you can wield a light saber.

But I'm here not there so FFIXV is better.

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Hah, I haven't touched UO in ages. I probably should though.

As for SWTOR, I feel like it was the immersive for sure. And some of the stories were fun. However it was too broken apart, it never felt like a WORLD (Or galaxy in this case). It just felt like a bunch of miniature novels stitched together. Entertaining in its own way, but not once did it give me a feeling similar to HW.

Yes, Ishgard does feel like home now, and the Fortemps as family. This whole journey has been a story about "me", like the protagonist in any other Final Fantasy games. FFXIV differs from the other MMOs I played where I was just one of many in the mist of stories of the NPCs. I can also feel the closer bounds growing between "me" and the NPCs in the world of FFXIV, being them friend or enemy. This feeling is even more so than in another FF games, where the story was still more about Cloud, Sqall, or Lightening. So the story becomes more "personal" to me, the player, not just my character. And, there were a few times I wanted to hit "myself" in the head for how dumb "I" behaved. (I truly wished there was an option to say "NO" in the MSQ, and let me do my own things instead.)

This story is getting better in Shadowbringers, like others said. I think HW gets me closer to the people in the world, and ShB gives me a better understanding of my purpose. Both stories are equally good. They are on different fronts. Comparing them would be like comparing apple to orange, in my opinion.

@OP, if you haven't done Crystal Tower raids yet, do it now. It would feel less relevant when getting deeper into Stormblood stories.