Story spoilers on main page and in launcher

Hello,

I'm a returning player from the FFXIV:ARR Launch, and I was distressed to see that there were visual images of characters I didn't even know had bodies from the ending of the main story arc displayed on the front page of the launcher.

I wanted to provide the feedback that it is very disappointing and unfortunate to receive story spoilers directly from the company that created the story, unavoidably, in the official launcher, after having successfully avoided spoilers all these years. I am referring to the Meister Quality Figure Hydaelyn & Zodiark.

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Originally Posted by Delphina

Hello,

I'm a returning player from the FFXIV:ARR Launch, and I was distressed to see that there were visual images of characters I didn't even know had bodies from the ending of the main story arc displayed on the front page of the launcher.

I wanted to provide the feedback that it is very disappointing and unfortunate to receive story spoilers directly from the company that created the story, unavoidably, in the official launcher, after having successfully avoided spoilers all these years. I am referring to the Meister Quality Figure Hydaelyn & Zodiark.

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In the grand scheme of spoilers you can potentially get, that's pretty minimal.

An illustration of Hydaelyn as a human-like entity can be seen in the credits for either ARR or not far past it.

Zodiark also appeared in a promotional image before we saw him in game, and it does not spoil the circumstances of the encounter.

There are, unfortunately, bigger spoilers to be had from promotional images, and anything before the current patch can be fair game – particularly the current roster of Scions and who is present or absent. Dawntrail's poster isn't so bad, with focus on new characters, but Endwalker showed all of the ongoing cast.

Likewise, unless you never let the game idle on the main menu screen, the Endwalker trailer would spoil a lot.

no offense but if you played since launch off and on (despite you posting on a 2024 account)
you had plenty of time to catch up..
its like people not wanting me to ruin the fact that frodo made it to mt. doom with the ring..

if spoilers matter to you, then play on day one.

EW has been out for nearly 3 years now and has finally completed it's patch story. Spoilers are now unavoidable really (at least, that anyway). The more important thing is context, which that statue gives none - it's just Zodiark and Hydaelyn's actual forms

(and for the latter really, I'm still not entirelly convinced that was really all Hydaelyn the Primal anyway, and just Venat's natural transformation ability which all unsundered Ancients possessed, empowered by the aether of her followers and from the Mothercrystal, but that's headcanon territory).

Really, you'd get more spoilers browsing 'Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker' on Youtube than what's shown on the launcher and main page.

Lots of people take for granted the hundreds of hours it takes to progress the story to the point that these forms would be revealed. Don't forget that there are other perspectives out there, including thousands of people who are not going to bother creating a forum account to voice their frustration. Countless new players are being deprived of this epic reveal, just so these figures can be advertised in the launcher. Don't forget to value the actual source product, the game itself, and preserve its integrity so that merchandise is valued appropriately. Before Endwalker, we don't know if Hydaelyn and Zodiark can still manifest a physical form. Hydaelyn and Zodiark are extremely important figures in the entirety of the story of this game, and are driving forces at the core of the main character and the primary villains of the plot. This is a massive spoiler to display to each and every FFXIV player regardless of story progress. As long as this image remains in the launcher, it makes a clear statement that new players are second class citizens that do not require consideration. The banner needs to be changed to not display the figures directly. This is an extremely simple fix. Just do a a spoiler free banner that says Endwalker character figures are available, and require a click to go to the store page to see the actual figure. Like the other veterans here, I beat Endwalker a long time ago, but we don't need to ruin the experience for everyone else just to defend spoilers.

Thank you all for reminding me why I haven't played this game for ten years. I find it baffling that people would bother coming into a feedback post, which when I looked it up is where the devs request people provide feedback for the game - naturally I wasn't expecting player responses - and just basically tell me that my experience is incorrect. "Getting spoiled on the story isn't that bad. There's way WORSE spoilers" - that doesn't make it enjoyable to get them? "You had plenty of time/play all the content on day one" - Ok, so it's fine to spoil the story because it's been a long time? What about people who don't have the luxury of playing a 1000 hour video game all day? I think you should take a hard look at yourself and re evaluate.

Not to mention, this wasn't even a complaint, a request for a change, or anything of that sort. If you actually read the post, it is purely -feedback- for the devs, on my feelings regarding the fact that I had story spoilers in the launcher. What I said was that it is disappointing. The fact that it is disappointing to me isn't something you can even argue against.

At least now I know I made the right choice in quitting and don't need to think I was missing out on some great experience. I find myself disgusted and repulsed. This is as bad as MMO-Champion, and that is saying something.

Irony is, Hydaelyn and Zodiark are actually on the expansion's box art (as Amano artwork), which is also on the Lodestone, on the page to purchase it!), so it's already being used as a way of promoting the expansion. And Hydaelyn was also shown on the box art way back in A Realm Reborn (the Collector's Edition anyway). An advert for a statue of them on the Lodestone and launcher therefore is hardly a 'major spoiler' - really there are far greater revelations to be had in EW than that. You get more of a spoiler with players in game with the Starbird or Wind-up Herois minions out or riding around on the Argos mount.

Really, as I mentioned before, after a certain point in time, spoilers are unvoidable, and most forms of media are bound to have spoilers revealed to the point it's not longer a spoiler eventually - think of the 'it was his sled' moment in Citizen Kane, or Darth Vader being Anakin Skywalker/Luke's father in Star Wars Episode IV the Empire Strikes Back, or, to use another FF game, Aeris dies in FFVII. Hydaelyn and Zodiark's appearences therefore is unvoidable as a spoiler, that's just being realistic.