Question About Heavensward Story and DRG Job Quests

So I just started playing again in the last month after quitting for almost 3 years.

I hadn't finished the DRG quest line before starting Heavensward recently, but I had completed the 30 and 35 Job Quests. I didn't remember until I was already well into the Ishgardian sequence that Estinien is tied into DRG story as well. I found out last night that it's partly different MSQ dialogue if you've done the DRG questline. Is it only different if I've completed DRG or is it different as long as I've started the DRG storyline?

I'm up to the Waiting for the Winds to Change in MSQ. Yes, I'm already partly aware of what happens in MSQ or at least speculating about it from side chatter in LS groups. I intend to finish DRG now before going further in the story and have already done 40 Job quest. Question is have I missed much of the different dialogue already?

Iirc there are really minor difference in a few dialogues.
Starting from the end of ARR, where Estinien recognises you if you started his DRG questline, but is more open and friendly if you've done all the quests up to 50.
I don't really know the rest of HW since DRG was the job I used to get through it (and was the first job to be 50 in ARR as well on my non-legacy account), but I'd guess either it's like that situation with Estinien in ARR, or you flat out need to do the lvl 50 quests to get the other dialogues, since the plot in HW basically takes off from the DRG ARR quests (really, you'll understand more about the overall situation if you do those quests.)

Yea I kinda shot myself in the foot on this one. I'd been working on classes and partly doing main story, then had a major bit of main story spoiled.. so went back to doing main story period. Now that I know DRG is tied in a lot I'm just fried either way. So it is different for passed 50 than just being halfway through DRG? The 40 quest definitely explained a bit. Will the dialogue change more if I finish DRG quest before continuing MSQ?

Is there basically 3 versions of the dialogue?

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Originally Posted by SashaNishroka

Is there basically 3 versions of the dialogue?

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During your first encounter with Estinien in the story, he has three different reactions depending on your completion status of the DRG storyline. One for people who haven't unlocked DRG, one for people who have unlocked DRG but not finished the level 50 quest yet, and one for people who have done the level 50 DRG quest. After the first meeting, the dialogue will only differ based on completion of the level 50 quest.

So if I were to finish the DRG questline before continuing story, does it switch to the third sequence?

Is it different dialogue on every following quest?

If you were to finish the level 50 DRG quest, the main scenario dialogue will reflect that, yes. It's not really a third sequence though, as the first meeting with Estinien in the main scenario is the only one with three diffrent outcomes.

>_<; already 23 steps in from Alphinaud's Way... guessing missed quite a few different dialogues. Least I'll get the other ones I suppose. And the recap doesn't show the altered one for DRG does it?

You haven't really missed much. It's mostly just Estinien calling you Azure Dragoon instead of Warrior of Light.
Unfortunately, the Unending Journey only shows the default version of the dialogue.

Not really much, but Estinien is basically the ice queen at first if you haven't done the DRG quests till 50.
I remember a friend barely getting a "Oh, it's you" since he only did the lvl 30 and 35 quests, while I got something much more friendly, along the lines of "I'm not here to fight/I'm honoured to be in this with you/this is someone who is stronger than I am, the other Azure Dragoon"
It was quite a nice touch.
If OP has some time and a lot of patience they can probably make an alt, or take the easy route and check if there's something on youtube.

I do have an alt that I started before >_>;; she's just.... barely into the ARR storyline at all at the moment. I've tried searching just about everywhere online for the different variations to see how much the dialogue changes, but it would seem somehow no one has done a recap of either version of it yet. I just kinda wish I could do it over on my main :-/ Knew I should've stuck to finishing jobs first.

I just managed to find one video with a 50 DRG in it at Alphinaud's Way quest o_O they were still called Warrior of Light by Estinien in it. Were there only a few instances of being called Azure Dragoon. Was Azure Dragoon the main difference for the change in most of the dialogue?

afaik the only change in dialogue (that i can remember it's been like 2 years lel) that upon completing the dragoon quests in its entirety (meaning 30-50) before starting HW is that estinien will just refer to the player as an "azure dragoon." i think someone mentioned his slight personality change too and that's also something. tbf i don't see a change in dialogue to be that big of a deal bc really ur not missing anything crucial but i get why people want to have the option but... meh, thats just me.

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Originally Posted by killstein

snip.

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This.
You're missing nothing important, lore wise and infos wise.
I was just really keen on doing HW as a DRG cause of immersion.
There are similar things for other jobs in the whole game as well.

Immersion is the reason I'm agitated. I didn't realize it would be a slightly different story path. I'd been leveling DRG before I quit. I got sidetracked/overwhelmed with everything to do when I came back that I forgot my plans and started "catching up". Was doing okay leveling again for a while after I unknowingly got right up to before the start of the Dragoon tie in til the spoiler demons happened in game and I started running story nonstop. Got shafted either way, try to avoid spoilers, end up getting reversed storyline events for not leveling sooner. Alt is in order...