How would you like the Scions to be used after 6.0? [EW spoilers]

Hello!

How would you like the Scions to be used after 6.0?

We know the following:

• Yoshi P has stated, in the recent Mog Radio interview, that Krile is going to be a part of the story going forward.
• He also said that Thancred will have something coming up (I'm guessing this is likely in the patch cycle somewhere).
• It's hinted at the end of 6.0 that the Scions will be "on call" when we need them for specific tasks.
• It's also hinted that at some point in the far future there'll be some sort of reunion between them, from the scene at the Rising Stones.

It's very clear that the Scions will be working in smaller groups for the foreseeable future (the Unending Journey text also confirms this) rather than as a whole. Personally, while I absolutely adore the Scions, I think this is a good idea.

If you go and speak to the Scions in the overworld, it feels to me like at least some of them might have "wrap-up/epilogue-like stories" in the patches, where we can get a deeper focus on each of them.

In 7.0 I think it's very, very likely that we'll have G'raha with us (with all that talk of an adventure across the seas). I'm not personally a fan of his, but I know he's very popular, and it makes sense. I am guessing that we could potentially have another Scion with us - maybe Krile, Estinien or Alisaie - but that remains to be seen.

I'm very keen that we do see the Scions pop up in the MSQ - my ideal solution would be for us to spend each expansion with 1-2 of them and then a cast of new characters to fill up the team. I'd like G'raha to take a backseat after 7.0/7.3 (depending on when they end that story) - not kill him off or anything like that, and still have him make appearances, but allow other characters to switch in, and to keep the party fresh and different each time.

What are your thoughts on how they could be best used?

I want 6.1 to see us taking a dive into the aetherial sea, armed with the means of bringing Minfilia back to life. Thancred and Urianger are right there, and if their comments on her appearance in the Aitiascope are any indication, there might be something more to that than just "helping the Loporrits" or whatever it is they're doing.

EDIT: To add to that, I think it'd be really nice if the 24-man raid questline, Myths of the Realm, were kicked off by a revived Minfilia. With the duty that kept her chained first to a desk and then to Hydaelyn's grand design over and done with and the Scions effectively under new management and also technically disbanded, actually getting to live her own life would let her finally be a character unto herself again. Bringing back some of that adventurous spirit that was lost in the big 1.0 -> 2.0 transition, hopefully.

Beyond that, I expect G'raha to end up taking us to Corvos, and that line of questing will involve the expansion's artifact weapons. Though in truth I'd be more interested in seeing the content surrounding Garlemald expanded, with us perhaps working together with the Twins on that front. Perhaps this expansion's Trial questline could be focused in that region. We still have no idea what that'll even be about, after all.

Thancred - whatever it is they have planned for him, they better make things interesting quick. His main character arc is basically over, and my patience with him is fading fast. I'd like to have an entirely new character replace him.

Y'shtola - needs to take a break. Let her go off and research for an expansion or two and figure out how to world hop and please invest the resources to come up with a new postergirl for season 2.

Krile - I'm excited to see if she joins the party and possibly takes over Alphinaud's role as a healer trust, though that would imbalance things if she's only a pure/regen healer like G'raha and Urianger. Maybe she could take 2 roles and be a caster and a healer? The more characters we have that can fill multiple roles the better.

Urianger - Him and Y'shtola are basically our lore explainers so if I have to choose between him or her to keep moving forward, I'm going to go with Urianger.

G'raha - Though it took me a long time to warm up to him, I don't mind if he joins us in future expansions.

Estinien - If for some reason they make the mistake of removing him from the story in 7.0 they better have a replacement lined up that covers his archetype. Out of all the Scions he is the one I want to see more of the most.

Alphinaud - needs to go play diplomat and sit the next expansion out. Let him sort out the Garlemald situation or something.

Alisae - loved her in EW and excited for her next job change (?) and given her personality it would make sense for her to be interested in journeying with us to a new continent.

Oof. Thancred is personally my favourite Scion and character, and I honestly think he's fantastic! I really like the relationship they've built up between him and Urianger too, and I think there's a lot of scope there. I do think they should both take a backseat for a while, but I'd love to go adventuring with them again in an expansion down the line.

Personally I would like for none of them to appear for quite a bit, frankly. I'd like some breathing room while WoL goes off and does the "wandering adventurer" thing. However, right now I'm leaning towards the next expansion being a bit of a wind-down where we deal with issues across Ilsabard, so just on the face of it I would expect some of them to show up throughout in various zones like Corvos.

If we look at the world map superimposed over the map of Etheirys from space, it looks to me like Ilsabard has kind of an "East and West split" thing going on, so maybe we'll do something like exploring the Eastern part with three zones from Corvos in the Southeast with G'raha and Krile while exploring the Western part with three zones from Garlemald in the Northwest with Alisaie and Alphinaud. That sounds a bit split, but frankly I just want to establish more of the central landmass before we scarper off elsewhere.

https://i.imgur.com/svwWdfI.gif

I like her, but Y'shtola can take a break. Thancred and Urianger, too, honestly. I guess I really want some kind of split, with the 1.0 (and 1.X) Scions taking some time off while we get an adventure with the newer generation: the twins, Estinien, and G'raha (plus Krile, hopefully). Honestly, that sounds like the perfect size party to take into a new expansion, with enough slots to fill in with new characters who also may or may not swap in and out for later adventures.

It may surprise people to hear this from me, but I also want G'raha to get some kind of break. He deserves at least one expansion's time out-of-focus, like Y'shtola in Stormblood, or Dogi in even-numbered Ys games. Even I can tell he gets a little too much to do when he's around, and that can never end well. The light that burns twice as bright, and all that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aveyond-dreams

Thancred - whatever it is they have planned for him, they better make things interesting quick. His main character arc is basically over, and my patience with him is fading fast. I'd like to have an entirely new character replace him.

---

Similar thoughts. I am so over his melancholy with Minfilia (and I definitely do not want to see her come back in any capacity). Either he gets his ARR mojo back, or he can stay on the sidelines if he's intent to keep moping about her indefinitely.

I don't care if I never see Y'shtola or Urianger again, not particularly a fan of either. I'm not excited about Krile taking center stage, but it is what it is.

As much as I love Estinien, it doesn't fit with his character to follow us around the world. The only exception would be anything dragon related, like Meracydia.

I adore G'raha and he can follow me everywhere. :P

I'm eh on the twins. I like Alisaie, but I get tired of Alphinaud. I think both need to stay off screen for a while to grow into adult Elezen models.

Overall, I'd prefer to see some fresh faces, new personality types and skill sets.

My concern is that I don't think the story should focus around any one character for any huge length of time. This is just my example, but I personally find G'raha extremely uncomfortable as a character and I'd prefer an approach where it's fairer to everyone - not just with the Scions, but with entirely new characters! The more you focus on one character for any huge length of time, the more likely it is that people will get fed up with them - I think Fenral brings up a very good point. Variety is the spice of life!

I'd be fine with Alphinaud (kind of tired of him; been front and center since the last act of 2.0), Thancred (character arc mostly done), Urianger (doesn't seem to have much of a role other than the double agent, which he can't do if he's in focus), and maybe Y'shtola (she never got enough focus to keep me engaged with her as a character). Alisae is fine as the PC's self-appointed protegé, G'raha is fine to keep around but should get a little toned down, Estinien hasn't gotten enough time as a Scion in my opinion, and Krile's mostly just kind of been there so a little screen time would benefit her.

I'm hoping we get a number of new characters from wherever we go; we got plenty of new characters in Endwalker, but they didn't get much time because the story moved at such a breakneck (if disjointed) pace. A new continent or whatever should get lots of new characters, and I'm hoping some of the auxiliary Scions get some attention. Especially Riol.

New cast ahoy! Riol is at least eye candy, much like Thancred, so there's that. Perhaps some utilisation of Jullus?

But I know the twins and G'raha unfortunately are quite unlikely to be going anywhere... Don't care for Tataru or Krile either, so meh.

Y'shtola, Thancred, Estinien and Urianger are the Scions I'd say I like most but at the same time it really is time to meet new traveling companions, although I could see Estinien being involved in any trip to Meracydia.

Used to fill up some graves preferably.

I'd the game to go in a similar direction to the Ys games. Where each expansion is a new adventure with a new set of companions with some neat cameos here and there.

We've had roughly a decade with many of the Scions and I think it's time we got a new, more intriguing cast of characters at our side. I'd particularly enjoy more characters with their own agendas in play.

Now that the war with Garlemald is over with, there's ample room for a Pureblood Garlean with a healthy combination of honour and grit to join the main cast. Jullus would potentially be a good candidate. Other than that, I'd very much like to see a male Raen or Xaela join one of our adventures.

I actually quite like Thancred and Urianger. Contrary to much of this thread so far it seems, I'm not such a big fan of Alisaie.

Might just be to the old man in me, but if we're to keep any of the main cast around for 6.1 onwards I'd prefer to Thancred, Urianger and Y'shtola. They seem like the more mature ones, and also the ones who could do with some new stories to be fair.

He's not a scion, but Jullus is a good shout as well. A Garlean "scion" type character has a lot of potential.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KizuyaKatogami

Used to fill up some graves preferably.

---

How incredibly edgy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jandor

How incredibly edgy.

---

And? Is there a problem with that? I think we’re due a character death. Would be nice to see one of the cardboard cutouts used for some tear jerking.

I'd prefer they still use the scions but have them take a more backseat role. As has been mentioned split up our interactions with them in the 6.X patches so we can also interact with a number of new characters as we do so. Then in 7.0 have them still apart of the story and trust system but regularly intersperse them with new characters (either from the 6.X patches or from 7.0 itself.) I do hope they do more with Y'shtola though, because the only real character development she got in Endwalker was an entirely optional cutscene you could view when choosing who visits your room after returning from the moon. Not to mention most of her Shadowbringers character growth happened off screen meaning she last got any real development in Stormblood.

Other than that I do agree we'll probably still see a lot of G'raha and the twins because of the million and one Corvos hints and the twins trying to help out in garlemard respectively, both of which are big things I can't see them glossing over. Also yes I would very much be interested in seeing more of Jullus, I quite enjoyed his character arc in Endwalker.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jandor

How incredibly edgy.

---

Don't worry about them, if you read their response it quite clearly comes across as bait.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kordarion

Don't worry about them, if you read their response it quite clearly comes across as bait.

---

Ah yes. Marking off someone else’s opinion as bait just because you don’t agree with it. Very professional…

I want us to pickup after some time has passed on their end. Let them progress in some way, and give us a window into that.

Like, we don't need to be there for every step of Y'shtola's journey in finding paths to other shards, but see her a couple patches from now after she's made some real progress. We don't need to see every detail of Estinien's work for Vrtra, but let's meet him partway through it.

I think that a lot of the actual complaints behind assertions of 'they're cardboard cutouts' is because they don't do a whole lot for us to attribute to them; kind of a consequence of the game ultimately being about a single player character's journey is that nobody else really gets to do anything. It's like how everyone that isn't Link in a Legend of Zelda game is ultimately a passive onlooker, because if they weren't we'd be annoyed that Link didn't get to do that stuff.

So yeah, give them some off-screen accomplishments and progression. Let's learn that Alphinaud and Alisaie actually did something rather than be there to do it ourselves.

I would like the lesser Scions to have a small role instead of just being in the background. I'd like to see less of the main Scions from now on. Let them do their own thing and make cameos when necessary.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KizuyaKatogami

Ah yes. Marking off someone else’s opinion as bait just because you don’t agree with it. Very professional…

---

Using your own words:

Quote:

---

Would be nice to see one of the cardboard cutouts used for some tear jerking.

---

Quote:

---

Used to fill up some graves preferably.

---

That doesn't seem to me like much more than lets insult some characters to rile up the people who like said characters. If you had come out and said something about how some characters deaths would provide more meaning to the story or provide an interesting way of exploring the other characters more through their grief I wouldn't have responded. But instead you make two blatantly provocative statements without providing any context.

Seems like a classic bait, of which yes I am falling for probably but *shrugs*.

I'm kind of expecting them to be doing their own thing for a while with the MSQ mostly focusing on helping them sort out lingering issues in their respective regions, but something major is going to crop up in 6.3 that forces them to get together again.

I am also expecting that at least one of them is not going to tag along for 7.0 in favor of having a new face or two get focus, though; perhaps someone from whatever region we're going to.

I would like the leave the Scions behind. I don't think they were very interesting characters. The only ones I sorta liked were ARR Alphinaud, Alisaie, and the ShB recharacterization of Thancred and Urianger. The rest were duds to me.

I think one of the problems with the Scions is that most of them were holdovers from 1.0, which was written by different people, so the current creative team was saddled with characters that were already conceptually set, and it was hard to recharacterize them (with ShB's reintroduction of Thancred and Urianger being the only time they did that). I usually find the expansion side characters, like Aymeric or Hien or Gosetsu, to be more entertaining than the Scions. So I am interested to see what new, original party members the writers come up with.

If we were to bring some old characters along with us on a new journey, I did promise Aymeric to take him adventuring some time, but apparently his VA had a scandal which dooms careers in Japan and it is uncertain if he will get a chance to come back and voice the character, so perhaps we'll never see Aymeric again. I also like Gosetsu, but he is off enjoying his golden years and is on a pilgrimage.

I really liked Ramza from the Ivalice raid storyline, but sadly there is very little hope of him ever coming back, let alone becoming a party member.

I hope I never see G'raha Tia ever again, but given how he's the current writer's pet and how much he's been shoved in my face, I'm dreading he's gonna be back as a main in 7.0.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kordarion

Using your own words:




That doesn't seem to me like much more than lets insult some characters to rile up the people who like said characters. If you had come out and said something about how some characters deaths would provide more meaning to the story or provide an interesting way of exploring the other characters more through their grief I wouldn't have responded. But instead you make two blatantly provocative statements without providing any context.

Seems like a classic bait, of which yes I am falling for probably but *shrugs*.

---

I mean, obviously i would like for their deaths to have some meaning and purpose. Doesn’t change the fact most of them are cardboard cutouts to me. Never liked them and most of them are incredibly boring and add very little, hence my comment. It’s my opinion on them. You don’t have to like it but marking it off as bait is counterproductive to discussion and i’d rather we not keep that continuing in the lore threads.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KizuyaKatogami

I mean, obviously i would like for their deaths to have some meaning and purpose. Doesn’t change the fact most of them are cardboard cutouts to me. Never liked them and most of them are incredibly boring and add very little, hence my comment. It’s my opinion on them. You don’t have to like it but marking it off as bait is counterproductive to discussion and i’d rather we not keep that continuing in the lore threads.

---

Fair enough then, we'll just have to agree to disagree on them being "cardboard cutouts" then.

I assume that Scions will be similar to how they were in early ARR where they have set locations and scenarios but instead of one quest chain it'll be for an entire expansion or scenario.
easy one would be Estinien and Mercydia

I wouldn’t mind a different cast going forward - but also a smaller one. Keeping track of all the Scions from ARR onward was (for me) a bit much - especially since all their stories were so similar.

I like Alisaie, and wouldn’t mind her kinda being our holdover. Estinian is kinda fun when they play off him being a grump for humor (like him being awful at spending money). Tataru is fun too I suppose.

I’d kinda like a more diverse cast going forward - something that reflects all the friends we’ve made along the way. Also maybe some more fun/surprising choices.

I wouldn’t mind a team with Nidhana, Matoya, Lucia, Hien, Growingway, the Wolf Burglar, maybe an Auspice or two - and even one of the leftover lesser Ascians (there might be a couple who are begrudgingly nice).

Just something to mix it up - and make the storylines a bit more lively (:

I'd like to see them used for power escalation of the next set of antagonists.

I'd like to see the next set of antagonists take advantage of them in their individual adventures, and have that lead the others to reform to tackle the new threat, while we are adventuring.

I'd like for the Scions to become the, "Meanwhile..." scenes. The WoL is off somewhere, doing adventuresque type things, basically relaxing. Meanwhile Dynamis-Big Joe is curb stomping Thancred, and lopping off one of Urianger's limbs.

And this isn't to say that I hate the Scions and want them all to die, but how are we going to take any opposition seriously if it's not immediately a big deal?

We could also get an emotional scene with Y'shtola, if the Shard crossover is a one way deal again. Scions start getting maimed or murdered, and we go to her for some aid/knowledge. Get a nice homey scene with her and her Manther, followed by a teary eyed Y'shtola crying into Runar's famous stew when she's vexxed at being unable to do anymore other than translate a treatise for us etc.

Of course, we're not ever going to get anything like that. The Scions will continue to not have stakes or consequences for their actions, ever. They've still got like two hundred blank checks on risky behavior, not too mention the other fifty on dealing with beings more powerful than them.

-----------------------

As far as new cast mates go, I'd love to get Fordola in on the team. Her performance in the Healer role quests was fantastic, and she never did learn just what was going on with Garlemald or Zenos so... c'mon SE, let her come adventuring with us. Take that kill collar off her, and let her be my new tank buddy.

I guess we will see them from time to time, but it doesn't sound too good for them as trusts going forward.

I would like to see Coultenet and the Boulder brothers getting some screen time again, personally. They attempted to make them mainstays during ARR, but they didn't do anything with that afterwards -- granted, I will be quite sad to not hear about them whenever patches drop,now. Though, it's nice to see that after 6.0's ending, they went their separate ways somewhat as well.

Surprisingly enough though, Coultenet and Hoary went to Radz-at-Han first! And now, Bluomwyda and Aergmhus went to Aerslaent. The ancestral homeland of the Roegadyns. That sounds like like a Bozja to me, wouldn't be surprised if the EW relic was there for some reason. Ah well.

Which reminds me, we didn't get any way to get the Crystal Braves outfit at all. What happened to that?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MoofiaBossVal

I would like the leave the Scions behind. I don't think they were very interesting characters...
I hope I never see G'raha Tia ever again, but given how he's the current writer's pet and how much he's been shoved in my face, I'm dreading he's gonna be back as a main in 7.0.

---

These are pretty much my sentiments. I've been tired of the Scions in general for a long time with the exception of Estinien. I'd like to meet new people and not stick to one group all the time.

Like others here I hope if we do have scions tagging along its some of the lesser scions. I always liked riol, Hoary and coultenet should have come with us to thavnair.

Of all the main group, I genuinely liked urianger. The man was a good source of humour and is a good if flawed character. Then again I'm also one of those rare people who can understand the entirety of what he's said.
yshtola I wouldn't mind bringing along for her personality and general usefulness.

Thancred as far as I'm concerned has finished on a decent note. To have him stay around longer would be detrimental to what little makes his character. He's had his ups and downs, but he seems to be out of ups now. His fake deaths at the hands of ranjit and meteon would both have been excellent places, but he earned a retirement.
Thinking back, I really wasn't interested in his character that much. His actions were more notable than his character but beyond that...meh. He's not done enough to piss me off and not done enough to want me to care about him.

Estinien I liked. He was the first person to actually give a damn about us AND be willing to jump in and help back in HW other than moenbryda who to this day i still believe was completely wasted as a character. Everyone else prior was either full of empty platitudes or didn't seem to care about sending us against the monster of the patch

I'm seriously annoyed with Krile coming back. Bossy and naive in eureka. Foolish in the warring triad an eureka just like ejika. She was a little better in endwalker but still could have ended up causing a host of problems giving Zenos access to so much aether like that.

I hope we leave the twins behind or in a grave somewhere. They both annoyed me far too much the entire story. Alisae was fine early on but deteriorated. Alphinaud became less of a glory hound and more of a screentime hog.

As usual Tataru was wasted. She's got so much personality and skill. I'd happily tutor her in some other arts if her carbuncle wont be controlled.

Graha I'm split on. When he's acting like the Exarch and being a leader he's great. When he's not he can get a bit overbearing at best and more annoying than alphianud at worst. Though it would be nice to get some more concrete limitations as to what he can do.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vyrerus

We could also get an emotional scene with Y'shtola, if the Shard crossover is a one way deal again. Scions start getting maimed or murdered, and we go to her for some aid/knowledge. Get a nice homey scene with her and her Manther, followed by a teary eyed Y'shtola crying into Runar's famous stew when she's vexxed at being unable to do anymore other than translate a treatise for us etc.

---

Dude I nearly spit out my drink reading this lmfao.

Lots more Krile. I mean, seriously, I'm really happy they are finally giving her more to do as she became my favourite scion during the EW MSQ. The rest, though, should take a break. Even Ali, as much as I like her, should go away for a bit.

I also really hope they find some way to make Graha less grating. He's almost like a Zenos that's actually part of the scions, and that's not a good thing. Make him do something on his own so that his whole existence isn't wrapped up around the WoL (I mean, his Big Thing in EW was.. just to go on more adventures with the WoL. Not go on more adventures. Not see more places and do more things. Nope, he NEEDS to do it ALL with YOU)

Perhaps it was because I played through Endwalker in a matter of days, but by the time it was over, I was so sick of the Scions and their blob of similar, boring reactions to everything that happened. By the time credits rolled, the only ones I wanted to see in any way in the near future were Urianger, Estinien and G'raha, because those were the only ones that occasionally managed to have characterization and rise out of the constant, "did you know that bad things have happened to us in our lives and those things were very bad and sad (no we will not individualize these bad and sad things) but then we remembered that sometimes good things happen and that life is worth living so we were able to overcome our sadness when the bad things happened because we had hope and hope is very important to hold on to have I ever mentioned it's darkest before dawn, etc etc" speeches by relating them to concrete things we had seen happen to them in the game prior.

Having whined about that, though, and with more than a month to allow EW to linger, I think the Scions are overall in a pretty good place going forward. I hope (and pray) they won't immediately converge when we start our new expansion because a lot of them have redundancies in how they're used by the narrative and they're obviously too large a group for even a skilled writer like Ishikawa to juggle constantly.

As people have pointed out, Urianger and Y'shtola are typically used as crutches to explain key lore or plot points of the story, with Y'shtola at this point basically being little more than a mouthpiece to make sure you're not theorizing on the wrong track of the narrative.

Thancred, as a spy, is used to get information from places that would take too long for a quick "Meanwhile in..." cut scene. Estinien is much needed comic relief and muscle. The twins and G'raha are written to be the characters closest to the player character (and function mostly as actual lead characters when a silent protagonist isn't quite up to the task). Krile is basically a charming plot device to get kidnapped or act as Hydaelyn's arm to shove the plot along, while Tataru provides you with outfits and makes sure you're not thinking too hard about the logistics of how everything works.

The Scions are actually at their best when we see them interacting amongst themselves. The twins bickering, Urianger and Thancred raising their daughter, Alphinaud bringing Estinien home to meet his parents, Alisaie bullying G'raha, etc. This makes them feel more cohesive as a unit, because then it doesn't seem like they all fall to the ground like mannequins the second the WoL is out of sight, but I think even more could be done in regards to this.

All of the Scions interactions are a pleasant palette cleanser in EW. They all mostly get along and are united in goals. With them broken up into individuals pursuing their own interests, it would be interesting to mix them up with new NPCs that they might not like or get along with as much in future expacs, more like what HW did with the party of four on the journey to Hraesvelgr. I think there's a reason a lot of players look to that specific portion of the game as one of their favorites, even after more than half a decade. Heck, it would be interesting to see those individual goals not always coincide! Maybe Thancred and Urianger appear to be working against you at some point when they re-enter the plot--or Estinien!

All right, all that and I still haven't really answered the question. Here is what I would like best for the Scions individually.

TATARU: She's fine where the plot leaves her off.

Y'SHTOLA: I feel like Y'shtola is the biggest crutch the writers need to put down for a little while. They need to think about who Y'shtola is as a character beyond "dispenser of quips" and "let me explain the revelation we've just seen in small words so you don't get confused." A soft reboot is probably in order, where she should be offscreen long enough that we can imagine she's gotten passionate and invested in something beyond being right all the time. She was at her best with the Night's Blessed far more than she's ever been with the Scions, frankly.

THANCRED: Thancred's in a tricky spot. I think they've mined the Minfilia vein as much as they can for him at this point. Were Ryne on the Source, I feel like Thancred would have more characterization options, but they haven't done badly with creating an odd couple with him and Urianger. I think he could come back sooner than Y'shtola, but he also needs something to care about aside from events in 1.0 that the majority of the playerbase have only heard of second hand at this point.

URIANGER: Urianger should re-enter the plot around the same time as Thancred. They've been slowly branching out from his basic "lying liar that lies" to "lying liar that feels bad about lying", but the most interesting parts with him are comic relief at this point. I feel like if you keep him offscreen long enough for him and Thancred to truly feel like a unit, both will be stronger characters for it. (Especially since Urianger is all about "the ends justify the means" and Thancred...really isn't.)

ALPHINAUD: Alphinaud's character arc has been mostly done since HW, with EW basically being the little bow on top. I don't think this means that he has to leave the narrative entirely, only that it's best for him to remain doing the diplomatic stuff he's currently doing offscreen until the WoL has actual need of that diplomacy in a new situation. Of all the characters, I feel like he could probably be retired (outside of cameos) the most gracefully at this point.

ALISAIE: Unlike her brother, I don't feel like you should retire Alisaie quite yet. I think there's interesting tension to be had in her--Alisaie wants to be a hero like WoL, but does the WoL truly internalize being a hero the way she does? I do think she suffers a bit from, "I know exactly what she's going to say and when she'll say it," but I think sitting out the patches (or at most an expac) while helping her bro in Garlemald is all she really needs.

KRILE: Krile was done dirty by EW. She mostly has headaches and acts as a remote control unit for Hydaelyn, but I think the fact that she was willing to tell someone as dangerous as Zenos where we were--after what he did to her, no less!--speaks to really fascinating depths. I was truly stoked when Yoshi-P confirmed that she would be playing a role in the upcoming story.

ESTINIEN: I think Estinien will have a great time to shine relatively soon. They've managed to move away from his characterization as revenge-obsessed edgelord into someone who is still recognizable as the same person, but can run the gamut from comic relief to emotional moments. He's honestly probably one of their best success stories so far, and with his plot hooks being the most immediate, I certainly won't say no to spending more time with him.

G'RAHA: G'raha, like Estinien, is given the most immediate plot hooks in where they ended up after the credit roll. I think this was the right decision. EW did a good job of evening out the seesawing of his character we saw in ShB patches and making him into a cohesive whole. I look forward to seeing what the plot has in store for him.

We actually know for a fact Krile will be getting some focus: https://twitter.com/aitaikimochi/sta...68281961295874

Thancred to actually: https://twitter.com/aitaikimochi/sta...12433436540932

I hope they give her a new outfit. She's the only major Scion to not get new duds at this point. And she looked much better in the parts of EW with her hood down anyway.

Also on Jullus, I would really like an MSQ focused around him being officially promoted to Legatus of the 1st. He already effectively is in practice. It would be neat to see him get his own Legatus armor, and having him replace Solus as the new youngest Legatus ever would be a nice capstone of Garlemald history. Where its new shining star of hope is somebody who actually sincerely cares about it and isn't just using it for there own ends.

Honestly, all I wanted for party members going forward was for an entirely new cast of characters/trusts. The scions had their ten year arc, lets get a new cast for the next ten.

I would like to see Jullus, Gaius & Estinien. The rest can retire for good. We need new faces. And please no more Krile, gosh I can't stand her.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Recon1o6

Estinien I liked. He was the first person to actually give a damn about us AND be willing to jump in and help back in HW other than moenbryda who to this day i still believe was completely wasted as a character. Everyone else prior was either full of empty platitudes or didn't seem to care about sending us against the monster of the patch

---

I think Moenbryda stuck out so much because, at the time, she was one of the only Scions with a personality. I love Estinien, I think HW in general was such a contrast to ARR because the characters cared about the WoL rather than treated them as a tool.

I like Riol, but I wish they'd give him a new hairstyle. :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tokinokanatae

THANCRED: Thancred's in a tricky spot. I think they've mined the Minfilia vein as much as they can for him at this point. Were Ryne on the Source, I feel like Thancred would have more characterization options, but they haven't done badly with creating an odd couple with him and Urianger. I think he could come back sooner than Y'shtola, but he also needs something to care about aside from events in 1.0 that the majority of the playerbase have only heard of second hand at this point.

---

I'd rather have ARR or HW Thancred back. As someone on Reddit said, he went from daddy to dad and his interest as a character tanked (at least for me). This is the problem with having made his identity so wrapped up in Minfilia where you have to ask what his motivation is now. None of the other characters who've lost someone are in that position.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by StriderShinryu

I also really hope they find some way to make Graha less grating. He's almost like a Zenos that's actually part of the scions, and that's not a good thing. Make him do something on his own so that his whole existence isn't wrapped up around the WoL (I mean, his Big Thing in EW was.. just to go on more adventures with the WoL. Not go on more adventures. Not see more places and do more things. Nope, he NEEDS to do it ALL with YOU)

---

Oof, but yeah. His character during 5.0 was great, but he's basically a different, and less interesting, character since coming back to the Source. I suppose it's somewhat excusable, in the sense that he's probably been hyping it up in his head for over a hundred years, but he has been pretty one note as of late.

That said, it would be kinda cute if they gave him a little side-quest series, sort of like post-moogle, where you go around showing him various sites from your previous adventures, explain what happened there, maybe meet up with some of the various NPCs involved. Pure fluff stuff, but could be neat.

A lot of people getting down on Thancred.

With the recent comments made about Krile and Thancred being the focus of the story I think it's critical we remember a few things about both characters.

Krile is leader of the Students of Baldesion, which could become the new code name banner everyone rallies under (replaces Scions of Seventh Dawn). So it's easy to see her reach out to the WOL for assistance in a new problem to start a new story.

Thancred is the trained scout and infiltration master. If there is a new mystery to explore, especially one shrouded in some sort of mystery, wouldn't it make sense to bring him along? Furthermore, he has so many instances where he runs off screen to investigate something, it would be nice if the WOL tagged along for one of those missions too.

When you think about it, Krile and Thancred being the focus for the next patch is really the easy set up for something new.

I was hoping to move on from a scions focus entirely, I think they ran their course and we're long overdue being off for new adventures with new friends.
I'd like to have them as someone you see from time to time when needed, like Lyse was in EW (and I love Lyse way more than the current scions), but not main members of the cast anymore. Especially the twins, they always got waaaay too much spotlight, it's time to let them go. And possibly have more adult companions and no teenagers anymore?