A Storyteller’s Point of View on Final Fantasy XIV

A couple of weeks ago, a friend and viewer on my gaming stream ask if I’d be okay with him gifting me Final Fantasy XIV. (I have a thing on my stream where if I’m gifted a game, I will play it for 12 hours in the gifter’s presence. It’s so I will give the game a fair chance and so they can watch me react to my first time playing it. It’s when I tend to be at my most entertaining.)

I’ve never played a Final Fantasy game, but I had heard of XIV

“That’s the MMO, right?” I asked.

There are 2 reasons I don’t play MMOs. 1) I am a firm believer in paying for a game once. 2) I despise being forced to play with other people to do the interesting stuff a MMO offers. I am not a social person in real-life, and I am not one in virtual-life either.

He explained FFXIV lets me play for free up to level 60, although I would lose access to most of the social aspect of the game unless I paid for the subscription. So there are 2 things in the MMO’s favor right there. And he added FFXIV allowed dungeons to be run with NPCs instead of players.

So… yeah. With those 3 things going for it, I was willing to give it a try.

Oh boy, was I entertaining during those 12 hours. And man, did I complain. To hear me talk, you’d think I couldn’t wait for those 12 hours to be done.

Thing is, I kept playing past those. Over 2 weeks, I played something like 36 hours. And a few days ago, I found myself thinking back on that start and the only thing I remembered clearly was being overwhelmed.

And I wondered. Is that why I disliked the start so much? Was there so much of the mechanic of the game I needed to understand that I didn’t notice the good parts? Shouldn’t I give the start of the game a new look?

So, here I am. About to embark on a new play-through to the dismay of the friend who gifted me the game. And I decided to document my thoughts on what I experience.

My Credentials.

Here I am, calling this the Storyteller’s thing, and I haven’t even shown if I’m qualified.

Over the last 10 years, I have published 15 novel. I have 3 more scheduled to be published over the next 6 months. I’m a full-time novelist and I stream my daily writing sessions on Twitch.

I by no means consider myself an ‘expert’, but I am experienced.

A Caveat.

As a Canadian, I am approaching the storytelling from a western way of telling stories. I understand that may be highly different from how the storyteller(s) behind FFXIV approached it. This is not meant as an attack on their skills, but simply my reactions and opinions on what I experience.

So, here we go.

I am playing an Archer and I will go through the MSQ from Gridania. Unlike my first start, where I scattered myself all over the place, the MSQ will be the driving force behind everything I do. One of the aspect I want to study is how/if the MSQ guides me to join crafts or even the archer’s guild, since I have no memory of HOW I ended up starting on the Archer’s progression quest.

see you soon

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Originally Posted by kindar1

1) I am a firm believer in paying for a game once.

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Although there is a subscription, at this point, when you buy the game you are paying for 5 games worth of story or more, so even a 5 month subscription would be nothing compared to what I've paid for the individual expansions over the years, which are each a whole game's worth of content in Square Enix's view.

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2) I despise being forced to play with other people to do the interesting stuff a MMO offers. I am not a social person in real-life, and I am not one in virtual-life either.

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Yet you stream on twitch, a platform that allows you to be social with others. A lot of people are shy about being social and MMOs aim to help pull them out of that slowly, starting with solo play.

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And he added FFXIV allowed dungeons to be run with NPCs instead of players.

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This is true up until level 59 and they are working on making the rest able to be done with NPCs. It may take 2 or 3 patches more for the remainder to support NPCs. Starting at level 50, there are some 8-person trials that require players, but it will match them with you, they won't talk to you and they'll just complete the trial with you usually. They don't really care about mistakes or deaths because it's designed to be easy for the story and in the unlikely event everyone dies, they will just do it again and probably be alright.

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I am playing an Archer and I will go through the MSQ from Gridania. Unlike my first start, where I scattered myself all over the place, the MSQ will be the driving force behind everything I do. One of the aspect I want to study is how/if the MSQ guides me to join crafts or even the archer’s guild, since I have no memory of HOW I ended up starting on the Archer’s progression quest.

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The MSQ will guide you to the Archer's guild if you chose an Archer at the start. The rest of the Archer story is in your hands. It's a blue sidequest chain that will continue every 5 levels (it says in the chatbox when you level up when a new one is available). It doesn't make you do crafting at all, that's optional, but there are good side stories for all of the battle and crafting classes, and there are a lot of classes.

Aside from being fetchquests, the sidequests do add to the experience of the story by getting to know the residents and their problems in each area, but there are too many expansion's worth of story for most people to bother with them anymore.

how long before it turns into a you know what thread I wonder.

either way, welcome OP :) Hope you love the game.

Our story begins in a void and with a voice. We are shown a scene of us, fighting a ‘big bad’.

Then we wake up in the back of a cart, and we see creatures no one else seems to see. One of them tells us we are special. A passenger gives us basic information regarding the town we are heading for. Joining a crafting guild is mentioned. Then, we’re stopped by a guard/soldier, told we can’t proceed further because there is fighting ahead. When the fighting reaches us, we’re told to hurry and hope we make it. We make it.

We get a narrator telling us about the region, as well as how we might play a part in the world’s future. We get the title screen, then we are greeted by a guard, and gameplay starts.

The sequence in the void is certainly cinematic and better for being simple. We’re shown there is some ‘big bad’, that we will play a part in fighting it, and given a few cryptic words, before the ‘dream’ end.

What I take away from this is a promise of being one of the principal actors in a conflict to come. The scene in the cart is more flavor than anything more, other than establishing outside of the dreams that we are special. Which is then reiterated by the narrator. The sequence where we’re stopped by the militia feels a little off since we’re told the fighting is taking place ahead, and yet, when it reaches us, it clearly comes from the woods to the side. I understand the purpose of the scene is to set up some of the antagonist beings, but the ‘blocking’ of the action could have been better handled.

Coming to Gridania (https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/w...ng_to_Gridania)

The first quest falls under the ‘providing information’ quest.

Some issues the land has suffered since the calamity. That it took place five years ago. That no one remembers precisely what happened, or who stopped it. An interesting detail that is slipped in here, is that somehow, we are from a place that never heard of the calamity happening. That feels odd, as the prelude movie shows this as a celestial body sort of falling to the world. It should be kind of hard to miss. One thing we are told, that makes a scene in the opening animation feel superfluous is that the Ixal are causing trouble. One of them could be removed and the whole wouldn’t be affected. We are exposed to some intolerance, here based on the fact we are an adventurer. We are told that it’s because suspicious characters have been seen. And that mistrust is a thing.

We are told to sign a registry and handed… nothing to do it with.

That is an oddity I noticed with the cut scenes. They never hold an item when they hand it to us, or we having it when we are shown taking it from them.

I would be curious to see how long you keep this thread up. The story varies in quality as you go through each of the expansions with some being better than others.

As you are a published writer, it would be interesting to hear your thoughts and views of the storyline if you make it far into the game; IE: the critique of a professional.

Also, when you create a FF14 account you get access to the Lodestone, where you can post blogs for each character you create. So if you wanted to, you could post a daily or weekly blog of your adventures in the FF14 world.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/

Sadly the item hand over thing will continue to happen. Partly due to how its hard to draw/animate hands let alone showing them holding something. Anyway I'm excited to see your journey.

So far I'm a bit puzzled by your actual intent.

Are you trying to give us your opinion of the story, or give us a very detailed synopsis of what happens in the game? If you're trying to give us your opinion of the story, it would make a lot more sense to complete a major chapter of the story first then share your experience. If you continue on as you did, you're going to end up boring readers who already know exactly what happens. The draw here is supposed to be your opinion, after all.

You also left one thing out of your credentials - your previous MMO/RPG video game experience. Stories in games can't be handled in the same way they are in books due to the need to weave story with game play. Game play can be restricted not just by industry technology but also by the age of the technology the average player will have for their console/FC. As SannaR said, you're going to encounter some weird things happening due to those restrictions.

I hope you enjoy your journey through FFXIV. It's not without flaws but overall it's a solid game experience for those who enjoy MMORPGs.

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Originally Posted by Jeeqbit

A lot of people are shy about being social and MMOs aim to help pull them out of that slowly, starting with solo play.

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Thankfully Yoshi and the devs realize that MMOs are not about forcing grouping on everyone's throat like many other western devs love to do.

Many people enjoy mmos in a solo fashion, other players existing enhances the feeling of the world, that doesnt mean I want to chat or socialize, they are there to improve my experience, not for socialization.

I can't wait to hear a self-published author critique a story from seasoned writers.

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Originally Posted by kindar1

Over the last 10 years, I have published 15 novel. I have 3 more scheduled to be published over the next 6 months. I’m a full-time novelist and I stream my daily writing sessions on Twitch.

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Anything I've ever read?

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Originally Posted by hagare

Anything I've ever read?

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They seem to write gay furry self-published eBooks.

So, maybe?

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Originally Posted by PirateRyanG

I can't wait to hear a self-published author critique a story from seasoned writers.

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Remember that when you meet the top 10 plot holes in EW

Enjoy, I dont know what your credentials are, but as someone who works in the industry myself I'm aware of a lot of core storytelling issues but overall I still love XIV. It'll be interesting to see your thoughts unfold.

Are you doing this project on camera? If so, could you please provide a link to your Twitch channel. I would be interested in watching videos.

Also, as far as the nature of the project premise provided, A Realm Reborn is considered by many people to get off to a weak beginning. I just finished it last night for the first time, and there is a movie length cinematic at the end of the post-patch. (Approximately 90 minutes of cinematic split into two parts). I will have trouble taking any analysis seriously that doesn't include at least the entirety of ARR.

I don't think one earns the right as a critic to deliver a review without having finished the entire piece. A critic who does that is a bad critic.

Just to clarify, there is a climax event that was the original end of the first release of the game, but then a patch was released before the second expansion, ("Heavensward" is the second expansion), that is so long it is almost an expansion unto itself, and that's the ending I'm talking about with the long cinematic.

I have one more concern about your bias going into the project - This is a game, not a novel. The writers' goals are not only to write a compelling narrative, but also to provide an MMO gameplay experience that will appeal to a large enough MMO market to make a profit.

I am anticipating many criticisms here about all the story-useless filler you're going to be encountering. The filler is there to stretch the amount of play time required to progress the story, because the developers' profit is dependent on time-played metrics with a subscription-based monetarization model.

Still, I will be curious if the gameplay filler component of the story-telling will stretch your patience to the point of causing you to abandon the project before it's finished.

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Originally Posted by Wissp

Also, when you create a FF14 account you get access to the Lodestone, where you can post blogs for each character you create. So if you wanted to, you could post a daily or weekly blog of your adventures in the FF14 world.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/

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okay, that I will have to look into, and once I inevitably start a new character, I will probably give that a go

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Originally Posted by hagare

Anything I've ever read?

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Statistically, the answer is no. the link to my website is in my Basic information, since I don't know what the policy regarding posting links to 'business' is for the forum.

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Originally Posted by BRVV

Remember that when you meet the top 10 plot holes in EW

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I hate that I read that in a WatchMojo voice...

"CHECK out OUR TOP... ten... PLOTHOLES in finalfantay14"
"Number teeeenn... a talking crystal?!"

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Originally Posted by PirateRyanG

They seem to write gay furry self-published eBooks.

So, maybe?

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https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/...6db91aec9c.png

Close to Home (https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Close_to_Home_)

This quest gets us familiar with some locations, the Aetheryte, the market, and one of the hand of war/magic guild, in my case, the archer. As with most starting quests, little danger is involved. Story-wise, Mother Miounne is upfront about the purpose, to give us a grasp of adventuring… I question the wording. We are also told to seek the Smiths should we need advice. We are also encouraged to help anyone who needs it in town.

The Aetheryte

Upon touching the Aetheryte, we get a cut scene explaining the use of the Aetheryte and encourage to attune to as many as we can. The one story detail that pops at me is how we are spoken to as if we don’t know where it is, after we have touched it.

The Market

Here we speak with Parsemontret, who for the price of 1 eel pie tells us about the market. While the interaction teaches us the mechanic of handing items to NPCs, the bluntness of ‘give me a bribe’ is a tad offputting.

The Archers.

So, I was sent to the archer from the start.

Here we speak to the receptionist, and get backstory on archery in the region. Other than the NPC acting like she can’t see my bow, therefore treats me as someone who doesn’t know archery exists, the storytelling is adequate

We return to Mother Miounne, are thanked for being an adventurer who is there for the population, and expresses hope that we will be there to help in the coming struggles.

One interesting note with the ending. She thanked me for helping some citizens, which I did not do. I think that is a slight flaw in the narrative.

To the Bannock (https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/To_the_Bannock)

I had to do the first Archer quest to get to level 4 and activate this quest

We are sent to speak with an acquaintance of Mother Miounne on the off chance he has a use for an adventurer. Once there, we get more information on the strife the Calamity brought to the Twelveswood. And the quest ends with s reminder to listen to the people and their requests.

Passing Muster (https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Passing_Muster)

Here we are inspected to ensure we are properly armored.

I had to take a side quest to afford to buy the pieces of armor I needed to meet the requirement. It was the one to go looking for recruits that didn’t show up for training, and while this falls under game mechanics more than storytelling, I’m not a fan of how they are identified with an icon that can be seen from any good vantage points. It makes finding them a little too easy.

I passed muster and concluded the quest.

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Originally Posted by BelgarathMTH

Are you doing this project on camera? If so, could you please provide a link to your Twitch channel. I would be interested in watching videos.

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my twitch is https://www.twitch.tv/theplayingtiger

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Originally Posted by Absimiliard

https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/...6db91aec9c.png

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kink shaming in my 14?
Ok scaly xD

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Over the last 10 years, I have published 15 novel.

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15?

Interesting.

Titles? Genre? Publisher?

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Originally Posted by hagare

kink shaming in my 14?

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*looks at lower limsa aetherite plaza*
*sweats profusely*

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Originally Posted by VelKallor

15?

Interesting.

Titles? Genre? Publisher?

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Tristan, 6 book series, Science-Fiction Thriller, complete
Inheriting the Line, 5 book series, Urban-Fantasy(Adult), complete
Death by Predation, 4 book series, Procedural/mystery, 2 books published, 2 coming out before the end of 2022
Demons, 3 book series, action/adventure, 2 books published, last book coming out early 2023

I'm self-published under the "The Tiger Writes" imprint.
the link to my website is in my bio

(https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Chasing_Shadows)

Right off the bat, we have a storytelling flaw. We ‘have proven ourselves a friend to Gridania’ by our tireless efforts. And we can now be trusted with sensitive intelligence.

I’ve just stood here, finishing one quest and started this one.

We are told that we are good and important to Gridania, but we haven’t been shown to be so. ‘Show don’t Tell’ is a much repeated rule in storytelling, and I think that here it matters. Instead of trusting we did helped people (which in and of itself doesn’t prove we are trustworthy). We should be given minor tasks and missions where we show we can be trusted to do what we are told.

We get a cut scene that starts with some words I like the least in games like these. ‘Time is of the essence’. Unless the mission is on a timer (few are) then time is not of the essence and the NPCs shouldn’t act like it is.

We are told there is a suspected link between the suspicious character and the Ixali activities. We are sent to investigate, told that we might need to act covertly to catch this character.

While one of the function of this quest is to get us to interact with an item. On a storytelling level, the problem with it is that there is no story here. We interact with the sword, people show up, including author inserts, there is a fight, basically the end. There is no need to ‘do’ anything story related.

We aren’t part of the story; the story happens around us.

After the fight we get a cut scene telling us again we’re special, and given what sounds like the plot of the story. Assemble a crystal to banish a darkness.

The strangers leave. I take the sword and return to Galfrid.

Here we have the first clear indication that we can speak, and yet, our dialog doesn’t show up.

My big problem with this quest is that it’s supposed to be something only I could do, but how could any guard fail to see a sword in a stump? In a story, events have to happen for a reason supported by the narrative. Nothing in the narrative support that I should be the one to resolve this issue. There was no subterfuge involved, no mysterious person to find. Just a sword in a stump anyone passing by could have seen. And guards have been passing by, since they made a report about that area.

When I read the title I was worried this would be another "FFXIV's writing is amazing and if you don't agree you're wrong because I'm a real author" but this is a lot more interesting than that.

I'm gonna keep my eye on this. Fascinating.

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Here we have the first clear indication that we can speak, and yet, our dialog doesn’t show up.

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Silent protagonist.

Btw.."went and'?

May I ask who or what you're labeling as an author insert? The story more often then not assumes you've gone and done side quests.

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Originally Posted by kindar1

*snip*

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while to some extent I agree, you have to be aware that the game has been around for 12 years.

they have changed the original arc to make it shorter for new players. this is going to cause issues with your attempt to critique the story, since its not the same as it was. in fact, they removed 13% of the ARR quests, lines of dialogue that used to be part of quests were removed to shorten the quest chains themselves. at this point, especially in ARR, you are being handed a book with entire paragraphs, pages and chapters that are simply removed to make the experience shorter because players complained it was too long.

while your attempt is interesting, I feel its conception is flawed from the start

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Originally Posted by kindar1

(https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Chasing_Shadows)
We aren’t part of the story; the story happens around us.

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Remember this thought, because it will rear it's ugly head time and time again throughout the story.

In short, we observe and react to the events around us, and are just there to be a 'tool' for others to use when needed.

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Originally Posted by Raoabolic

*looks at lower limsa aetherite plaza*
*sweats profusely*

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Limsa does not kink shame. Limsa accepts all.

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Originally Posted by hagare

Limsa does not kink shame. Limsa accepts all.

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I think that was the point. You can find every kink in limsa

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Originally Posted by Kes13a

while to some extent I agree, you have to be aware that the game has been around for 12 years.

they have changed the original arc to make it shorter for new players. this is going to cause issues with your attempt to critique the story, since its not the same as it was. in fact, they removed 13% of the ARR quests, lines of dialogue that used to be part of quests were removed to shorten the quest chains themselves. at this point, especially in ARR, you are being handed a book with entire paragraphs, pages and chapters that are simply removed to make the experience shorter because players complained it was too long.

while your attempt is interesting, I feel its conception is flawed from the start

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That's not his problem. He's giving his perspective as an author who just started. Just leave him be, it's not like FFXIV will have whatever reputation you people think it has tarnished because someone dared critique past story arcs. If he feels it improves later, he will give his take accordingly.

And then some people here still have the gall to claim the fanbase is not overly defensive of any negative criticism...

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Originally Posted by ReynTime

That's not his problem. He's giving his perspective as an author who just started. Just leave him be, it's not like FFXIV will have whatever reputation you people think it has tarnished because someone dared critique past story arcs. If he feels it improves later, he will give his take accordingly.

And then some people here still have the gall to claim the fanbase is not overly defensive of any negative criticism...

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a single, calm response saying "I agree to some extent, but I do have some issues with your take" isn't being overly defensive of any negative criticism. The OP purposely made this thread to blog his critique of the story/game, are you honestly expecting no one to say "I disagree"?

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Originally Posted by ReynTime

That's not his problem. He's giving his perspective as an author who just started. Just leave him be, it's not like FFXIV will have whatever reputation you people think it has tarnished because someone dared critique past story arcs. If he feels it improves later, he will give his take accordingly.

And then some people here still have the gall to claim the fanbase is not overly defensive of any negative criticism...

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"you people"?

funny. personally all I was doing was advising that the premise might be faulty because things have been removed. in no way do I defend their removal. but I forgot, to some, especially like "you people" anything that doesnt condemn the game vociferously must be fanatic defense.

he gave his perspective, and I just advised why that may be the case. people can critique all they want, heck, I even agreed with the OP to an extent. hardly being defensive or defending SE or FFxiv. just pointing out a FACT, that is easily verifiable. relax, your dislike and opinions are safe from assault.

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Originally Posted by kindar1

Close to Home (https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Close_to_Home_)

This quest gets us familiar with some locations, the Aetheryte, the market, and one of the hand of war/magic guild, in my case, the archer. As with most starting quests, little danger is involved. Story-wise, Mother Miounne is upfront about the purpose, to give us a grasp of adventuring… I question the wording. We are also told to seek the Smiths should we need advice. We are also encouraged to help anyone who needs it in town.

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As you play FF14, please keep in mind that it was mainly written in Japanese. What you see in the language you play in, can be a loose translation, a translation that might have changed from the original intent, or even changed entirely because it needs to fit better into the language it was translated to. So much of the wording and information c an seem odd or just worded wrong.

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The Market

Here we speak with Parsemontret, who for the price of 1 eel pie tells us about the market. While the interaction teaches us the mechanic of handing items to NPCs, the bluntness of ‘give me a bribe’ is a tad offputting.

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Characters have personalities. I'm sure you know this when it comes to books. So you will find the same here. So it shouldn't be that much of a surprise for an NPC that works through bribery.

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The Archers.

So, I was sent to the archer from the start.

Here we speak to the receptionist and get the backstory on archery in the region. Other than the NPC acting like she can’t see my bow, therefore treats me as someone who doesn’t know archery exists, the storytelling is adequate.

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It is written as such because later on, you unlock the ability to take on multiple classes. Meaning, you start as an Archer, but after a point in the MSQ (Main Story Questline) you are allowed to go and learn to be a Marauder or a Lancer. So it makes sense the NPC asks if you want to be an Archer in a neutral way.

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We return to Mother Miounne, are thanked for being an adventurer who is there for the population, and express hope that we will be there to help in the coming struggles.

One interesting note with the ending. She thanked me for helping some citizens, which I did not do. I think that is a slight flaw in the narrative.

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Hm, I never noticed that. Maybe because I assisted other NPCs along the way. Interesting.

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To the Bannock (https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/To_the_Bannock)

I had to do the first Archer quest to get to level 4 and activate this quest

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I will let you know, FF14 has quests and areas behind what are called "level locks" or "gates". These can be the level of your character, the iLevel of your gear (known as item level), how far you are in the MSQ (Main Story Quest), if you have done particular dungeons or side quests, etc. Don't let it discourage you. Many find it annoying.

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Passing Muster (https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Passing_Muster)

Here we are inspected to ensure we are properly armored.

I had to take a side quest to afford to buy the pieces of armor I needed to meet the requirement. It was the one to go looking for recruits that didn’t show up for training, and while this falls under game mechanics more than storytelling, I’m not a fan of how they are identified with an icon that can be seen from any good vantage points. It makes finding them a little too easy.

I passed muster and concluded the quest.

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Blame that on "modernity" and "inclusion" for MMOs. Back in the day (think EverQuest in 1999), you had to write things down and explore. Now, it's all about handholding and making this easier for players no matter how they play. You get used to it.

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Originally Posted by kindar1

(https://ffxiv.consolegameswiki.com/wiki/Chasing_Shadows)

Right off the bat, we have a storytelling flaw. We ‘have proven ourselves a friend to Gridania’ through our tireless efforts. And we can now be trusted with sensitive intelligence.

I’ve just stood here, finishing one quest, and started this one.

We are told that we are good and important to Gridania, but we haven’t been shown to be so. ‘Show don’t Tell’ is a much-repeated rule in storytelling, and I think that here it matters. Instead of trusting we did help people (which in and of itself doesn’t prove we are trustworthy). We should be given minor tasks and missions where we show we can be trusted to do what we are told.

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I get where you are coming from, but if we were made to do X amount of mundane tasks to prove ourselves .. I'm certain many players would quit before a few hours are up.

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We get a cut scene that starts with some words I like the least in games like these. ‘Time is of the essence. Unless the mission is on a timer (few are) then time is not of the essence and the NPCs shouldn’t act like it is.

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It's to give urgency to the narrative. Doing timers for quests in an MMO doesn't work, IMO. That and the anxiety. Ugh. Besides, some players might want to do other things, and being "forced" to do a quest with an arbitrary timer given kinda stinks. You lose the "sandbox" open feeling that way.

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While one of the function of this quest is to get us to interact with an item. On a storytelling level, the problem with it is that there is no story here. We interact with the sword, people show up, including author inserts, there is a fight, basically the end. There is no need to ‘do’ anything story related.

We aren’t part of the story; the story happens around us.

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You have figured out the main narrative of FF14. Because we are always "in the right place" when things happen. Remember, we are the chosen of Hydaelyn, the Mother Crystal of the Source (where we live). So things will happen around us, characters will be drawn to us, and we will be pulled into every problem (big or small) that happens.

Welcome to being a hero!

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Here we have the first clear indication that we can speak, and yet, our dialog doesn’t show up.

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Welcome to us being a silent protagonist as well!

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My big problem with this quest is that it’s supposed to be something only I could do, but how could any guard fail to see a sword in a stump? In a story, events have to happen for a reason supported by the narrative. Nothing in the narrative support that I should be the one to resolve this issue. There was no subterfuge involved, no mysterious person to find. Just a sword in a stump anyone passing by could have seen. And guards have been passing by since they made a report about that area.

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Remember in the cutscene that strange apparatus Papalymo wore over his face? It senses aether in the world. I believe that sword was covered in that aether and due to the placement of it and the stump, it was in an out-of-the-way area. Hence how only you three found it.

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Originally Posted by kindar1

Right off the bat, we have a storytelling flaw. We ‘have proven ourselves a friend to Gridania’ by our tireless efforts. And we can now be trusted with sensitive intelligence.

I’ve just stood here, finishing one quest and started this one.

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A caveat as you play through the game via only the Main Story Questline: You will find a number of times you'll find some of the wording odd because you haven't done the side quests. You have no need to do them to advance in levels in 2022. Back in 2014, when I started, you ended up doing all of the quests available to advance in levels.

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We should be given minor tasks and missions where we show we can be trusted to do what we are told.

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We are. They are called side quests.

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We aren’t part of the story; the story happens around us.

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You are not important at this point in the story. You're getting there, to be sure, but it will be a long time before you earn the eponym "Warrior of Light".

Even Frodo was 'just a hobbit' when he started out.

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"Here we have the first clear indication that we can speak, and yet, our dialog doesn’t show up."

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We "speak" quite a bit in cut-scenes. There is no need for us to reiterate in text what we've already gone through in-game. You'll find that we are given dialogue to choose when it matters (and sometimes when it does not).

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Originally Posted by AngelCheese77

I get where you are coming from, but if we were made to do X amount of mundane tasks to prove ourselves. I'm certain many players would quit before a few hours are up.

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Minor doesn't have to mean mundane. And as the main character of our story, even a task that starts as mundane, could and should evolve into something entertaining. it doesn't have to be world-shattering yet, the goal would simply be to make us actually matter to the characters around us. so that when we are entrusted with this mission, it makes sense why it is us, who is entrusted with it, and not someone actually qualified.

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Originally Posted by AngelCheese77

It's to give urgency to the narrative.

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Unfortunately, telling me it's urgent and not enforcing it, doesn't give me a sense of urgency in the narrative. It simply leaves me questioning why. This isn't an issue that only FF14 struggles with. I've played multiple single-player games where I'm given a job that MUST BY DONE NOW, then I'm allowed to wander around for hours and days on end before finishing it.

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Originally Posted by AngelCheese77

Welcome to being a hero!

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Here I have to disagree. the hero is the one who does. the sidekick is the one who simply assists.

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Originally Posted by AngelCheese77

Welcome to us being a silent protagonist as well!

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If I am going to have to play a silent protagonist, the protagonist should be silent, and not simply put me in a position to not be able to read what he's saying.

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Originally Posted by AngelCheese77

Remember in the cutscene that strange apparatus Papalymo wore over his face? It senses aether in the world. I believe that sword was covered in that aether and due to the placement of it and the stump, it was in an out-of-the-way area. Hence how only you three found it.

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Galfrid tells us to go to the Lifemend Stump, and that the majority of the sightings took place there. so, clearly, they sent someone there. you raise a good point about the sword being covered in the aether, and that could be why no one saw it before. We don't know that we have the Echo yet. I'd have to look at the cut scene again, but I don't recall how Papalymo and his companion behave regarding the sword before and after he puts the goggles on. I'm confident that nothing is made of it one way or another, which would be a missed opportunity to show us that the glowing particles were more than just an indication to me, the player, that this was the item I needed to interact with.

an addendum on 10-7-22, I just rewatched the cutscene, and Yda sees the sword without the use of any device, implying that it's visible to anyone.

This is pretty interesting surprisingly enough. I went in expecting blind praise but no, there's actually some pretty good stuff written down here aside from a couple of bumps. I may have to actually follow along. I'm interested in seeing how far this'll go.