6.5 is not 5.3 but it's good enough

"Damn...they won't mention Unukalhai and Cylva in the MSQ"
they did

"Damn...why i am picking a god if has no difference?" (me a few days ago)
a short dialogue was introduced...still underwhelming but it's better than nothing

"Damn...they never will show Gaia because she belongs to Eden - a side content"
they found a way to make it work and just like Unukalhai & Cylva case, you have an extra dialogue.

I wonder what they want/expect to build from here. For now it's good enough!
In Pandaemonium we had an artifact associated with Seraph (side content from Stormblood), now we have side content from Shadowbringers associated with the MSQ. It's a good base for sure and there is many different stuff to explore. They improved a lot of QoL stuff and added more elements and characters to the MSQ, i don't see like a bad thing.

Additional comments


As for the 6.5 MSQ, it was good to leave the protagonist role to the side and let someone else do what must be done.

The only thing that i would make different is the Twelve. Pandaemonium was great. MSQ fulfilled it's purpose. Island lack in ambition.

Zero grew up faster than i expected but doens't feel forced, to be honest, i envy her. The thirteenth feels more like a exciting adventure than Etheirys, aesthetically looks like Dragon's Dogma.

That's it. EW is definitely worth it. It's a perfect bridge separating the past and at the same time they are establishing a new base for the future (i can't wait to leave the power of friendship behind tho).

I won't say I loved it, but I didn't hate it either.

I think they made it work with what they had. Could have been a bit better.

I'm... Satisfied, but mostly, I am glad the slog that was 6.1-6.4 has concluded.

6.5 isn't 5.3 (which itself is a patch I thought had a shit ending due to wasting hours of building up to a sacrifice that was just another fakeout)
It's also not 4.3
Or 3.3
And not even with world building on par with 2.X...

People compared it to a trial quest put into MSQ, but the trial questlines from Shadowbringers and Stormblood were a lot more entertaining than this Final Fantasy IV Themed Therapy Session.

Can't even say the brightside is that it concluded. Because this crappy writing is done by the same person leading Dawntrail.

The end for now with the 13th isn't actually a bad result, it resolved the issues, introduced key elements and plot points (the scales, domains, the memoriate and the cause of the 13th's fall in the first place), it potentially sets up a new role for the 1st in the future, doesn't rule out a void expansion in the future even. It's an intermission chapter that works well enough.
All in all it does what it needs to do, lay the ground work for something good later on if they so choose to expand upon it and it lays some key ground work for cross rift travel that may eventually lead to expansions on one of the other shards down the line. Those elements might not seem much now but they build off existing lore and set the stage for the future of the game.

6.5 is fine, but it comes after 6.3 and 6.4 that spend their time stalling with subplot that had potential, but were not developped enough to live to that potential, and at the same same time too present to not feel like filler. I really feel the "all the trials in the msq" really hurt the pacing and storytelling.

I was hyped when they told us they would cover the subject of the last of the first brood, but it ended being mostly underwhelming, with some good moments. But there also are some missed opportunity. I would have loved to have Hraesvelgr and Tiamat to have a small role in the climax. (after the trial, just before the rest of the gang joins, there was a small light in back that made me think for a second we would have a Midgarsormr intervention, but no)

But overall, I enjoyed 6.5 msq. The dungeons was story relevant, which after the last fuel run dungeon was nice. My only gripe is that, after spending 1.5 year on that questline, I expected to at least meet Azdaja. We have an epilogue for Zero, Julius, the sharlayan council, even for Ryne that was there for less than an hour in that storyline... And not an interaction with Azdaja? That's weird.

I don't get the hate for this patch content. I personally find it significantly more interesting and memorable than 5.0 post patch. They both feel like filler but I only remember a handful of key moments from 5.0 and none of them have much character development. It was more about hype.

Spoilers:

For example I really liked the moment Zero sees her reflection and is thinking back to her handshake with Jullus and spontaneously absorbs the light. It's quieter than post 5.0 but more deliberate and thoughtful imo. It felt a lot like main msq in 6.0 but in a different context, whereas 5.0's emotional moments were a tad bit "ok we have heard this before".

And let me just say they haven't stopped repeating the Graha conversation over and over. It's been like 5 times total

I have a feeling some people felt the same way about the Warriors of Darkness arc back in post HW where at the time it prolly felt like kinda neat but whatever. Only thing was that arc wasnt made as the entirety of its post expansion story, and I believe thats the number one problem why people arent as keen with the 13th story because it was the whole focus of EW's post patch story, rather than be a small arc within other arcs that slowly sets up the next expansion.

I for one at least am satisfied with the way it ended and it definitely feels like despite its execution, the story of the 13th is the basis for prolly a future expansion or side content waaay down the line.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ReynTime

People compared it to a trial quest put into MSQ, but the trial questlines from Shadowbringers and Stormblood were a lot more entertaining than this Final Fantasy IV Themed Therapy Session.

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I would definitely put this over the 4 lord quest

Me personally I’ve felt the Myth of the Twelve 3rd alliance raid had a more meaningful & ending chapter for EW & the forthcoming of Dawn than it did with MSQ

I quite liked Zero throghout the post-6.0 MSQ, and while I guess I see how other may have found it boring and like "it was turning in circles", there was a lot of non flashy developpment for her in every patch. Certainly it is a character that particularly speaks to me as an immigrant that had no shortage of small cultural shocks and didn't loudly get to share every one of my thoughts as I went. All of the story felt like a great setup for 8.0 or 10.0

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Elissar

"Damn...they won't mention Unukalhai and Cylva in the MSQ"
they did
...
That's it. EW is definitely worth it. It's a perfect bridge separating the past and at the same time they are establishing a new base for the future (i can't wait to leave the power of friendship behind tho).

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Agree on most all points.

It's been a worthwhile journey to me, and I look forward to the future. Tied everything up so nice and everything feels relaxed and ready for a vacation and some chill time at the end of it, though with a promise of intrigue on the horizon. 9/10, would purchase and play again, and excited for what the team does going forward from here.